TMZ Hip Hop - Page 11

Megan Thee Stallion looks like she's about to rock the hell out of a Roberto Cavalli dress ... and she's giving everyone a sexy sneak preview.

The three-time Grammy Award-winning artist shared some photos from a recent dress fitting ... and she's got curves for days.

Megan says she's getting fitted for a dress from the famous Italian fashion designer ... and it looks like she's pretty excited for the final product.

Up-and-coming rapper Luci4 was found dead in an L.A. residence on Sunday ... and now we're learning more about his movements hours prior to his death.

We broke the news ... the rapper -- best known for his viral hit "BodyPartz" -- was found dead at a friend's house at the age of 23. His cause of death has yet to be determined ... and his family wants answers.

The father of Luci4 -- born James Dear IV -- tells TMZ ... last Saturday, his son was running late to catch a 10:52 PM flight to Miami for a concert.

There was a pre-boarding issue with TSA … and James got super upset, which is when his father says LAX Police got involved -- and he was detained.

Lil Jon's son's cause of death has been revealed as an accidental drowning.

Georgia's Fulton County Medical Examiner determined Nathan Smith -- whose stage name was DJ Young Slade -- died from "drowning in the setting of psilocybin use," the medical examiner's office told TMZ. The manner was ruled as an accident.

Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic compound found in mushrooms, and the autopsy found it in Smith's blood.

Ray J ripped into Kim Kardashian after she accused him of making false statements about her that could put her dream of becoming a lawyer in jeopardy ... TMZ has learned.

In court docs, Ray J scoffed at Kim’s suggestion that his comments about her and her mother Kris Jenner being investigated by the feds could derail her getting her law license.

Ray J said ... “For this ever to be an issue, Kardashian must first pass the bar exam, something she admittedly has not yet done.”

He continued ... “Regardless, it is unclear why vague, third-party allegations from [an interview] and a Twitch stream could ever ‘jeopardize’ her legal career. It would be the underlying wrongful conduct, none of which [Kim and Kris have] denied.”

Blueface didn't waste any time getting his nasty cut treated after taking an elbow to the face during a workout -- and the rapper was kind enough to give TMZ Sports access to the whole appointment.

The musician got treated at a Los Angeles medical facility after his sparring partner accidentally elbowed him in the face while training for his celebrity boxing match against former NBA champion Nick "Swaggy P" Young.

Blueface was in good spirits while the medical staff member fixed him up, and he even playfully flirted with her a little bit, leaving her laughing.

Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube are going after a former business partner for alleged fraud ... TMZ has learned. 

The rappers -- along with Too Short and E-40 -- formed a rap group called Mount Westmore in 2020. They entered into a licensing deal with a company called Westside Merchandising ... which they claim made false promises about their business in order to have them sign with them over a bigger merch company. 

The suit claims Westside Merchandise said it could make the rappers a ton of money through retail stores it had partnerships with, and they would not focus on strictly sales at concerts. 

Snoop and Ice Cube said Westside failed to provide accounting. The reports they did read said the merch sold $808K in sales from concert dates, more than $90K from stores, and $13K in e-commerce sales. 

Benzino was hospitalized in Georgia this week, after allegedly being hit by a car during an altercation with his ex-fiancée, Althea Eaton ... who he claims tried to kidnap their son after school -- but Althea tells us it's all BS.

The former "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star tells TMZ ... Althea showed up at his home Wednesday afternoon with her friend, Crime Mob rapper Diamond ... and he claims they tried to snatch Zino -- his son with Althea -- when the boy got off the bus.

Benzino says Diamond was driving, and as she and Althea drove off, he says he was side-swiped ... knocking him to the ground. He says police eventually pulled them over, and Child Protective Services retrieved Zino and returned him to Benzino.

Benzino tells us cops were actually the ones who called for an ambulance, and he was transported to a hospital. He says he hit his arm and head on the car ... and his back is all messed up.

Nicki Minaj has been dumped by her lawyer handling one of her cases due to a “communication breakdown” as she faces a $10 million lawsuit ... this according to new legal docs.

The rapper’s attorney Matthew Abbott filed court docs asking to withdraw from representing Nicki in a lawsuit brought by a fan named Tameer Peak.

Tameer has sued Nicki before, claiming she falsely accused him of criminal conduct and stalking in September 2025, and for slander in August 2024.

6:15 AM PT -- Ray J tells TMZ ... "I'm feeling good right now -- I'm not suicidal at this moment -- I don't need to call a hotline -- I'm perfectly stable." 

He claims ... "On the night of the incident ... She was very aggressive with all the stuff going on ... she put her hands on me and I literally got up out of there -- situation like that you get out of there to settle down the situation -- was I suicidal in that moment -- I don't know what I was feeling -- she slapped me out of control -- I didn't know if it was March or April, my back tooth is loose -- it was a massive blow -- Hell yeah I called 911 because I left the hotel and she followed me."

He goes on to say, "Her apology was sincere and weird at the same time -- but we're on good terms."

Ray J's ex-partner Shila Hasanoff is setting the record straight on the recent domestic violence call to his L.A. area home, saying the rapper didn't lay a hand on her ... and is now suicidal.

Shila posted an emotional Instagram video talking all about the incident from early Saturday morning, during which police responded to Ray's residence after receiving a battery domestic violence call to his address.

TMZ broke the story ... our sources say the 2 parties involved refused to cooperate, leaving the officers with no other option than to close out the job with no arrests.

Cardi B made "Saturday Night Live's" 1,000th episode one to remember ... allegedly for all the wrong reasons -- according to our sources, Cardi started destroying equipment during rehearsal when she overheard the "Weekend Update" anchors run a joke about Nicki Minaj.

We're told as Cardi was preparing to perform as a musical guest on the January 31 show, the "Weekend Update" anchors were running their jokes ahead of dress rehearsal.

Our sources say Cardi apparently overheard one about Nicki's recent affiliation with MAGA ... and LOST it.

Nick Cannon had his hands full with his kids Tuesday ... taking them to dinner at a famous Los Angeles hot spot -- though he couldn't manage to get his whole brood together.

The actor and rapper was spotted leaving Craig's -- a well-known joint in West Hollywood -- with five of his children ... several pizza boxes tucked under his arm and a bag in hand.

Unclear if the crew ate at the restaurant or if Cannon just took everyone to quickly pick up takeout ... but, either way, it seems Cannon was on full dad duty.

T.I. is dragging his beef with 50 Cent straight into the studio -- and TMZ’s got the first listen to the diss track.

Hit play on this ... because T.I. ain't playing nice, calling 50 a "5-0 dispatcher" -- basically branding him a snitch -- and clowns him as a keyboard warrior who’s tough online but nowhere else.

Then it really gets spicy. T.I. raps he’s got "he has paperwork from n**** in prison ya name is in em" ... a bombshell claim that goes straight at 50’s gangster brand. That’s not light shade ... that’s nuclear!

Rapper Luci4 -- best known for his viral hit "BodyPartz" -- has died at 23.

The L.A. County Medical Examiner confirms Luci4 -- born James Dear -- passed away, though his cause of death is still unknown. His grandparents tell TMZ he died February 22, sometime at a friend’s house in Los Angeles.

They say they don’t know what happened yet -- but they’re suspicious. According to them, his wallet was completely emptied, and they had recently warned him about the people he’d been spending time with as his fame started taking off.

Eva Longoria just added some serious star power to her Netflix comedy … because TMZ has learned 50 Cent is in da proverbial club.

Production sources tell TMZ … the rapper and TV mogul has been on set the past two days filming scenes for Longoria’s upcoming Netflix project, “The Fifth Wheel.”

We’re told 50 shot multiple scenes alongside Kim Kardashian, Nikki Glaser and Brenda Song with the action going down at Exchange LA -- a nightclub in downtown Los Angeles.

DJ Young Slade -- Lil Jon's son -- was laid to rest this week after his father confirmed his death earlier this month.

Lil Jon took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute video of his late son and added, "On the first day of Ramadan yesterday, We laid my only son to rest. In this holy month, I’m asking for extra du’a for him and for our family."

The rapper continued, "I love you, son. Life will never be the same without you. Allah, give me strength."

1:42 PM PT -- Yo Gotti's company CMG has released a statement in the wake of Lil Poppa's passing ... calling him a "beloved family member" and promising to uphold his legacy with honor and respect.

Rapper Lil Poppa died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound ... TMZ has learned.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Georgia tells TMZ the rapper -- real name Janarious Mykel Wheeler -- died after being shot in the head ... his death has been ruled a suicide.

Lil Poppa's cause of death comes out just a day after authorities pronounced him dead.