Hip Hop

Hidden behind this squiggly-lipped celeb is a handsome fella who's been in the entertainment industry for three decades. He may not confess to much on social media, but his pics are always 🔥! See if you can guess this mashed-up celeb ...

He's collaborated with music's hottest stars like Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. YEAH, he's a musical genius but he's also no stranger to the big screen ... He played the deejay in the iconic movie "She's All That" with Freddie Prinze Jr.

NLE Choppa has unlocked the code to prevent being bored in bumper-to-bumper Los Angeles --- stage a fan meet-and-greet on the spot!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Mr. Cottonwood posing for pics and signing autographs for his adoring public from the backseat of a car in DTLA at the let out of the Lakers game last night ... after they got smacked by the defending champs Denver Nuggets.

The fans were geeked to get up close and personal and NLE's giving them more than enough reasons to stay excited in 2024.

On Friday, the Memphis rapper released his new "City Lights" single -- a tribute to his slain friend Deonte' "Tae Grape" Fletcher and hits the road later this year with A Boogie Wit da Hoodie for the 'Better Off Alone' tour in May.

Katt Williams and Mo'Nique's sharing their "truth" on "Club Shay Shay" was the worst possible move for the Black community ... at least in Judge Mathis' eyes.

The man has been paid to have an honest gauge on uneasy situations -- legal, ethical and otherwise -- and according to Hizzoner, he rules that all this mud-slinging stinks. On Friday, Mathis held court on his IG page and called for an end to the recent missiles launched in the public eye amongst Black entertainers.

He didn't single out Katt and Mo by name but the social media space has been in shambles since Katt's interview aired on January 3 ... and Mo followed suit this week -- even joining KW's nationwide tour with other comics who seem to have bones to pick.

Judge Mathis didn't bite his tongue -- he called the feeding frenzy an embarrassment to Black culture and feels it his gut that big H'wood execs and studios are silently laughing on the sidelines.

He also pointed out he doesn't see other cultures tearing each other down in public ... just Black people being the sideshow spectacle -- that's how's he framing his argument here.

The 63-year-old justice admitted he doesn't always keep his cool in his own courtroom but notes those outbursts are spun into entertainment for his TV shows.

Judge Mathis concluded by stressing that these stars' issues should be hashed out in private settings ... instead of setting bad examples.

We'll see if Shannon Sharpe takes a breather with these interviews -- or if he keeps on bringing celebs with more grievances to air. On its face, he seems inclined toward the latter.

Alicia Keys will be a featured guest at Usher's Super Bowl Halftime Show, TMZ Hip Hop can reveal ... the latest development in the highly anticipated performance!!!

Sources close to the production confirm eyewitness accounts that AK rehearsed with Usher inside Allegiant Stadium on Thursday. Now that we know she'll be in the mix -- the first confirmed guest of his BTW -- all signs pointing to them doing one big song together.

Of course, we're talking about their 2004 mega duet "My Boo" -- which will undoubtedly be at least one of the tracks she performs.

The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks when it came out -- and became the soundtrack to high school slow dances worldwide. It'll be interesting to see where the slow jam is included in the track list ... but he'll have plenty of time to squeeze it in.

Remember ... Usher negotiated to have a 15-minute set as opposed to the originally allotted 13 minutes ... 'cause it's the only way he knows how to rock, it seems. Considering how many famous collaborators Usher has had over the years ... it makes sense he needs the extra time.

His Apple Music commercial to promote the big event also heavily featured his "Yeah!" collaborators Ludacris and Lil Jon. Most everyone assumes these two guys will also be special guests during his performance ... although, they technically haven't confirmed yet.

As you know ... Usher has also been talking to Justin Bieber as a potential guest onstage -- although we haven't locked down whether the Biebs will actually be in attendance or not.

Joe Budden's rants aimed at Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and Kai Cenat are nothing but history repeating itself ... that's Soulja Boy's take, anyway, and he says the entire spat is quite triggering.

The "Crank Dat" creator chopped it up with TMZ Hip Hop Thursday in Bev Hills as he got some Valentine's Day shopping out the way. He just dropped his latest album, "Swag 6" where he didn't forget about the ladies, and advises all you fellas don't either!!!

Love in hip hop feels hard to come by these days -- Budden recently ripped Travis and Carti's Grammy performance for being a garbage bag of grunge ... and the podcast czar also clowned live streamer Kai Cenat for failing to see the merit in Killer Mike sweeping the Grammys rap categories.

SB tells us he's seen beef like this before ... à la the time Ice-T called him out for "killing hip hop" when he was just 17!!! Ice later admitted he overstepped his boundaries by telling a kid to dine on male genitalia, but still insisted Soulja's raps suck big time.

The infamous beef was the first of countless arguments that highlighted hip hop's generational divide -- but Soulja is sticking to his guns and siding with the youth against Joe just like he did with Ice-T.

Soulja advises Joe and anyone who feels like him to adapt to the times -- Twitch and TikTok are the new arenas ... either you adapt or become a dinosaur-sized fossil!!!

As always, Soulja's quick to point out when he's leading the competition in anything -- and, now, he's calling dibs as the first rapper with the Apple Vision Pro!!!

Latto released her new "Sunday Service" Friday after a heavy social media campaign, and it completely burst the dam on rumors she and Ice Spice are beefing!!!

The pimpish track is produced by Latto's frequent soundmen Go Grizzly, Pooh Beatz and  Bankroll Got It and packs on plenty of sharp-tongued darts seemingly aimed at generic opps ... until the lyrics, "Think I'm the s***? Bitch, I know it ho ... Jesus walked on water, I got Ice boiling though."

Ice Spice kicked off the year with her new single "Think U The Shit (Fart)" ... which fans gassed as a swipe at Latto, and even Candace Owens weighed in, trouncing the track for contributing to the downfall of mankind! 🙄

Ahead of the "Sunday Service" release, Latto told Gillie and Wallo the song was dedicated to all notable females in the hip hop game, but not excluding "the bitches I’m beefing with."

Latto must've tortured her dolls as a tyke … she also has friction with Ice's "Barbie World" Nicki Minaj, after she put their beef on the floor last year ... and again with Cardi B.

Tech N9ne's not worried about his bank account ... 'cause he just tossed up a small fortune to show appreciation to a few exotic dancers for their moves.

All eyes were on the rapper at the pre-Super Bowl party he hosted in Las Vegas Thursday night at Crazy Horse 3 -- a very popular strip club just across the street from Allegiant Stadium.

Sources tell us ... T9 made a fashionably late entrance, pulling up to the club at around 2 AM early Friday morning -- and he quickly made up for lost time, walking onstage with an absolute bag and chucking bills up in the air as the ladies danced to his song "Hood Go Crazy."

It didn't take long for the entertainers to realize where the money was at ... and soon we're told 11 dancers were all shakin' their asses near Tech.

Apparently, N9ne was loving the attention so much, we're told he had a member of his entourage running to bring him more ones -- which Tech threw in the air for the next 15 minutes.

All told, our sources say Tech unloaded $25,000 ... a pretty nice payday for the ladies working the club last night who we're told took nearly half an hour to count and divide all the catapulted cash.

We broke the story ... Tech coordinated with the club to turn the venue into a money snowglobe -- a deal that included about $20,000 in singles to throw as well as 10 magnum bottles of 10 tequila with 5 bottles of Clase Azul and 5 bottles of Don Julio 1942.

BTW while this was a particularly big day for the entertainers ... our sources say they've been absolutely raking in the dough recently with so many tourists in town for the big game.

Tech's a Chiefs fan -- with a popular KC anthem to boot -- and he seems to have bucks to burn, so we'll see if he shows up to the Super Bowl at Allegiant on Sunday. Lord knows, those tickets are pricey.

Bobbi Althoff getting divorced is now being picked apart by fans who think Drake might've had something to do with it -- but we got the real story ... and it's far from that at all.

Here's the deal ... Bobbi's now-estranged husband, Cory, cited July 4, '23 as the day he and BA separated -- and the reason folks are hyper-focusing on this is because it just so happens to be around the time she aired her viral interview with Drake, where they're both in bed.

Of course, the speculation has been peaking -- with many suggesting Bobbi and Drake were, perhaps, closer than we saw ... and that they maybe had something going on BTS.

Welp, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Drake was actually NOT a big fan of Bobbi toward the end of summer last year -- and that they had a major falling out post-interview, although they were friendly in the immediate aftermath.

Long story short ... we're told Drake and Bobbi continued texting after they had their famous lay-down chat -- and our sources say Drizzy even invited Bobbi to his L.A. concert on Aug. 12 ... which she attended. Unfortunately for her, only general admission was offered.

Our sources tell us Bobbi was genuinely angry about this -- apparently feeling she deserved to be in the VIP area with Drake's other celeb friends -- and she made her indignation known in a since-deleted video where she's standing around on the arena floor pouting about.

Not long after that went up ... Bobbi took the clip down, and within the same weekend -- she also took down the original nearly hour-long interview ... no explanation for either.

At the time, people were trying to figure out if they'd had a falling out -- and as it turns out, they absolutely did. Our sources tell us that when Bobbi was at the show ... her little video was reflecting how she actually felt -- namely, furious she'd ended up in GA.

We're told Bobbi blew Drake up about it that same night -- while he was onstage -- and that she even tried going backstage at one point ... but got rebuffed by security.

Not long after this ... we're told Drake's camp hit her team to demand she take down both the clip and the interview ... which she then did. At that point, we're told their friendship fizzled.

Now, in terms of whether they've patched things up since -- something Bobbi herself recently implied on Keke Palmer's podcast ... we're told they haven't. Bobbi told Keke they'd spoken in recent weeks ... but our sources tell us they have not. We're told they don't talk anymore.

On the issue of why Cory actually filed to divorce Bobbi -- it's a very simple explanation ... our sources tell us her skyrocketing fame and his desire to remain a normie was the main catalyst, and that it had nothing to do with allegations of cheating. Although, we're sure he probably didn't appreciate how cozy she was acting with Champagne Papi on tape.

Too Short is living up to his lyrical billing by throwing dollar bills at Vegas exotic dancers, and covering the floor with greenbacks ... all while his strip club anthems are blaring.

The "Money On The Floor" rapper hit up Crazy Horse 3 in Las Vegas Wednesday night into Thursday morning, rolling up with a crew of 20 people, including fellow rappers Tech N9ne and X-Raided ... and if ya thought it was raining hard in L.A., ya gotta see what went down on The Strip.

Our strip club sources -- yep, we got those too -- tell us Short requested a table in the VIP section right next to the main stage and, naturally, he was immediately swarmed by more than 30 strippers. As they say, game recognize game!

His crew ordered 2 magnum bottles of Don Julio 1942 Tequila, nothing but top shelf, and they threw $15,000 in singles ... and as you can see, the club brought him the first $5k in singles in a lighted-briefcase as Short had 2 strippers on his lap.

Naturally, Too Short took the greenbacks up to the main stage and started throwing money everywhere ... spreading it over a dancer's back as she twerked in front of him. Textbook move.

The most baller part ... Too Short's "Money On The Floor" is playing while he drops fat stacks on, and above, the stage where a dancer's flashing her pole skills to his jam.

Crazy Horse 3 seems like the place to be leading up to Super Bowl LVIII, which will be played just across the street at Allegiant Stadium.

Tech N9ne was back Thursday night to host and rain $20K on the performers. While several NFL players were expected, too -- it's a safe bet they were NOT the centers of attention.

Mo'Nique has a new ally after trashing Hollywood elites on "Club Shay Shay," one who might inspire her to spill more tea -- she's hitting the road with Katt Williams for his "Dark Matter" tour!!!

She and her husband/manager Sidney Hicks casually squeezed in the announcement Thursday during an Instagram Live that primarily focused on applying more pressure on D.L. Hughley ... amid their current mud slingin'.

Mo'Nique revealed she'll be joining Katt's band of comics as early as tomorrow ... Mark Curry and Torrei Hart are also attached to the tour, so now they've got 4 chests with a lot of stress to unload! What's interesting is most of them are aiming at the same targets!

We recently spoke to Mark, who sarcastically laughed off Steve Harvey stealing his jokes in the past -- something Katt raised with Shannon Sharpe -- but added he's got plenty of new zingers for Katt's tour.

Torrei also told us she's out to prove she can stand on her own outside the shadow of her ex-husband Kevin Hart.

The tour's rolling through May -- so, Steve, Oprah and Tyler Perry's ears are gonna be burning for a while.

Monica will be hitting the pastel road with Nicki Minaj this year for her "Pink Friday 2" tour ... a dream fulfilled for not only Monica, but also the "Big Foot" rapper.

Nicki told Monica her music meant everything to her while she was growing up, so it's a true case of paying it forward.

Jennifer Hudson got the scoop on Monica's tour plans Thursday on her talk show -- they'll be kicking off their musical trek on March 1, and the R&B vet expressed her gratitude to Nicki for the look.

Monica says many people talk a big game about inspiration but go ghost when time comes to show love, but not Nicki, and they're going to give the fans a show for the ages!!!

The tour will hit several big cities NYC, Denver, Seattle, ATL, New Orleans, Columbus -- and even has a dual date with this year's Rolling Loud CA for the Los Angeles leg.

Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower" is hitting at a new, historic milestone -- the 2018 duet was certified Double Diamond, aka 20 million sold, putting it in a class all of its own!!!

Both artists were equally excited when they hugged it out at the award ceremony Thursday in celebration of their achievement, and posed for pics with their managers and label teams.

RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said the Carter Lang/Louis-produced track raised the bar for collaborations going forward, and it'll probably take a new-age "We Are The World" moment to even approach its success.

When the song broke the all-time record at 17x Platinum, Post told TMZ Hip Hop that having Swae in the studio was the secret sauce needed for making the track so huge.

Joe Budden thinks Travis Scott and Playboi Carti stunk it up at the Grammys big time -- 'cause their rock star shtick failed to read the room ... and made 'em seem like brats.

ICYMY, Travis and Carti performed their explosive collab "FE!N" mid-show -- complete with the rager-style, flame infernos that made his 'Circus Maximus' tour such a big deal. They were throwing around chairs and smashing stuff onstage ... mostly Travis though.

Some might argue it gave the Grammys a little flair when the room can be known to be a bit stuffy -- but there are many who feel like TS was lashing out for losing at the show after Killer Mike swept all the Rap Grammys this year, leaving his "Utopia" album in the dust.

Regardless of the reason for the tantrum, JB doesn't wanna hear any of it ... on his episode "Business Decisions," he argued that Trav and Carti were nothing but a pair of "bozos" who made fools of themselves in the presence of beautiful women and buttoned-up men.

He also roasted Carti like a marshmallow for hitting the stage in a mask and then wondering why fans didn't go crazy ... "Playboi Carti looked confused. Like, ‘Y’all don’t know who I am?’ No, n**** You got a f***ing mask on! Who the f*** are you under there? You are not at SXSW anymore!!!"

Joe added, "We can’t recognize you bozos by the stocking mask you’re wearing. I hate these n*****, man ... all of ’em!!!”

Both Travis and Carti were exposed without the "little white kids" going apes*** in the crowd,  Joe argues -- saying their act was better suited for the muddy stomping grounds of Coachella.

BTW, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Layzie and Flesh-n-Bone recently told us similar ... there was no reason not to expect an OG like Killer Mike not to win the awards. Joe agrees.

Tough criticism, no doubt -- but considering how seemingly out of pocket their set was ... perhaps JB has a point here. FWIW, Trav and PC haven't addressed the whole thing.

Charlamagne Tha God is licking his wounds in the wake of Mo'Nique's "Club Shay Shay" interview ... and apologizing for his role in fueling her career downslide.

On Thursday, CTG gave himself "Donkey of the Day" -- 6 years after he did the same to Mo'Nique for scoffing at her crusade against Netflix for not paying her what it paid her peers like Chris Rock and Amy Schumer.

Mo'Nique sued Netflix in 2019 for discrimination, and ultimately the case settled out of court in 2022 ... and also got her special aired the following year.

At the behest of DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne admitted he should've minded his business, and apologized to Mo and her husband Sidney for his meddling ways.

Mo'Nique mentioned 'DOTD' in her Netflix special, and her "Club Shay Shay" convo ... so the dishonor was clearly weighing on her brain all this time.

While Charlamagne's easing up on Mo'Nique, D.L. Hughley isn't cutting her any slack and ripped her in a lengthy rant off of his own.

D.L. and Mo'Nique have been at each other's throats for years, and now he's disputing her claim he and his podcast team were dismissive when she was a guest.

Usher gets the next crack at Apple Music's reign over the Super Bowl Halftime Show -- and they're going all out with a highly-produced promo ... an ode to "The Hangover."

Super Bowl LVIII's in Vegas this year and Apple gathered Usher and the gang -- Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P. Henson -- to recreate the classic comedy flick in a 7-minute clip loaded with other stars, and it seems to suggest these stars might be in the mix on Sunday.

The short film opens with Apple CEO Tim Cook alerting Luda, Jon and Taraji via FaceTime (shameless plugs, duh!) that Ursh had gone MIA  ... and the trio proceeds to run amuck through Sin City to find the missing R&B superstar.

Along the way they encounter Anderson .Paak, J Balvin and Wesley Snipes, and Vegas staples -- The Blue Man Group and Criss Angel -- in full character to beef up the comedy and there's a strong hint that Usher will incorporate his masterclass roller skating into his halftime set.

Around this time last year, Usher, Floyd Mayweather and several other celebs hit the rink to celebrate Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" album with Apple Music so the synergy is running high.

It's shaping up to be Usher's year ... he's dropping his new album "Coming Home" on Sunday and also going on tour in August.

11:11 AM PT -- Leah Remini took to X to weigh in on the viral comparison saying, "I am screaming! And loving all the tweets! This perimenopausal woman will take any and all comparisons to the beautiful Beyoncé!"

Beyoncé reigns over her Beyhive ... but a new wax figure has social media thinking of Queens, New York, instead of the international pop sensation.

Here's the deal ... Madame Tussauds Blackpool, over in the UK, unveiled a statue of a pair of singer-songwriters Wednesday -- Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. While Gaga's recreation received little in the way of reaction, Beyoncé's had fans doing a double-take.

The general consensus ... Bey's life-size statue looks less like the 32-time Grammy winner and more like actress Leah Remini.

Check it out ... the statue's wearing a classic Bey outfit, and they captured her hair pretty well, but the face does seem to share some striking features with Leah -- and folks on social media were confused once they realized it's not supposed to be LR.

FWIW ... stuff like this happens semi-frequently with Madame Tussauds -- like Dwayne Johnson's statue racking up Vin Diesel comparisons or Lil Wayne blasting his own likeness.

Basically, it seems hella difficult to work with wax and even tougher to appease hordes of fans .... so, sometimes a Queen ends up looking like "The King of Queens" wife!

No word on whether Bey's seen the statue ... or if a Jay-Z/Kevin James wax mashup is on its way!