Hip Hop

Bruno Mars doesn't owe millions in gambling debt to MGM Resorts -- despite what a recent report claimed ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for MGM Resorts International tells TMZ ... the singer doesn't have a $50 million gambling tab on the books with them -- even though some recently alleged the opposite. Instead, MGM came to Bruno's defense ... calling the allegation he owes a massive sum completely false.

In fact, the Las Vegas hot spot is super excited to collaborate with the Grammy winner again in the future -- not exactly the tone someone would take with a dude who's got a fat bill.

They add ... "We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe. MGM and Bruno's partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests."

This update comes shortly after a report began circulating this past week that claimed MGM basically owned Bruno over an alleged gambling bill that was worth tens of millions. While Bruno has yet to address the gossip, MGM made it clear that there is nothing shady about their business relationship. BTW, Bruno's got an upcoming residency there at the resort.

Bruno previously opened up to James Corden in 2016 about being a card shark before hitting worldwide fame. In a "Carpool Karaoke" appearance on 'The Late Late Show,' he explained that he used to play poker to help pay his rent in L.A. ... so the dude does like to gamble.

Alicia Keys and Roc Nation came to the rescue of a 7th grader who's raising money for an NYC school's performing arts program ... and she's a lot closer to doing that now.

12-year-old Tennyson Artigliere got a huge boost from Alicia and co. to help out a GoFundMe she started in an attempt to keep the Professional Performing Arts School main program alive and kicking ... this amid budget cuts that threaten to close it for good.

The kid had a high goal of $102,000 -- which would help keep the Performing Arts Program open -- even if only for a little bit longer. Alicia -- who attended the school -- caught wind of the fundraiser, along with the rapper's entertainment company, and decided to intervene ... chipping in a whopping $60,000 toward her goal.

Alicia and Roc Nation's contribution adds to money they'd already raised ... around $50k.

Alicia and Roc Nation aren't stopping there -- as they have also vowed to help raise money for the program every year until the city is able to fund it themselves. Jeremy Allen White -- another alumni -- has also donated to the cause, pushing out the GFM link on his IG.

Tennyson couldn't be more grateful for the celebrity assistance, especially from such a notable alum like Alicia. Apparently, Tennyson's classmates couldn't believe it when she revealed that Alicia would be stepping in to save their performing arts program.

She added ... "We still talk about her legacy every single day."

Kanye West's appearance at Rolling Loud appears to have sparked a massive brawl that roped in an alleged transgender woman ... who took a serious beating.

This footage from Ye's set on Thursday is making the rounds, and it shows a person -- alleged to be a trans woman -- getting into a fight with a guy, which then blows up into an all-out melee with other concert attendees. Effectively, it turns into a violent mosh pit.

You can see this person taking fists to the face -- and the hits leave them completely bloodied and battered. And yet ... they keep coming back for more, holding their own.

There's a mix of bystanders watching and cheering it on ... and others who are seemingly trying to break it up. Another group even appears to push this person to continue fighting -- encouraging the chaos and shouting "WorldStar."

As the fight goes on ... this person continues to get more and more pummeled -- not only being punched constantly, but getting flipped over and thrown onto the ground a lot too.

Like we said ... they don't retreat, only continuing to come at the initial aggressor, a guy.

Eventually ... the fighting seems to come to a stop with everyone coming together to dance to the music Ye and co. were playing -- and even the battered victim here appears to let it all go and partakes in the festivities. It goes from incredibly violent to incredibly musical instantly.

Ray J's car collection is a couple rides light today ... 'cause he apparently he's missing two high-priced automobiles -- and we're told he's not getting a straight answer about their whereabouts.

Sources close to Ray J with direct knowledge tell us ... two of Ray's Maybach SUVs are currently missing after having been put on a enclosed car carrier to New York City Friday night.

We're told the cars were supposed to show up in New York today ... but apparently never did. Instead, our sources say the cars' have been tracked -- and, it seems the trackers are just sitting still in Reno, Nevada.

Sources tell us Ray's reached out to the shipping company in charge of moving the cars ... but they say he's not getting a straight answer on where exactly the Maybachs are right now.

Ray J's got the police involved we're told ... and -- though the cars are currently missing and not stolen as far as anyone knows -- police are investigating the matter.

We're also told Ray J -- who's out in NYC to launch his new original content steaming platform The Tronix Network -- will still be at all of the pre-organized events while figuring out next steps with the cars.

BTW Maybach SUVs ain't cheap -- with some reports saying cars like that can go for upwards of $200k ... so you can imagine Ray J's pretty keen on getting his vehicles back!

Fat Joe's rubbing elbows with some of the top politicians in the country ... specifically Vice President Kamala Harris -- and he's sharing his solutions for some of the country's greatest issues, too.

The outspoken rapper met up with the VP on Friday afternoon and led a panel regarding criminal justice reform featuring Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and White House Director of the Office of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin.

The convo -- which featured a few other prominent criminal justice advocates and three recipients of marijuana-related pardons -- lasted about an hour and featured lots of personal anecdotes from those pardoned.

We're told Fat Joe expressed his gratitude for how his journey through hip hop had landed him in a close relationship with the vice president -- who he apparently met through his healthcare reform group Power To The Patients.

BTW ... we're told Joe actually sat down for a private conversation with Kamala where the two talked about healthcare price transparency and other issues close to Joe's heart.

Harris isn't the only exec who Joe's spoken to in recent days ... the Bronx-bred rapper also caught up with President Joe Biden himself -- following the Prez's SOTU address, which took some shots at Donald Trump.

Sources told us members of both parties wanted a piece of Fat Joe after he dapped up Biden ... with reps on both sides of the aisle rushing to the man for an autograph.

Fat Joe's been on the advocacy grind for a while now ... and we even talked to him about Power to the Patients on "TMZ Live" back in January.

Bianca Censori doesn't need hubby Kanye West to turn heads ... she did just fine without him.

Bianca and her mom, Alexandra, hit up a cosmetics store in the San Fernando Valley, and she loose again ... no bra underneath a skimpy pink mini-dress.

The mother-daughter duo has been spending time together lately, hitting up Rolling Loud in L.A. Thursday night to watch Kanye perform. Kim Kardashian was also front and center ... we don't know if they talked, but they clearly have lots to talk about!

Bianca and Kim have been showing up at the same events ... 2 days before Rolling Loud, they were at Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign's "Vultures" listening party in San Francisco.

Our sources say North West is top of Kim's mind these days. The kid's fully in on Kanye's new album -- both in terms of performing at events and recording -- and we're told Kim's concerned about keeping her daughter grounded and free from toxic conversation.

Usher won big at the NAACP Image Awards Saturday night, lassoing statues for Entertainer of the Year and the President's Award -- but it was his speech of sheer gratitude for his mom that took everyone by storm.

The R&B singer stepped up to the podium at the 55th annual ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles after NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson bestowed Usher the coveted President's Award.

During his acceptance speech, Usher delivered his passionate words about his mom, Jonnetta Patton, giving her full credit for his successful career.

Usher told the star-studded audience that his mom taught him the purpose of being able to speak to the world through his music.

He also highlighted that his mom overcame the male-dominated entertainment industry and brushed up on her boardroom skills to cut the best deals for her son, putting him on top of the industry.

At several points, the emotional crowd clapped for Usher, showing their approval of him. But Usher didn't stop there ... he also mentioned women in the industry often do not get the recognition they deserve.

The singer also took home the Entertainer of the Year award, beating out Colman Domingo, Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey and Keke Palmer -- that award was given to him by none other than Oprah Winfrey, too.

The Usher wins were well deserved ... as you know, Usher has been killing it lately with his Las Vegas residency which he closed out at the end of last year -- not to mention a memorable performance at the 2024 Super Bowl.

Diddy and Kanye West haven't been on good terms for a while ... but, now it seems they might be mending their relationship -- 'cause Diddy pulled up to Kanye's Rolling Loud set!

The rapper/producer made a rare public appearance Thursday at the show in Los Angeles and walked into KW's performance alongside his twin daughters, Jessie and D'Lila Combs.

Check out the vid ... Diddy brought his whole crew to the set -- he always rolls deep -- and appeared to pull up as Ye's and Ty Dolla $ign's "Keys To My Life" played over the speakers.

And Diddy made the evening a whole family affair ... 'cause he was also spotted in the back/side stage area with his son Justin while watching the controversial performance.

The show certainly had people up in arms ... 'cause instead of performing live, Kanye and Ty stood onstage and just played recordings of their songs -- leaving lots of fans disappointed.

Unclear how Diddy felt about the show ... or if he and Ye sat down for a conversation -- 'cause they kinda gotta clear the air about their viral 2022 beef.

Remember, Puffy sat down for an interview on "The Breakfast Club" where he called Kanye's hella controversial White Lives Matter t-shirts "tone deaf" back in 2022.

Well, Kanye didn't like that one bit, and he ultimately shared some private messages between him and Diddy -- including one where he accused Diddy of being sent by Jewish people to threaten him.

Diddy wanted to meet in person ... but Kanye called him a federal agent and threw in a big "f*** you" for good measure.

It was all pretty unhinged ... and it seemed the two hadn't made up -- at least not publicly. But, now with Puffy at the show, ya gotta wonder if some words have been said behind the scenes.

So are the two officially burying the hatchet ... or did Diddy's kids just really wanna see Ye? Vote below!

YG squashed rumors he and Saweetie called it quits ... bringing her out onstage at Rolling Loud California and professing his love to her.

The rapper was performing at the hip hop festival in Inglewood Friday night when he stunned the crowd by sharing the mic with Saweetie after the two reportedly broke up in January.

Check out the vid ... YG was rubbing up behind Saweetie and nuzzling her as he wrapped his arms around her body.

After their brief, sexy interlude, Saweetie started walking off stage as YG followed her, repeatedly saying, "I love you, girl."

Well, there you have it, folks. Rumors officially squashed!

As you know, YG and Saweetie were first spotted packing on some PDA in May 2023 while vacationing at a resort in Cabo, Mexico -- getting photographed sucking face poolside.

Fast forward to January 2024 ... The Shade Room reported the pair amicably ended their 7-month relationship.

But, the next day, YG responded by posting an older video of him and Saweetie getting cozy at a Beyonce concert, suggesting they were still an item.

Flavor Flav blessing Billie Eilish with a personalized clock chain on Oscars night was no PR stunt ... instead, the Public Enemy rapper tells us he wanted to crown her a winner, even if she didn't win the Academy Award.

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Flav this week following his big night out on the town, post-Oscars ... where he was the life of the party per usual.

Flav absolutely floored Billie when he surprised her with a personalized Rock N Stones clock after the 22-year-old became the youngest 2x Oscar winner ... courtesy of her "Barbie" track, "What Was I Made For?" winning Best Original Song.

He calls Billie a generational talent and is proud to know her. Who knows, maybe they'll hit the studio one day???

Taylor Swift is also lucky enough to have a Flav clock in her possession -- he reserves them for the best of the best, and made sure TS got one at all costs!!!

Flav's saving some flowers for himself, too, as he'll be returning to reality TV this year to document himself earning his high school diploma!!!

Shout out to Adam Sandler ... his movie "Billy Madison" made it a gimmick, but Flav says he's never stopped dreaming of getting his diploma despite all his hip hop success and no, he won't settle for a GED.

Kanye West's team claims more than $1 million worth of clothing has been stolen from his L.A. warehouse ... and now there's a dispute about whether or not he'll ever get it back.

Ye's chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, tells TMZ ... people in the rapper's camp noticed a massive amount of Yeezy GAP clothes in Ye's warehouse went missing a couple days ago -- approximately 60,000 pieces of clothing worth roughly $1.2 mil.

Yiannopoulos said the team had no clue where the clothes went, but then they noticed a Kanye fan account advertising an event Friday in L.A. ... where buyers could purchase a bunch of Yeezy GAP apparel at $20 a pop.

Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call about the alleged stolen property, and sent officers and detectives to the Yeezy sale.

We're told the people in charge of the event told cops they had receipts for the clothing, but cops say they couldn't show ALL the clothing was backed up by receipts.

Nevertheless, we're told cops were unable to seize the merch given the conflicting stories, and because Ye had not filed a police report.

Regardless, Milo insists all of the clothing is, in fact, stolen ... claiming Ye's team has no record of the sale, and would never let someone purchase clothing in bulk. Moving forward, Milo says Ye's camp will do whatever is necessary to retrieve the clothing, including filing a police report ... and they've now fired off a cease and desist letter to the organizer of Friday's sale.

In the document, Ye's team accuses them of forging records to make police believe they legally obtained the Yeezy goods.

Raz B isn't waiting for another "Scream" tour to roll around to generate his motion -- the B2K star tells TMZ Hip Hop ... 2024 is his year to shine!!!

We caught up with Raz out in Bev Hills as he was adding a new Rolls-Royce to his fleet, and beaming with confidence about his upcoming world tour.

Raz says he's planning to hit Europe, Asia and Australia in support of his new singles "Whistle At It" and "Drip On Me" ... but also plans on commanding his group's classic material and embodying the lead vocals!!!

Boy bands such as *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys have been showing unified fronts as of late, but the B2K guys remain in a hazy place after years of snubbing one another. And, Omarion's tell-all doc didn't help patch things up either.

Raz admits he does wish he was back with his B2K bros, but does hint at a Christmas collaboration.

Emotions do tend to run on the loving side around the holidays -- for most of us, anyway, but we'll see how Raz and co. are feeling 9 months from now.

We also got clarity on Raz's alarming Spider-Man moment last year when he was on the roof of a hospital where he'd been admitted. He chalks the bizarre moment up to a lethal cocktail mix.

Kanye West once attempted to bring Nicki Minaj's "Monster" lyrics to life -- specifically the part about her wanting to have a threesome with him and his GF at the time, Amber Rose!!!

During the tail end of Ye and Ty Dolla $ign's "Vultures" chit-chat with Big Boy, the trio were discussing garbage rap bars when the L..A. radio host threw Safaree's name in the fire ... reminding everyone of the time his freestyle crashed and burned on "The Breakfast Club," leaving Charlamagne to disregard the ashes.

Ye actually defended Safaree's pen game, but immediately recalled the time they were in the studio working on his 2010 album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

He pulled Safaree aside for advice on sealing the deal with Nicki, but says he had no clue Safaree was actually dating Nicki at the time!!!

On the track, Nicki famously rapped, "Besides, Ye, they can't stand besides me I think me, you and Amb' should ménage Friday" -- and Ye thought he could press his luck.

It doesn't seem like it went down ... Safaree hopped in Akademiks' comments and looked back at the moment with a laugh, though it probably wasn't that funny in real-time.

11:35 AM PT -- Bunnie XO just took to Facebook to address the accusations that Kalista's mother made the whole story up saying, "I cut the sale short yesterday after an hour because a lot of the things were coming forward about the mom. Tons of accusations with zero documentation."

She continued, "The proceeds from the shirts that were sold yesterday will be put into a trust fund for her. I'm working out the details w my accountant & lawyer as we speak about that. I also want the record to reflect that her mom has never once asked me for money. She's always maintained that this is about her daughter."

She concluded, "I love all y'all so much for supporting this little girl & showing her that when ppl come together our voices can be heard loud & clear. Excited for y'all to get your shirts & rep them!"

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO are standing by a Tennessee middle schooler who was allegedly disciplined for drawing the famous couple for a school project by creating a T-shirt with the girl's design.

The Grammy nominee's wife released the new limited-time merch on her Patreon site ... where it appears the $32 tee sold out within the 24-hour sale window. The website asked for purchasers' patience, as they cited high demand for the 2-week delivery timeline.

We're told all proceeds from the shirt are going toward a college fund for the girl, whose name is Kalista.

ICYMI ... Bunnie spoke out earlier this week after she had learned about Kalista's drama at school. She said that she learned Kalista had gotten suspended for drawing Jelly and Bunnie for her school inspiration project -- slamming the school for punishing Kalista for simply respecting their resilience.

Remember, Jelly has become a mental health advocate through his music after overcoming his drug addiction.

While the school has since refuted the fact that Kalista was ever suspended ... the middle schooler's mom, Delisa Patrick, clarified her daughter was sent home from school after handing in her assignment. She also noted this situation occurred last year, even though the story's just taking off now.

As Delisa put it ... Kalista was previously warned to not select the A-list couple for the homework assignment since they were viewed as inappropriate. Delisa shared she stood by her daughter's decision since Jelly has such an inspiring story about turning his life around.

Kalista returned to school the next day, but allegedly had to be picked up again as she was facing bullying over the project.

Delisa applauded Jelly and Bunnie for standing by her daughter ... but asked people following the situation to not harass the school on behalf of Kalista.

Kim Kardashian and Bianca Censori were once again in the same space -- as they both descended upon Kanye West's Rolling Loud set ... where young North was in the mix.

The Kardashian-West family was looking very blended and kumbaya Thursday evening, where Ye and co. were scheduled to perform at the L.A. music festival ... and where North was also set to do her thing for the 'Vultures' song she's on with her dad, called "Talking."

Just like a few days ago in San Francisco -- Kim was there for North ... rolling into the event in an SUV, where she was riding passenger ... similar to how Bianca arrived in her own car.

There's no visual evidence thus far that Kim was standing next to BC the way she was on Tuesday for the SF listening event -- where they were shoulder-to-shoulder -- but there's no doubt they were within reach of one another ... as they obviously had backstage access.

Speaking of North, she was getting the A-list treatment the whole night -- shaking hands with fans of hers (yes, including adults) with her entourage of friends behind her.

There's another video that shows North seemingly doing an interview with someone behind the scenes -- and as she's answering questions ... you can see Kim looking on not too far away. So yes, Mama Bear is keeping a watchful eye over her and Kanye's daughter.

Obviously, Ye himself is deeply invested in North right now -- she recently announced she has her own album coming out ("Elementary School Dropout") ... and we've heard she's hard at work in the studio with Kanye guiding her. Sounds like they're all taking it seriously.

It's interesting that Kim continues to show up for her daughter -- ya gotta figure she might feel somewhat conflicted over all this ... on account of Kanye's many controversies.

Despite that, however, she's out here backing up North -- and in doing so, she's rubbing shoulders with Bianca -- who's now the stepmother of all her children with Ye. There's no indication there's any bad blood between Kim and Bianca ... on its face, they're civil.

One thing we know for certain, though ... Kim definitely isn't as bold a dresser as Bianca -- and we're sure she wants to keep it that way. BC's been in some pretty wild outfits lately.

In any case ... KK and Bianca showing up near each other is becoming a regular thing -- and with North diving into music ... that's probably their reality for the foreseeable future.

Bhad Bhabie is officially a mom ... as she's already posted the first photo of her baby girl.

The rapper, AKA Danielle Bregoli, gave a small glimpse of her little one in a black and white selfie shared to her IG story Thursday ... which featured only the top of the newborn's head. BB didn't share anything else -- likely basking in the glow of motherhood after giving birth.

The baby's arrival comes over three months after BB confirmed she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Le Vaughn. Shortly after debuting her baby bump with the world, Bhad Bhabie -- who became a viral sensation thanks to her "Catch Me Outside" encounter with Dr. Phil -- confirmed she was having a little girl.

Bhad Bhabie made a splash for the gender reveal, as she collaborated with Heaven by Marc Jacobs and designer Victor Barragan for the announcement. Remember, Bhabie posed on a motorbike that let out pink exhaust fumes as part of a photo shoot for the collab.

Pretty epic gender reveal, if we do say so ourselves.

Ahead of their little one's arrival, the couple confirmed that they planned to name their baby girl Kali Love. They even threw a Valentine's Day-inspired baby shower in February in honor of their baby's soon-to-be namesake.

However, Kali Love's arrival comes after some drama for Bhad Bhabie ... who was seen fighting with her baby daddy earlier this month.

As we reported ... Bhad Bhabie was filmed yelling at Le Vaughn while out in West Hollywood for dinner. The drama continued when her friends found themselves in a brawl with a neighboring table.

Here's hoping the dust settled before Kali Love entered the world.

Congrats to the new parents!!