TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Gunna’s lawyer, Steven Sadow, is swatting down critics who think the former YSL rapper ratted out his crew, but he's gonna have to convince a whole lot of critics.

On Monday, Akademiks posted an Instagram DM where he asked Sadow to clear up the pesky snitch rumors, and Sadow insisted Gunna's comments at his plea hearing will have no impact on anyone other than Gunna.

Sadow also said Gunna will plead the 5th in the event he’s called to testify in court … further pushing back on the notion he will turn against Young Thug.

The night prior, Akademiks went live with 6ix9ine, who showed Gunna no mercy for his Alford plea that’ll have him on supervised watch for the next 5 years.

Not clear if Wack100 is convinced ... he has said Gunna is essentially attempting to rewrite the street codes.

Of course, 6ix9ine was infamously labeled a snitch in his own criminal case after claiming his gang betrayed him first.

Megan Thee Stallion's bodyguard remains off the grid -- after skipping his scheduled testimony -- but the L.A. County D.A.'s Office now has cops out on the hunt for him ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, Justin Edison was supposed to testify Friday in the Tory Lanez trial for allegedly shooting MTS, but he never showed up. His "disappearance" raised a lot of eyebrows, and law enforcement sources tell us ... investigators paid a visit to an L.A. home Monday morning, hoping to find Justin.

We're told the investigators' goal was to find out what Justin's availability would be for testifying, as he was supposed to last week. Unfortunately, they did not locate him, and still have no clue on his whereabouts.

Our sources also say Justin still is not considered a "missing" person ... nor has anyone even reported him as missing.

Megan's attorney Alex Spiro told us Monday on "TMZ Live" ... Meg's team was last in touch with Justin on Thursday night, when they fully expected he would be in court Friday for testimony they felt would be devastating to Tory's case.

Spiro believes there's witness intimidation going on in Tory's trial, and he claims prosecutors have launched an investigation into that.

Meek Mill has closed the book on his life on Twitter ... he's just the latest celeb to jump ship since Elon Musk took over in October.

The Philly rapper made the abrupt decision Sunday evening to close his account, and cited too many bots and weirdos as his reason for flying the coop on the bird app.

He says he’ll now interact with fans via YouTube as he prepares for his next career stage as an independent artist.

Meek was one of the most notorious rappers to ever tweet ... amassing more than 11 million followers before he killed his account.

His most infamous moment came in 2015 when he called out Drake for ghostwriting ... birthing his "Twitter fingers" nickname.

Meek's not alone in hating Twitter these days — Toni Braxton, Shonda Rimes and Whoopi Goldberg are just a handful of celebs who don't like the new direction ... but the current climate could very well change any minute.

Master P is deading the feud with his oldest son, Romeo Miller … and apologizing for his role in their family fallout playing out on social media over the weekend.

In a passionate explanation, Master P told Romeo he was still grieving over the death of his daughter Tytyana Miller, and that his daily grind and hustle were part of his therapy.

Although he says he's trying to end the bitterness between them ... P still scolded his son for claiming he wasn't paid properly as a child rap star, and for not following his grind and hustle example!!!

Romeo had accused his pops of being "addicted" to social media, and doubled down on that with a poem he wrote titled, "The Tree of Trauma" ... where he dragged his daddy a bit more.

P signed off his PSA vowing to end the back-and-forth and tells TMZ Hip Hop every family deals with drama but he is focusing on giving back to less fortunate kids all season with toy drives through his MoneYatti brand!!!

50 Cent trolled the hell out of Megan Thee Stallion -- and while he's catching flak for it, the real question that seems to be getting asked is ... does he single out women to beef with???

That's the conversation taking place on Twitter right now -- this after Curtis posted a meme this weekend that showed MTS morphing into Jussie Smollett. He captioned it, "Damn i’m confused all this shit going around 🤷🏽‍♂️ i don’t know what to think. LOL."

In other words ... he doesn't seem to believe Megan's claims against Tory Lanez. Nothing all that profound, but his poking fun has gotten bird app users all fired up over whether this is par for the course -- aka, going after females -- or if he's an equal opportunity rabble-rouser.

The debate was sparked by one woman who wrote, "50 cent literally only brings that energy towards women. A coward." While she turned off her replies, people are retweeting this and pointing out the countless feuds Fitty's been in with prominent men over the years.

Some of the fellas 50 Cent has publicly beefed with (in emphatic terms) ... The Game, Floyd Mayweather, Fat Joe, Diddy, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Young Buck, Benzino and, of course, Ja Rule. Oh, and he's had a lot of issues with his own son, Marquise.

Now, the guy has also gotten into it with a fair amount of famous women as well -- most notably ... Vivica A. Fox, Lala Kent, Madonna, Teairra Mari and even Oprah Winfrey.

There's also been several times where 50 has made clear ... he's not afraid of the smoke, apparently from anyone. But, on the issue of whether he's got a deeply-rooted hatred of women (especially WOC) -- the evidence seems to support that he clowns everyone.

Lil Wayne and Mack Maine are putting a big smile on a bunch of teen faces for a Weezy Christmas ... rewarding their hard work with a fun-filled day at Dave & Busters!

The diamond-certified Weezy and his pal Mack teamed up with Wilson Sporting Goods to throw the ultimate day at D&B for kids between the ages of 12 and 16 in their hometown of New Orleans.

The Dave & Busters bash was an attaboy/attagirl, commending the kids for excelling in academics AND with local community sports programs ... basketball, football, baseball, soccer and tennis. Each kid got new sports equipment as a bonus. They had Young Money artists Jay Jones and Allan Cubas on hand to pass out gifts in their hometown.

Wayne and Maine are partnering with a bunch of orgs. to give back to kids in their hometown. One of those efforts includes an athletic program in a renovated Harrell Park, where Weezy grew up.

They're also working with two mentorship programs called "Son of a Saint" ... which helps NOLA kids dream big and become leaders in their community through mentorship and support.

Megan Thee Stallion's bodyguard -- a key figure in the Tory Lanez trial -- has allegedly vanished into thin air ... and cops are said to be on the case.

MTS's attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ ... "We recently learned that Justin Edison went missing right before he was scheduled to appear in court. The LAPD is currently looking into his disappearance, and welcome any information about his whereabouts."

The Shade Room -- which first broke the news -- reports that a separate source familiar with the situation insists Justin's own attorney hasn't heard from him since Thursday ... and that he apparently has critical information about the case. That much we already knew.

Remember, this is the guy that Kelsey Harris -- Meg's ex-BFF who was in the car that night -- texted almost immediately after the shooting, writing ... "Help," "Tory shot Meg" and "911." Presumably, he could've provided more context to that ... including any follow-up convos he had with either Kelsey or Megan. Now, though, it appears he's nowhere to be found.

With uncertainty over whether Tory's driver -- who was also in the car that night -- is going to testify (as of now, it doesn't seem like he is) and a very hazy narrative laid out by Kelsey herself ... Justin could've possibly been crucial to help swing this thing one way or the other.

Spiro's concerns also seem to suggest foul play may be afoot, but so far ... there's no evidence of that. We've reached out to the LAPD to confirm whether Justin is, in fact, listed as a missing person at this point -- and whether they're actively searching for him.

So far, no word back.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are finally ready to show their child off to the world -- introducing him with a pretty scenic background ... waves crashing on the California coast.

The couple was on hand for a photo shoot Friday afternoon in Malibu, where they were wearing matching black outfits and cozied up next to the shore with a camera crew and production team on standby. Of course, there was one other guest ... their 7-month-old son.

We'd identify him properly, but nobody knows his name yet. In any case, he was there being cradled by Papa Bear while mom got glammed up -- and you can see the kid's face.

Naturally, he's super cute ... and this revelation comes after RiRi posted a close-up video of her baby in the car -- and there, too, he's adorable. Sounds like she felt it was time to give up a glimpse of him publicly ... as we know, she's said she wanted to keep things private.

While this outing certainly looked like it could've been an official family gig ... there are moments here where it seems like only Rihanna is getting photographed. Maybe it was Bring Your Baby To Work Day, and Rocky was on dad duty. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

As we reported ... Rihanna gave birth on May 13. It's her and A$AP's first child together.

Megan Thee Stallion's ex-friend Kelsey Harris says she absolutely saw Tory Lanez firing a gun at Meg -- that's what she told police back in September, and today the jury heard that whole exchange.

As you know, Kelsey has been hesitant, to say the least, to give up many details while testifying this week, but on Friday prosecutors played audio of the entire interview she did with cops earlier this year ... when she spilled every detail from that July 2020 night.

Kelsey says while they were in the SUV -- after the party at Kylie Jenner's house -- she and Tory first got into an argument when he made fun of Megan. When Kelsey came to her friend's defense, she claims Tory said, "My n****, I'm gonna shoot you." Kelsey says Tory reached toward the center console, but didn't do anything more than that.

However, the vehicle was pulled over at that point. Then she says Meg and Tory started insulting each other's careers, and things got so heated, both Meg and Kelsey got out of the SUV.

Almost immediately Kelsey says she started hearing gunshots, and after the 2nd or 3rd shot she turned around and says she saw Tory in the front seat firing the gun forward, over the open right front door in Meg's direction.

Kelsey was outside of the vehicle, but behind Tory and could only see Meg from the chest up. She ran toward Megan "in defense mode," and saw her bleeding ... and Tory was still sitting in the front seat, apparently in shock.

She claims Tory walked toward them, and that's when Kelsey and Tory started fighting. She describes it as Tory assaulting her, and adds she did not see a gun at that point.

Once they all got back in the SUV, Kelsey says she texted Megan's security, "911. Tory shot Meg."

Once the police arrived, Kelsey claims Tory told them not to say anything to officers because he was about to sign a big deal, and he offered both women $1 million each.

That's all that's been played of Kelsey's interview so far, but there's more to come after the lunch break.

Obviously, the audio reveals just about everything Kelsey skirted talking about on the stand -- with a lot of I don't recalls -- but her memory sounded pretty solid a few months ago.

Daymond John knows how to throw a holiday party ... treating his employees, fellow sharks and even celeb friends to a private screening of the biggest movie on the planet.

The "Shark Tank" star hosted his annual Shark Group holiday party this week in the Big Apple  ... complete with a private screening of "Avatar: The Way of Water."

We're told Daymond wanted to make sure everyone on his team had a good night, inviting their family and friends as well.

Daymond's celeb pals, including Ice-T, Coco and Molly Burnett were all in attendance. Daymond's fellow sharks Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran also made it to the screening.

Tory Lanez raised a lot of eyebrows when he brought his young son to court for the Megan Thee Stallion shooting trial ... so it might not be a total surprise he was without him today.

Tory pulled up to a DTLA courthouse Friday in a white Range Rover -- Tory looked dapper in a black and white suit, earring and sunglasses. However, he was silent, not speaking with cameras as he walked inside.

As we reported, Tory walked hand in hand with 5-year-old Kai'Lon into the courthouse earlier this week -- adjusting his son's suit and then carrying him out on his back on the exit.

We were inside the courtroom for the hearing, and while Kai'Lon wasn't there the whole time, he made at least one appearance ... and hung with his dad during breaks.

Tory told cameras earlier this week Kai'Lon was his biggest support system and that's why he decided he wanted to bring him to the hearing.

Angela Yee says folks need to ease up on labeling Gunna a snitch -- just because he copped a plea deal in the YSL RICO case, she doesn't believe the rapper would ever sing to the feds.

We got the longtime 'Breakfast Club' host at the Allure Store in NYC, and asked her about Gunna's release this week from jail -- a move that's seemingly turned everyone on social media into legal experts, comparing him to Tekashi 6ix9ine ... who infamously ratted to get out of prison.

Angela admits she's no lawyer, but did tell us why she's hesitant to place the snitch label on Gunna.

As we reported, Gunna walked free Wednesday from the Fulton County Jail in Georgia, ending his 7 months of incarceration.

The Grammy-nominated rapper pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge as part of a pre-negotiated plea known as an Alford plea and was sentenced to 5 years behind bars ... with one of those years commuted for time served and the remaining 4 suspended, pending special conditions and community service.

Angela doesn't think Young Thug has any problem with Gunna's plea deal -- she believes Thug didn't want to see Gunna locked up with him in the first place.

Megan Thee Stallion's former bestie, Kelsey Nicole Harris, still has a bad case of courtroom amnesia, and about all she can recall is ... Tory Lanez didn't pay her off.

Kelsey was back on the stand Thursday for her second day of testimony in Tory's trial for allegedly shooting Meg in her feet -- and much like Wednesday, Kelsey's suddenly claiming she doesn't remember any details from the night of the shooting.

Under cross-examination, Tory's attorney asked Kelsey if Tory paid her anything and she said, "No. I want to make it very clear ... Tory didn't pay me anything."

That was pretty much her longest response all day. Earlier, the prosecution asked if she remembered telling them during a September interview "that Tory tried to bribe you?" She said, "I don't remember what I said in September."

She also did not recall telling prosecutors in September that Tory fired the gun, or seeing Megan limping after the gunshots were fired that night in July 2020.

As for why she's apparently changing her story from September, Kelsey said she was "receiving pressure" back then. When asked from what or whom ... she offered the oddly vague, "from everything."

When asked squarely, "Who shot [Megan]?" ... Kelsey said, "I don't know."

On Wednesday, Kelsey swore under oath she wasn't the one who pulled the trigger, which, logically speaking, only leaves Tory and the driver of the SUV as potential suspects ... and no one's ever alleged the driver fired the shots.

She also repeatedly said "no" when asked if she was afraid of Tory, or if she'd spoken to him or Meg or their attorneys.

Kelsey, who prior to yesterday everyone believed would be the key witness, will be back on the stand after a lunch break.

We smell a bunch of one-word responses coming. Stay tuned!

Gucci Mane is demanding justice for his artist Pooh Shiesty ... after claiming he was transferred to a prison where he's being subjected to cruel and unusual conditions.

The 1017 Records label boss fired off his accusations Wednesday, tweeting about Pooh only getting one hour out of his cell each day, and getting food trays ... without any food on them.

Gucci's allegation is echoed by Pooh's attorney Bradford Cohen, who claims his client has been in 23-hour lockdown each day ... for about the last 6 months at FCI Pollock in Louisiana.

He also claims prison officials are screwing with Pooh's mail -- holding back letters from family and fans, and blocking mail he sends out to loved ones.

Cohen says it took him 2 to 3 weeks just to set an appointment with Pooh, and claims his family's having an even harder time visiting him.

We're told when Pooh was convicted for firearm possession -- related to a 2020 shootout in southern Florida -- he asked to do his time at a prison about 200 miles from his Tennessee home. Instead, he was sent to Pollock ... which is about 1500 miles away from his kinfolk.

Distance aside, he can't have visitors while in lockdown, anyway -- so Cohen says it's a virtual impossibility for Pooh to see his fam.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the specific allegations -- but said there are several factors that determine where an inmate is placed ... such as the level of supervision needed and/or medical needs.

Megan Thee Stallion's ex-best friend is the key witness who, all of a sudden, doesn't seem to remember much about the night in question ... which amounted to a wild day in court.

Kelsey Nicole Harris -- who was the other woman in the car with Tory Lanez and MTS during the 2020 shooting -- caused fireworks Wednesday when she was called to the stand by the prosecution ... almost immediately asking for immunity in the case, and receiving it for her testimony.

Despite this, Kelsey proved to be an incredibly difficult witness during direct examination ... attempting to invoke her 5th Amendment rights constantly, and often asking the judge if she had to answer certain questions -- hesitantly doing so when she did actually talk.

What she definitively testified to Wednesday, under oath, was that she did NOT shoot Megan Thee Stallion -- contradicting the defense's theory that she could've pulled the trigger.

Now, as for who she says did the shooting ... unclear. At one point, Kelsey did testify that Tory threatened to shoot her (Kelsey) -- but later on the stand, Kelsey seemed to backtrack ... saying sworn statements she'd given investigators in the lead-up to this trial weren't entirely truthful, despite being played back recordings of her saying just that back in September.

Prosecutors clearly wanted her to point the finger at Tory -- but so far, Kelsey has not done that ... and it could have a disastrous impact on the prosecution’s case.

Of course, another way to look at this ... by process of elimination, if Kelsey is denying doing the shooting -- and with the driver never having been accused whatsoever -- one could surmise there's only one person left who could have fired the shots -- Tory Lanez.

Jay-Z’s 2022 didn’t involve much rapping … but his year-end playlist proves he kept his ear to the street!!!

Hov released his self-picked playlist on Wednesday via TIDAL, which featured many of the notable artists and tracks of the year -- including Lil Uzi Vert’s spaced-out “Just Wanna Rock,” his wife Beyoncé’s “Plastic Off The Sofa” (which got an extra nod in the cover photo) and Drake and 21 Savage’s Billboard-topper “Jimmy Cooks.”

From his own discog, Hov selected his feature off Pusha T’s “Neck & Wrist” ... largely memorable for being a response to Faizon Love’s pesky disses ... as well as his show-stealing verse from DJ Khaled’s “God Did" track.

Hov rapped for 4 minutes straight ... and the song is currently up for three nominations at the 2023 Grammy Awards -- how could he not close the playlist with that banger?!?