TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rihanna's baby boy ain't nothing to mess with ... because she and A$AP Rocky named their first child after a famous member of the Wu-Tang Clan!!!

The child's full name is RZA Athelston Mayers ... according to the Daily Mail, after obtaining the child's birth certificate.

With a name like RZA, it's pretty safe to assume the kid's musician parents named him after the rapper and producer RZA, who just so happens to be the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan.

The birth certificate also says Rihanna's kid was born May 13 at 10:58 AM at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Looking back, it seems Rihanna telegraphed the baby's name back in April ... when she and A$AP took their baby boy out to dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, with RiRi wearing a Wu-Tang Clan top.

A$AP's got a musical connection to some of RZA's bandmates ... he collab'd with Wu-Tang's Raekwon on the 2015 song "Fly International Luxurious Art."

Brittney Griner's just days away from returning to the WNBA court -- and anticipation is at an all-time high for Mercury fans -- but the pot is about to get a little sweeter ... 3x Grammy winner Wyclef Jean will be performing a special halftime show in honor of BG's homecoming!

TMZ Sports has learned the Phoenix Mercury have teamed up with The Sum, a new music platform from Anagram Studios, to bring in Jean to perform during their May 21 game against the Chicago Sky at the Footprint Center to celebrate Griner's return on what will be her first home game since the Russia ordeal.

We're told one of the songs Wyclef will sing is Bob Marley’s iconic hit, “One Love” ... where Jean will be joined by 200 fans who will be selected to perform live with the 53-year-old musician.

He will also put on a postgame concert.

Of course, it'll be a party when the star center hits the hardwood in front of hometown Mercury fans this season ... after missing all of last season while she was detained.

The 32-year-old endured nine months in a Russian jail cell/prison camp, before coming home in December thanks to a prisoner swap. There was initially doubt Griner would ever hoop again, but she quickly put that sentiment to bed ... announcing she was coming back.

The WNBA champ ultimately signed a 1-year deal with the Mercury in February ... and said she can't wait to play this upcoming season.

"Look forward to all those moments. Just waking in on the first home game, the grind, the sweat, the blood," Griner said during last month's press conference. "Just taking all that in. I missed it."

And, it's not just BG who's pumped ... Mercury president Vince Kozar can't wait for their home opener!

“May 21 is going to be an unforgettable experience for our fans and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to have an award-winning artist the caliber of Wyclef Jean join us in celebrating BG’s return and a new Mercury season,” Kozar told us.

Beyoncé's highly-anticipated "Renaissance" world tour is officially off and running, and the first stop in Sweden is packed with a ton of surprises!!!

Her big debut show is going down at Stockholm’s Friends Arena, and fans are buzzing with excitement -- even those who aren't there -- as it is the first time Beyoncé's been on tour in the last 4.5 years.

The early review is well-worth all the hype -- Bey opened the concert singing her throwback hit "Dangerously in Love".

She went on to perform songs from last year's "Renaissance" album, which she dedicated to her Uncle Johnny ... bringing out several well-known vogue-style dancers, including Honey Balenciaga. The performance included several nods to the LGBTQ+ community.

As you know, Beyoncé released 'Renaissance' -- her 7th no. 1 album -- back in July. And, it earned a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album.

During the show, Bey also brought back the Les Twins, who she worked with a lot in the past and who became known as her onstage dancing twins. They appeared in her Homecoming Coachella documentary. And, she wouldn't be Queen B without many different wardrobe changes and props, which she had plenty of!

LSU is apologizing for Flau'jae Johnson's lyrics referencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks in her new rap song ... saying the hoop star never meant to offend anyone in the now-deleted music video.

The 19-year-old, 5'10" guard dropped the September 11th line in a new remix to Latto's hit, "Put It On Da Floor" ... saying "In this 911 blowing smoke just like them towers."

Of course, when Johnson says 911, it's got double meaning ... the Porsche, and the 2001 attack. The next line refers to the Twin Towers smoking before they collapsed, tragically killing over 2,000 people.

The music video has since been deleted, but not before it was captured and shared across social media platforms.

The university got word of the controversial lyrics ... and said they spoke with the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year about the remix on Tuesday.

"While she never intended to offend or upset anyone with her lyrics, she expressed sincere remorse for any possibility of a misunderstanding and immediately took the video down," LSU told FOX News in a statement.

"We will learn and grow from this experience together."

Johnson -- who wasn't born until 2003 -- has yet to release a statement herself.

Of course, Johnson -- who's signed with Roc Nation -- takes her rap career seriously. She even performed her song "BIG 4" in front of fans after the Tigers' NCAA championship win last month.

Busta Rhymes says a highly-anticipated reunion with Janet Jackson for their 1998 song together was well worth the wait -- and right on time too ... almost like it was divine!

The legendary rapper was gushing about JJ Tuesday night ... this shortly after they shared the stage at Madison Square Garden, where she was putting on a crucial show that's part of her larger 'Together Again' tour -- which couldn't be more perfectly named.

Indeed ... Busta got on the mic with Janet to crank out their hit, 'What's It Gonna Be?!' -- a fan fave, and something folks have wanted to see them perform together live for years now.

That's certainly what BR has wanted as well ... and he talked to a photog about just how big of a moment it was for him. As it turns out -- the dude, who's no stranger to being in front of audiences, says he was actually shaking in his boots ahead of their big duet onstage.

He actually suggests something happened up there that gives away the fact he was freaking the hell out -- we have video of the performance ... so take a look for yourself.

Anyway, it's clear that this was big for Busta and that he's grateful for the opportunity to have done it now -- even if it is 25 years later. He says any sooner wouldn't have been as significant ... so, in his mind, this coming together with Janet was right on time.

BTW, he also gets into the story about how he first linked up with her to record way back when -- and even that tale sounds too good to be true. Busta remembers it like it was yesterday.

As he notes, the reunion marks a cultural snapshot that transcends music. And, considering Janet's theme for the tour is in this ballpark, there's probably more stuff like this coming.

Offset was on dad duty Monday with his 2 little girls -- he took them to the world premiere of the live-action 'Little Mermaid' movie ... and everyone was looking like Disney royalty.

The ex-Migos rapper made it to the debut screening of the highly-anticipated flick -- which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel -- in Los Angeles ... where he and his daughter -- 8-year-old Kalea and 4-year-old Kulture -- walked the blue carpet as they were headed into the theater.

Their outfits were on point/on theme ... Offset was dressed to the nines, wearing an ensemble that strongly resembled what Prince Eric wears in the animated flick -- complete with a white jacket, black pants and shiny matching boots. His kids were even cuter.

Kalea and Kulture each donned gorgeous mini gowns and tiaras, looking like they were being taken to the ball that Cinderella went to in the fairy tale. Kalea even had her hair dyed red, just like Ariel does in the cartoon and just like Halle in the live-action film. It's clear the family was excited to see this one on the big screen -- and probably for good reason too.

As you may know ... Halle being cast as Ariel -- who's portrayed as white in the OG -- was a big deal in the African-American community ... serving as a crucial point of representation that hadn't really been seen before. Little Black girls everywhere reacted to the trailer when it came out ... and they all pretty much seemed to be in awe that Ariel looked like them.

Of course, there's been some backlash as well ... some of which, you could argue, is steeped in racism. No matter though -- the film's still coming out ... and it's a big deal.

No sign of Cardi here, which is fine. Looks like this was a dad-daughter date that Offset was more than happy to handle on his own -- and he certainly stepped up to the plate.

Franky Venegas, known to many as one of the viral Island Boys twins, has been arrested ... after his girlfriend told cops he slapped her and pushed her in the pool.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Venegas' girlfriend told police they got into an argument Saturday at the pool area of their Airbnb in Pompano Beach -- after she threatened to break up with him due to his "physical abusive behavior."

She told PD Venegas got upset and slapped her across the face and pushed her into the shallow part of the pool, causing her to hit her chin on the concrete floor below. Cops say they noted bruises on her chin, as well as on her legs and arms when they spoke to her at a nearby hospital.

Police say they then went to the Airbnb and arrested Venegas for domestic battery ... he let his fans know he's since gotten out -- posting a pretty enthusiastic vid outside the jail.

Kanye West's political team members are dropping off one by one after Milo Yiannopoulos took over as his political director ... who tells us they're "cleaning house."

TMZ's obtained a letter filed to the Federal Election Commission, from Kanye's 2020 campaign committee treasurer, Patrick Krason, saying he resigned Monday morning. For context, Ye hasn't officially said he's running for prez in 2024, so it seems "Kanye 2020" is still being used as the name of his political action committee.

Krason says he notified higher-ups of his resignation, and "they have been made aware of the requirement to name a new treasurer within 10 days." He also says he made the rest of the team aware they can't raise or spend any funds until they find a new treasurer.

The move seems like it may relate to the bigger picture ... Kanye's political director Milo Yiannopoulos tells TMZ they are, "Cleaning house and professionalizing Ye's political team."

As we reported, Kanye re-hired Milo last week, and he instantly gave the boot to the rapper's right-hand man, Nick Fuentes, and Ali Alexander, one of Ye's political advisors.

Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri have officially buried the hatchet, after going over a year without speaking.

The playful reunion took place over the weekend in Vegas at the 'Lovers & Friends' festival and on Monday, Bow Weezy told the world he began following his So So Def Records mentor once again!!!

Bow gave JD a playful shove as their respective entourages teased them about the PDA, giving the longtime fans who hated seeing them apart a sigh of relief at the same time.

Neither artist pinpointed a clear reason for their deflection other than the need for Bow to "be his own man" ... but things were sour for a while. Most notably, Bow claimed Snoop deserved the most credit for his career ... a swipe that fans didn't believe and even the D-O-GG himself didn't cop to it!!!

Diddy was recently caught in 4K strategizing his upcoming Verzuz battle against Jermaine Dupri and turns out it was just that ... STRATEGY, as no such event has been finalized or confirmed, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The Bad Boy Records mogul was chatting it up backstage with Busta Rhymes and Fabolous in Miami on Friday for a special AMEX event ... when he began to speak on his Verzuz wishlist to have the face-off with JD in his backyard of Madison Square Garden in September.

Diddy then leaned over to Busta with hopes of having him pull an outlandish stunt by leaping from the rafters. The irony he told Busta this as their classic collab "Victory" was blaring in the background shouldn't be lost on anyone!!!

The internet ran with the autumn date, these guys have been dangling the carrot to fans for over a year ... but multiple sources connected to the situation relay to TMZ Hip Hop that no Verzuz has been scheduled for now or in the future.

The clip of Diddy speaking to Busta and Fab also appears to be taken out of context as the convo began midway. Which is why it pays not to take everything you see on the internet for face value, kids!!!

Lil Durk is all set to drop his new album "Almost Healed" on Friday, a therapeutic journey he says that couldn't have happened without the love of his family.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Durk out in Beverly Hills and asked about the clinical connotation of the project's title.

The Chicago rap star has endured some heavy times ... his brother OTF DThang and artist King Von were both killed by gun violence in recent years.

However, Durk tells us that his kids and girlfriend India Royale — who he affectionately refers to as his "wife" — have been his rock throughout it all and got him to the brink of a full recovery.

Durk also publicly feuded with NBA YoungBoy's camp following King Von's death ... with Akademiks recently reporting a truce on that beef, claiming to have integral knowledge.

We asked Durk about squashing things with YoungBoy and it was like he got hit with a neuralyzer from 'MIB' ... he had no clue who we were talking about!!!

He did, however, make sure to shout out his "Broadway Girls" collaborator Morgan Wallen.

Joe Budden may be considered to have the top hip hop podcast, but he's not above throwing shots ... just ask Gillie Da Kid.

On the latest "Joe Budden Podcast" episode, Joe questioned Gillie's alleged big money contract for his "Million Dollaz Worth Of Game" pod by taking a shot at his living quarters, quipping, "Your headboard is covering a very small window in your primary bedroom ... I can tell it’s not like that!!!"

DJ Akademiks shared the Budden snipe with a clip soundtracked by Rick Ross' aggressive track "I'm Not a Star" and several gunshot sounds to increase the dramatic effect.

Gillie took the bait and barked back at Budden ... echoing Vivica A. Fox's disses about wife-beating but says he's refusing to escalate things until JBP reaches MDWOG's bank status.

Budden seemed content with getting under Gillie's skin, if not for anything, bringing more attention to his platform.

Complex recently bestowed a #1 hip hop media ranking on Joe Budden's — with Gillie and Wallo coming in at #4.

Chris Brown is finally speaking out about his hectic weekend -- but he's only taking aim at one confrontation he's said to have been involved in ... and not the big one with Usher.

The singer publicly commented on an IG post that was reporting on his face-off from Saturday night, where he was in the middle of what appeared to be a scuffle on the verge of breaking out backstage during Missy Elliott's set at the 'Lovers & Friends' festival in Vegas.

He writes in no unclear terms, "yall been geeked all weekend, y'all dragging it now. It was mad people backstage and security was trying to clear everyone off the stage. People started pushing back.. I INTERVENED To let them know MY CHILD WAS BACK THERE."

CB adds, "So y'all can keep ya narrative."

Of course, he's referring to the video that surfaced Sunday which showed him in the mix. There was no overt violence in the clip -- but considering what had apparently happened just the night before on his birthday ... it was certainly cause for concern.

It goes without saying ... we're referring to the alleged brawl that occurred between him and Usher -- which eyewitnesses have told us did, in fact, go down out in the lot of a skating rink ... where CB's 34th bday bash was being held, and which eventually turned sour.

It's interesting Chris isn't addressing the elephant in the room head-on, which is telling considering the speculation has been at an all-time high all weekend. If there was truly nothing to what's been said to have happened, you would think he'd deny that too.

He didn't, though ... and only wanted to put out the fire on this second incident.

Funny enough, you could argue that both Usher and Teyana Taylor -- who were also at the center of Friday night's purported brouhaha -- have been trying to stamp out this story as well on behalf of Chris ... albeit, quietly and with more signals than actual words.

Usher, for example, made sure to hop on social media Saturday ahead of his set to show that he was just fine ... and that everything, at least on its face, was happy-go-lucky.

There's also the video of Teyana herself dancing during Usher's performance Saturday, where she's getting down to his cover of one of Chris's famous songs. Again ... all subliminal.

Ginuwine can't hop on the pony like he used to ... the R&B vet took a pretty nasty tumble while performing at 'Lovers & Friends' this past weekend!!!

It appears Ginuwine was attempting to get closer to his adoring fans while performing his classic love ballad "In Those Jeans."

Ginuwine attempted to jump between the stage and a platform but completely underestimated the distance and completely flopped off the stage ... and almost pulled the sign language interpreter down in the process.

The scene is pretty comical, all things considered. As the stage personnel and the cameraman rushed to G's side, the song kept playing across the speakers and the interpreter kept doing his job.

They say the show must go on -- which is exactly what Ginuwine told his fans following the show ... as he poked fun at himself by singing Donnie McClurkin's "We Fall Down."

Distraught Juice WRLD fans can take comfort ... plans for a new mural honoring him are already coming together after the original was abruptly removed from its Chicago site.

Peter Jideonwo, manager to the late "Lucid Dreams" rapper, tells TMZ Hip Hop that he and the family still have no clue who painted over the mural, which had become a beloved cultural landmark.

Thousands of fans flew to the windy city to see the original piece since its intro back in 2020 ... honoring Juice after his December 2019 death from a drug overdose.

The art piece cost the 999 Squad $50K to enlist artist Corey Pane.

No one has taken ownership of clearing the mural and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation even conducted a paint test to prove it had nothing to do with it.

The city agency tells us there are protocols in place for artists to register, and to be notified when their graffiti is slated to be removed as well.

Although they're still in the early planning stages, Peter tells us he and the rest of Juice’s team are not only plotting how the new installation can be a better piece, but also one that withstands vandals or accidents going forward.

Chris Brown was caught on camera in yet another confrontation -- this, apparently, just a day after his dust-up with Usher ... part of which was also captured on video.

New footage circulating online appears to show Chris aggressively trying to reach somebody across from him in what looks to be the backstage area of a venue. Per several blog accounts, this was purportedly taken during Missy Elliott's set Saturday night in Vegas.

No details are out yet about this -- including what led up to it, or who Chris may have been beefing with. We're working to confirm what exactly was going on here -- however, on its face -- it doesn't look good for CB ... who was just in this exact type of sitch 24 hours earlier.

Fortunately, based on what we can see in the video ... it would seem cooler heads prevailed here, and nothing truly violent went down. It's unclear if this had to do with Usher or not.

Speaking of him, Usher was clearly trying to telegraph a different narrative than what we'd been told about the skating rink birthday bash thrown for Chris the night prior -- which allegedly turned brutal for Mr. Raymond, according to eyewitnesses we've spoken with.

He looked totally fine last night, though, and was making sure to show off his face and the fact he appeared uninjured. Chris even came and did his set as well ... with no sign of trouble on stage, or any mention of the alleged brawl that's said to have occurred.

Here's the thing ... we know Chris was pissed off on Friday night, and now -- he once again seems to be pissed here. So, despite their best efforts -- there's obviously friction in the air.

Usher and co. appear to be engaged in a nothing-to-see-here act -- but at some point, you gotta figure they might have to address this straight up ... because the rumors are flying, and there's irrefutable video evidence of Chris acting up and coming across as belligerent.

Luckily, despite the apparent drama behind the scenes, it sounds like 'Lovers & Friends' was a success and went off without a hitch. And, if nobody comments on this any further going forward -- perhaps it's safe to assume they've dealt with it privately/are moving on.

Here's hoping that's actually the case ... 'cause Chris and Usher are known to be boys.