TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rick Ross is going toe-to-toe with Fayette County over his 2nd annual car show ... telling us denying him a permit isn't gonna stop him from throwing the event for thousands of fans.

The hip hop mogul assures us the car show will go down exactly as planned on June 3 on his Promised Land estate in Fayetteville, GA, and he's called in backup -- some event planning experts -- to ensure his neighbors can rest easy.

Fayette County recently rejected Ricky Rozay's permit, saying the car show is not in compliance with the county's zoning ordinances, adding last year's show -- a huge success in Rick's eyes -- happened without County approval.

Regardless, Rick's full steam ahead, and is likening the whole thing to a front yard BBQ -- one with about 7,000 folks in attendance! He says he didn't hear any complaints after last year's show, but some neighbors have now been voicing their concerns.

If you're wondering if this is all about the County wanting a slice of Rick's financial pie ... he ran down all the ways his car show is an absolute cash cow for Fayette County and its businesses.

BTW, Rick announced he's exploring a run for mayor of Fayetteville after the whole permit roadblock came up, and he breaks down why he'd be the perfect candidate.

Shy Glizzy's ex-girlfriend claims he's threatening to kill her, her family, her friends, and any man she dates in the future ... and now she just got court-ordered protection.

The rapper's ex, who works as a model, makes the shocking claims in her request for a restraining order against him ... telling the judge he's been threatening her ever since she broke things off with him.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the gf claims Shy has repeatedly told her he will kill her and her mother. She says he's been making the threats ever since she broke up with him in April ... and she says he sent her a text message that said, "Ima f*** ya life up."

Shy's ex claims she started dating Shy in December but broke up with him on April 28 because she says he has "anger issues." She says Shy did not take the breakup well and things reached a head on May 13, when he was arrested for allegedly threatening her.

In the docs, the ex claims on May 13 she was driving around Los Angeles and noticed Shy was following her. She says she was stopped at a red light when he got out of his car and approached her car, banging her car with the handle of a gun. She says she drove away but he followed her and tried to run her off the road, hitting her car with his car and causing damage.

TMZ broke the story ... Shy Glizzy was arrested on May 13 on a felony charge of making criminal threats after his ex told police he pulled a gun on her.

The ex claims she's told Shy to stop contacting her, but she says he keeps messaging her, threatening to kill her, and post explicit pictures and videos of her without her consent in what she believes is an attempt to ruin her modeling career.

Shy Glizzy's ex also claims he texted her best friend, "Imma get her a** beat."

The judge granted a temporary restraining order ... and now Shy Glizzy has to stay 100 yards away from his ex and he's barred from contacting her. The judge also prohibited Shy from posting or distributing any explicit photos or videos he may have of the two.

Busta Rhymes is feeling more like King Midas these days, 'cause he says everything he touches is basically turning to gold ... and his new album should be no different considering the heavy hitters he's got on board.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Busta late Tuesday night in NYC as he was leaving Quad Recording Studios ... and it was obvious he was excited about what was going on inside.

The Brooklyn MC confirmed Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Pharrell Williams are joining him to executive produce the upcoming album -- and he says he's feeling "amazing" about the year he's having.

This will be Busta's 11th solo studio album -- check out the clip, even he's losing count -- and he says after more than 3 decades, he's still excited to work with new artists.

He said he's also feeling blessed to hang with some fellow legends recently ... having performed gigs with Diddy, Pharrell, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige in the last few weeks -- and on top of that, he's going on tour this summer with 50 Cent.

Music aside, Busta says he's also coming off the high of Mother's Day weekend -- he spent time with Moms, of course, but also celebrated a milestone for one of his kids. The usually bombastic MC was more like an everyday proud pop ... as she shouted out all four of his kids for their success.

"My mama keep telling me to stop, I can't -- the second time they caught me with that gun, damn, I feel like Ja Morant."

Ja Morant's recent scandal is already getting the rap treatment ... with Vic Mensa dropping some timely lyrics just days after the Grizzlies star was suspended for flashing a gun on social media for a second time.

Mensa was out in NYC on Tuesday when TMZ Sports got his thoughts on the All-Star guard brandishing a weapon on Instagram Live ... and after revealing his tongue-in-cheek bars, Vic got serious about the situation.

"I think God blessed Ja Morant, man," the "$WISH" M.C. said Tuesday. "I pray that that brother gets it together and he figures it out because he's too brilliant and so talented. He's got a gift, he's got a real gift. So, I don't want to see him have to go down that path because he's so good."

"I think God blessed him," he added. "I'm not gonna say anything to disparage him. There's enough people doing that."

Many people are starting to wonder whether Morant is trying too hard to emulate rappers like NBA YoungBoy -- the artist he was vibing along to in the most recent clip -- given his recent off-court troubles ... but Mensa makes it clear the blame falls solely on Ja, not the music.

"Ultimately, NBA YoungBoy, he's just telling his truth and doing his thing."

Some ex-NBA stars have ripped into Morant for his second gun incident ... with Stephen Jackson referring to it as a "moron move," and Chandler Parsons calling for a year-long suspension.

Ja has since addressed the gun video ... saying he knows he has disappointed those who look up to him, and promising to continue to work on himself.

Mensa said he will support Ja as he deals with his impending punishment ... and even joked about switching up his music taste.

Here's Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori modeling a new fashion line ... and it's leaving little to the imagination.

As you can see, there's not much here in terms of actual clothing -- there's a black square of material covering Bianca's boobs, a black cross on her butt crack, and a black landing strip covering her vagina ... and that's about it.

Oh, and she's wearing some black boots/leggings running all the way up to her upper thighs. Very minimalist, to say the least.

Bianca's modeling for a look from designer Mowalola Ogunlesi who Kanye had previously hand-picked to help lead the Yeezy GAP team.

The fashion line definitely won't be for everyone ... and Bianca's certainly showing some confidence by basically going nude here.

This outfit might explain why Bianca's been hitting the gym ... remember, we saw her and Ye going for a workout together Monday in WeHo, right after they'd hit a Chick-fil-A drive-thru for some odd pre-workout fuel.

The Houston Astros were getting LIT before taking the field on Monday ... 'cause the locker room got a personal preview of Travis Scott's upcoming album!!

La Flame was the guest of honor before his hometown team's tilt against the Chicago Cubs ... and the dude gave the whole squad some musical motivation -- throwing his "Utopia" project over the speakers.

A lot of people will be jealous of Alex Bregman and Co. -- Travis fans have been patiently waiting since 2018 for the rapper's next piece of solo work.

The good news?? Utopia is finally expected to drop soon ... and as Travis told reporter Mark Berman, it's "on the way" as he threw on some Air Jordan 1 "Black Phantom" sneakers in the dugout.

"I had to come here to play Utopia for the boys down in the locker room," Scott said. "Had to get them right for the game."

Travis added there's still some work to do, however -- adding they still have to "finish the master."

On top of the listening party, Scott also got in some batting practice ... and even checked out the weight room.

Shy Glizzy got arrested over the weekend after cops say he pulled a gun on his girlfriend and threatened to harm her ... TMZ has learned.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the rapper was arrested Saturday following a verbal altercation with his on-again, off-again girlfriend ... which police say escalated to the point where Shy grabbed a firearm and made a threat.

We're told the alleged incident played out on a public street around 9 AM Saturday ... and Shy took off after the argument. Our sources say West Hollywood Sheriff's Deputies got involved and a criminal report was made ... Shy was eventually tracked down by 6 PM and arrested.

Shy Glizzy was booked on a felony charge of making criminal threats ... records show he was released after about 4 hours behind bars on a $50,000 bond.

Our sources say police did not find a gun on Shy when he was arrested ... and he denied ever threatening the girlfriend, who we're told he's been dating off and on for 4 months.

We're told the case remains under investigation.

We've reached out to Shy ... so far no word back.

Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny's relationship just hit a new milestone -- they hit up a big birthday event together, and they did so ... in matching outfits, no less.

The lovebirds strolled into Giorgio Baldi Sunday night in Santa Monica, and both of them just happened to pull head-to-toe black leather out of their closets. Hell of a coincidence, right?!?

We're told they were there for a birthday bash for Travis Bennett -- AKA Yung Taco -- and Tyler, The Creator was also in the building.

When all 3 left the restaurant, they went next door to Shorebar ... with Tyler carrying a cake for Travis with what appears to be some clever candle placement!

Kendall, BB, and Tyler spent a good chunk of time next door before calling it a night -- and it looks like the place was packed with celebs, like Winnie Harlow and her BF Kyle Kuzma, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

As you know, KJ and BB have been spending a ton of time together ... from gettin' close at Coachella to riding horses, they've been checking off all the relationship clichés as of late.

Ja Morant has set social media ablaze with another apparent gun incident ... this time flashing what appears to be a weapon Saturday during an IG Live.

Morant is having fun in a car with a friend, listening to NBA YoungBoy's album. As the camera pans toward him, you see what appears to be the Grizzlies star holding a gun ... just for a second, and then the camera turns away.

Fans recorded the moment and it's making rounds on social.  What we don't know ... whether the gun's real, and whether it's his.

There was a previous incident in March with Morant and a gun ... he was at a Denver nightclub on IG Live, but later said the gun wasn't his.

This had its consequences ... Morant was suspended for 8 games without pay for the incident. However, police investigated and ended up not charging Morant with a crime. The NBA also did its own investigation and could not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant. It was also unclear if he brought the gun into the club.

The 23-year-old enrolled in a Florida counseling program before returning to the court.

We reached out to a rep for the Memphis Grizzlies about the IG video taken Saturday ... so far, no word back.

Chief Keef fans who really "Love Sosa" have a shot at some interesting items -- a guy dug through trash to recover the rapper's used double cups, and now he's looking to cash in on the buried treasure.

The used Styrofoam cups are selling on eBay... bidding started at $425 and has now reached over $10k. This is his second shot at selling the cups -- his original listing was removed after bids reached $15K ... most likely because eBay has a policy against hawking drug paraphernalia.

The new listing clarifies the items are not related to drugs at all.

Anyway, the cups' origin story is a wild one. A recent TikTok shows a die-hard fan spring into action upon seeing Chief Keef pull over in his Scooby-Doo-wrapped Lambo and dump trash into a dumpster.

Once CK drives off, the guy hops in the trash bin, scooping up the rapper's disposed goods -- a stack of used cups with "Exotic Pop" printed on them, and another blue set of cups.

He also appeared to throw out a glass bottle of Balmain Evian water.

The guy seems to have no problem dumpster diving for the cause, and now the goods are up for grabs!

Kanye West has lost his appeal with a lot of people and companies ... but that doesn't mean he's stopped creating, as evidenced in a recent trademark filing.

Ye's Mascotte Holdings Inc. recently filed for "YZY SOCK SHOES." The documents, obtained by TMZ, were submitted May 4 -- and while there's not a whole lot of detail -- there is an identification that reads, "Socks; socks with leather soles."

Of course, Kanye's no stranger to shoe design ... and he was actually spotted wearing what appeared to be a sock shoe-type design back in 2019, so it's possible he's bringing the product to the masses.

As for a retail partner, that's where Ye might have some troubles ... as you know, Adidas cut ties with him after his countless attacks on Jewish people and his praise of Hitler.

He could always sell through his Yeezy brand, but it's currently unknown what sort of infrastructure still remains behind the scenes of the company.

LSU women's basketball star Flau'jae Johnson is breaking her silence on her 9/11 rap lyric controversy ... apologizing for her song -- and vowing to do better moving forward.

Johnson was initially hit with backlash earlier this month ... when she made a reference to the Twin Towers in her remix to Latto's hit, "Put It On Da Floor."

In the tune, Johnson sang, "In this 911 blowing smoke just like them towers." The bar was a double entendre -- it was a play on riding in a Porsche ... and the 2001 terrorist attack that killed more than 2,000 people.

Many on social media called her out over it all -- saying it was insensitive ... and in an Instagram story video late Thursday night, Johnson finally addressed the issue.

"I just want to come on here and let ya'll know by no means would I ever intentionally try to disrespect or offend anyone," said the 19-year-old, who has a legitimate budding rap career off the basketball court.

"My whole goal in music is to push positivity and spread love. So, in no way shape or form would I ever intentionally try to disrespect or offend anyone."

LSU previously commented on the song earlier this week, saying Johnson "expressed sincere remorse for any possibility of a misunderstanding." The school added that the song's music video has since been pulled from the internet.

Johnson -- who wasn't born until 2003 -- insisted she'll "learn from this moving forward."

"I just thank ya'll for ya'll continued support," she said.

For more, tune into the TMZ Sports Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!

E-40 can officially be referred to as Dr. E-40 now that he has an honorary doctorate from the same school he attended as an undergrad way back in the '80s.

The legendary rapper was awarded the degree Friday during Grambling State University's commencement ceremony in Louisiana ... and he made sure to drop some words of wisdom and encouragement to the graduating class before he left the stage.

And, it appeared to be a super special moment for 40, who's proudly continued to support the University he once called home.

As we reported, earlier this year he donated $100K to the HBCU's music department to help install a recording studio so students could follow their dreams as he did. GSU surprised him by naming it the Earl "E-40" Stevens Sound Recording studio.

For those who don't know, 40 was a Grambling Tiger in 1986 ... before he became the hip hop mogul we know today.

Franky Venegas, one of the twins from the viral Island Boys duo, is about to be a distant and faded memory for his ex-girlfriend ... who's erasing him from her body on the heels of him allegedly getting physical with her.

Franky's ex, Amina, went to Bad Habits Tattoos & Laser Tattoo Removal in Fort Lauderdale this week. Owner Liz Chaviano tells TMZ, it was the first of many sessions to scrub Amina's tattoos of Franky.

We're told she has a total of 3 ink pieces in honor of Kodiyakredd -- Franky's Island Boys alias -- a tattoo of his face on her neck, his name across her chest and another on her wrist.

Liz says the whole process can take up to a year and a half, depending on how deep the ink's been absorbed into the skin.

Interestingly, she says they seem to be so badly done, their removal could go pretty quickly. One removal session is done every 6 weeks.

As we reported, Franky was arrested for domestic battery after Amina told cops they got into an argument on Saturday by the pool of their Airbnb in Pompano Beach. She claims he slapped her and pushed her into the water after she threatened to break things off with him.

You'll recall, he later posted a vid outside the jail ... letting folks know he was released from police custody.

Jay-Z's dropping "The Blueprint 4," but it's not a new album ... it's his plan for opening a casino in Times Square, and he's going all out to get New Yorkers on board with it.

Through Roc Nation, Jay penned an open letter to NYC, explaining why he believes his company's partnership with Caesars Palace should be awarded a contract to launch a casino in the heart of Times Square.

In the letter, published Thursday in several NY newspapers, Roc Nation leans hard into all the positives its proposed Caesars Palace Times Square would create for "everyday New Yorkers," as well as the city's businesses.

The casino would reportedly be built on the top 8 floors of an existing Times Square skyscraper, smack in the middle of Broadway's famed theater district. Some theater owners and producers are vehemently opposed to the casino, but Roc Nation says its bid includes $115 million for "diverse theater programs" to aid Broadway employees.

Jay and co. say their organization will put the "well-being of New Yorkers at the top of their agenda." The insinuation is their competition will not, and they're up against several other high-profile bidders ... including Wynn Resorts and Mets owner Steve Cohen.

Each has proposed casino plans in different NYC locations -- Caesars and Jay's is the only one in Times Square.

WAP meets WWE??

The crossover of the ages could happen if WWE Superstars Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez get their wish ... 'cause the Women's Tag Team Champions just revealed their dream wrestling match is against Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion!!

Morgan and Raquel were in Puerto Rico for Backlash when they laid down the gauntlet to Cardi and Meg while speaking to WrestlingNews, officially putting the award-winning MCs on notice.

Liv was asked which two celebrities she and Raquel would love to go toe to toe with in the squared circle ... and she answered without hesitation, "We’re talking Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. We want them."

Rodriguez added, "They’ve had a little interaction with some of our other Superstars. They’re always interacting on Twitter, so I think they would be more than willing to come and have a little fun with Liv and I."

On the surface, it seems like an unfair fight if we're talking inside the ring. After all, Morgan and Rodriguez are on top of their game after defeating Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and "The Man" Becky Lynch for the Women's Tag Team Championship.

But, Morgan told the outlet she and Rodriguez aren't trying to disrespect the two "WAP" artists by challenging them to a match ... and said how much they adore Cardi and Meg.

“I’m sure they are both highly athletic, so this is our official call out, but we love you guys," Morgan said. "It’s not in a mean way. We love you.”