TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rap royalty descended on the 2023 BET Awards Sunday night ... and the celebratory event went off pretty much without a hitch and everyone seemed to be having a blast.

The bevy of stars hit up the Microsoft Theater in L.A. to pose for photos in their fancy getups before heading inside to enjoy the show.

Major attendees included Ice Spice, T.I., Quavo, Offset, Busta Rhymes, Yo Gotti, Master P, Latto, Chrisean Rock, Angela Simmons, Moneybagg Yo, YTB Fatt, Sexyy Red and Brooklyn Nikole.

Behind the scenes ... the hip hop greats were yukking it up and partying their butts off, which we're sure lasted long into the night around town.

During the awards ceremony, there were a few surprises -- one of which came when the two surviving members of Migos -- Quavo and Offset -- paid tribute to their slain bandmate, Takeoff.

Another memorable moment was when Busta teared up while giving an acceptance speech after receiving a lifetime achievement award.

Then there was Patti LaBelle, who initially botched her tribute to the late singer Tina Turner, forgetting the words to Tina's smash hit, "The Best." But Patti made a quick recovery and ended her performance on a high note.

All in all ... it was a fabulous night with terrific music.

The Migos reunited at the 2023 BET Awards Sunday night ... but the trio was now a duo, and they honored their late bandmate, Takeoff, with an emotional performance that brought the house down.

Quavo and Offset surprised everyone when they hit the stage an hour into the event at the Microsoft Theater in L.A. to pay tribute to Takeoff, who, as you know, was fatally shot at a bowling alley last November. The alleged killer, Patrick Xavier Clark, was indicted last month for Takeoff's murder.

Decked out in all-black leather, the two Migos kicked things off by diving into "Hotel Lobby," a song produced by Quavo and Takeoff, as the crowd went wild.

Special effects sent the show to the outer limits with a spaceship appearing on a large screen, which eventually took off as flames shot up from the stage. A massive image of Takeoff then morphed onto the screen behind Quavo and Offset while they were singing and dancing.

The pair then cranked out the Migos biggest hit, "Bad and Boujee," which rocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and was nominated for best rap performance at the 2018 Grammys.

By any musical standard, it was a memorable moment and the first time Quavo and Offset appeared onstage together since Takeoff's death.

Question is ... will Quavo and Offset carry on the Migos torch as a duo?

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

XXL Freshman alum K Camp fully understands Ice Spice's decision to skip this year's Freshman cover photo shoot -- but still recommends she keep a steady pace in the unforgiving rap game.

We linked with the Rare Sound CEO outside of Dash Radio this week, where he acknowledged Ice's red-hot rookie run. He tells us every rapper must choose their own path, but with Ice checking off all the boxes, she'll be good going forward.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... the "Munch" rapper forfeited her XXL Freshman spot after she started getting booked for shows, left and right -- several festival gigs and a full tour supporting Doja Cat -- and couldn't lock in with all the mags requirements.

That being said, K Camp says blowing up too fast can hurt an artist, as the public can eventually grow tired and move on rather quickly.

Camp was in the 2015 XXL Freshman class, and admits it helped his career -- he signed to a major label and racked up several Platinum plaques.

He also told us no XXL class -- this year or even his -- can top the 2010s with J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, and Freddie Gibbs!!!

Before this adorable baby drooling on his yellow smock was spittin' beats and rapping on stage, he was just clapping his hands, flashing his pearly whites for the camera, and during his teen years ... was entering rap contests while growing up in Detroit, Michigan.

You've probably heard his popular song "I Don't F With You", but if you haven't ... he's worked with some of the music biz's hottest stars including Nicki Minaj and Drake. Through his music, his listeners have learned he's definitely "one man who can change the world."

Need one more hint? He's a proud father of one!

Fivio Foreign was involved in a crazy confrontation Saturday, claiming someone in the club roofied him ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper was performing at the Paris nightclub, L'Arc, for Paris Fashion Week. The rapper's reps were not specific as to the nature of the altercation, but it was serious enough that cops had a talk with him.

Fivio's reps tell us while police did speak with their client, he was not arrested or detained. However, it looks like what did go down between Fivio and the other party may have spilled into the streets.

GLC is looking back fondly at his time spent filming Kanye West's attempted HBO series ... despite the fact it never saw the light of day.

The Chicago rapper checked in with TMZ Hip Hop amid this week's puzzling leak of Ye's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"-style comedy, which was called, "A Little Inappropriate."

Ya might see that title as foreshadowing, considering Ye's remarks in recent years.

GLC tells us they shot 'Inappropriate' back in 2007, and filming the pilot episode broadened his horizons and gave him a Hollywood crash course -- he found himself doing improv alongside JB Smoove and Kym Whitley and his homie Don C.

Of course, the show didn't make the cut -- HBO pulled it after seeing the pilot episode -- but GLC openly admits some of the acting just wasn't good enough to carry on the HBO legacy.

GLC notes the GOOD Music crew was more in its music bag at the time.

Ye had just delivered his first 2 blockbuster albums "The College Dropout" and "Late Registration" -- GLC exclusively featured on both projects, giving him a claim to fame that still lasts today!!!

Earlier in the year, GLC and Wiz Khalifa linked up for the cross-promotional weed anthem "Kush and P" ... a spotlight for Wiz's "KK" and GLC's "Cronja" cannabis brands.

Beyoncé nearly fell out of her top earlier this week during a live show in Germany -- but one of her backup dancers saw the issue before it became a disaster ... and played the hero.

The singer was putting on a concert Wednesday in Hamburg, and while she was in the middle of performing "Break My Soul," a wardrobe malfunction almost played out live in front of everyone -- namely, her left breast was about to pop out of her skintight outfit.

Bey was up there bouncing around -- giving it her all -- and several people noticed ... something was about to come undone, and soon. It doesn't seem like Beyoncé herself really noticed ... but, fortunately for her, somebody who was onstage with her did see it.

Turns out ... one of the brothers from the French dance group Les Twins -- both of whom were serving as backup dancers for this performance -- rushed over and provided cover.

Not only did the guy block what was inevitably going to be a straight-up nip slip ... but a closer look, shot from someone with front row seats -- shows he actually tugged on her top and put it back in place for her ... all in one fell swoop, going right back to dancing.

It all happened so fast ... and, ever the pro she is, Bey didn't miss a step. If you weren't paying attention, you might've not even noticed some miracle work was goin' down.

As you can imagine, the dude's being praised/patted on the back for springing into action the way he did ... because, frankly, the whole situation could've been very embarrassing.

It doesn't look like Les Twins or Bey have addressed this yet ... but, TBH, there's nothing really to say. Disaster was averted, and ya gotta figure Beyoncé is grateful for the save.

Jim Jones has words for Pusha T after the dude dissed him on Pharrell's high-fashion runway last week -- and it sounds like things are getting personal ... and possibly even ugly.

A new clip of what appears to be JJ's response to PT leaked online this week ... it's a brief snippet of Jim dropping bars, and perhaps even shooting a video. Like we said, it's just a small sample of the overall track -- but on its face, he's getting in the mud to fire back.

Check it out yourself ... Jim references/makes fun of Push's collaboration with McDonald's while going on to slam his last album, "It's Almost Dry," by essentially calling it trash.

He then mentions Clipse -- Pusha's rap group with his brother, No Malice -- and has this to say ... "Trying to bring the Clipse back // Talking ‘bout your brother, what happened to that boy? // It looking like they be selling crack to that boy."

Yeah, on its face ... Jim is accusing Malice of once being a drug user. Him and Push have made a name for themselves by rapping about selling drugs -- but Jim's suggesting at least one of them did more than that. Considering Malice has, by and large, left rap behind ... ya gotta imagine his brother is gonna take this one to heart, and most likely respond with more venom.

Now, as for how all this started ... it dates back to April, when Jim hopped on a podcast and said Pusha T shouldn't be considered a Top 50 rapper of all time -- pooh-poohing his music.

During Pharrell's debut LV men's line in Paris this past week ... Push and Malice dropped a new Clipse track, and many considered his bars aimed at Jim directly -- presumably in response to what Jim had said in the spring.

Boosie Badazz is a free man after posting a $100K bond in his federal gun case Friday night ... and we caught him happy as a clam as he left a California lockup.

The rapper was photographed seated in the backseat of an SUV following his Friday night release from Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego -- and BB was clearly elated, smiling from ear to ear.

Check out the snapshot we obtained ... Boosie's just beaming as he rides away with his chauffer.

And he has every reason to celebrate after winning several court battles against prosecutors, who wanted to keep him behind bars for the duration of his gun case.  Prosecutors filed motions to deny his bond -- but two federal judges ruled in favor of Boosie, paving the way for his release from jail.

TMZ broke the story ... Boosie was arrested by Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents and charged in an indictment with being a felon in possession of a gun. Police initially arrested Boosie in early May after a traffic stop revealed he allegedly had two guns inside the SUV he was riding in.

State prosecutors dropped their case the same day ATF busted Boosie at a San Diego courthouse and charged him with essentially the same offense but on a federal level.

Deon Cole won't let fame and notoriety for his less humorous roles kill his comedy drive ... even though he's getting plenty of acclaim for his new dramatic project.

We caught the comedian ahead of the premiere of his new BET+ series "Average Joe" ... which has already been drawing comparisons to "Ozark" for its dark, suburban storyline.

Deon tells us turning over a new leaf in his career doesn't mean he's burning down the forest he built on stand-up comedy -- that's still his bread and butter, and he says don't expect him to bite his tongue in future comedy bits.

He says he learned from Tom Hanks secondhand and credits his cast -- which includes Tammy Townsend, Malcolm Barrett and Michael Trucco -- for elevating his drama chops.

But Deon also tells us the series' directors saw the depth of his acting ability, and gave him the shot of a lifetime!!!

Beyoncé seems to be feelin' the power of the dark side ... cuz she's lookin' really 'Star Wars' villain-ish while traveling through Europe with her family.

Queen Bey -- or Darth Beyder, as she might prefer to be called -- touched down Friday in the south of France with her hubby Jay-Z, and their kiddo Blue Ivy in tow.

Her fam might be feeling Beyonce's force while cruising through the airport, though ... because she was completely bundled up with a pitch-black cloth covering everything but a sliver of her face.

Might remind ya of a certain big bad space villain called Darth Vader ... the younger version, anyway. Think hooded Anakin Skywalker from 'Episode 3' -- or maybe the all-powerful baddie, Emperor Palpatine from the same saga.

FYI, Bey's currently on the European leg of her Renaissance World Tour ... next stop is Saturday in Frankfurt, where she just might declare, "I am your mother."

Cole Bennett's "Lyrical Lemonade" compilation is paying tribute to Juice Wrld while coming in hot with the creativity -- an AI reimaging of the late rapper and Eminem!!!

On Friday, the pioneering music video director dropped the Juice and Cordae collab "Doomsday" to kick off his album rollout.

Cole had a 100-foot-long structure built lined with a 360° green screen to simulate an office hallway to perfect the shot ... and there's plenty of wackiness to see here. The biggest, obviously, being the AI face swap between Juice and Cordae, and the digital Eminem at the start.

He says Juice had the idea for the treatment before he died. The song's backstory goes ... Juice and Cordae linked in the studio on September 8, 2019, just months before his untimely death from a drug overdose.

Cordae says he's kept the track under wraps to prevent any leaks, but he adds ... Juice was always excited about it, and wanted it out to prove he wasn't just the "sad boy rapper."

The song uses the Dr. Dre and Mel-Man beat that Eminem used to make his 1997 banger "Role Model," just in case you were confused about the CGI Slim Shady at the start of the vid.

Cole and Cordae debated amongst themselves if reimaging their friend Juice Wrld with AI was the best move ... after all the technology isn't exactly favored in the music industry.

Doja Cat is ready to paint multiple cities red on her Scarlet Tour which she officially announced on Friday.

The 24-date tour is produced by Live Nation, kicks off on Halloween 2023 and marks Doja's first-ever North American arena tour!!!

In the spirit of her blockbuster album, "Planet Her," the tour features red-hot female rappers Ice Spice and Doechii.

Ice's placement on the Scarlet Tour is just another example of her booming popularity.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... the "Princess Diana" rapper had to turn down this year's XXL Freshman cover when her performance bookings piled up!!!

Doechii was a Freshman in 2022, and the TDE signee just topped Billboard's Rhythmic Airplay list with her new track, "What It Is (Block Boy)."

Hidden Hills isn't big enough for Nicki Minaj and her convicted felon husband ... at least that's what some of Nicki's neighbors think ... and they want the couple out pronto.

There's a petition circulating online from Hidden Hills residents worried about Nicki and her hubby, Kenneth Petty, moving into the fancy neighborhood ... and hundreds of folks have signed on.

The petition, which was started by Hidden Hills resident Beverly Bardan, takes issue with the fact Kenneth is a registered sex offender after being convicted in New York of attempted rape back in 1995 in a case that landed him in prison for more than 4 years.

As for why the new attention on Petty, he recently filed new legal docs changing his address on the Megan's Law website, so you gotta imagine the neighbors took note.

Nicki and Kenneth bought a mansion in Hidden Hills back in December, and as we first reported ... Kenneth is currently serving one year of home detention for failing to register as a sex offender in California.

The way Beverly seems to see it ... the mere presence of Nicki and Kenneth in Hidden Hills would hurt home values and create safety concerns.

Beverly is encouraging Nicki's neighbors to warn residents about Kenneth ... and she wants folks to sign the petition to "SHOW that you are against sex offenders in our Hidden Hills neighborhood!"

The petition, titled "SAY NO TO SEX OFFENDERS IN HIDDEN HILLS," was launched shortly after Nicki dropped $19.5 million on her estate ... but it's gained a lot of traction lately, with over 100 signatures in the last few days, bumping the number to 862 and counting.

Hidden Hills is becoming the new Beverly Hills ... other celebs with homes in the area include Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Kris Jenner, plus Will and Jada.

Originally Published -- 12:20 AM PT

Young Thug surprised fans Friday by dropping an album from behind bars that's LOADED with A1 features -- and, clearly, released to rival Gunna's own surprise project!!!

Orchestrated by Metro Boomin, "Business Is Business" officially stands as Thugger's third album, but due to his ongoing YSL RICO case ... it leans heavily on Drake, 21 Savage, Future, Travis Scott, Lil Gotit and many more to complete the project.

The album proves Thugger's got real friends in his corner when he needs it most, and while he could've asked Gunna to add more star power ... it's conspicuous that he didn't!!!

Akademiks claims to have audio of Thug instructing Lil Durk to save his Gunna disses for his "BIB" album for a song that would've featured Durk and Lil Baby.

Interestingly, there's no such Durk and Baby track on Thug's album and his sister insists Ak's recording is AI, so it all could be a ploy to generate album streams.

Either way, the clear intention of Thug's album is to dwarf Gunna's that dropped last week.

Jack Harlow is learning the hard way that even a #1 single has an expiration date ... even for a track catchy as his "First Class" hit!!!

The superstar rapper got the deer-in-the-headlights treatment last night while doing his environmental duty as part of the star-studded lineup for Global Citizen's Power Our Planet concert in Paris.

Jack tried to hype up the crowd by rapping the "First Class" opening lyrics in hopes they finish the bars for him.

You know the part that goes, "I've been a 'G' throw up the 'L'..." before going on to spell "glamorous."

Or maybe you don't -- the French crowd sure didn't seem to know what Jack was trying to accomplish, and kind of left him high and dry.

Lucky for Jack, the beat drop of the Fergie sample jolted the crowd's memory.