TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Megan Thee Stallion is still reeling from the Tory Lanez shooting incident ... she says she can't bring herself to be in the same room as him and hasn't found peace.

The "Savage" rapper was NOT in court Monday for Tory's sentencing, despite prosecutors hinting otherwise, but she did provide a statement that was read in court ... and it was emotional.

Meg says she struggled with showing up to court because she couldn't bring herself to be anywhere near Tory, who is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of shooting her.

What's more, Megan says she hasn't had a moment of peace since the July 2020 shooting ... and she ripped Tory, accusing him of making a mockery of her emotional trauma, treating it like a joke and refusing to take accountability.

Megan says Tory's blaming everyone but himself ... she says he first tried to blame the system but is now blaming his childhood trauma ... and she says if he had ever shown contrition she may have been able to heal her emotional wounds sooner.

Tory was expected to be sentenced Monday, but the hearing ran over time and will pick back up Tuesday.

Prosecutors want a judge to sentence Tory to at least 13 years behind bars, though he's seeking a shorter sentence.

Kanye West just officially made his return to the stage, all thanks to Travis Scott, who like Ye, is very familiar with the masses turning against him.

Travis is currently performing a massive show in Rome -- on the heels of the release of his "Utopia" album -- and surprised the crowd by bringing out Kanye. Before Kanye appeared, Travis told fans there's, "Only one human being on this mother f****** planet that has ever walked side by side with me through anything and every mother f****** thing."

The crowd erupted as Ye got on stage, performing "Praise God" -- a song featuring Travis from his "Donda" album. Clearly a bit rusty, Ye missed most of his lyrics but was saved by the backing track. He also went on to perform crowd favorite "Can't Tell Me Nothing."

Kanye's appearance marks his first big performance since he made antisemitic remarks, more than doubled down on said remarks, was dropped by Adidas, and lost billions. Remember, he told Alex Jones he loved Hitler -- among other things.

Many in music and entertainment have distanced themselves from or totally cut Kanye out, but Travis still clearly has an allegiance to his friend.

Kanye West just can't seem to get enough of Bianca Censori's backside ... grabbing a handful of booty while out in Rome for Travis Scott's concert.

Ye packed on the PDA with his wife Monday in the Italian capital, hugging and touching each other's butts. Apparently, it's not always poison.

Kanye seemingly kept an eye, and a hand, on Bianca at all times ... admiring her figure as she showed off her curves in a skin-tight outfit.

It wasn't just lust though ... Kanye and Bianca shared some sweet moments too, lovingly holding hands on the street.

On this occasion, Kanye was barefoot while Bianca was wearing heels, which is kind of her thing ... and Yeezy was rocking all black while his wife dressed in all white.

As we've reported ... Kanye's shown a huge affinity for Bianca's booty this year, be it in Santa Monica or in Japan, and it's more of the same over in Italy.

Boosie Badazz was caught in 4K acting brand new at this year's BET Awards, and has zero shame in his game about it!!!

As we reported back in June, Boosie was released from jail on a $100k bond for illegal gun possession, just a day before the BET Awards -- an occasion he treated like Christmas, he tells DJ Vlad in their latest sit-down.

Boosie says his legal issues this summer left him drained and BET provided him with the perfect pick-me-up ... but they also tried to kill his vibe by not letting him bring a full bottle of Casamigos into the venue!!!

The Louisiana rapper says the bottle he was sneaking in was actually the 2nd one he consumed that day ... and a quick-thinking Boosie says he grabbed a towel from outside and used it to drape over his shoulder ... perfectly concealing the contraband!!! 😈

Once inside the awards, Boosie couldn't contain his excitement watching Latto perform "Put It On Da Floor Again" -- and did just that when he fell outta his chair!!!

Boosie says all the women in the venue looked good and he had the time of his life.

DJ Paul's love for natural disasters may have backfired ... the Three 6 Mafia legend is now facing a lawsuit for posting a viral clip of a tornado.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a company named Viral DRM claims it owns the rights to the clip Paul posted on his Instagram, which shows an insane dashcam view of a tornado wreaking havoc in Elgin, Texas.

It's not hard to see what drew Paul to share the clip, which apparently was first posted back in March 2022. If the close-up shots of lightning bolts weren't eye-popping enough, the sight of the red pickup truck barely making it from out of the storm's eye will surely make your jaw drop!!!

Viral DRM says the clip was shot by a man named Ronald Brian Emfinger but the company says they now own the rights to the video. They say DJ Paul posted the clip on his account in March 2022 without permission

Viral DM is now suing for damages, claiming its ability to make money from the clip was harmed by Paul's posting.

Chrisean Rock spent a good chunk of her Sunday pouring her heart out to thousands of her IG followers, vowing she and Blueface will never be together again in any capacity ... despite their forthcoming baby together.

The pregnant reality star accused Blueface of physical and emotional abuse but ultimately blamed herself for her own issues.

According to Chrisean, she turned a blind eye to Blueface's bad behavior, drank too much alcohol and neglected her mental health -- but she's optimistic motherhood will keep her on the right path.

She also claimed her new quasi-skinhead hairstyle was due to Blueface allegedly ripping her braids out during a brawl, and not a rebellious fashion statement.

But, the "Moonwalking in Calabasas" rapper says those are all lies and he's not letting them go unchecked!!!

Blueface and his girlfriend/child's mother Jaidyn Alexis reacted to Chrisean's IG explosion with their noses turned up ... claiming it's Chrisean who starts the physical confrontations and then hides behind her pregnancy.

He also tells fans don't believe any of her crocodile tears ... and posted alleged DMs of Chrisean attempting to cuddle with him right after her final bow.

Nelly and Ashanti are displaying the kind of PDA you'd expect from a pair of platinum-selling artists ... through a loving karaoke session, of course.

On Monday, the "Country Grammar" rapper shared a vid of him and Ashanti posted up in a restaurant booth while singing their hearts out to Usher's "Nice & Slow" ... which could also be a metaphor for their relationship's pace!!!

It's a pretty adorable moment; Nelly and Ashanti keep their heads locked together as they belt at the top of their lungs and Ashanti even provides the adlibs.

Nelly and Ashanti publicly rekindled their romance earlier this year but have been mum on labels or intentional plans. They're just going with the flow and the tides have been turning in their favor.

Beyoncé's fans had to wait out a storm in D.C. just to see her perform live, and she returned the favor by shelling out a lot of dough to make sure they could get home afterward.

The singer's show Sunday was hit with really bad weather just before the concert was set to begin at FedEx Field in neighboring Maryland -- with lightning storms and a downpour of rain coming down in the area ... and forcing everyone to shelter in place for a hot minute.

There's tons of video showing the D.C. Beyhive huddling up by the thousands in and around the stadium as they waited for the green light ... reports say they were waiting about 2 hours.

Eventually, the elements subsided enough so that the show could start -- but even as Bey did her thing on the big stage, it was still pretty freaking wet out there, as you see.

More importantly, because things were running late from the jump ... the local Metro's train service hours had to be extended, something that doesn't come cheap -- and an expensive tab that somebody had to cover.

In the end ... Bey's 'Renaissance' tour company footed the bill, coming out to $100,000, all told. This allowed the trains at the surrounding 98 stations to run for an extra 60 minutes, and it sounds like that might've bled into the wee hours of Monday morning.

Quavo recently pushed his "Rocket Power" album back a bit, but he's still busy hosting his 2nd "Ultimate Back 2 School Giveback" ... which benefitted 270+ Atlanta local families!!!

The event, held at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, was bittersweet with the absence of his late nephew Takeoff ... but Quavo and the family honored the fallen Migos rapper with commemorative "94 Rocket Power" jerseys, referencing the year of Take's birth.

Fellow Atlanta-bred artist 6LACK also showed up to support the Quavo Cares and Tender Foundation collab. No child went home empty-handed ... backpacks, notebooks and pencils were all dished out and 2 kids even won iPad Minis!!!

Quavo's giveaway served grades pre-k all the way to high school and kept the youth busy with apparel giveaways, popsicles for the hot weather, a live DJ, a sensory station, and more games.

Kim Kardashian used her voice to try to spring Master P's incarcerated brother C-Murder from prison, but the gesture was a slap in the face to his alleged victim's family.

George Thomas, brother of the slain Steve Thomas, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... whenever a celebrity such as Kim Kardashian advocates for C-Murder, it's like reopening the same wound that cut the family so deep years ago.

He says the advocacy from Kim K and other celebs has made it impossible to properly mourn Steve, who was only 16 at the time of his death, adding the family is constantly reliving the pain.

George says there's a mountain of evidence pointing to C-Murder as the killer, and thinks it's just celebs -- not the common man -- who want the ex-No Limit rapper freed from prison.

Kim jumped on a new Louisiana law Thursday that allows the incarcerated to prove their innocence, and seems to think it could be C-Murder's ticket out. She noted C's conviction is based on the testimony of two men -- both of whom have now recanted their testimony.

George says he's all for Kim using her voice to help innocent people, C-Murder is not that guy -- his conviction was upheld in 2011 and he even appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.

C-Murder was found guilty of second-degree murder for the beating and shooting death of Steve. He was sentenced to mandatory life in prison.

Ne-Yo is pulling back on his controversial comments about parents who allow their kids to be transgender ... claiming he's always been an advocate for inclusiveness.

The singer said Sunday night, "After much reflection, I’d like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity."

He also said he's "always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community, so I understand how my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive."

As we reported, Ne-Yo had folks pretty ticked off by a Saturday interview with VladTV's Gloria Velez, in which he condemned parents who affirm their child's gender identity.

He said he grew up with only 2 genders, and has no problem with others identifying however they want -- but added, "It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game."

He told Gloria, "I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5. He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?"

In his Sunday night mea culpa on X, Ne-Yo added ... gender identity is "nuanced," and he plans to "better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy."

Originally Published 6:59 AM PT

Lizzo is back in Beyoncé's good graces -- that, or she never left to begin with -- and we know this because the Queen Bey is back to saying her name ... on stage, no less.

The singer name-dropped Lizzo Saturday night during her show in D.C., where part of the setlist once again included the remix to 'Break My Soul' -- which features a moment where Bey's rattling off a list of women's names she views as trailblazers.

Normally, in the lyrics, as they're written, Lizzo shows up as one of those women -- and after being nixed from the lineup last week ... fans were quick to notice her re-inclusion.

Check it out for yourself -- there's a few different clips making the rounds that caught the moment Bey mentioned Lizzo, but this video here is by far the best shot ... where you can see Beyoncé pause on saying Erykah Badu's name -- but clearly emphasizing Liz.

Of course, this is in stark contrast to Beyoncé's performance a few concerts ago ... where she nixed Lizzo, but said "Badu" at least 4 different times. Some perceived that as a shot at Lizzo in the wake of her workplace lawsuit drama ... but others thought it was geared toward what EB had recently said about Beyonce -- namely, accusing her of ripping off her style.

Now that Beyoncé has flipped it -- this after she's surely had time to hear and process the Lizzo news -- it seems pretty obvious she did this on purpose ... and stands with Lizzo.

Cops are investigating the connection between Pop Smoke's murder and a dead body found in a barrel on the beach in Malibu ... TMZ has learned.

The barrel, containing the naked body of Javonnta Murphy, washed ashore July 31. We've learned Javonnta is the brother of Jaquan Murphy ... one of the 5 people arrested in the wake of Pop Smoke's murder in 2020.

Jaquan was first charged with attempted murder for Pop Smoke's death, but later cleared. He is, however, currently awaiting trial for an unrelated murder in L.A. County.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... L.A. County Sheriff's Department's investigators are currently looking into the possibility Javonnta's murder was a retaliation killing for Pop's murder. Of course, it's not their only theory, but definitely one they're digging into.

A massive set piece from Kanye West's "Donda" concerts is going up for auction ... and it's something that holds a ton of sentimental weight for the rapper.

Jason Levy, president of The Levy Recovery Group, tells TMZ … they were hired by the production company for Ye's "Donda" tour to sell the replica of his childhood home that was on display at his listening parties.

We're told the building's now sitting in a warehouse in the Chicago area, broken down into parts. The live auction's going down at the beginning of October, and the winning bidder has the option of having the production team reassemble the house for a fee.

We're told the item's so unique, there's no telling how high the bids will go. The Levy Recovery Group in conjunction with ZiffCap is running the auction process.

You'll recall, Kanye held concerts for "Donda" & "Donda 2," the first at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2021 and the second at LoanDepot Park in Miami in 2022 ... and the centerpiece was the house that he grew up in with his late mother, Donda West.

It was rumored he would take the music -- and the recreated Donda house -- on tour, but that never happened.

Drake is picking sides in the upcoming Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight ... placing a bet on The Problem Child to fall short ... and judging by the massive wager, Champagne Papi's feeling confident.

Drizzy posted the Stake betting slip on social media Friday night ... and he's risking $250,000 to win $1 million. In order for Drake to cash out, Nate has to win his fight with Paul.

Here's how Drake's explaining his bet ... "Jake is a dog but I can never bet against a Diaz brother that's just how I was raised."

Drake's switching up when it comes to the YouTuber-turned-boxer ... remember, he bet $400k on Jake to knock out Tommy Fury back in February, but Jake didn't make it happen and Drake lost.

But, Jake says Drake has won tons of money on him in the past ... though that doesn't appear to be influencing Drake's bet this time around.

The fight's going down Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas ... and Jake's a heavy favorite, though Drake is going for the underdog here.

Jake and Nate are chomping at the bit to fight ... their Thursday press conference spiraled into a massive brawl.

Tiffany Haddish's rap career is no joking matter ... so claims Fivio Foreign, who's telling us he saw her raw talent for himself after being tapped for a feature.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Fivio at LAX this week ... the "City of Gods" rapper was in town filming the music video for her Lil Jon-produced song, "Party Til Da Club Close."

We broke the story back in June ... Tiffany premiered the song during the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards in June and Fivio's since been added to the track.

Fivio thinks Tiffany's a riot in person and says Dave Chappelle was also on hand for the video shoot ... making their collab destined to top the charts!!!