TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

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!!!

Chloe Bailey hopped back on Gunna's wave this week with a cover of his biggest solo hit to date ... a backpedaling move claims Akademiks, who thinks she should've been riding with Gunna after he got arrested last year!!!

Ak showered Chloe with backhanded complaints on his Rumble channel Friday ... giving props to her looks and acting chops but had no mercy for the review of "Fukumean" freestyle ... and called her skills all types of garbage!!!

He also slandered Chloe's debut album for flopping badly this past March. Like we said, no mercy was given!!!

Chloe and Gunna were publicly dating throughout 2021 but fizzled several months before Gunna was wrapped up in the YSL RICO case with Young Thug.

According to Ak, if Chloe had been singing to Gunna like that in prison, he wouldn't have had to "snitch" on Thug and would have had an unblemished comeback this year.

Jacquees also caught a stray from Ak when he compared him to Chloe. The "R&B King's" patented a lasting rep making hits out of other people's songs -- namely Ella Mai's "Trip" -- and Ak is predicting Chloe will end up the same way.

Lil Baby opened his Seafood Menu restaurant last month in Atlanta ... and is already learning the ins and outs of customer service.

One woman who seemingly recently stopped by the joint posted a very detailed negative review of Baby's spot that made its rounds on Instagram and TikTok this week.

According to the woman, the restaurant gave her a half piece of fish as one of her ordered items and she further accused them of trying to conceal it under a whole fish.

She also claims to have been shorted 2 shrimp from her 6-piece order, and gave the fries a thumbs down.

Management for Baby's establishment tells TMZ Hip Hop, "Seafood Menu greatly appreciates all feedback, regardless of its nature, as it contributes to the continuous improvement of our customer service. We recently became aware of a video circulating on social media, which appears to depict a to-go order from our opening day."

They continue, "However, we are unable to verify the timing of the video in relation to the food order. It's worth noting that our opening day saw an impressive turnout of over 2,000 patrons, with nearly 99% of reviews being positive. While we regret not having the chance to directly address this concern, we remain dedicated to enhancing our services and serving our underserved community to the best of our ability."

YouTube star Fousey says the first thing that went through his mind after using a racial slur while rapping along to a J. Cole song was having to move back in with his mom ... telling us he worried he would be canceled.

Fousey sat down on the "TMZ Verified" Podcast and told us he regrets singing the n-word on a live stream ... saying it was an honest mistake and explaining why he feared the gaffe would cost him his bread and butter.

As you may know, Fousey is currently on a live stream marathon and earlier this month he went viral for using the racial slur while singing along to J. Cole's "Love Yourz."

Fousey says J. Cole is his favorite rapper and he normally substitutes the n-word for similar-sounding words ... insisting it's not in his character to use the slur, even with rap lyrics.

After the tongue slip, Fousey punched his bed in disgust ... and he says he couldn't stop thinking about being canceled and having to call his mom and tell her what happened, fearing the worst.

LeBron James took in a concert Thursday night, but it wasn't the Taylor Swift show in L.A. ... instead King James attended Brent Faiyaz's show in Toronto with good friend Draymond Green -- and the hoopers were clearly having a blast!

And for once, LeBron even knew the words! 😅

Concertgoers spotted the NBA champs and agent Rich Paul in what looks to be a VIP area, rockin' back and forth to Faiyaz's "Dead Man Walking" hit.

You can tell LeBron definitely knew the song ... he was singing word for word.

Of course, the NBA legend has been known to flub a line here and there in the past.

Whether it's a track by Lil Baby, Pop Smoke, or 6lack's "Stay Down" (remember "yabadabadodobo old navy" -- the lyrics are actually "Hoppin' out the car, no photos, baby.")

All kidding aside, it's awesome to see LeBron in good spirits, out and about ... after the terrifying health scare his family endured last week, when his son Bronny was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest.

Eminem's critics have awakened the bear in 2023!!!

The legendary rapper unloaded fiery disses on The Game, Melle Mel -- and Generation Z rap fans too young to remember his heyday -- after they've all been dragging his name through the mud.

The lyrical retaliation arrived Friday on the track "Realest" -- the debut single for Em and Dr. Dre's new artist Ez Mil -- but it was Slim Shady who stole the show.

As we reported last year, Game spent a full 10 minutes dissing Em on his last album and later claimed superiority over him for never having his songs played in the club.

Em says Game's songs only get club play because those are the range of his performance bookings and is a little jelly of his career. Melle Mel also got shredded by Em, after having boosted his profile earlier this year by ripping Em for being a white rapper who benefits from the audience majority share.

Em openly admits to being a "guest" in Hip Hop on the track, a term used to acknowledge Black culture birthed Hip Hop … but points out how his success helped the genre boom across the globe.

He proceeded to roast Melle's gym rat legacy with a clever jab at the notion he uses steroids rapping, "And I’ll be the last to toy with a juice-head whose brain is like half destroyed like a meteor hit it/ Well, there went Melle Mel, we lost his ass to 'roids." Get it? Asteroids!!! ☄

The young whippersnappers of Gen Z who criticize Em arguably felt the worst of his wrath ... some of them weren't even born when he dropped his first studio album back in 1999, and Em coldly credited their era for elevating the country's school shootings!!!

"Y'all need to stick to what you do best/Shootin' schools up, gat/Go load up rounds in your parents' gats, and go to class and let off with the strap and go to town," Em fumed at the kids.

Tyga looked perfectly in control of his crowd during a recent show out in Mykonos ... despite a ton of rappers catching heat for lackluster performances this year.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of T-Raww calling for all the Greek girls, while blazing through his hits such as "Swish" and "Ayo" at SantAnna Mykonos on July 28.

We're told Tyga got lit on stage for nearly an hour and stayed and partied with Alexander “A.E.” Edwards and the rest of the homies throughout the night.

Tyga will be back in the building on August 9 and the successful sets will make for perfect practice when he embarks on his co-headlining tour with YG and Saweetie this fall.

As we told you last month, the trio of Cali superstars will be hitting 14 cities across the West Coast ... and Tyga's been racking up new material to perform ever since.

On Thursday, he teamed up with Lil Wayne and Mario for the new collab "Main One" ... the type of song you'd expect to hear at those Greek parties this summer!!!

Cardi B is in the clear after throwing a microphone at a fan ... because the criminal battery investigation has been dropped.

Cardi's lawyers, Drew Findling, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, tell TMZ, "This afternoon we were notified by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept., that as a result of their investigation, there will be NO charges against Cardi. On behalf of Cardi, we appreciate the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept's diligent and prompt resolution of this matter."

As you know, Cardi was performing at Drai's Beachclub last Saturday when she asked the crowd to splash water on her to cool her down in the burning Vegas heat ... but when someone threw a cup with an unknown liquid and ice, she hurled the mic at the person. It ricocheted and hit another person, who filed a police report.

Cardi was then listed as a battery suspect but the case has gone nowhere. It was never ever referred to the D.A. The cops concluded Cardi did not commit a criminal offense.

We learned an audio production company that owns the mic decided to auction off the piece, with the money going to charities like the Wounded Warrior Project and Friendship Circle Las Vegas, which helps teens and young adults with special needs. FYI, the bids have hit $100,000.

Kim Kardashian is back to campaigning for Master P's brother's release from prison ... citing a new law in the state of Louisiana that could possibly land the incarcerated rapper a new trial.

Corey Miller, the former No Limit rapper, has been locked up in the Bayou State since 2002 where he's serving a life sentence for second-degree murder ... an alleged miscarriage of justice, according to Kim.

On Thursday, she dropped several statements on social media breaking down Louisiana's new law Section 926.2 ... which allows people to submit new factual evidence to prove their innocence.

Kim thinks Corey isn't being given his fair rights, as he's never been given an evidentiary hearing to explain his side, and several witnesses have since recanted statements.

"Louisiana recently enacted a new law that provides innocent people with the ability to raise a post-conviction claim of factual innocence. Mr. Miller has raised such a claim and, like all of his prior post-conviction filings, has been denied relief without even so much as an evidentiary hearing. In light of the fact that the only witnesses have completely recanted their testimony, there is absolutely no remaining evidence against Mr. Miller."

The 52-year-old, who rapped under the name C-Murder, has been getting public support from Master P, his family, his ex-GF Monica Brown, and Kim for years ... but the state hasn't shared their sentiments.

LL Cool J is sick of hearing how rap is both a "young man's game" and comparable to sports ... setting the record straight on how he feels hip hop culture should thrive.

The legendary rapper appeared on SiriusXM’s "Sway In The Morning" Thursday to promote his new tour, the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and he closed the interview with his first-ever freestyle on the celebrated radio show. ... supplying a dizzying array of rhymes.

LL rocked the mic for nearly two minutes, causing all Sway's Universe cohosts to go wild as Tracy G proclaimed LL shut down their freestyle segment for the rest of the year.

Earlier in the interview, LL expressed his disappointment with older rappers being rubbed out of the culture, much like he did when he took DJ Akademiks to task last year.

LL admits he's a fan of songs from the likes of Lil Baby, Lil Durk and DaBaby but says his reason for creating his "Rock The Bells" platform was so he didn't have to pretend like he's not older than he is.

The 55-year-old MC also laid into the rap debates that liken the genre to sports and says rappers only flirt with retirement like pro athletes over insecurities of becoming obsolete ... a position LL says he's allergic to!!!

Megan Thee Stallion's music release hiatus hasn't kept her from working ... the "Savage" rapper has gone straight Hollywood with her feature film debut.

Fans got a glimpse of what Megan will bring to the table when A24 popped the lid off its trailer for "Dicks: The Musical" comedy on Thursday ... which stars Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp as a pair of bumbling salesmen who soon discover they're long-lost twins.

Megan plays their business suit-wearing, potty-mouthed boss and makes use of her artistic talents ... even breaking off into a rap song at the point where she instructs the boys to munch on her male genitalia. 😬