TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Shaquille O'Neal is back in the rap game!

The basketball legend linked up with an L.A.-based rap group for a new song and music video, and it slaps.

TMZ Sports talked to Coyote -- made up of rappers Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco -- and they tell us The Big Aristotle was a fan of their work going back some time, and they developed a relationship. The guys began talking about hopping on a track together

"[Shaq] was like as long as it's some hardcore stuff, I'm down. So we made a hardcore hip hop '90s-type song and we're like 'Bro, let's send it to Shaq,' and he got on it, did his thing, he spit like 32 bars. He went off!" Ladies Love Guapo told us.

The guys say O'Neal loved the beat and a few hours later, voila ... his verse was in their inbox.

"4 hours later he FaceTimes us and he shows us his verse and he went crazy! He's rapping better than 90% of rappers out there."

Shaquille even pulled up for the music video shoot in Los Angeles ... shot in the city where he delivered three championships.

"3 Lokos" is the first song Coyote ft. Diesel are releasing ... but it won't be their last.

In fact, Blanco says they already have a second song they've recorded with Shaq, and plan on dropping more music in the near future ... including rapping on a beat that O'Neal produced.

Morgan Wallen had a hometown surprise for Pittsburgh fans during his concert Thursday night ... Wiz Khalifa!

The concert was packed when Wiz, who grew up in Pittsburgh, appeared on stage and sang "Black and Yellow," as fans went wild. The optics were pretty spectacular ... flames shooting up in the air with yellow lights surrounding the venue.

Morgan and Wiz embraced as they left the stage. Seems Wiz is a Morgan fan ... he's hit up several of the country star's concerts.

If you checked our site earlier, you'll know the concert went down at PNC Park ... it's where some women got into a pretty epic porta-potty brawl the day before!

Mobb Deep's hit "Shook Ones Pt. II" has stood the test of time for nearly 30 years but the iconic record could've had a tragic legacy ... according to Havoc, who's revealing he survived a near-fatal fight when they shot the music video.

The Surviving Mobb Deep member recalled the wild moment for Vevo's "Footnotes" channel -- he says he got into a fight with a guy from the neighborhood who felt like he wasn't getting enough screen time in the video.

Hav says they started fighting and fell into a puddle, only for one of the camera crew's lights to fall into the water and drastically increase chances they'd be electrocuted.

Mobb Deep hail from the Queensbridge projects in Queens, N.Y. -- an historically rough place, which they detail in much of their catalog, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed.

Havoc tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he settled things up with the guy he was squabbling with, and they still remain friends to this day!!!

The song went on to be dubbed an all-time classic, earning placements in multiple video games and most infamously, the closing scene from Eminem's "8 Mile" film.

Pras is just as surprised as longtime Fugees fans about their reunion tour -- he says he actually learned it was going down from TMZ Hip Hop!!!

We caught up with Pras in Bev Hills on heels of the news he's joining Lauryn Hill's "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour" -- a 17-date nationwide trek that will also feature the talents of Wyclef Jean to make the cipher complete.

We asked Pras about a potential follow-up to the group's Diamond-selling classic album "The Score" ... or even his own solo works.

But he was so caught off guard by the tour, that he seems to be more concerned with nailing the rehearsals for the time being!!!

It's been a topsy-turvy year for Pras ... he was found guilty of federal fraud back in April, and still has a prison sentencing day looming over his head.

He says he can't speak on the case much, but did retain new legal counsel and he's confident in the work they're doing for him.

Pras might have been clueless ahead of time, but fans are buzzing following the tour announcement -- if not for Lauryn's album legacy then for her reputation of starting her shows extremely late ... something Pras doesn't think will be an issue this go-around.

Like "The Score," L-Boogie's 'Miseducation' is also certified Diamond and has long been considered one of the G.O.A.T .albums ever recorded.

Trinidad James is sticking to his guns that Gunna is the hottest thing out ... at least as far as male rappers go!!!

We caught Mr. All Gold Everything in Bev Hills this week, and he doubled down on his recent comments that Gunna's the hip hop king of the summer.

Plenty of people accuse Gunna of leaving Young Thug high and dry amid the YSL RICO case ... but not Trinidad, and he's not letting emotion cloud his judgment.

Trinidad says Gunna's recent album, "A Gift & a Curse" displays all the top qualities you'd want in a rapper, and has the numbers to prove it.

He's also frowning on the street politics that have Gunna on the outs with his peers ... and thinks some of Gunna's success is owed to his public haters streaming his music in private.

Gunna’s single "Fukumean" is now his biggest solo hit ... earning him his first No. 1 on Billboard's Hip Hop Songs Chart and going Platinum earlier this month.

Diddy's sixth studio album, and first under his Love Records imprint, will resemble most of his lavish parties -- celebs at every turn!!!

Mary J. Blige, French Montana, Justin Bieber, and H.E.R. are just a handful of the names included as guest features for the hip hop mogul, who set a release date Thursday of September 15 for his full-blown R&B project, "The Love Album: Off the Grid."

The album will also mark the return of Dirty Money, the duo Diddy formed with Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper back in 2010 for the album, "Last Train to Paris" ... a reunion fans have been demanding for years!!!

The Weeknd will lead the album's next single, "Another One Of Me" ... a track that'll mark the last time his stage name is used. He's swapping it out in favor of his gov't name, Abel Tesfaye, after the album's released.

Diddy denies he created the album to feed an algorithm or fit in with today's sound ... he's confident he picked the best of the best to carve out a classic!!!

50 Cent’s microphone-hurling fiasco at his L.A. concert really has The Game PO'd … as the bloody incident happened on his home turf!!!

Game ripped 50 Thursday with a size jab -- "yo fat ass came to LA hittin women🤔" -- after getting wind of our report about Power 106 host Bryhana Monegain having her face cut and battered by the mic 50 angrily threw.

The former G-Unit rapper's been in a cold war with 50 for the better part of 15 years ... and Bryhana's injuries seem to have left things even icier!!!

Wednesday's concert was a celebration of 50's debut album, and although he brought out several guest stars -- Nas, Chris Brown, YG, Tyga, DaBaby -- the party mood has been dampened ... as 50 is now a suspect in an LAPD criminal investigation.

50 Cent's attorney, Scott Leemon, assured us his client would never intentionally use a mic as a weapon but as you can clearly see, Game ain't buying that for a second.

Rapper Hi-Rez, who created the now-viral Donald Trump AI rap track, says he had no political agenda while making the former prez's out-of-prison song ... he just wants to put a smile on people's faces.

Hi-Rez joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, taking us through the process of making "Donald Trump - First Day Out" -- something he put up online for fun after Trump's mug shot made the news. The song has become a hit, charting #2 on iTunes with north of 3 million views.

In case you didn't know, rappers who get out of jail often put out a "first day out" song, talking about where they're at after becoming free once again ... and when his buddy suggested Trump would be a perfect subject, Rez jumped right to the AI tools to start cookin'.

He tells us he wrote the song in half an hour with no political bend -- his mission was actually bringing the warring sides of America together for a laugh.

Lil Uzi Vert found himself in the middle of a stolen puppy case in Pennsylvania -- but he's not the wanted dognapper, and it sounds like cops didn't do their due diligence.

The rapper's photo appeared Thursday in a Facebook post from the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department alerting the public to a puppy that had been taken from a pet store.

Problem is ... Lil Uzi Vert is NOT the suspect.

Cops have since taken down the post with Uzi's photo and replaced it with a different man with face tatts -- who is the actual suspect accused of swiping a pooch from Brookside Pups.

The Uzi version lived on the internet for about 30 minutes -- enough time for the FB post to be flooded with comments about the Philly artist.

So why the confusion? Brookside Pups tells TMZ ... the guy who allegedly grabbed a puppy and fled Thursday afternoon has Lil Uzi Vert's face as his profile picture on a social media account, which they sent to cops.

Police are blaming the pet store for providing them with the photo of Lil Uzi Vert.

Brookside Pups says police took down the photo once they realized the face tattoos on Lil Uzi Vert didn't match the suspect's. The store sent a new photo for cops to share.

Roc Nation says Uzi was nowhere near Philly at the time and the incident has left them fuming ... telling us, "The Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department should be embarrassed and ashamed for disparaging [Uzi's] character. This grave error could’ve had significant repercussions on Uzi’s career and epitomizes how Black men can be wrongfully charged and arrested by police departments across the country."

And just in case anyone's got it twisted, they add ... "Uzi loves all animals and this serious mistake has deterred the apprehension of the kidnapper. Our collective hope is that the puppy is safely and promptly rescued."

50 Cent went all Cardi B during his concert in Los Angeles, throwing his broken microphone in frustration into the crowd ... hitting a fan smack dab on the head.

The rapper hit the stage at Crypto.com Arena Wednesday night as part of his "Final Lap" tour 2023 ... and, during the performance, he was handed several mics that didn't work, which was clearly triggering.

Check out the video ... Fitty struts out onstage with a mic in hand to join YG, who is belting out a song. Suddenly, Fitty turns to one side of the stage and hurls the mic, striking a woman in the head.

Sources who were present tell TMZ ... Fitty wasn't targeting the woman, but still, he beaned her good. A source connected to 50 says the woman wasn't supposed to be in the restricted area ... but unlike the mic, that argument doesn't fly.

Photos of the victim surfaced on Instagram, showing a gash in her forehead and bloody towels wrapped around her neck.

We've reached out to Fitty's camp ... so far, no word back.

You may recall ... Cardi B was involved in a similar incident in which she angrily tossed her mic at a fan, who threw a drink at her during a Las Vegas show. The mic ricocheted off something and hit another person standing nearby. That person filed a police report, but Cardi was cleared.

Originally Published -- 6:18 AM PT

Bianca Censori had no problem turning heads even before she hooked up with Kanye West, and newly resurfaced photos put her incredible physique on full display for the whole world to see.

Check out the images from a 2021 modeling shoot, which, in one of them, shows Bianca looking amazing in her black thong bikini and mirrored sunglasses. Her series of sexy pictures were posted to Sasha Bianca's Instagram page as part of the swimwear brand's summer collection that year.

Meanwhile, Bianca is currently on vacation with Kanye in Italy, and, like her fashion shoot, she hasn't left much to the imagination, gallivanting around the country in sheer bodysuits revealing her breasts.

Call Zay Flowers Kodak Purple and Black ... 'cause the young Ravens receiver had the whole team going wild during Baltimore's rookie talent show this week -- crushing his performance of Kodak Black's biggest song!!

Superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson documented the whole act ... with footage showing the former Boston College standout getting in front of his teammates and doing a rendition of the Florida M.C.'s "No Flockin'."

Flowers certainly pandered to the audience -- Kodak has a ton of fans in the Ravens locker room ... and he's even hit up games and hung out with Jackson in the past, as the two are close friends.

While Jackson initially clowned Flowers -- who also hails from the Sunshine State -- for having to pull up the lyrics on his phone, it's safe to say the signal-caller gave his stamp of approval ... as he cheered on his teammate throughout the song.

The receiver also got a ton of help from the room ... with all the guys joining in on rapping along to the 2015 track.

The rookie initiations this season have been pretty impressive -- as we previously reported, Jets rookie Jerome Kapp also showed off his mic skills as he recited Eminem's famous diss from "8 Mile."

Jay-Z and his legal eagles are jumping to the defense of a Wisconsin man wrongfully, and violently, arrested -- and although cops know they nabbed the wrong guy ... he's still facing charges.

TMZ Hip Hop has learned Jay-Z's Team ROC org has enlisted powerhouse lawyer Alex Spiro to rep Jermelle English Jr. and his family ... in hopes of getting all charges dropped, and possibly to sue the Kenosha PD.

English was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest back in July, after Kenosha cops investigating a hit-and-run burst into the Applebee's, slammed him onto the ground and deployed pepper spray in the presence of his 1-year-old child.

Applebee's employees recorded video of the whole violent encounter.

The video shows officers repeatedly pummeling English as he lay on the ground ... prompting several protests in the local area, especially once the full details -- that cops grabbed a completely innocent man -- were uncovered.

The true hit-and-run suspects were actually found later hiding inside the restaurant’s bathroom.

Team ROC Managing Director Dania Diaz tells TMZ Hip Hop, “The reckless arrest of Jermelle English Jr. and the careless endangerment of his infant child by the Kenosha Police Department is an absolute travesty ... the Team ROC team is here to support Jermelle and his family through this traumatic experience, demand justice and hold the Kenosha police officers accountable."

Kenosha PD's Leo Viola tells us the department is still undergoing an internal investigation, and plans to be extremely transparent with the public once it's completed. He adds, the Dept. initiated its probe without any outside pressure.

Ne-Yo's ex, Monyetta Shaw-Carter, is opening up about what led to their breakup -- at least from her POV, it was about overcrowding in the bedroom ... as in, too many threesomes!!!

Monyetta was a recent guest on the "Haus of Aaron" podcast, where she poured some alleged tea, claiming Ne-Yo reneged on his promise for them to star on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" as a couple ... out of fear his music career would be tarnished.

As for the threesomes ... Monyetta says she was open to allowing others to participate in the bedroom, but saw red flags when Ne-Yo attempted to make it a regular thing.

Monyetta says she was totally down for it a couple times a year, but any more than that made her feel inferior in the relationship ... so, she cut her losses.

We just spoke to Jidenna about having multiple sex partners -- as he's been using his own experiences with polygamy to drive his music. His expertise is pretty much aligned with Monyetta's POV ... if the woman's unhappy, things likely won't last.

Popular TikToker Pinkydoll is brushing off accusations she's lightening her skin online, but Vic Mensa thinks the issue is much bigger than just a simple camera filter.

TMZ Hip Hop got the Chicago rapper Tuesday outside Dash Radio, and he shared his insight on the subject -- as it turns out, his new song tackles the very same topic!!!

On "Blue Eyes," Vic lyrically details the internal struggle he had as a kid yearning to be a lighter complexion ... even admitting he yearned to be white, at one point.

Vic doesn't know Pinkydoll, but says he knows her scenario all too well, telling us the dark vs. light skin debate precedes everyone's lifetime ... and Pinkydoll was programmed to follow European beauty standards since birth, whether she's aware of it or not.

Pinkydoll's explanations for her skin color looking so different on TikToK vs. real life have been an all over the place. She blamed it on being in and out of the sun when we spoke to her at LAX -- but on Wednesday's "TMZ Live," she said it was lighting and a filter to make her "look more Japanese."

Vic says he won't cast judgment on Pinkydoll or anyone like her, but thinks it's best for everyone's mental health to learn to love themselves as they are.

Jack Harlow dropped the visuals for his song, "Denver," on Wednesday ... and fittingly, he enlisted one of the city's biggest stars to appear in the music video -- Jamal Murray!!

The Kentucky-based M.C. released the project minutes ago ... which shows the Nuggets champion smiling from ear-to-ear alongside him at about the halfway point.

It's a brief appearance, but it's a cool move by Harlow to show love for the young baller fresh off bringing a title to the Mile High City earlier this year.

Jack is no stranger to rubbing elbows with NBAers -- remember, the guy named a song after Tyler Herro back in 2021, and featured the Miami Heat hooper in the video for that track as well.

Harlow also had his infamous controversy with Lou Williams during the COVID-19 pandemic ... when he posted a selfie of them together at Magic City in Atlanta when the then-Clippers guard left the NBA bubble for a funeral.

No issues this time around ... as Murray thanked Harlow for the special shoutout.