TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Hurricane Chris was found not guilty of 2nd-degree murder in March ... a grueling three-year battle, the "Ay Bay Bay" rapper says cost him over a million dollars in potential earnings.

It's a point of contention for Chris, who tells us the Shreveport police didn't properly investigate the scene back in June 2020 and he's now preparing to sue for all damages and lost wages.

A jury determined Chris acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Danzeria Farris Jr. at a Texaco station in their hometown ... but only, he claims, after a key investigator was nailed on the stand for failing to track the witnesses and identify the threat on Chris' life.

Chris says the situation left him remorseful, as he's actually friends with some of the deceased's family members. He's excited to resume his career ... which will include acting.

Chris says he had to miss out on auditions for hit TV shows such as "Snowfall" and 50 Cent's "BMF" ... roles he says his real-life experiences would've enabled him to slay.

On the music front, Chris is aiming for a comeback with a pair of mixtapes he plans on dropping before the year is up.

Chrisean Rock is now a mom, 'cause she just gave birth to her son ... and she did on the 'Gram, no less.

The rapper was livestreaming her delivery Sunday on from her Instagram account, which captured her on a hospital bed with friends and family all around -- this while she pushed, screamed and, eventually, cried tears of joy.

Indeed, the baby appears to have been secured safely ... but it was a process. At one point in the livestream, Chrisean could be seen/heard saying -- "Get this n**** out!" as doctors worked on her. No word on how long she was in labor, but the baby boy has arrived.

Chrisean's baby daddy, Blueface, was nowhere to be seen in her video ... there's footage circulating of him online right now that appears to show him in a different city entirely.

He's made it clear throughout this whole saga ... Chrisean isn't his #1 anymore, even as he's been confronted with paternity. Remember, he's got other children from different women.

Anyhoo, Chrisean seems to have had some kind of support system around her. With that said, her pregnancy has been controversial ... with many weighing on how she'd carried herself through parts of it, including instances of her smoking with a bun in the oven.

Erica Mena apparently wasn't just kicking and screaming during her arrest last weekend in Atlanta -- she was allegedly biting too ... not to mention dropping some fake baby news, so say cops and her lawyer.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' star was one of four people arrested Friday at a lounge there in town after police say all hell broke loose when they were asked to leave by the security -- and according to the police report, obtained by TMZ, it was a lot uglier than what we all saw.

The doc lays out what APD officers say went down -- and one of them describes a chaotic brawl he says he was trying to break up ... and says EM was in the middle of it all.

According to the cop, Erica was fighting like hell ... even brutalizing security guards as they tried to get her out of the facility. During the melee, the officer says one of the guards told him Erica had chomped down on his forearm ... and she allegedly kicked another in the face!

The officer claims he took some licks from Erica as well ... but after a lot of physical struggle, he was finally able to get her under control.

Another interesting tidbit -- the officer in this report says Erica made clear she was pregnant. Unfortunately, that didn't prevent her from getting busted ... and her lawyer tells us she was fibbing.

Erica's attorney, Drew Findling, tells TMZ ... "On behalf of Erica Mena (who is not pregnant), we will immediately start investigating the events of August 25, 2023. It is clear that this was an incident between citizens, private security and off-duty police officers that was not properly handled or de-escalated."

He continued, "We know this because the officer readily admits in his report that he punched a private citizen in the face 4 or 5 times and used unnecessary force against Erica as well. While Erica regrets some of the circumstances of that night, it is also important to understand the context and details of the incident so we will do our due diligence and review accordingly."

As for the others who were hauled to jail -- including Bambi Richardson and Zellswag, plus a mutual friend of theirs -- APD says they were all trying to prevent officers from restraining Erica the entire time ... which explains why they were booked for misdemeanor obstruction.

Boosie Badazz says he's seeing life differently these days, having embraced his court-appointed anger management classes, and now he's been bitten by the educator bug!!!

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with Boosie this week, as well as renowned and reformed drug dealer "Freeway Rick" Ross, who tells us he's been mentoring Boosie for years ... dating back to the Louisiana rap legend's days in prison.

Now, they're using their alliance to spread a message to disenfranchised kids from the hood.

As Rick points out, typical children's books don't speak to kids in those environments, and he and Boosie are launching an initiative to create literature to address the problem, in addition to teaching from their own autobiographies.

Boosie says the anger management classes he's taking due to his recent arrest for gun possession have opened his eyes -- he no longer gets upset with people, because he's learned not to expect the same drive from them that's made him the man he is today.

He admits he owes a bit of luck to surviving the streets, but is proud of the maturity he displays on his new album, "Goin Thru Some Thangs" ... noting how he's not the same hell-raising rapper from his earlier days.

His newfound road to zen has proven useful for his latest bout of family drama.

Erica Mena won't be on MTV's waves anymore, 'cause she called a Black woman a monkey on one of their biggest reality shows ... and the network's fired her over it.

The longtime 'Love & Hip Hop' fixture was cut loose from her current iteration of the popular show -- this according to the official 'Love & Hip Hop' account itself ... which just announced her departure Saturday.

The message reads, "The Love & Hip Hop franchise has never shied away from hard conversations in our community. Working hand-in-hand with our partners, viewers will see the impact of Erica Mena's remarks play out in the final three episodes of the season."

They add, "Effective immediately, she will not appear in the next season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta." It's unclear if this means Erica won't/can't appear in other 'L&HH' series ... there are a lot of versions of it, and she's bounced around from coast to coast since way back in 2011 -- when she first started to appear in the franchise.

The news comes on the heels of a recent episode that aired, showing Erica fighting with fellow costar Spice -- with whom she gets into it over fractured family dynamics ... and whether her son loves her or not. Spice suggested he didn't ... and it sent EM into a rage.

During the brouhaha -- which saw Erica flip a table -- Erica called Spice a monkey ... and that appeared to rub people the wrong way on set. BTW, Spice is Black ... and Erica is Afro-Latina, coming from Puerto Rican/Dominican ancestry ... which complicates this a bit.

Anyway, that exchange drew a lot of backlash, with many calling for Erica's job ... and it sounds like the 'L&HH' honchos have given in to their demands. Strangely enough, now their decision is catching some flak as well ... as some argue the whole thing feels calculated.

Namely, many are accusing 'L&HH' producers of being exploitative -- having had this footage for a while, airing/marketing it for views ... and seemingly only responding to the public reaction. In any case ... Erica's out of there -- capping off a turbulent 2 weeks for her.

Remember, she was just arrested a little while ago for a brawl at an Atlanta club that allegedly resulted in her attacking police officers. Other 'L&HH' stars were busted too.

Beyoncé had true royalty at her Los Angeles show Friday night ... Prince Harry and Meghan Markle showed up to boogie down, but only one of them seemed to have a good time.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Megan's mom, Doria, were photographed in a VIP box at SoFi Stadium surrounded by thousands of crazed Bey fans.

While Megan and Doria were dancing and waving their arms, Harry seemed more subdued and distracted by his phone. Some observers even said Harry looked disinterested and dejected.

Despite this, the performance was a wild success. DJ Khaled opened the show with other featured artists ... 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Roddy Ricch, Coi Leray, Offset, and Lil Wayne.

Then Beyoncé hit the stage for the first of 3 nights at the stadium in Inglewood, part of her sold-out Renaissance World Tour.

Kenneth Gainwell's feet are going to be looking out of this (Astro)world when the Eagles take the field next week ... 'cause the tailback just copped some awesome Travis Scott-inspired cleats for Philadelphia's opener!!

TMZ Sports has learned the footballer reached out to cleat master Rodney Jackson to get some heat for the Birds' Week 1 game against the Patriots ... asking for some spikes that resembled the exclusive Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG Olive F&F pair that pays homage to Scott's new album, "Utopia."

Of course, Jackson -- who's been in the custom cleats business since 2015 -- didn't take long to deliver the goods ... whipping up an amazing pair in about three and a half weeks.

You can see the spikes look exactly like the AJ1 x Travis Scotts ... all the way down to the "Utopia" branding on the back -- and Jackson said he was super happy with how they came out.

"I wanted to capture every detail of the shoe and the right leather texture," Jackson tells us.

Gainwell -- a former fifth-round pick out of Memphis -- will have a big opportunity to show them off against New England ... he's expected to be a workhorse for Philly following the departure of last year's starter, Miles Sanders.

DJ Envy says 50 Cent meant no harm when he threw a microphone at a concert and hit a radio host in the head ... he says it's just another one of 50's wild throws.

We got the "The Breakfast Club" cohost Friday in NYC and he told our photog the microphone-hurling fiasco was an accident, explaining why he doesn't think 50 Cent tried to hit Power 106 host Bryhana Monegain on purpose.

While DJ Envy says the incident is a "terrible situation," he says it's further proof 50 Cent can't throw worth a darn ... referencing the rapper's infamously lousy first pitch at a Mets game.

TMZ broke the story ... 50 is now a suspect in a criminal battery case after the victim filed a police report Wednesday after being hit with the mic at his Los Angeles concert.

DJ Envy sounds convinced 50 Cent will ease the woman's pain, at least financially, and work something out ... and he doesn't agree with folks who are saying the victim is overreacting by pressing charges.

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.