TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Juicy J is willing to go to any extreme to combat the country's mental health crisis ... even if it means dressing like an escapee to help him get the message across!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with the Three 6 Mafia legend Tuesday in NYC as he promoted his new book, "Chronicles of the Juice Man," which he co-wrote with author Soren Baker.

Juicy had planned on taking 'GMA' by storm in a straitjacket and Hannibal Lector mask ... but says someone at the show or the network labeled his outfit a no-go, and he had to change.

Tackling mental health issues has been on Juicy's mind all year.

His last project, "Mental Trillness," was dedicated to the cause, and he's also been vocal about targeting substance abuse in the wake of his longtime friend Gangsta Boo's accidental OD death.

Juicy tells us his straitjacket look was intended to let people know they don't have to do anything crazy to seek help, and he's urging fans to use the 988 Suicide Crisis Lifeline if they're suffering.

Blueface's mother has made a bombshell claim -- suggesting her son and his new baby mama, Chrisean Rock, are actually related ... although it's hard to tell exactly how.

The rapper's mom, Karlissa Saffold, made the allegation on social media over the weekend -- not long after Chrisean gave birth to her and Blueface's newborn baby boy. She says Blueface and Chrisean could possibly be cousins -- in fact, she totally believes it.

Check out her rationale for yourself ... Karlissa seems to believe there's a bloodline connection in the surname of Chrisean's own mother -- which is apparently Dorsey. Karlissa says there are Dorseys in her own family as well ... but doesn't explain who has that last name in her family. Obviously, she doesn't have that last name ... nor does Blue himself.

Again, we have no idea who the "Dorsey" in her brood is ... but Karlissa insists all Dorseys are connected, and that they all act the way Chrisean does -- with strong personalities, etc.

Clearly, this isn't exactly science ... it's literally just a theory Karlissa's floating, without much hard evidence to back it up -- let alone a proper explanation ... and yet, it's disturbing.

She half-jokingly says they need to have the baby's DNA tested to find out for sure ... but it sounds like she's already convinced. In her mind, her son did some inbreeding in the family.

Tupac Shakur's family members are coming together to cast doubt on the ongoing police investigation in Las Vegas surrounding the rapper's murder involving Keefe D.

Pac's siblings, Sekyiwa and Mopreme Shakur tell us they're watching from the sidelines after a search warrant was executed by Vegas PD last month in connection to their brother's murder.

Mopreme tells us he's extremely skeptical of the cops' motives, having been contacted only after they saw him reacting to the probe on national TV.

Sekyiwa says she's hopeful her brother receives justice but can't imagine there's much evidence to be found after 30 years.

These days, Sekyiwa and Mopreme say they're focused on the things they can control, which is upholding the family's legacy and exterminating culture vultures.

They're amidst a nationwide tour of mourning for their father Mutulu, who died in June, seven months after he was released from prison after serving over 35 years.

Mutulu helped pioneer acupuncture treatments for drug addicts in the 1970s ... a mission his family is looking to continue in the present day, given the slew of epidemics in the U.S.

Snoop Dogg is proclaiming Shaquille O'Neal to be the best NBA player to ever release hip hop music ... this, after getting wind of The Big Aristotle's latest rap collab!!!

As we told you last week, Shaq linked up with L.A.-based group Coyote for their single "3 Lokos" ... the first of a newfound partnership.

Shaq told the artists he wanted to bring "'90s energy" to the song ... which clearly struck a chord with Snoop to the point he crowned the big man with such a big honor!!!

Shaq's place in hip hop is indeed solidified ... having his 1993 debut album "Shaq Diesel" go platinum while earning respect from many established rappers at the time.

The NBA legend also brought 3 championships to Los Angeles with the Lakers in the early '00s ... undoubtedly an extra reason to get Snoop's top pick. 😉

NBA rappers have gotten a lot more competitive since Shaq's era and Damian Lillard, will likely have something to say about Snoop's taste ... he's long touted himself to be the best NBA player to ever clutch a mic.

He just dropped his new album with co-signs from Rick Ross and Lil Wayne and even performed during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, where he also played.

Cardi B and Offset get an A+ in the parent department ... hitting the Happiest Place on Earth to celebrate their baby boy's birthday!

The crew was spotted having a blast at Disneyland Monday for Wave's 2nd birthday -- the whole fam, including 5-year-old Kulture, was certainly garnering attention at the theme park, walking around with VIP tour guides and a handful of security.

Offset was spotted carrying the birthday boy outside The Haunted Mansion, which just got its 'Nightmare Before Christmas' overlay ... hopefully not too spooky for the little ones.

Kulture was also seen jumping with joy after takin' a ride on Big Thunder Mountain, zipping around with one of the folks in their party while her mom and dad shared a row behind her.

BTW, Wave might be a little too small to take on that rollercoaster, cause he wasn't spotted unloading with the rest of his fam -- but maybe he got a churro to hold him over.

Beyoncé celebrated her birthday with another packed L.A. concert ... one that was filled to the brim with celebs, and came with a surprise performance from the legendary Diana Ross.

The Beyhive was out in full force Monday night at SoFi Stadium to celebrate the singer's 42nd birthday -- with Kim & Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble, 10-year-old North, and 11-year-old Penelope Disick all showing up as one happy family.

The sold-out crowd, and perhaps Beyoncé, got an exciting surprise when Diana Ross hit the stage to sing "Happy Birthday" ... along with all the fans. Bey was rightfully emotional after Diana's gift -- shouting out, "Give it up for the queen!"

Other faces in the crowd included couples like Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, and Justin and Hailey Bieber -- and Adele, Winnie Harlow, Vanessa Bryant, Tom Sandoval, Scheana Shay, Keke Palmer, Zendaya, Chris Rock, Queen Latifah, Kerry Washington and even Meghan Markle all showed up for the big gig!

Beyoncé also brought out Kendrick Lamar to perform the remix of their collab, "America Has a Problem."

As we reported, Kylie Jenner and  Timothée Chalamet were also at the concert -- goin' public with their relationship by packing on the PDA while in the VIP section.

Diddy chose to do the right thing over money -- evidenced in the fact that he turned down a fortune to make sure his former artists have control of their own music .. TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the media mogul and Bad Boy label honcho is making an unprecedented move in the music industry right now -- namely, handing over the publishing rights to several of his former BB acts ... and forsaking a lot of cash to do so.

Word of this started to percolate just a few days ago, when Cam'ron took to social media to announce that Ma$e had finally sealed the deal with Puff and secured his catalog for himself.

It sounds like that had been a long time coming, but what we're told is ... Ma$e is far from the only ex-Bad Boy artist to be receiving the rights to their music -- several others have recently signed deals with Diddy to do the exact same thing, including some huge names.

Our sources tell us that some of the other artists to have gotten a similar deal recently include ... Faith Evans, The Lox, 112, the Notorious B.I.G.'s estate, and others. BTW, Diddy is hooking up the writers who were working with him too ... they're getting a cut in all this.

Here's the kicker ... in opting to do this -- which we're told Diddy sees as the noble move -- he actually sacrificed quite a bit of dough, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Our sources say Diddy has been approached for Bad Boy's entire portfolio and was offered a king's ransom for it all ... but he turned that down and chose to go down this route instead.

Again, we're told the rationale for this boils down to wanting to revolutionize the industry with this to empower artists and to switch up the dynamic -- which has been a certain way for a long time. As part of his legacy, Diddy's hoping to enrich others in his community.

This is a big part of Diddy's identity lately -- as seen with other charitable efforts he's taken -- and now ... he's mirroring that same energy here as a label exec, choosing people over personal wealth. Our sources say he hopes others in the music biz will follow suit.

Diddy's empire is already as big as they come, so the fact he's breaking a small piece of it off and giving back to those who helped him build this is a pretty awesome thing to see.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori can't seem to stay out of trouble in Italy ... the couple was reportedly barred from using a Venice boat rental company due to indecent exposure.

The ban stems from an incident last Monday when the rapper and his model wife were riding in a water taxi through the historic island city, according to Daily Mail Australia.

One photo caught Bianca kneeling in front of Kanye, who was seated on a bench with his hand gripping the back of her head. Another snap showed Kanye's pants pulled down from behind, revealing his butt crack.

The water taxi company, Venezia Turismo Motoscafi, was totally in the dark until the images surfaced in the media.

Now, a rep for the company has issued a statement, saying, Ye and Bianca are "no longer welcome" on its vessels.

The spokesperson insisted the driver didn't see "these obscenities" because he was too busy operating the boat. If he had, he would have immediately reported Ye and Bianca to the authorities.

What's more ... the rep claimed a third person, who was with Ye and Bianca, blocked the driver's view of the couple.

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.