TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Gunna might’ve recently been labeled a snitch by some, but it looks like even more people are still rocking with him.

The rapper performed a headlining show Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn — his first in a long time — where the stadium was packed to the gills with paying customers.

The dude went through a ton of his songs, including some newer ones he dropped in his latest album — “A Gift And a Curse” — which the crowd seemed to know well as they rapped along. By the looks of it, there was a lot of enthusiasm and good vibes … almost as if nobody cared about the whole YSL scandal.

Remember, Gunna’s name has been getting dragged through the mud these past several months after he struck a deal with Fulton County prosecutors who are going after several of his label mates, including Young Thug. The perception from some fans was … dude must’ve ratted out his crew and cut himself a deal, which led to hateful comments.

Gunna denied doing that though, and has maintained he still supports Thug — which was evident in his concert this weekend. On one of the monitors, there was a “Free Jeffrey” message blaring across the screen, so it’s clear he still considers himself aligned with YT.

This was just one of 2 shows that Gunna is doing in the near future — he’s got another one scheduled in LA later this month. He’s not touring, per se, but does seem to be testing the waters on how a full-blown comeback might look like.

Blueface videos showing his young son hanging around exotic dancers at home are getting a lot of attention ... including from cops and the Department of Children and Family Services.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... sheriff's deputies have been called to the rapper's Los Angeles-area home a whopping NINE times since May, with the most serious call for a DCFS investigation into Blueface bringing strippers around his kids.

After Blueface posted footage of him asking his son if he was gay while women stripped in a nearby room, we're told DCFS got wind of the video and launched an investigation, which led to sheriff's deputies being called to the home.

We're told Blueface still has his son, and it sounds like the DCFS investigation hasn't moved forward ... in part, because no one answered the door or picked up the phone when deputies were called to the house.

Law enforcement tells us other calls to the house include noise complaints for loud music and barking dogs.

So, cops frequent Blueface's place a lot ... but the stripper videos with his son are the most concerning.

Over at Blueface's party house in the San Fernando Valley, we're told cops have been there multiple times about parties and fights ... with Blue's neighbors making the complaints.

Cardi B says she's a little weirded out over her husband Offset's Michael Jackson tattoo, but she's gonna have to learn how to keep living with it. He's keeping his MJ memorabilia!!!

We caught up with Offset in NYC and he was taken aback by Cardi telling the world how she really feels about the King of Pop ink on his stomach ... and how it stares at her during sex.

He tells us it would be best for Cardi and him to continue the convo behind closed doors. Smart!

You can see where Cardi is coming from ... Offset opted for a tat of MJ's creepy stare from the "Thriller" video. Not exactly the best sexy-time material!!!

Offset's love for Michael dates back to his childhood but continues in adulthood. In fact, he recently channeled Mike's "Bad" era with his outfit for Beyoncé's "Renaissance" show last week in L.A.

Offset tells us performing on Beyoncé's stage was nothing short of an honor, as it allowed him to showcase his showmanship as an artist.

He had equal love for Jay-Z after going viral alongside him for hitting a mean electric side while Bey sang onstage.

Noah Lyles ain't backing off his "world champion" stance one bit ... and he's sending some loud-and-clear shade to one of the guys who had the biggest problem with it all -- Drake.

The track star won three golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary last month ... and following the efforts, he ruffled a ton of feathers when he said NBA players shouldn't get to call themselves champs of the globe like he could.

"World champion of what?" Lyles said, reminding those in attendance that NBA players only perform in the U.S. and Canada. "The United States?!"

His comments were hit with immediate criticism ... with guys like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Draymond Green -- and, yes, even Drake -- firing away at him.

But, when Lyles sat down with TMZ Sports this week ... he made it clear he's not budging from his opinion -- though he did clarify that he loves what the NBA's doing, and he wants track and field to follow their model.

"I do think that the point was lost," he told us. "At the end of the day, it was talking about how I see what we do to our national championships -- I just want the same thing for our world champions. And we're a sport where we're bringing in the most medals every year -- and it's like nobody even knows because they don't pay attention."

As for Drake ... Lyles brushed off the rapper's criticism of him -- saying, "Just go home, buddy. Go home."

Joe Budden thinks Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's new single is a 2-pack of ass, and nothing compared to their last collab... arguing it's missing a key element, or a man rather.

The rapper shared his thoughts on CB and MTS's latest song, "Bongos," in his latest episode of "The Joe Budden Podcast" -- and, per usual, he was unfiltered in breaking it down. As he explains, he just doesn't feel "Bongos" has quite the pizzazz that their last single did.

Of course, he's talking about "WAP" ... which charted well when it released, and which kinda captured the zeitgeist at the time. This time around though, JB says the magic is gone.

The reason he thinks "Bongos" won't have as much staying power is because Pardison Fontaine -- aka, Pardi -- wasn't in the mix this time around as a collaborator, or so he assumes (more on this later). If you didn't know, Pardi had writing credits on "WAP" ... in addition to other Cardi and Meg songs, and he's been a regular writer of CB's lately.

Of course, he also dated Meg for a good while last year ... that is, until they split up.

There's still no official word on why she and Pardi parted, but it's clear she's moved on with other men -- having been snapped out in public with different high-profile dudes of late.

Anyway, Joe mistakenly says Pardi appears to be missing here -- 'cause 'Bongos,' to him, just isn't it. But as it turns out, the dude is a credited writer on this song as well. JB might've flubbed in that regard, but his larger point here is ... 'Bongos' isn't as high on the "ratchet" level as previous entries of theirs, and he feels like Cardi and Meg missed the mark.

Time will tell how "Bongos" does performance-wise ... it was literally just released yesterday, to a lot of fanfare. One notable thing about it that's getting buzz is the production cost -- a reported $2 million budget just to cook it up. Also, they're gonna perform it at the VMAs.

Mount Westmore OGs Snoop Dogg and E-40 can never be accused of hogging the spotlight from the younger generation of rap.

They're both helping up-and-coming Los Angeles rapper Zoe Osama get his name out in the streets by hopping on his new track!!!

On Friday, Zoe released the new video for his "Underrated (Remix)" which finds Snoop sliding in the 2nd verse and 40 following suit with complex rhyme styles.

The track also features MoneySign Suede, the L.A. rapper who was murdered inside California's Correctional Training Facility back in April.

Per our report at the time, MoneySign was stabbed in the neck in the showers on the evening of April 26 and prison officials were unable to revive him ... but Zoe's making sure he lives on through the music.

Zoe also dedicated the song to MoneySign and several other slain West Coast rappers, including Nipsey Hussle.

Polo G's September 15 release date for his upcoming "Hood Poet" album is no longer a thing ... having endured not one, but two eye-popping arrests in the last few months that have prevented him from promoting the music.

The Chicago rap star made the somber announcement Friday, calling it a minor setback.

Sources close to Polo tell TMZ Hip Hop ... as of now, the album delay won't affect his current touring schedule.

He's scheduled to perform in New Mexico in October, blitz through Europe for much of November and also has a concert in Canada in December.

Polo's wild chain of events last month got us to this point. We broke the story ... Polo and his brother Trench Baby were arrested twice in a 24-hour span around August 23, resulting in a gun possession charge for Polo and a robbery charge for his brother.

Cops claim they found tons of guns and even a small bag of drugs following their raid of Polo's home.

B.G. famously stated "Cash Money is Army, better yet a Navy" ... and the newly freed rapper is enlisting once again, so says bossman Birdman, who's also working on a full-scale Hot Boys reunion!!!

The Cash Money CEO made the grand revelation Friday with 85 South Show, in a rare interview, harkening back to when he discovered a 13-year-old B.G. and molded him into a platinum-selling superstar.

"My lil n****'s official Cash Money ... ain't nobody else he gonna sign with besides this shit," Birdman told Karlous Miller while speculating on the other members.

B.G. was released from prison Monday, after serving 11 years and Birdman was there to greet him, immediately rekindling their union.

B.G. parted ways with Cash Money more than 20 years ago ... but not before making a name for himself and his legacy with Juvenile, Lil Wayne and Turk as the Hot Boys.

Turk recently told TMZ Hip Hop he's already geared up for the Hot Boys reunion, and with B.G. inking a new deal, everything appears to be falling into place.

Latto is moving up Coi Leray's family tree for more song source material ... using her father, Benzino, for a nifty lil punch line about his neck!!!

Young Nudy dropped off his "Peaches & Eggplants (Remix)" on Friday, recruiting estrogen energy that's been dominating hip hop as of late with Latto and Sexyy Red.

The song details the ins and outs of sexual encounters and Latto got into a name-drop bag on her verse to describe hers ... rapping, "He don't eat p****, he gots to go/Give me that neck like Benzino/Give me that neck like, "Where it go?"

Benzino, a devout gym rat, has been ribbed online for years over his head's muscular foundation base ... and fans weren't oblivious to Latto's shade!!!

Coi used Latto's name on the hook of her recent single "Isabel Marant" where she crooned, "Hop up on that couch and roll up Latto out the bag."

Of course, Latto fired the first shot when was smoking on blunts as big as Coi on her "Put It on Da Floor" track back in April ... and clearly she's up for sending more neckativity in the family's direction!!!

CEO Jizzle, the Memphis-based rapper in Young Dolph's Paper Route Empire camp who was shot during Lil Baby's concert Thursday night, appears to be OK ... and cops are still trying to find the suspect.

Memphis Police sources tell TMZ Hip Hop they're actively investigating how someone was able to get a firearm past security at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. We're told there were no other injuries reported, indicating Jizzle might have been targeted.

For now, cops are gathering video and asking the public to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-2274 with any additional info that might lead to an arrest.

After arriving on the scene, officers discovered Jizzle with a gunshot wound ... he was taken out of the arena on a stretcher and rushed to a hospital.

Jizzle was listed in critical condition but appeared to be feeling much better Friday when he posted on IG ... lashing out at rumors of his death which were floating online.

The elusive name of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's baby boy is a mystery no more ... we've finally learned what the kiddo's called.

According to the birth certificate, obtained by TMZ, the couple's new bundle of joy is named Riot Rose Mayers. The name follows the tradition of "R" names in the family ... remember, they named their first son RZA.

Sources first told us Riot Rose arrived August 3, but that was off, the actual date of birth was August 1.

You'll recall, A$AP teased the name a bit at the end of last month while out in West Hollywood saying the name reveal was, "Coming soon."

Don't forget, surprises like this are big for Rihanna -- she broke the news of her new baby to the world during her Super Bowl halftime performance earlier this year ... showing off her bump to millions of folks watching the big game.

Ja Rule's reiterating his feeling that 50 Cent is an "idiot" for hurling a mic that could earn him a felony charge, but he's also telling TMZ Hip Hop ... the moment's in his rearview mirror.

The "Holla Holla" rapper's already looking toward the future of his upcoming comedy special, which happens next month!!!

We caught up with Ja Thursday night outside TV personality Josh McBride's birthday party at Somewhere Nowhere NYC, and he blew off his recent digs at his archnemesis.

ICYMI, 50 clowned Ja for, in his eyes, reenacting "The Passion of Christ" at a recent show ... but then Ja barked back -- going more viral -- by bringing up the criminal battery probe associated with 50 injuring Power 106 radio host, Bryhana Monegain with the mic he threw.

Ja spared the crowd the holy antics inside Josh's party, delivering only hits, but revealed to us he plans on giving fans a different form of entertainment come Oct. 25 - 27 when he takes over Harlem's Apollo Theater for his "Laughing It Up" comedy series.

Now that she's cleared of any potential charges, Cardi B is popping her ish over that Vegas mic-throwing incident, and she's standing by her actions!!!

Cardi popped up on "The Breakfast Club" Friday, and recalled the violent July incident with much detail ... but admitted she was initially quiet because she thought the incident would land her in jail!!! 😬

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story, Cardi was cleared in August after the criminal investigation determined there was no reason to charge her.

Cardi recalled the scorching Vegas temperatures playing a factor in her asking the crowd to splash her with water, while also warning them not to hit her face.

After performing several songs Cardi says she was met with a face full of ice and thinks the fan did it on purpose, so she retaliated by throwing the mic like a javelin.

Lil Baby's rap concert was thrown into chaos Thursday night in Tennessee ... this after one person was shot and critically injured.

The hip hop star was performing at FedExForum in Memphis late in the evening, when a gunman suddenly opened fire inside the venue.

Baby was whisked off stage after the bullets started flying on the first floor, according to WREG News.

Memphis PD officers and Emergency Service workers responded, finding a man with gunshot wounds.

A video posted to social media shows paramedics lifting the man onto a gurney and wheeling him away. Other footage caught all the confusion as fans spilled out of the arena.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

The suspect fled and is still at large. A motive was not disclosed.

We've reached out to Baby's rep for comment ... so far no word back.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are once again a dynamic duo, but this time they've brought their "Bongos" ... and they want you to check 'em out.

On Thursday evening, Cardi released her comeback album single, one fans have been waiting on since her debut project back in 2018 ... and it doesn't disappoint in the skintastic department.

Both rap stars swapped through multiple outfit changes ... mostly bikinis, matching the steamy artwork for the single, which they've been teasing for several days.

Both Cardi and Meg lyrically flex on the track, which employs a Latin-tinged sound, the perfect music bed for Cardi to add a little flavor in Spanish.

"Bongos" is also Megan's first musical release since Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting her the same year "WAP" blew up.

Some fans lucky enough to get a signed CD of "Bongos" from Cardi will be privy to a collectible for the books ... since it appears a few will have her essence all over them!!!

Before this New York City native in her little fishy bathing suit turned into a famous singer, she was just running around the Big Apple and breaking into the music industry with her cover of Drake's "Headlines" track.

Her initial claim to fame came from her days on Tumblr, but at just 19 years old ... Atlantic Records signed her. You may have heard her song "Collide" featuring Tyga, and when she's not in the studio, you can find her on social media ... posting hot shots from the gym!

Need one more clue? Just ask her bestie, Hailey Bieber!