TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West wished he would've saved his good beats for himself during his 5-album "Wyoming Sessions" run in 2018 ... as he felt Pusha T, Nas and Teyana Taylor weren't appreciating his greatness!!!

The regrets -- yes, he's had a few -- are coming out now in leaked footage from a 2018 documentary Ye shot with Milo Yiannopoulos.

Ya might recall, at the time Ye was focused on revamping his G.O.O.D. Music label, and while ensconced at his Wyoming ranch, he delivered a flurry of albums -- an ill-advised decision he ranted about to his then-manager Scooter Braun.

Ye criticized himself for blessing Teyana with her biggest song "Gonna Love Me" and giving Pusha T beats on his "Daytona" album that he failed to elevate ... comparing the production to 3 times the amount of his landmark album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

Nas finished his Def Jam contract by collaborating with Ye for his "NASIR" album, but Ye even dissed him for rapping off-beat on the track "Cops Shot the Kid" -- and then being wishy-washy for the music video rollout!!!

Ye called out all 3 artists for, in his humble opinion, simply riding his wave. As he put it, "These muthaf***as don't appreciate me. These muthaf***as are trying to use me. I'm the greatest muthaf***ing artist living, and I can do everything."

Kanye was adamant he was the 🐐 artist and needed his own festival after being disappointed performing for others.

He knew his words would sting and warned Scooter he refused to end up like XXXTENTACION, who was shot and killed around that time.

Beyoncé is full of inspiration, which she displayed in dramatic fashion in the trailer for her upcoming film documenting her "Renaissance" tour.

Bey's film, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," chronicles lots of behind-the-scenes action, and it shows the singer in some chill, fun, backstage moments.

Throughout the trailer, you see her getting some stretching in backstage with her 11-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, while the little twins -- Rumi and Sir -- hung out with them.

Looks like Beyoncé was having a blast -- toasting the camera while knocking back a shot. Worth noting the rumors "Renaissance" was a booze-free tour, so it might not have been alcohol in that glass.

There's so much fans have to look forward to when the film comes out December 1st -- it's got everything from a beaming Jay-Z, crowds going nuts, and the Queen herself breaking down what this tour has meant to her.

As we reported, AMC will be taking the reigns for Bey's movie, playing in all of North America next month ... and this follows Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour flick spreading to a worldwide debut after tons of demand.

Taylor's film is also a partnership with AMC, so there's for sure a theme going on at that movie chain ... and obviously, a smart one.

Blueface's mother is defending the controversial nude baby photo posted on the rapper's social media -- because she believes there's absolutely nothing illegal about seeking help for an infant's hernia.

We got Karlissa Saffold on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles and asked her about the photo, which Blueface claims was uploaded last weekend while his account was hacked.

While Karlissa says she was initially outraged when she saw the graphic post, like most everyone else, which shows her grandkid's unhealthy genitals ... she says her opinion changed when she saw similar posts from other concerned parents seeking input on hernias.

What's more, Karlissa says the graphic photo wasn't done in a pornographic way ... she says it was about helping the child, and thus wasn't illegal.

We also asked about all the drama between her son and the child's mother, Chrisean Rock ... and she said she would step in if there was a need to keep the peace and help the baby. She's seeing the same nasty exchanges we all are, and says they both continue "doing some vicious stuff to one another."

The way Mom sees it, all the drama is what comes with folks who are at the end of a breakup -- and she throws some shade their way, saying there's "3 kids involved" ... Blueface, Chrisean and the infant.

To be clear, Karlissa isn't saying she will take the baby from Chrisean, she says she would never take a child from a mother who is capable of caring for her baby. But, she says she's ready and willing to help in any capacity.

And, this is very interesting ... Karlissa added that she's more concerned about the way Chrisean was carrying the baby in a Walmart than the hernia photo.

Yeah, Damian Lillard and Antonio Brown might have some dope music, but Shaq tells TMZ Sports he's the G.O.A.T when it comes to athletes who rap ... and he's been that guy since the 1990s!

For those who don't remember, Shaq made four rap albums during his Hall of Fame NBA career, with the first one, "Shaq Diesel," coming out in 1993.

He hasn't stopped making music in retirement either ... the 51-year-old actually just jumped on a track with L.A.-based group Coyote -- and he tells us he's got much more on the way too.

"I got a couple of freestyles," O'Neal said. "It's all competition for me, so when I hear other people that say, 'I'm a better athlete-rapper than Shaq,' I gotta step up."

"Nothing personal. I just have to let these people know who paved the way."

Some of the athletes makin' waves in the rap game include Lillard, who's been considered by fans to be one of the best, lyrically, in any sport.

There's also Brown, who's made catchy tracks like "Put That Sh** On" ... as well as former NBA star Iman Shumpert.

But, while O'Neal (who we recently talked to about his huge upcoming charity event) was very complimentary of the guys' talents on the mic, he says he's still the greatest of all time.

"I put stuff out, they put stuff out and we let the people decide who the number one is," O'Neal said.

"I know who the number one is. I'ma always say myself is number one, but they got a lot of the guys out there that are coming."

Kim Kardashian and Tom Brady shared a fun-filled moment while bidding on a very pricey piece of art -- and the two even got a bit flirty!!

According to eyewitnesses... Kim and Tom showed up to bid on a George Condo painting at the Reform Alliance Charity in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Saturday night.

We're told Kim kicked off the bidding at $500K, and then Tom put in a higher bid before they got into a full-on bidding war.

During their back and forth, the celebs giggled and kept looking at each other, and it was all "super fun and flirty," our sources tell us.

When the bid reached $2 million, the event hosts stepped in and decided both would receive their own George Condo painting.

But there was a caveat ... Kim and Tom each had to pay $2 million for their canvases, which for them is just chump change.

Well, we knew they were a thing, but Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny wanted more, so they just made their relationship Instagram Official.

KJ and BB are the faces of Gucci's new campaign -- Gucci Valigeria, and they both posted the pics on Insta, and those pics say it all.

One photo shows Bad Bunny enveloping Kendall in his arms and lifting her up onto a stack of Gucci luggage.

The theme of the campaign "explores the intimacy of traveling together."

It's interesting ... not only are they in a romantic relationship, now they're in a business relationship as well. Why do we think Kris Jenner is behind this?

Their relationship has been hot and heavy for months. We first saw them on a double date back in February with Justin and Hailey Bieber. Kendall was front and center when Bad Bunny headlined Coachella.

And TMZ got the photos of the 2 riding the same horse, which put to rest any doubts about their relationship.

Tom Brady gave hundreds of kids a day to remember Saturday, by not only hitting up a sports trading card event but also getting in on the action!

Brady was the surprise guest at the Fanatics and Topps Hobby Rip Night in Linwood, New Jersey.

There were some big stars front and center, including Travis Scott, Kevin Hart, who hosted the event, and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin.

Fanatics is the biggest sports merchandizer in the game.

The Linwood store has a capacity of 100, but so many people showed hundreds more descended onto the parking lot.

Brady was all in, trading cards with fans and the kids went nuts. Fact is ... Brady owns tons of football cards.

Grizzlies legend Zach Randolph is confident Ja Morant will bounce back from his off-court issues ... telling TMZ Sports he's been sharing advice with the young NBA star following his 25-game suspension.

Memphis will be without its face of the franchise for the first chunk of the upcoming season as a result of his second gun-related social media post that surfaced back in May ... but Z-Bo says it's just a bump in the road for the two-time All-Star -- revealing what he's been telling Morant in their conversations.

"Man, I just tell him, Ja, you're lil bro," Randolph said at LAX. "We all been through some stuff. If it was social media like it was when I was playing, I'd be in some stuff, too."

"You gon' be all right," he added. "You just go through growing pains, and you be resilient and you bounce back."

"That's what he is. He'll bounce back."

24-year-old Ja initially faced criticism for flashing a gun at a strip club back in March ... resulting in an 8-game ban.

Despite his claims -- and alleged video proof -- that the weapon shown in the second video was actually a lighter, the league elected to hand down his current lengthy punishment.

Jadakiss and The LOX have carried the D-Block name on their shoulders for years, but now J-to-the-MUAH's neck will be carrying that weight ... thanks to a humongous new diamond-laced piece!!!

Celebrity jeweler Mazza NYC tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he and Jada coordinated his newest chain's concept by bouncing ideas off each other until they came up with the perfect bling recipe.

He says they created 3 different designs before settling on the bedazzled finished product which he surprised the legendary rapper with earlier this week.

The D-Block chain and pendant cost $200,000 total, with both weighing in at nearly 1 kilo of gold ... it's like he's walking around with a football helmet on full-time!!!

The pendant sports over 60 carats of emerald and round-cut natural diamonds at VS+ clarity.

The chain itself is also loaded with the same quality diamonds ... 70 cts in total.

Kiss has been going to Mazza for years, as have fellow East Coast rap stars Drake, Jim Jones, Dave East and Millyz.

Lil Tay spoke out for the first time this weekend since her alleged death went viral ... and she's pointing the finger at her dad for her years-long absence, accusing him of a lot.

The former child internet sensation -- who's now a teenager -- went live on IG Saturday, but not before she dropped a new song and video treatment minutes earlier. It's called "Sucker 4 Green," and it seems to be the official mark of her comeback into music.

The video features Tay singing/dancing in scantily-clad outfits and posing in front of a bunch of luxury cars while at a super nice house. She's going on about her love for money, etc.

As for the live chat itself ... it started out as mostly a performance, with Lil Tay hopping on different instruments and covering famous songs -- showing off her musical prowess. Eventually, she talked on camera ... and she was doing her typical foul-mouthed shtick.

Once she got past that ... Tay got serious and addressed the elephant in the room -- namely, where the heck she's been and why she's been making these accusations against her dad.

Long story short, LT claims her dad got involved in her life while she was getting famous several years ago -- and says he successfully gained custody of her for a good while ... a chapter in her life during which Tay alleges she was abused and mistreated by her father, Chris Hope, and his now wife. She alleges physical and mental abuse, among other things.

After airing a lot of allegations, Tay explained the death hoax ... which she claims was her father's doing -- not to mention a person she says has gone around claiming to be her ex-manager. Tay claims this person has been lying ... alleging they're in cahoots with her dad. She claims they wanted to fake her death as part of some sort of crypto scheme -- although the exact details of that aren't clear. Frankly, her diatribe was sorta all over the place.

The bottom line ... Tay says her mom has regained custody and that she's ready to move on and restart her career. LT fiercely defends her mother as her biggest supporter -- and, clearly, Tay herself is onboard with the game plan here ... namely, getting into showbiz.

Now, as far as where Tay's dad lands on all this ... he told us last week that her abuse claims were BS -- and strongly suggested legal action was coming toward whoever was putting his kid up to this. Sounds like there's some unsettled business between her parents.

Jada Pinkett Smith is one of many who are happy to have somebody being held to account over the murder of Tupac Shakur -- and she made it known to her millions of followers.

The actress took to Instagram Friday night with a short but concise reaction to the Pac news -- namely, the fact that Duane 'Keefe D' Davis was arrested and charged with murder in connection to the open case out of Las Vegas ... which had seemingly gone cold for years.

JPS writes, "Now I hope we can get some answers and have some closure. R.I.P. Pac."

Like we said ... a fairly simple message on her part, but it's quite meaningful considering how much Tupac meant to Jada -- and how often she references him, even today.

Many are familiar with Jada's history with Pac ... they go way back, and were very close friends back in the '80s and '90s when they grew up together and mingled into adulthood.

Jada has long insisted they were never romantic, but some speculate that might not be the case ... again, she's spoken at length about him and has reminisced about their relationship publicly, to the point some have raised an eyebrow in retrospect -- especially post-slap.

That's neither here nor there ... point is, Tupac obviously means a lot to Jada -- and she seems relieved this chapter might be coming to a close after years of mystery/intrigue.

As we reported ... Keefe D was indicted on an open murder charge this week, just a couple months after law enforcement raided his Vegas-area home upon executing a search warrant.

Tupac Shakur's brother is glad there's finally been an arrest in the rapper's murder after all these years ... but it doesn't end the investigation in his eyes.

2Pac's sibling, Mopreme Shakur tells TMZ ... the arrest of Duane Keith "Keefe D" Davis in connection with Pac's murder brings back the trauma of his brother's slaying.

As we reported ... Keefe D was arrested Friday by Las Vegas Metropolitan police after a grand jury indicted him on one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon, with a gang enhancement.

Mopreme tells us ... one arrest doesn't mean there's now justice for Tupac ... while he says it's good someone is finally being held accountable for Pac's murder, he's waiting to see if there are other arrests, including potential accomplices.

Tupac's brother wants more information on the motive behind the infamous 1996 murder, although cops made it clear ... the motive was revenge after Tupac and his team beat up Keefe D's nephew after the Mike Tyson fight.

Mopreme says LVPD only recently got in contact with Pac's family about the murder investigation, but the detective who first reached out has since retired ... something Mopreme says has been problematic in Pac's case.

Keefe D's arrest did come as a surprise to the Shakurs ... Mopreme says cops didn't give them any inkling a bust was imminent.

Still, it's a big development for Mopreme ... earlier this month he cast doubt on the police investigation after cops executed a search warrant in connection to his brother's murder.

Meanwhile, Tupac's sister, Sekyiwa "Set," told TMZ in a statement ... "This is no doubt a pivotal moment. The silence of the past 27 years surrounding this case has spoken loudly in our community."

She added ... "It’s important to me that the world, the country, the justice system, and our people acknowledge the gravity of the passing of this man, my brother, my mother’s son, my father’s son. His life and death matters, and should not go unsolved or unrecognized, so yes, today is a victory but I will reserve judgment until all the facts and legal proceedings are complete."

Brittany Renner's sexual partner tally of 35 people is of little consequence to Maino -- he says the slut-shaming needs to stop, and while defending Brittany decided ... why not shoot his shot.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the "Way Up With Angela Yee" correspondent amid NYC's torrential downpour, and got his thoughts on the "Basketball Wives" star's recent confession.

Brittany's 35 trysts were too much for Shannon Sharpe to swallow, but Maino didn't flinch ... telling us he's down for the long haul with BR. He says he'd be happy to fill her next few slots.

Neither the rain, nor his faulty umbrella, stopped Maino's defense of Brittany ... as he told us the men criticizing Brittany are insecure about their sexuality, and added marriage and sexual relations fall under different categories ... in his book, anyway.

We're not sure people wearing wedding rings will agree, but he's adamant.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott's son's name change is now official in the eyes of the law.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge signed off on the famous parents legally changing their child's name from Wolf Jacques Webster to Aire Webster.

The docs say Kylie showed face in court virtually Friday ... and while Travis did not make an appearance, the docs say he didn’t file any objection to the switch so the judge ultimately granted the petition.

TMZ broke the story ... Kylie filed docs to change the kid's name back in March, noting they regretted the initial name choice of Wolf Jacques and saying they thought Aire was a better fit.

Remember ... Kylie and Travis announced as far back as March 2022 they were scrapping Wolf ... and in January 2023, a few weeks before the kid's first birthday, Kylie revealed they were now calling him Aire.

Quando Rondo's presence is his community is apparently a cause for concern ... prosecutors want him banned from his hometown in Georgia because they say he's a target for violence.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained court docs in which prosecutors are asking to modify the Never Broke Again rapper's current bond conditions ... they want the judge to keep him out of Chatham County, Georgia pending his trial.

Quando currently resides in Midway, GA ... a town roughly 30 miles outside of Savannah and where they say doesn't have the same dangers for Quando in Chatham County, a more urban area.

On the flip side, prosecutors say Quando has been targeted in violent shooting attacks at least 3 times in urban settings, including a September 20 attack at a local barbershop where at least 2 people were shot and 30 shell casings were collected at the scene.

Officials note that Quando's bond was granted for him to continue his rap career -- but prosecutors say he was not performing or doing anything related to his music career "while loitering outside" at the time of the September shooting.

The docs also make mention of the August 2022 shooting when Quando's friend was killed in his presence.

We broke the story that kicked off this latest legal jam ... Quando was charged with drug possession over Father's Day weekend.

Ne-Yo has been declared the legal father of his 2 youngest kids he's got with his new girlfriend ... this coming months after asking the court to establish him as their pops.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge has found it in the best interest of the kids that Ne-Yo be declared the natural and biological daddy of Braiden, born in 2021, and Brixton, born last February ... giving them all rights and privileges under the law.

The docs also provide the 2 will also have their last name changed from Bagnerise to Smith -- Ne-Yo's legal last name.

TMZ broke the story, the singer asked for the court to establish parentage for Braiden and Braxton back in May. He was also looking to have them be able to inherit from him as if they were born in wedlock.