TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Sexyy Red is denying she's the one responsible for posting her own sex tape to social media.

The video was posted to SR's Instagram Wednesday, and on Thursday the rapper dismissed the leak as "goofy sh*t" and said her close friends would know the move wasn't in her character.

She may be one of Hip Hop's biggest open books to date -- her breakout song "Pound Town" dropped at the top of the year and created a sex-positive wave.

Sexyy's social media has been centered around controversy as of late. It was recently discovered she was hanging with a local Atlanta rapper after he posted them together ... many speculating it was done without her permission.

21 Savage is a prisoner to the borders of the United States no more -- he's got a Green Card after a years-long immigration battle -- according to his buddy, Drake.

Drake just dropped his song "8AM in Charlotte" where he makes the stunning reveal, rapping, "Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate. Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian."

The timing of the announcement is certainly interesting considering Drake and 21 have two shows scheduled in Drake's home of Toronto, Canada this weekend.

21 hasn't been able to attend any of the tour stops outside of The United States because of his immigration status ... but with a Green Card, it's now possible for him to leave the country.

As we reported, it was way back in 2019 when 21 was detained by ICE officials and the world learned the rapper was actually from the UK, and had been living in the U.S. illegally for years after his Visa expired. Authorities claimed during that arrest, 21 also tossed a bottle of codeine, and a handgun was found in his vehicle -- further complicating his situation.

In fact, it was the criminal case that then delayed his immigration case as everything got backed up during the pandemic.

Drake's son Adonis is all over his dad's new video for "8AM in Charlotte" -- in addition to being featured, he drew the cover art, but it seems he got paid bupkis for his hard work!!!

The new vid kicks off Drake's "For All the Dogs" rollout, which finally drops tomorrow after several delays.

Adonis gave a full explanation of the goat he drew for the new illustration, similar to the one he crafted for the 'Dogs' cover art -- the goat symbolizes a "Daddy Goat" AKA his father being the greatest of all time ... an opinion that got no pushback from Drake!!!

When Drake teased him about his payment for the drawing, Adonis showed he's no stranger to sarcasm at just 5 years old, dropping an "Oh, please!" on Dad to his face!!!

Who knows, the paintings could be worth millions down the line, especially if Drake's album lives up to the hype.

Flo Rida's baby mama says she's willing to settle the lawsuit over their son's near-fatal fall from her New Jersey apartment building ... but it's going to require an 8-figure payout.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Alexis Adams says it will take $40 million for her to settle the suit she's filed against the various parties she claims are responsible for her son's fall from a Jersey City building.

Remember, Alexis and Flo's 6-year-old son Zohar fell from a 5th-story window back in March and landed on the concrete pavement below ... resulting in serious injuries.

As we reported ... Zohar was rushed to a hospital and placed in the ICU ... ultimately emerging in a full-body cast and then learning how to walk again. Doctors said it's a miracle the boy even survived the 50-foot fall.

Alexis is suing a construction company and a window installation company, among others, blaming them for installing "incorrect sized guards" on the windows ... which she believes allowed Zohar to fall. Flo Rida is not involved in the suit.

King Combs says he has every intention to carve out a hip hop legacy with his own original music, but when it comes to sampling, he admits ... sometimes it's hard to say no to a hit!!!

We got the Bad Boy Jr. at LAX on Wednesday and asked just how much access he has to his father's iconic tunes for use as samples when he's in the studio.

There's currently a raging debate in the rap world over whether today's samples of popular hits (some that already contain samples themselves) are innovative, or just downright lazy.

KC notes the success he's had with blasts from the past -- his Kodak Black collab "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" borrowed from Lil Kim's "Crush on You" and topped the Billboard rap charts ... while "How You Want It?" with Teyana Taylor used Mase and Total's "What You Want" melody and went Gold.

He recently made it a NYC summer with A Boogie, Fabolous and Jeremih by riding yet another Total wave on the track "Flyest In the City" and tells us he might have to hit the studio for a few more tracks that lean into past songs.

Folks can debate all they want, but for King, the proof is in the public reception.

Westside Gunn says his upcoming album "And Then You Pray For Me" should already be appraised as a classic -- artistically and musically -- with an exclusive Virgil Abloh painting for the project's artwork.

It’s the little attention to detail WSG is telling TMZ Hip Hop will set his album apart when it drops October 13, which he guarantees will become an art collectible down the line.

The Griselda Records founder tells us he's watched the competition for months, in what's been a light year for Hip Hop and is confident he has the Album of the Year ... Rick Ross, Ty Dolla $ign, Conway and Benny The Butcher are just a sprinkling of Gunn's heavyweight features but the album's key, he says, was tailor-making it to meet Virgil's heavenly approval!!!

WSG says Virgil convinced him to get a passport to attend his 2020 Off-White show in Paris -- a life-changing moment for the Buffalo, NY native as he began using his travels for content for his raps.

He had just dropped his "Dr. Birds" verse with the infamous line, "Told Virgil, write "Brick" on my brick" and was privileged to rub shoulders with the late Pop Smoke and Takeoff on the runway before their untimely deaths.

WSG's all about his music, but doesn't want beef ... especially with a little kid like Lil Tay.

Since Lil Tay's controversial reemergence, Gunn says Griselda fans have been on his head with claims she jacked his daughter Westside Pootie's style, as she's been spouting off audaciousness for years on his album.

Gunn tells us Pootie's been inspiring the comp for years ... and has even peeped kids following in her footsteps with the hand-drawn album covers like she did with his 2020 "Sunshine" album.

YNW Melly now has his own witness tampering charge -- just like his co-defendant YNW Bortlen -- in their double-murder trial, but his lawyers think prosecutors are just trying to cover up problems with their case.

Prosecutors confirmed with TMZ Hip Hop ... they hit Melly with the witness tampering charge Wednesday in Miami-Dade County, just a couple of days removed from tagging Bortlen with the same charge.

Melly's team is set to appear in court on Friday for a hearing in which they'll argue prosecutors have been withholding key evidence about the lead investigator in the case.

Melly's attorney, Raven Liberty reacted to the added charge, telling us ... "This is a transparent and desperate attempt by the State Attorney's office to distract the public from the deposition of an Assistant State Attorney who accused this case's lead detective and lead prosecutor of felonies by falsifying and covering up evidence damaging to the state's case."

"Love & Hip Hop" star Vonshae Taylor-Morales is further distancing herself from her ruptured marriage with Gunplay ... blaming him for causing their infant daughter's medical condition as of result of his alleged drug use.

The baby girl, Osanna Ohana, was born in March with a heart defect and on Wednesday, Vonshae accused her estranged husband of abusing cocaine and ketamine behind her back during a vicious dragging on IG Live.

Before the baby was born, Vonshae says she told Gunplay he needed to be drug-free, but she says he began using, and covering up his "sniffing" by saying he had allergies.

Vonshae says she was dumb to believe the rapper, and their fights got bad when she confronted him. Eventually, Gunplay was arrested in August for allegedly pulling out a gun on Vonshae and their daughter, who was put into harm's way during the altercation.

As we reported at the time, Gunplay was slapped with several charges ... aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and child abuse. Vonshae also claims he relapsed in her presence.

Sexyy Red wants former President Donald Trump back in office for numerous reasons, and she’s claiming the hood agrees with her!!!

The “Pound Town” rapper officially endorsed Trump on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast -- she even forgave the ex-POTUS for previous blasts of racism and misogyny.

Sexyy's support isn't exactly rooted in policy ... specifically, she was a big fan of Trump's granting clemency and pardons to a long list of inmates and claims that was a big hit amongst all Black people.

She also said the stimulus checks were even bigger in the community ... because, who doesn't love free money!?!?

Money wasn't Sexyy's only motive in stumping for Trump ... she praised the entertainment value he brought to the White House, and most of all, she enjoyed -- wait for it -- when he called people fat!!!

Guys like Chris Christie might not agree, but Sexyy's commentary definitely got her a lot of love on social media from Trump's supporters.

8:37 AM PT -- Well, that was anticlimactic ... Keefe D showed up, but the lawyer he hired couldn't make it to the hearing. The matter has been continued for another 2 weeks.

Tupac's murder suspect, Keefe D, is showing his face in court for the first time in the Tupac murder case -- where he'll soon have a chance to respond to the charge against him.

Duane Davis -- who's been charged with one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon, plus a gang enhancement -- is due to appear in front of a judge Wednesday ... marking his initial public appearance since he was indicted and taken into custody last week.

He's being arraigned today, so he'll have the charge against him read out loud in open court ... and usually, a defendant pleads guilty or not guilty at this time.

As we reported ... Keefe's arrest came after a raid at his wife's home earlier this summer, when law enforcement busted into their Henderson, NV address and collected evidence. Now, the authorities clearly feel like they have enough to officially tie him to the crime.

Of course, as far as the public is concerned ... much of the mystery over who shot Tupac has long been resolved -- and a big part of that narrative has come from Keefe's own mouth. The guy's been doing interviews for years now, admitting to his involvement in the shooting.

According to Keefe ... his younger nephew, Orlando Anderson was the actual trigger man that night in '96 -- with Keefe riding passenger and supplying the weapon used. Orlando is now dead ... and so are the other 2 men who were said to have been in the car with them. Keefe is apparently the only living person from the car that night.

While prosecutors seem to acknowledge Keefe was likely not the one who pulled the trigger, they will argue Nevada law still applies to charge him with murder.

Keefe D had previously been implicated in Tupac's murder -- which, interestingly enough, got pieced together during the Notorious B.I.G. murder investigation. LAPD officials involved in that matter have said Keefe was given a proffer agreement to spill the beans and potentially avoid prosecution ... but it sounds like his many public statements eventually landed him on LVMPD's radar.

The only other living person who has direct knowledge of the murder is Suge Knight -- and he's made it abundantly clear to us that he won't cooperate with prosecutors here.

Members of Tupac's family have expressed both surprise, grief, and relief in the wake of the news ... as have others who knew Tupac back in the day, including Jada Pinkett Smith.

Tupac was only 25 when he was killed. And, even all these years later, the case draws interest.

Drake recently dubbed Atlanta "the most important city in rap" and the culture got the opportunity to prove him right last night during the taping of the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards.

The festivities made their way to the black-and-green carpet for the ultimate gathering of rap talent ... Boosie Badazz was especially turnt up before the show -- and during, when Fat Joe gave him a shout-out from the stage.

Joe hosted the awards and he greeted the press and media alongside his wife and daughter, Lorena and Azariah Cartagena.

Speaking of family, Da Brat flaunted her bounce-back game after giving birth to her first child a few months ago alongside her wife Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart.

DC Young Fly linked up with Chingy while continuing to push forward in the wake of his partner Jacky Oh's death -- just like he told us he would and Cash Money Millionaires Juvenile and Mannie Fresh teased a new collab and Swizz Beatz was in the mix as well.

DJ Quik fans (and his haters) can no longer engage him on Twitter-turned-X -- the West Coast pioneer had to choose between the social media platform, and finishing his 10th album.

A source close to Quik’s camp tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the time away from X has been beneficial, and while he’s still on IG, he's also been nose-deep in his studio bag o' tricks and fans can expect layered instrumentation, like most Quik albums.

Quik announced the still-untitled project back in March, and kicked off the rollout with a new track … but soon began to make headlines for waging war on his timeline with rap and the lifestyle.

We’re told the album is around 80% done, and its vibe will become clear in November when Quik performs with a live band while transforming his “Quik’s Grooves” series to real life.

If you remember, Quik’s been vocal about getting the same respect as his Compton counterpart Dr. Dre when it comes to their hip hop legacies.

Krayzie Bone says he spent 9 days fighting for his life in a hospital ... literally.

The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper just posted a picture from his hospital bed on social media, and he's thanking God for being alive.

Krayzie says ... "Just fought for life Literally for 9 days straight. And I only won the battle this time because I know Jehovah God was with every step of the way fighting for me."

As we reported ... Krayzie needed at least two surgeries to address internal bleeding, which he now says was threatening his life.

KB was hospitalized last month after he started coughing up blood ... so doctors ran some tests and discovered a bleeding artery in one of his lungs ... and he twice went under the knife.

When Krayzie was in the hospital, tons of celebs and sports figures wished him the best ... and he says he's thankful for all the prayers.

YNW Melly's co-defendant YNW Bortlen is facing a new charge after prosecutors claim he engaged in witness tampering behind the scenes of the double murder case.

Miami Dade Police tell TMZ Hip Hop ... they arrested Bortlen Monday afternoon at a residence in Broward County on a felony warrant for witness tampering.

According to court docs we obtained, officials say Bortlen tampered with at least one potential witness in his and YNW Melly's double murder trial, which ended in a mistrial.

Jury selection for their new trial begins on October 9, and it seemed like Bortlen had been using his free time after the mistrial to resume his rap career -- but this new charge could derail those efforts if he's found guilty.

Ed Sheeran's lightweight lungs were no match for Snoop Dogg when they smoked together ... in fact, the singer says he got so high the sesh made him temporarily go blind!!!

Ed says it was earlier this month when he found himself backstage with Snoop, his wife and Russell Crowe in Melbourne, Australia.

Ed admitted to Conan O'Brien on his "Needs a Friend" podcast that he isn't much of a smoker, but still lit up at the chance to say he "smoked with Snoop" when The Doggfather hit him with the puff, puff, pass.

The conversation got so good Ed says he continued to take pulls of the blunt until he looked up at Snoop and realized his vision had become blurred.

Of course, it's a well-known fact Snoop can smoke like a chimney at any given time ... so you can't really blame Ed for trying to keep up.

Tupac Shakur's former artist and Outlawz rapper Napoleon agrees with the narrative Duane Keith "Keefe D" Davis is only behind bars, and charged with Pac's murder, because he wouldn't stop running his mouth.

On Tuesday, Napoleon spoke to The Art Of Dialogue -- one of the platforms, coincidentally, where Keefe blabbed about his role in the Tupac case -- and he has little sympathy for Keefe's situation.

Napoleon says he never mustered enough interest to watch a full Keefe interview, but thinks clout-chasing got the best of the man, as he was openly bragging about riding in the car involved in Tupac's murder.

Keefe turned 60 in June, and Napoleon says not only is he too old to be cyber-banging, but reliving the events around Tupac's murder nearly 30 years after the fact is also a bum move.

Despite Keefe's self-incrimination, Napoleon says if Tupac had survived the shooting, he wouldn't want Keefe to rot in prison -- a sentiment echoed by Suge Knight, who was driving the BMW when he and Pac were shot.

Suge called TMZ from prison this week, and triple-downed on his refusal to rat out Keefe in any instance, in addition to denying Keefe's relative, the late Orlando Anderson, pulled the trigger.

Orlando was Keefe's nephew, and has long been believed to be the shooter, but he was killed in a 1998 shooting. Suge and Keefe are the last men standing among the 6 people involved in the 1996 shooting.

Tupac's own father is also discrediting Orlando as the shooter with a dash of conspiracy theory ... he's claiming the gov't killed his son and Keefe's just a pawn.