TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Drake's new album is projected to basically go Gold in a week, but several people within the music industry still aren't convinced his sound is the right direction for the genre.

On Monday, both Juicy J and Wallo blasted the current state of rap from their respective angles -- the Three 6 Mafia rapper skewered hip hop's plummeting stats while the Million Dollarz Game cohost called for industry power players to simply step up their music game.

According to the latest report he read, Juicy says rap music sales are down 40% ... and it's up to rappers, producers, composers and engineers alike to reroute the course.

Juicy thinks industry power players need a big pow-pow on the subject, because everyone's finances are in jeopardy. Remember, the genre went a full year without a #1 Billboard hit!!!

Wallo thinks fans have grown weary of themes of murder, jewelry and cash always tied to the rapper's lyrics.

He also believes recruiting a superstar for a feature isn't the winning formula it used to be, and stressed the need for rappers to actually be good at... well, rapping!!!

Rap's sinking ship has become a popular narrative ... Xzibit, along with his Midwest counterpart Layzie Bone, recently voiced very similar complaints.

Birdman is hinting Bad Bunny owes his massive success to Drake ... claiming the "Un Verano Sin Ti" star's secretly been signed to October's Very Own since the start!!!

The Cash Money boss has been swatting at all Drake's new album critics and backed his star pupil on a recent podcast with Wack 100 where he claimed BB has been an OVO artist all this time and the public was just unaware ... until now.

BB's been releasing music for over a decade and his 2018 studio debut album did indeed feature Drake on the song "MIA" ... all released on Rimas Entertainment with no OVO credits whatsoever.

What Birdman does NOT address is why in the world Bunny and Drake would keep this alleged affiliation under wraps.

BB recently returned the feature favor on Drake's "For All the Dogs" album -- an album Birdman has been fiercely defending against the negative opinions of Joe Budden and Druski. He's also clapped at Gillie Da Kid for allegedly faking like he got rich off his stint with Cash Money.

Kevin Gates recently told us to expect explosiveness on his tour ... and hocking a loogie down a fan's throat totally falls under that category!!!

KG kicked off his "Only the Generals" tour over the weekend in Portsmouth, VA, where he invited a fan onstage, and she quickly gave verbal permission for him to "do whatever you want."

He then escorted the fan to her folding chair throne, and instructed her to stick out her tongue ... and then proceeded to drop a spit missile down her throat, immediately drawing moans and groans from the crowd!!!

The fan didn't seem to mind ... probably could've used a bib though.

KG said he got into tour shape through the basketball tutelage of Kevin Durant and other hoopers ... but we're not sure KD taught him how to swish with spit.

Drake has a huge sales week on the horizon, but isn't ready to let bygones be bygones over Joe Budden's scathing critique of his new album, "For All the Dogs," and his boyish lifestyle!!!

Drake threw another shot Monday at JB, clowning him for having a bulletproof fedora case and his podcast career ... "I thank god for this life and not having to come to rushed conclusions on Best Buy podcast mics."

HitsDD is projecting Drake to have his biggest opening week since 2021 -- evidence fans weren't digging that dance album that much -- yet, he's still distracted by Budden enough to spend the weekend duking it out with him.

The Canadian rapper went out of his way to discredit Budden's podcast cohost/engineer Parks Vallely, essentially labeling him "cool as Mark Zuckerberg," to which Parks might have trumped Drake with his response -- revealing he actually worked on Drake's 2016 "Scorpion" album.

JB was basking in yet another level-up for his podcast in the wake of his Drake beef ... posting how his anti-"Dogs" episode was competing in the global news market against Israel vs. Hamas and Donald Trump. Hyperbole's also good ratings.

Whether fans hated it or loved it, the new album could be Drake's last offering for a while ... he says stomach issues have been holding him back for some time now.

Drake may say he's over Rihanna -- but she's the one who truly seems to have moved on ... just peep how happy she looks celebrating A$AP Rocky's big birthday weekend!

The songstress and her baby daddy were raging Friday night after hitting the town on the East Coast to ring A$AP's 35th born day ... which was actually on Oct. 3. Nothing like a prolonged party though -- and that's exactly what RiRi and AR had on their hands here.

It appears to have been an adult-only rager ... sans any sign of their 2 little ones. As far as where exactly they were -- apparently, they started in the Big Apple, and made their way to a go-kart joint in Jersey City after -- though, unclear if that's where this shindig went down.

In any case ... they were living it up big time, dancing up on each other and boogeying on down with their close friends nearby. Rihanna, specifically, made sure to bust out the moves.

We must say, post-delivery of her 2nd son in August -- she's looking pretty damn good ... and about as spry as ever. And dare we say ... she's still hot as hell, despite what Drizzy might be claiming now.

Of course, we're referring to the shots he took in his new song 'Fear Of Heights' -- where he lamented the fact people felt he hadn't moved past RiRi ... while also claiming he'd been with way hotter women than her -- and also, he suggested A$AP was "stuck" with Rihanna.

In the wake of his latest dig at his ex ... Drake's been getting dragged across the coals by Rihanna fans -- who were quick to point out how obsessed home boy was back in the day. Remember, he infamously declared his love for her on live TV during the 2016 VMAs.

They actually dated for a bit after that ... but it didn't last, and the relationship fizzled.

A couple years later, Rihanna kinda shaded Drake in a Vogue cover story ... saying this about the status of their relationship, "We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is." The outlet also noted her "eyes glaze[d] over with cool indifference."

She hasn't talked much about him since, but Drizzy's still going on about her ... a mom of 2, who's in a committed relationship ... and who's billionaire fashion mogul.

Mariah The Scientist has nothing but support for Sexyy Red as the dust settles on her sex tape controversy ... which includes defending her from the scope of Akademiks!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the "Spread Thin" singer at Dash Radio, and she advised Sexyy to consider taking legal action, if her XXX leak turns out to be an act of revenge porn.

Akademiks shared his concern for Sexyy in a different way -- advising her to quit dating and banging hood dudes, now that her celebrity stock is on the rise.

Mariah's currently in a long-distance relationship with Young Thug amid his RICO trial, and says Ak needs to shut his mouth and stay out of women's business for good ... something we're sure he's heard before.

She tells us Thug is actually in good spirits in his Fulton County jail lockup, and has become an avid Candy Crush player to pass the time.

Drake's giving a warning to a social media star who's trying to pretend he's the boss of a new rap label, which feels eerily similar to Birdman's ... and which Baby doesn't like at all.

Of course, we're talking about Druski and his "Coulda Been Records" -- a brand he recently launched ... but seemingly just for jokes and content. The dude ran auditions and uploaded a ton of clips showing him denying would-be artists in hilarious fashion.

Thing is ... Birdman himself isn't a fan of what Druski's doing -- and let him know about it in no uncertain terms over an IG Live chat -- warning him he's stepping on Cash Money's toes.

Fast-forward to this weekend ... and Druski's at it again, playing up a sketch/skit where he's brooding over one of Drizzy's new songs ('Daylight') where he raps a bar that Druski apparently wanted to use in one of his own (fake) songs ... "Standin' on business."

Check out Druski's upload ... it's pretty funny. He's fuming over the fact that Drake beat him to the punch -- and captioned his video "Cash Money vs Coulda Been BEEF CONTINUES." Obviously, Dru's kidding here -- the whole thing's a gag -- but Birdman isn't playing.

Baby responded in the comments, "Bro you still playin with a real gangsta SMFH" ... and Drake even chimed in, adding "Stunna bout to have you come up missing on Gladys."

Now, the Internet apparently can't tell if Birdman is being serious or not -- even though Druski obviously isn't -- but based on how Baby's reacting ... something tells us he means it. He posted more photos of Druski on his IG Story after this -- and he sure seems angry.

Remember, this manufactured feud came to a head a few months ago when Birdman confronted Druski about his Coulda Been endeavor -- and Dru tried to calm his down.

Since then, Druski's been leaning into it -- apparently getting a kick over the fact that he's gotten a rise out of Birdman over this whole charade -- and he continues to stir the CMR pot.

21 Savage took Canada by storm Saturday night at Drake's jam-packed performance -- one day after he was barred from entering the country.

The rapper hit the stage with Drake at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto last evening, marking the first time he was legally permitted to travel outside the United States.

TMZ got video of Drake cutting off some guy holding a mic to announce 21's dramatic arrival onstage. 21 gave Drake a huge hug as the crowd went absolutely wild.

As you know, 21 just got his Green Card after years of haggling in the courts following his 2019 arrest in Georgia that led to drug and gun possession charges.

At the time, 21 was a UK citizen living in the U.S. with an expired visa, putting him in the crosshairs of American immigration authorities.

Fast forward to Friday night. 21 was supposed to be at Drake's side during the concert, but he was denied entry into Canada, although it's not clear why.

Yet, 21 was able to iron out his immigration issues and Canadian officials opened the doors so he could make it to the arena Saturday.

Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny were in a celebratory mood after the Billboard Latin Music Awards ... because dude took home some serious metal!

Bad Bunny won 7 -- count them -- 7 awards, including Artist of the Year at the ceremony Saturday night in Miami.

After the show, BB and KJ hit the town, hitting up Superblue Miami, an art museum, and then capping it off by chowing down at Hometown BBQ Miami.

The 2 have been together for months but made it publicly official last week with their joint Gucci ad, where they left no doubt about their relationship.

TMZ has reported the 2 have been an item since posting that pic of them on a horseback in early April.

Fact is ... they've been joined at the hip since February. They were all over each other at Drake's concert in L.A. back in August.

OhGeesy thinks Sexyy Red has a point when it comes to Donald Trump getting love from the trenches ... hell, he tells us he wouldn't mind getting some of those stimulus checks again!!!

We kicked it with the Shoreline Mafia rapper this week in Bev Hills ... on the heels of Sexyy's dropping her Donald Trump endorsement, her sex tape leak and Drake feature. So, we got his take on all her big headlines.

Like Sexyy, OhGeesy tells us he's all for Trump returning to the White House ... he respects his gangsta, and, of course, that free money is music to his ears.

The ex-Prez has several legal cases pending that might slow his presidential run, but his public support amongst rappers has been mounting. Sexxy, Chief Keef, Benny The Butcher and now OhGeesy have all voiced their support -- and we're assuming Lil Wayne and Kodak Black still have his back too.

As for Sexyy's sex tape leak ... she's denied all responsibility and OhGeesy has a simple solution to keep it from happening again: Don't film your bedroom capers!!!

OhGeesy says Sexyy has the perfect tunes to soundtrack porn, so her career will be fine.

Joe Budden says Drake is an old head trying to appeal to young'ns ... but Drizzy's firing back, telling Joe to shut it in the fiercest way possible.

The podcaster went in on Drake's latest album, "For All the Dogs," during his newest episode of 'The Joe Budden Podcast' -- saying the dude is "rapping for the children" ... while going on to say that Champagne Papi needed to grow up and stop pandering to the youth.

Take a listen for yourself ... Joe seems to think that Drake's too old to be palling around with YouTube streamers (like Kai Cenat) or other Gen Z rappers like Lil Yachty, etc. He also has some words about Drizzy's sex life ... saying, "Stop f****** these 25-year-olds!!!!"

JB's words clearly struck a nerve, 'cause Drake responded with an essay-worth of hate toward the one-time MC -- writing, "@joebudden you have failed at music. You left it behind to do what you are doing in this clip cause this is what actually pays your bills."

There's more ... he adds, "For any artist watching this just remember you are watching a failure give their opinion on his idea of a recipe for success...a quitter give their opinion on how to achieve longevity." Drake has a lot more to say -- and let's just say it's critical.

In response, it seems Joe might be pulling back a bit ... acknowledging he went overboard.

Doja Cat is once again being accused of pandering to fringe communities after wearing a shirt with a photo folks on the alt-right know all too well ... showing off one Sam Hyde.

The rapper/singer posted and then deleted these pics on her IG Friday, but fortunately ... the Internet captured them and they're now circulating -- with DC getting dragged through the mud for what many consider an endorsement of Hyde and his brand of humor/following.

For those unaware, Hyde is a comedian ... who has been widely embraced by trolls in online chat rooms and forums, and who's even been accused of embracing neo-Nazi sentiments.

This particular photo of him holding a semiautomatic has become meme fodder for years -- anytime there's a mass shooting here in the States ... far-right keyboard warriors circulate the pic and falsely claim that Sam Hyde is the shooter, attempting to spread misinformation.

It's unclear if Hyde himself started that whole trend, but he and his comedy group have leaned into the joke -- bottom line ... the dude is highly problematic and polarizing.

That's exactly why Doja Cat rocking this shirt -- which, BTW, Hyde himself appears to be selling on his own website for a cool $38 -- is incredibly strange ... and getting double takes from her fans online. By the same token, many others aren't all that surprised by this either.

Fact is ... Doja has flirted with far-right wingers for a long time now -- including back in 2020 when old footage surfaced showing her talking to a bunch of dudes in a chat room ... which was later alleged to have featured racist convos. She denied those allegations at the time.

Of course ... there's also the "Dindu Nuffin'" song she put out once upon a time. All of that stuff mixed together -- plus this latest stunt -- is again thrusting her into controversy.

8:47 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Canadian officials decided last minute 21 Savage could not enter the country though it’s unclear why.

21 Savage went MIA from his much-hyped performance with Drake in Canada after finally getting his Green Card -- and it's a big mystery why.

The rapper was supposed to perform with Drake at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto Friday night, but Champagne Papi brought out Lil Baby instead.

The concert would have marked the first time 21 was legally permitted to travel outside the United States -- thanks to his shiny new Green Card. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, leaving everyone scratching their heads.

As we reported, Drake recently hinted in his rap song, "8AM in Charlotte," that 21 had finally overcome his immigration issues. He rapped, "Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate/Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian."

Back in 2019, 21 was taken into custody by immigration authorities in Georgia because he was actually a UK citizen -- living in the United States illegally on an expired visa. His case dragged on for years, and was further complicated by the fact he was caught with codeine and a handgun during the bust.

Tupac Shakur's fatal 1996 shooting was related to the murder of fellow rapper Biggie Smalls the following year, according to grand jury testimony from a former detective.

Retired Las Vegas Metro Police Detective Clifford Mugg testified before the Clark County grand jury in the Tupac case last month after the recent arrest of Duane "Keefe D" Davis for the hip hop star's murder, CNN reported.

Mugg, one of the investigators in the Tupac case, testified people "associated with both murders were involved," adding that the “theory was accurate that they were related.”

He didn't reveal the theory but admitted there were different assailants in each attack, giving Davis a pass on the Biggie murder.

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo asked, “When you say they were related, you’re not saying perpetrated by the same individuals?” Mogg replied, “That’s correct.” Davis was busted in late September and charged with Tupac's murder.

Mogg testified Davis talked his way right into jail by granting so many interviews over the years and talking openly about his alleged involvement in the Tupac murder. Davis was only speaking out to get paid for the salacious story, according to Mogg's testimony.

Shakur was shot to death in a vehicle driven by then-Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight while they were in Vegas for a boxing match in September 1996. Suge was wounded, but survived.

Keith Sweat was singing female fans outta their bras before Drake was even born, but the R&B legend thinks Mr. OVO is now wearing the R&B crown!!!

We caught up with Mr. Make It Last Forever at LAX this week and he gave props where they were due, anointing Drizzy ... who infamously called himself the "light-skinned Keith Sweat" back in 2013!!!

Drake just delivered his new 23-track "For All The Dogs" album with a wide assortment of R&B tracks and singing ... as heard on his #1 hit "Slime You Out" with SZA.

Keith says Drake is doing his thing on the singing front, and he should ignore critics of his vocal range. He says he got the same limited-range diss during his heyday.

Keith admits he was no Stevie Wonder or anything -- but he and his signature twang sold millions of records by dropping rug cutters in an era when singers simply sang and rappers just rapped. As far as he's concerned, Drake's earned his stripes in both genres and deserves all his flowers.

J. Cole knows his fans and stans love to stir the pot -- a frustrating social media experience for him -- but contrary to popular belief, he's still down to record with NBA YoungBoy!!!

Cole World made the revelation on his blistering "First Person Shooter" duet off Drake's new album "For All The Dogs" following widespread speculation (by us, too) he lyrically thrashed YB while rapping with Lil Yachty on "The Secret Recipe."

On his verse, Cole scolds fan-fueled rumors but admitted to taking secret joy in seeing his name looped with misinformation -- "N****s so thirsty to put me in beef/Dissecting my words and start lookin' too deep ... I look at the tweets and start suckin' my teeth I'm letting it rock 'cause I love the mystique/I still wanna get me a song with YB/Can't trust everything that you saw on IG" ... evidence he recorded these bars recently.

YoungBoy vented over a miffed Cole feature on his “F**k the Industry Pt. 2" track back in May ... and now it's guaranteed their meet-up will be a pleasant exchange.