TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Lil Yachty is giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "expensive taste" ... the star rapper just got fitted with a pair of custom veneers, worth a cool $1,050,000!!!

Lil Boat unveiled his new chompers Thursday ... the latest artwork from Thomas Connelly, D.D.S., the Bev. Hills dentist renowned for working with a ton of other celebrities such as Post Malone, Shaq, Odell Beckham, and others.

We're told Angel City Jewelers provided the diamonds ... 16 carats to be exact, complete with 4 custom-cut stones.

Yachty's had a pretty stellar year, he's featured on Drake's new album, and he just earned a rave review from Donald Glover for his "Secret Recipe" collab with J. Cole.

Jada Pinkett Smith is gushing about her love for Tupac Shakur again, but this time she's using language that feels like a slight against Will Smith -- the husband she hasn't really been with for 7 years.

The actress is set to release her tell-all memoir, and on Thursday, spoke to Christal Jordan for RollingOut ... and called the late rap icon her one true "soulmate," despite 19 years of marriage to the Fresh Prince.

Jada's reason for never getting romantically involved with Pac is simple, at least to her -- she claims they didn't have any chemistry.

Even more confounding, Jada told Christal ... Pac had proposed marriage to her -- she turned him down, but ya gotta wonder why he was asking someone to marry him if they had zero chemistry???

Jada did explain she feels a "soulmate" isn't about romance.

Earlier this week, the longtime Hollywood couple revealed they actually called it quits on their marriage in 2016 -- splitting up in every way, but legally -- leaving fans confused about why they kept up public appearances.

Not to mention, totally putting Will's Oscars slap on Chris Rock in a new light!

Jada's been unearthing her personal Pac memorabilia in the public eye for years -- which, for a lot of people, felt disrespectful to Will.

She claims all the questions will be answered when her book, "Worthy" drops on Oct. 17.

Druski is more than happy to publicly discuss his finances -- as he recently did at the Forbes annual Under 30 Summit -- but he is steering clear of any convos about Birdman ... a sign there's no peace between them.

ICYMI, Birdman got at Druski first for his swiping at Drake's new album -- even before he took Joe Budden and Gillie Da Kid to task for their critical opinions about "For All the Dogs."

So, during the Forbes event in Cleveland, Forbes Assistant Managing Editor Steven Bertoni asked Druksi for an update on the Birdman dust-up, and Druski quickly hurried him along ... murmuring they were "good" under his breath but his uneasy body language said the total opposite.

Birdman's been nipping at Druski's heels all year for what he perceives to be "disrespek" on the Cash Money name ... the viral comedian's "Coulda Been Records" has too many similarities for the music mogul's comfort!!!

Rudolph Isley, the singer known as one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers, has died.

The iconic singer passed away Wednesday in Illinois, TMZ has learned. The cause of Rudolph's death is currently unclear, though one person involved tells us it's believed he suffered a heart attack.

Rudolph started singing at a young age in his local church and created The Isley Brothers with his siblings Ronald, O'Kelly, and Vernon when he was just a teenager.

After Vernon was tragically hit by a car while riding his bike at just 13 years old in 1955, the brothers moved to New York to record music ... signing with RCA Records a few years later and debuting with their first song, "Shout" -- arguably one of their most significant tracks.

While the group was still in its infancy, Rudolph married Elaine Jasper in 1958 ... living the married life while the Brothers all went on to garner success with tracks like "Twist & Shout," "This Old Heart of Mine," and "It's Your Thing."

Despite Ronnie often taking the lead in the group, Rudolph got to record lead vocals for some of their songs, too.

As the years went on, The Isley Brothers grew -- adding younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and Rudolph's brother-in-law Chris Jasper into the mix in 1971.

Rudolph left the group in 1989 to carry out his goal of being a Christian minister, but he reunited with the group over the years. They were even inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 ... being given the award by fellow music legend Little Richard.

The group has been cranking out tracks for over half a century -- something many groups can't come close to -- with more recent songs like "Busted" and "Contagious" after Rudolph left.

They also made it into some popular rap hits ... being sampled in Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day" and Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa."

Rudolph was 84.

Boosie Badazz is feeling like Coach Prime these days ... or at least he'd love to slip on a pair of his shine-blockas to protect him from all the haters coming after him lately.

That's the theme Boosie's operating with for his new video "Deion Shades," which he released on Thursday ... taken from the deluxe edition of his latest album, "Goin' Thru Some Things."

On the track, Boosie calls out rats and snakes with a barrage of sports references ... "I want my son around the best/This that Brady talk/My mind in everyone mouth ... I need Deion's shades!!!"

The shades are indeed a hot commodity ... Deion recently gifted all his Colorado players their own pair ahead of a big game that went on to be etched in history.

The Louisiana rapper also pays homage to Ja Morant ahead of his NBA comeback ... posting up next to the signed #12 jersey the maligned All-Star sent him a couple of months ago.

Plies is adding his two cents on the Israel-Hamas war ... wondering out loud why Americans -- and all humans, in general -- simply don't have empathy for ethnic groups other than their own.

The "Bust It Baby" rapper approached the topic Thursday, but was admittedly walking on eggshells ... well aware saying anything about the current Middle East crisis could open him up to all sorts of criticism.

Plies says he sees the same patterns in Americans' reactions to the Israel-Hamas war as he did with the Russo-Ukrainian war -- people care just enough until they think the U.S. is providing too much aid.

He then asked why each ethnic group in America can't feel the pain of, or show concern for, another group -- whether that be Whites to Blacks, Blacks to Jews or Mexicans to Greeks.

Plies's point is everyone is lousy at caring about any group besides their own ... and it's glaring!!!

Celebrity responses to the latest war have been constant ... Kim Kardashian, LeBron James and Justin Bieber have all spoken out and received mixed reactions ... which Ja Rule told us is par for the course.

Unlike Plies, the "Pain Is Love" rapper thinks everyone does have empathy during these sorts of international conflicts -- but he says they might bite their tongues, publicly, until they're more informed.

Kanye West is reportedly pissing off the people of Italy again ... and this time it's local war veterans angry over his past remarks celebrating Hitler and the Nazis.

Here's the rub ... the rapper is supposedly in secret talks to hold a concert to build a huge event stage at the RCF Arena in the city of Reggio Emilia, according to the Daily Mail.

While no plans have been set in stone, word got around town that 80,000 fans are planning to show up at Kanye's possible gig, infuriating some of the Italian war veterans who fought against Nazis during World War 2, sources told The Mail.

The vets are bitter about Kanye's comments last year, lavishing praise on Hitler and the Nazis. You might recall ... Kanye sat for an interview with conspiracy nut Alex Jones on his show, "Infowars," and made some jaw-dropping remarks.

Kanye said, "I see good things about Hitler ... Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler."

When Jones argued the other way, Kanye replied, "They did good things too, we are gonna stop dissing the Nazis." At another point, Kanye stated, "I like Hitler.

In a separate interview with Piers Morgan, Kanye doubled down on his antisemitism, blaming Jews in the music industry for his ugly feelings toward them.

Taylor Swift's world premiere of her "Eras" tour film wouldn't be complete without friendship bracelets galore ... and the singer's parents joined in on the fun with her biggest fans -- which included Flavor Flav!

Scott and Andrea Swift were all smiles at the big premiere of their daughter's epic concert movie Wednesday night at The Grove in L.A. -- Andrea was spotted trading and having fun with a fan throughout the night.

Andrea couldn't help but give the Swiftie a hug after getting the accessory from them, which said, "I love you mama thank you so much" ... and she made sure to return the favor by finding a bracelet to give right back.

One of the many celebs who showed up was big-time Swiftie, Flavor Flav -- after snapping a pic with Taylor's pops, they got into the bracelet trading biz, too ... with Scott giving Flav a "Papa Swift" one that apparently is NOT for trading.

Flav gave Scott one to keep all for himself, too ... even double-checking that it'll stay on his wrist!

This isn't the first time Flav has met Taylor's 'rents -- as we reported, the rapper gave them big hugs at her SoFi Stadium concert back in August, and he was decked out in friendship bracelets there, too.

Scott even gave him some sweet guitar picks to pass out to the crowd.

Taylor Swift certainly knows how to draw a crowd -- proving it once again at her movie premiere -- by bringing out a ton of her fans and celebrity friends as well.

Taylor shut down the famous The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles Wednesday for 2,200 fans, but it felt more like a red carpet premiere once celebs started to show face.

As for the guest list -- Beyoncé, Flavor Flav, Simu Liu, Adam Sandler and his kids, Julia Garner, Mariska Hargitay, Maren Morris, Loren Gray and more.

Unsurprisingly, Taylor's fans were eating it all up ... going nuts outside the venue as their favorite singer posed for pics, shared quick stories, signed autographs and did plenty of smiling and waving.

TMZ broke the story ... Taylor had 14 theaters rented out at the AMC location at The Grove and each was packed. Once inside, fans were obviously treated to the movie, popcorn in 'Eras Tour' buckets, drinks, candy and even some face time with Taylor herself.

Tory Lanez is no longer getting isolated in prison, due to his celebrity status ... instead, we're told he's been rubbing elbows in the yard with his fellow inmates.

A rep for the California Correctional Institution tells TMZ Hip Hop ... a typical day for Tory consists of waking up around 6 or 6:30 AM, before grabbing breakfast in the chow hall and then work release -- a schedule that applies to roughly 96 percent of the prison population.

We're told work jobs range from various hands-on tasks such as plumbing, carpentry and fixing air conditioners ... but taking classes will also earn inmates work credits,

Non-workers at North Kern State Prison apparently have the privilege of hanging out in the dayroom and rec area where they're provided a tablet to connect with family.

As for their second square of the day -- lunches are provided in box form, and inmates are allowed to eat them whenever.

If all goes well, Tory will have the opportunity to participate in education programs that offer certifications and even Master's degrees. There's also a slew of additional courses, such as anti-drug programs, alternatives to violence and parenting classes.

When Tory goes out in the yard, we're told he's able to mingle with all groups within the general population ... something his legal team stressed was important for his prison experience.

And, the official says there's no extra security shadowing him ... he's a common inmate just like everyone else.

Closing out the day ... dinner is typically served after a 5 PM headcount, and then the dayroom and yard are reopened for inmates to socialize until 9 PM when they return to their cells for lights out.

City Girls are coming in hot with their new album title, proudly labeling themselves "Real/Raw Ass Whores" to sum up their 3rd studio effort.

Yung Miami and JT both made the shocking reveal following their BET Hip Hop Awards performance ... a moment that left the interviewer momentarily speechless.

Just like the abbreviation suggests, the title was so raw, Miami took the liberty upon herself to blurt out the acronym ... leaving JT to shed light on the fact they were referring to themselves as "whores" this time around.

The "Act Up" rappers didn't explain if being "whores" was a term of empowerment or endearment like say when Missy Elliott did back in 1999 when she proclaimed herself "a bitch" ... they just had a hearty laugh at their new nicknames!!!

Fans were on the fence about City Girls' album title for some reason but expressed even more confusion about the project's release date of October 20 in general ... many felt the duo hadn't had a proper lead-up time to see success.

Or maybe the impact just hasn't been there??? City Girls actually dropped 4 singles this year ... with none of the tracks even nicking the Billboard Hot 100 ... a string of rare misses for the platinum-selling hitmakers.

Weeks before Keefe D's arrest for the murder of Tupac Shakur, he was ready to talk about the July raid on his home -- but according to DJ Vlad, Keefe got cold feet and made off with stacks of Vlad's cash!!!

We reported at the time how investigators collected several electronic items such as a hard drive, laptops and USBs during the raid ... and police say that ultimately led to last month's stunning arrest of Keefe.

Now, Vlad tells Faizon Love ... Keefe actually reached out to him to do another sit-down, and Vlad agreed. He said he even paid Keefe an initial deposit to secure the interview.

As it turns out, Vlad says he learned Keefe was fielding offers -- and collecting deposits -- from other outlets too, but was unable to make the interview happen before he got busted.

Vlad says he's yet to see any sort of refund of his money and doesn't sound like he's holding his breath for one.

Doug E. Fresh is much more open-minded than most of his peers when it comes to artificial intelligence affecting the art ... he's straight up calling it "an enhancement" to human abilities!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with the beatboxing pioneer Wednesday in NYC, where he urged fans and artists not to fear the AI revolution taking jobs ... something Krayzie Bone told us last year he fears when we raised the topic.

"The World's Best Entertainer" was lending his support to Pencils of Promise ... an education organization geared toward spreading modern education to children in Ghana, Guatemala and Laos.

Speaking of younger generations, Doug believes they'll adopt AI tools much easier in the years to come.

Doug compared AI's origins to when the drum machine entered the world of hip hop ... effectively replacing live instrumentation, and he's confident humans will still be in control.

Ja Rule thinks Drake and DJ Khaled deserve a pass, or at least time before they make any public comments about the war between Israel and Hamas ... and that's IF they want to say anything at all.

This is only an issue because DJ Vlad, who is Jewish, called out Drake for being the world's most famous Jewish person, and Khaled for being the most recognizable Palestinian. Both men have been silent on the conflict in which Hamas terrorists have reportedly beheaded babies and raped women, massacred more than 1,000 people and taken more than 200 hostages.

Ja tells TMZ Hip Hop he feels the criticism of Khaled and Drake is a bit unfair ... as some artists make the decision to stay away from anything that even hints at politics.

He also notes people -- celebs and entertainers alike -- need time to digest breaking news in order to react with real knowledge, and they deserve the time to do so without facing the public's wrath.

The "Always On Time" rapper was back home in NYC for the Pencils of Promise Gala Tuesday evening and offered up some words about the human condition and the need for peace.

Remember, Ja put his own neck on the line on the day of the September 11 terrorist attacks calling into MTV with words of encouragement ... only to become a meme thanks to Dave Chappelle years down the line.

N.O.R.E. and his "Drink Champs" podcast lost the "Best Hip Hop Platform" BET award to Yung Miami for the 2nd year in a row ... and the "Oye Mi Canto" rapper isn't taking the L too nicely!!!

After the 2023 BET Hip Hop Award winners were announced during Tuesday's airing, N.O.R.E. decided to stir the pot by tweeting ... "So nobody gonna say nothing bout the podcast /media award? Ok me neither!!!"

Miami not only beat out "Drink Champs," but also "The Breakfast Club" and Joe Budden's podcast -- but the accusations of Diddy paying off BET for her didn't fly as far as they did last year, as many of Miami's fans rubbed it in N.O.R.E.'s face!!!

Her "Caresha Please" viewership was proven to best N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN's in the last year and she's even given them one of their recent viral moments ... dubbing herself the "Black Oprah" when she was on "Drink Champs" in August.

Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Ice Spice also took home trophies at the Awards, which were taped last week and hosted by Fat Joe.

DJ Envy finally addressed the Ponzi scheme allegations that have been haunting him for weeks, denying any wrongdoing Wednesday on "The Breakfast Club" ... the same platform he used to promote the side hustle some have called a scam.

Envy told listeners he's going against the advice of his legal counsel in defending his name ... but says he only embarked on the real estate venture with Cesar Piña in order to assist first-time homeowners in his community, so they wouldn't have to struggle as he did.

Envy admits he participated in several seminars disseminating information to potential buyers ... but says he had no knowledge of what Cesar did with the money clients gave him, and even claims he's lost $500,000 of his own money in the deal.

The fallout has made Envy a target in the hip hop world ... Rick Ross and Funk Flex have publicly clowned him over the accusations, and internet personality Tony The Closer has also taken him to task.

Envy isn't taking that lightly, his attorney Massimo D'Angelo tells TMZ Hip Hop they're suing Tony for defamation.

So far, the bulk of the lawsuits have been filed against Cesar and his wife, Jennifer, with Envy being named as a secondary defendant -- which his attorney calls pure sensationalizing of Envy's celebrity.

NBC 4 New York interviewed several of the alleged victims who said they were comfortable doing business with Piña because of Envy's endorsement.