TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

It's been looking like a completely different decade on social media lately, as users have flocked to throw themselves right back into the '90s ... and celebs are no exception.

Of course, we're talking about the Epik App -- which uses artificial intelligence to throw people's faces into a collection of stock image yearbook photos that are drenched with late 20th-century styles that reflect what high schoolers might've been wearing some 30-odd years ago.

This trend is all the rage right now ... and you better believe Hollywood is getting in on it too -- with some of the most recognizable faces getting cut and pasted into the past.

Just a handful of the stars who've given Epik a go ... Snoop Dogg, Heidi Klum, Keke Palmer, Nick Carter, Jessie James Decker, Julian Edelman, Chance the Rapper, Steve Aoki, Hoda Kotb, Frankie Grande, Coco Jones, Jenna Bush Hager and Olivia Dunne ... to name a few.

Some other standouts ... Arnold Schwarzenegger's "yearbook" pic is definitely a head-turner, seeing how AI has morphed into something totally unrecognizable -- in a good way!

Charlie Wilson has no doubts whatsoever Kanye West's upcoming album is in good hands with Ty Dolla $ign as co-pilot, because according to Uncle Charlie ... Ty's voice is golden as his!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with The Gap Band leader at LAX, where he told us all of Ye's existing backstories -- antisemitism, public tirades, lawsuits -- will have no bearing on the quality of his new music.

We broke the story, Kanye and Ty$ were holed up good and tight in the studio last month, with Ye cranking out 10 songs in a week's time.

They're currently shopping the album but unlike Charlie's projection ... so far, major record labels are giving the impression Ye's antisemitic rhetoric left a lasting stain.

Larry Jackson's indie distributor Gamma counts Snoop Dogg, Usher and Rick Ross as clients, and still remains a viable option for the project.

As for CW, he last appeared on Kanye's 2019 "Ye" album, and tells us he's not a part of this new one. Charlie admits he and Ye lost contact, but says with Ty$ on board, it'll be a win for the project.

10/18 9:23 AM PT -- PD Beats tells TMZ Hip Hop the lawsuit is simply "an effort" to be in front of his business more ... as he hopes he and producers like Chicago's J Craig get their "just due."

Juice WRLD remains one of the top-streaming artists, even in death, but one man claims he co-wrote one of his hit songs and is now suing for his cut of the profits.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a new lawsuit filed by Pierre DeJournette a.k.a. PD Beats ... one of the writers credited -- along with Dr. Luke and others -- on the 2021 Juice Wrld track "Not Enough."

The song was released posthumously as part of JW's "Fighting Demons" album, but PD is claiming his repeated attempts to get recognized as a co-author, and to get paid for his work have failed. So, now he's taking the matter to court.

In addition to suing Juice Wrld's estate, PD is going after Interscope Records, KBeazy, and others who apparently contributed to the track.

PD seems to believe everyone's getting paid 'cept him!!! 😩

The track is a big hit on Spotify ... 59 million plays and counting, a testament to the musical legacy JW left behind after his 2019 death from a fatal overdose.

PD is requesting the courts officially declare him a co-writer on the song, and he wants a full accounting of the profits ... so he can claim his piece.

We reached out to Interscope for comment but haven't heard back yet.

Halle Bailey is doing little to dispel persistent rumors she's pregnant with her first child ... because if that bump is what everyone thinks it is, she's no longer trying to hide it.

The 'Little Mermaid' star was out in Santa Monica, rocking very casual and very baggy clothing -- sweatpants and a hoodie -- and yet all eyes were focused on her midsection.

Halle was joined by rapper boyfriend, DDG, during the Sunday outing, and the couple looked pretty happy about something -- and most of their fans think they know what that something is.

HB did have a bandage on her arm near her elbow, indicating a possible blood draw. If she's preggo, giving blood is something that's done regularly for all sorts of tests.

It looks like DDG also gave blood too, for some reason, because he had a bandage on his left arm.

Halle first sparked pregnancy rumors last month at the MTV Video Music Awards ... when she wore a large, flowing orange dress onstage to present an award.

She also reportedly remained cautious backstage, greeting celebs with handshakes instead of hugs.

Add it all up and it seems like Halle and DDG are starting a family -- but, to be fair, they haven't confirmed anything. Not yet.

DJ Envy is being accused of using his 'Breakfast Club' platform to scam potential real estate buyers, but DJ Akademiks is feeling zero sympathy for them, and thinks you shouldn't either.

He's calling for the claimants themselves should be subjects on "The Breakfast Club" ... as Charlamagne tha God's collective "Donkey of the Day" for being dumb enough to allegedly get duped by Caesar Piña in the first place!!!

Ak got a hearty laugh diving into the mounting news coverage surrounding Piña and Envy's multiple lawsuits for real estate fraud ... and completely lost it over internet personality Tony the Closer's self-appointed mission to take down Envy.

Now, to be clear, Ak does think the investors deserve to get back their money -- but, also says they should've thought twice before handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Piña.

Envy's attorney Massimo F. D'Angelo recently told TMZ Hip Hop the 'BC' cohost was out a whooping $500k, making him a victim himself. Ak agrees with that sentiment, but says the lawsuits are legit due to Envy's association with Piña.

Envy has been adamant he didn't steal a dime from any of the plaintiffs ... which hasn't exactly helped social media cut back on the real estate memes.

Blueface pulled the ol' George Washington cherry tree defense when confronted about his mom wanting to set him up with Megan Thee Stallion -- and, in the process, seemingly let it slip they once were a thing.

Blue and Jaidyn Alexis were the latest guests on "The Jason Lee Show" when the Meg topic came up -- to which the "Thotiana" rapper blurted out he had "been there, done that."

Now, he wouldn't say if they slept together, but suggested they engaged in some thot s**t, and there were some oral sexual favors.

Blueface claims the Stallion tryst went down about 5 years ago when he and Meg were 2019 XXL Freshman together, and he seemed to be in disbelief Jason considered their alleged hookup a scoop.

Meanwhile, Jaidyn stared at her watch, uncomfortably ... as she had to sit through more than just the Megan convo.

Coi Leray's name also came up, and BF's response was the same ... been there, done that.

BF denied being a chatty Patty, and claimed he was just answering every question, even ancient ones, truthfully.

Fat Joe is full of optimism these days ... he's confident Jay-Z's new casino endeavor will boost NYC's economy, and he also doesn't think Jada Pinkett Smith's been spinning tall tales about Tupac.

We caught up with Don Cartagena out in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of NYC, not too far from where Jay's got grand plans to open Manhattan's first casino.

Joe and Angela Rye were busy pumping up Roc Nation and Caesars Palace's bid to build a gaming palace smack dab in Times Square.

Joe thinks once the gambling hub is built and established, it'll attract everyone from around the world and potentially create thousands of jobs for NYC residents -- so, there's potential for a true win-win?

Jay's serious about the casino's construction -- he even wrote an open letter to his city with his list of reasons why he should be the one to see the project through.

Critics of the casino say the new monument will attract even newer crime and congestion but Joe argues that ownership is the only way to truly liberate the people.

Speaking of liberation, Joe is giving his full support to Jada's "Worthy" book, in spite of all the backlash over her fractured marriage with Will Smith.

October 17 is a holiday as far as Gucci Mane's concerned and the 1017 Records CEO is giving a gift to Young Dolph fans this year ... with a pair of previously unreleased verses from the late rapper.

Gucci dropped his new album "Breath of Fresh Air" on Tuesday ... a star-studded "double disc" that features contributions from J. Cole, DaBaby, 21 Savage, Key Glock and more.

Dolph appears on the tracks "Thank Me" and "Pretty Girls," furthering their collab track record years after his death. He was also one of the marquee players on Dolph's posthumous album released last year.

Along with Dolph's Paper Route Empire, La Flare's been going hard to keep the late "Play Wit Yo Bitch" rapper's name alive, especially as the 2-year anniversary of his murder looms next month.

Michael Jordan got the red carpet rolled out for him at Usher's show over the weekend ... getting prime seats, a shoutout during the concert -- and even a sexy dance from Tiffany Haddish!!!

His Airness pulled up to the "Let It Burn" crooner's performance at Park MGM in Las Vegas on Saturday ... and almost immediately, king treatment commenced.

Jordan, his wife and a couple other friends were walked to some chairs in a VIP area that seemed to feature bottle service.

Then, as Usher was singing, Haddish cruised over to Jordan's group to give the NBA legend a show of her own ... gyrating in front of the former Chicago Bulls star -- while he clapped and laughed.

Usher himself then made sure Jordan felt special in the audience ... pausing his whole act to acknowledge that the hooper was in attendance.

"We love you, Mike," he screamed as everyone went crazy.

Of course, the conduct toward MJ shouldn't surprise anyone ... after all, he's the NBA's G.O.A.T. -- and he and Usher are longtime pals.

In fact, they famously collaborated to make an ultra-rare version of one of Jordan's signature shoes back in 2014 -- kicks that Usher actually broke out during Saturday's show.

"I'm putting them on because I want to be like Mike!" Usher said.

Blac Chyna and Tyga are at odds over custody of their son King Cairo -- a battle that was pretty obvious from the guest list for King's 11th birthday bash!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage from inside the event which went down Sunday in L.A. ... it was a private party, strictly for close family and friends. Not shockingly, that did NOT include Tyga.

While King's pops wasn't there, we're told roughly 25-30 kids turned out to help KC celebrate ... and Chyna -- or Angela White as she's now known -- belted out the birthday song, complete with the MLK remix.

Chyna's mom Tokyo Toni was also there cutting a rug as the whole party jammed to a Blueface track!!!

Sources inside the shindig tell us it was produced by Royal Game Bus, who kept the kiddos busy all afternoon ... providing them with Oculus Quests, a cotton candy machine, candy bags and all the games they could play.

It's obvious the kids all had a great time, but the same can't be said for King's parents.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained court docs from the latest court bout between Tyga and Angela ... she's petitioning for equal joint custody, but he's not backing down.

Jermaine Dupri entered the dissatisfied hip hop customer chat Monday -- immediately after his protégé Bow Wow -- by declaring war on the social media algorithms he blames for ruining the culture.

The So So Def mogul arrived at his moment of clarity by watching a video of Jay-Z, posted by his friend Isaac Hayes III, where Hov questioned the hip hop community for steadily building up social media platforms instead of building its own.

JD then revealed a recent encounter with TikTok opened his eyes wide to the BS when one of his songs got struck with a copyright infringement claim, and it became clear to him the culture had relinquished too much of its power.

The Atlanta rap star praised the industry's contributions of yesteryear -- he says Jimmy Iovine, Diddy, the late Andre Harrell and others cared for the craft -- but believes most of today's figureheads could all be bought ... LVRN Records notwithstanding!!!

JD says he also heard nothing but negativity regarding the recent BET HH Awards ... critiques he was able to dodge thanks to his So So Def 30th anniversary showcase that reunited him with Bow, as well as Ludacris, Nelly and Da Brat-Tat-Tat!!!

Bow mirrored much of JD's gripes earlier today in a Twitter rampage of his own.

Soulja Boy isn't down to sit back and let his laundry list of "rapper firsts" be disrespected -- so he's going off on Lil Yachty for making what he considers treasonous remarks.

Yachty recently claimed he and Post Malone were the first rappers to adopt streaming on Twitch ... an erroneous statement, because SB's been on Twitch since 2013 as opposed to Yachty's 2016 entry date.

Soulja hopped on IG Live and gave Yachty a mouthful of disses while flashing stacks of cash in the camera to remind the red-haired rapper he comes from old money. He also threw in some homophobic slurs, referencing Yachty's painted nails.

Drake didn't escape the wrath either, as SB warned he too was skating on thin ice ... but he didn't explain that beef any further.

Drake and SB haven't had much interaction lately, but the "Crank Dat" rapper landed one of the biggest "Breakfast Club" moments when he dissed Champagne Papi in the name of Pusha T several years ago ... 20 million views and counting.

J. Cole's infamous lyrics about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith -- from his classic track, "No Role Modelz" -- are now, obviously tainted, and Cole's navigating that slippery slope by nixing the line from live shows.

Cole was recently spotted performing the "2014 Forest Hills Drive" cut during a recent show where he muted himself when it came time to deliver the lyric about "Will & Jada love."

The Dreamville rapper sheepishly commanded the crowd to fill in the blanks ... seemingly understanding he could no longer rap it with conviction.

Fans have been ribbing Cole about the dated bars for days now, especially in the wake of Jada revealing she and Will separated 7 years ago.

On a brighter note, Cole earned his 1st ever #1 hit Monday on the Billboard Hot 100, courtesy of running laps around Drake on their "For All the Dogs" duet ... "First-Person Shooter."

Bow Wow still hasn't found much hip hop worth championing this year, and he's voicing his complaints about it by pointing a finger industry's lousy, in his words, A&R execs.

The veteran MC launched into a Twitter tirade Monday, questioning if record labels even give a damn about the artists they sign!!!

Bow used a sports analogy to make his point -- a (smart) boxer wouldn't get into the ring without properly training, and he says artists releasing music should be no exception.

Clearly, he thinks the artists & repertoire folks -- who are supposed to find and develop new talent -- are sleeping on the job.

The "Shorty Like Mine" rapper went viral earlier this year for ripping today's crop of music during the BET Awards, but he thinks that message still hasn't gotten through to artists who care about making quality hip hop.

KXNG Crooked literally just told us the same thing Bow's ranting about -- he feels today's record labels are run by clowns, and, as a result, we're all living in a circus!!!

Tupac Shakur's brother Mopreme says Diddy called him personally to deny involvement in the Las Vegas murder, and while folks like 50 Cent continue to fuel that rumor ... it sounds like Mopreme still wants an official verdict.

On Monday, Pac's bro was back in the hot seat for "Art Of Dialogue" -- the same platform where Tupac murder suspect Keefe D told on himself -- and Mopreme dug into his memory vault to recall the Diddy phone call.

At the time, they hadn't met, but Mo says the Bad Boy mogul knew exactly who he was and what he was about -- and wanted to tell him "man-to-man" the killing wasn't on his hands.

Mopreme says Diddy dialed him "sometime in the 2000s" ... which aligns with the 2008 Los Angeles Times story written by Chuck Philips that implicated Diddy in Tupac's murder.

The Times eventually retracted the story after the FBI reports it cited were found to be falsified.

Mopreme admits finding answers behind Pac's death has been a chore, and doesn't know what to make of Diddy's phone call to him.

For what it's worth, Keefe has previously claimed Diddy was orchestrating behind the scenes. It's unclear what he'll say in court now, should he actually stand trial for Tupac's murder.

Drake's kicking off the week with yet another No. 1 album to his name -- his 13th in total -- and he's celebrating with 6-year-old son Adonis, who's probably ready to step into his father's shoes sooner than people think!!!

Adonis turned 6 on Sunday, and his father blessed him with a global gift ... a music video for his "My Man (Freestyle)" ... his rapping debut that was plugged at the end of the song "Daylight" from the now #1 album, "For All The Dogs."

There's apparently more in store -- Drake also shared footage of Adonis performing an unreleased track at his birthday party yesterday, commanding the crowd as if they'd paid for 'Blur' tour tickets.

The basketball-themed "My Man" visual shows just how Adonis has gotten comfortable with his dad's glitzy lifestyle as he and his buddies emulate the pros.

Interestingly enough, Adonis is also the lead for the only other "Dogs" visual to date, the album kick-off single "8am in Charlotte" ... Drake clearly wanted his son to share the shine.

The LP attracted 402,000 U.S. sales thanks to a whopping 514 million streams ... and also had its fair share of negative reviews, most famously spearheaded by Joe Budden.