TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Joshua Jackson's not sulking at home because his wife filed for divorce -- in fact, it's quite the opposite, because he's out on the town with Lupita Nyong'o.

The "Dawson's Creek" star went out with the actress and a group of friends Wednesday night, hitting up the Janelle Monáe concert at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Joshua and Lupita arrived together, but were among a group of about 9 or 10 people ... they've known each other for years, and there's nothing romantic about the night out.

As further proof, we're told there was no PDA, and Lupita's recently been linked to Selema Masekela ... though it appears she recently removed all traces of him on her Instagram, so there's a chance they're no more.

As for Joshua, TMZ broke the story ... British actress/model Jodie Turner-Smith pulled the plug on their marriage earlier this month, filing for divorce after 4 years of marriage.

Since the split, Jodie's been showing off her post-breakup hotness at a couple fashion shows over in Europe.

Megan Thee Stallion recently told fans her next album will be an indie effort, and that's no cap -- her years-long battle with her record label 1501 Certified, and its boss Carl Crawford, is now over!

Billboard reported on Thursday that both Megan and 1501 will "amicably part ways" ... ending 3 years of back-and-forth swipes on social media.

The two parties started going at it in 2020 ... the "WAP" rapper cited repeated attempts by the Houston-based label blocking her from releasing music and fulfilling her contract.

No word if either party paid out any money to end the deal, but Crawford softened his stance on Meg earlier this year after the Tory Lanez guilty verdict for shooting her.

He debuted his new label president Kai "Verse" Tyler to TMZ Hip Hop back in Feb. ... revealing he was sorry for his part in the Meg wars, which included bad mouthing her Roc Nation boss Jay-Z.

The fanfare didn't last long ... Kai's no longer a part of the machine and 1501's other hitmaker, Erica Banks, recently dropped a diss song aimed at 1501 with the same gripes as Megan -- "Give a f*** about that label they see me/And they owe me some money, they greedy" ... but we're told cooler heads have prevailed.

Carl's a former MLB All-Star, so it's time to draw on that "team-building" expertise.

42 Dugg's release from prison this week is music to 03 Greedo's ears ... he says Dugg actually used to reach out to him during his own lengthy prison bid!!!

Greedo tells TMZ Hip Hop the Detroit rapper is arguably his fave to hail from the Motor City ... acknowledging Dugg was "going through some things" amid his sentence for gun possession.

Dugg lashed out at his prison conditions last year with claims he had to heat up his food with murky water from the shower ... but Greedo foresees smooth sailing for Dugg, as he's part of Yo Gotti's powerful Collective Music Group conglomerate.

As we reported, Gotti welcomed Dugg back into the CMG and they headed straight to the studio after getting some grub.

Greedo says the best course for Dugg is to get back on the move like he never left -- he says that's what worked for him after he was released!!!

The "Wolf Of Grape Street" was released from prison at the top of the year after serving a 5-year bid, and says he's been able to stay booked on tours with the music he's released.

Jeezy is finally breaking his silence on his divorce from Jeannie Mai ... saying the call to pull the plug wasn't an easy one, but his love for his estranged boo isn't lost.

In a statement given to TMZ, Jeezy says, "The decision to end this chapter in my life was not made impulsively and comes with a heavy heart. Despite this, my love and respect for Jeannie remains and the time we spent together holds a cherished place in my heart."

He continues, "Our beautiful daughter is the best gift from our relationship and I am committed to assuring she feels the love and stability she deserves."

As we reported, Jeezy filed for divorce last month in Georgia, saying in the docs there was no hope for reconciliation. The 2 share their 1-year-old daughter, Monaco, together ... and we we're told there was a prenup set in place.

You'll recall, Jeannie was being accused of cheating on Jeezy with "Access Hollywood" host, Mario Lopez -- but a source close to her said that was in no way true.

9:50 AM PT -- More attorney issues for Duane "Keefe D" Davis ... and the arraignment has been delayed once more. The new date is November 2 at 9 AM.

Duane "Keefe D" Davis -- the man arrested for allegedly killing Tupac Shakur -- is about to appear in court to face a murder charge in the nearly 30-year-old case.

The 60-year-old suspect is scheduled to show face at Clark County Court in Vegas around 9 AM Thursday ... where he will appear in front of Judge Tierra D. Jones for his arraignment.

He appeared in court 2 weeks ago, but the lawyer he hired was a no-show. His arraignment was then pushed to Thursday.

Clark County D.A. Steve Wolfson said in a press conference after the initial hearing that Keefe D was expected to plead not guilty to the charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon in relation to the shooting of Tupac in 1996.

As we reported, Keefe was arrested at the end of September -- on top of the murder charge, he was also hit with a gang enhancement.

TMZ obtained body cam footage from his arrest ... showing cops walking up to him on a residential street to bust him, and Keefe acting pretty compliant throughout the arrest.

Cops say they reopened the case 27 years after Tupac was killed because Keefe has been outspoken in interviews about being involved in the rapper's murder.

7:00 PM PT -- Trey Songz's attorney, Michael Freedman, tells TMZ, "This is yet another example of nearly decade-old allegations being repurposed to take advantage of California's constitutionally questionable new look back window. We look forward to vindicating Trey on the merits in court."

Trey Songz is being sued by two women who claim they passed out at his house party only to wake up to him forcing himself on them with nonconsensual sex.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the women are accusing Trey of sexual assault and battery for an alleged 2015 incident at his Los Angeles-area estate.

In the docs, the women say they first met Trey in June 2015 when they went to his concert and got invited to an after-party he was hosting. They say subsequent interactions led them to be invited to his home in August for his birthday party.

The women claim they took an Uber to Trey's home and were forced to give a password and turn over the phones to gain admittance. Inside, they say it was mostly women and only a handful of men, and the ladies were pressured to drink alcohol from unsealed bottles.

In the suit, the women say they suddenly felt overwhelmingly intoxicated, despite drinking what they felt was a modest amount ... and believe they were drugged.

They claim they sat on a couch by the pool and that's when Trey swooped in and led them to an upstairs bedroom where they passed out with their clothes on.

The next morning, the women say the woke up naked ... with a naked Trey forcing himself on them.

One woman claims Trey was giving her nonconsensual oral sex. She says she tried to resist but he overpowered her.

The other woman claims she woke up to Trey biting her nipple and forcing his fingers inside her vagina.

In the suit, the women say Trey demanded they take a shower with him after the alleged sexual attacks ... but they say they refused and he became enraged, yelling at them ..."You are little f****** girls, get the f*** out of my house."

The women say they grabbed their clothes and tried to leave, but Trey refused to turn over their phones. Eventually, they say a security guard intervened, gave them their phones from a safe, and they called an Uber.

In their suit, the women say they've suffered lasting injuries from the alleged incident ... and they're going after Trey for damages.

We reached out to Trey's camp ... so far no word back.

10/20 -- Just as we told you, Wale released his Def Jam debut on Friday ... the new single "Max Julien."

The theme is giving 'Return of the Mack' vibes to signal the veteran rapper's grand return.

Wale announced his return to music earlier this week -- shockingly, his last official release was 2 years ago, but his time away has blossomed into a new label deal with Def Jam Records!!!

Sources close to the "Album About Nothing" rapper inform TMZ Hip Hop ... he signed with the storied label several months ago, and it will be instrumental in navigating the next facet of his career, including the new track he's dropping Friday.

We're told Wale is excited about his new situation, but this isn't his first rodeo and he doesn't want to do much disruption on social media to blur the fan's listening experience.

In other words, he's a focused man just like the label's biggest alum.

Joe Budden & Podcast Co. were extremely thrilled with the news and praised Wale for truly using his time away as an actual hiatus ... Wale's renowned for using social media as an open-book diary, and Joe thinks it was clouding the vision.

He's already hit the ground running at the new office -- adding synergy to the joint venture Def Jam inked last year with Nigeria-based Native Records ... via a feature on ODUMODUBLVCK's "Blood On the Dance Floor" ditty alongside Bloody Civilian.

We're told there are also plans to take his native D.C. by storm. Yes, Chocolate City ... Wale's coming home!!!

We won't call it a comeback because he's been here for years, but we gotta allow him to reintroduce himself, though.

Myke Towers isn't looking to follow in his fellow Puerto Rican trapper Bad Bunny's footsteps by locking down a celeb relationship -- a la Kendall Jenner -- instead, the "LALA" artist says he has options, and he's ready to explore 'em!!!

TMZ Hip Hop quizzed the Reggaeton megastar about his relationship status outside 'Jimmy Kimmel,' and while he played it coy, Myke ultimately told us the single life works best for him now.

He made it clear, he doesn't want to piss off his existing roster of women. Yeah, we know, first-world playboy problems!!!

It's not hard to see why Myke is iffy on tying down the right one, he's been crackin' since winning the "Best New Artist" at the Billboard Latin Music Awards a couple of years ago.

He dropped his recent album "La Vida Es Una" back in March ... and his track "LALA" has been racking up platinum plaques in the Latin market left and right.

We also inquired about Tekashi 6ix9ine's current standing amongst fans in P.R., especially in light of his recent legal drama in the Dominican Republic for alleged assault.

Gucci Mane brought out a legion of Atlanta star power at his 1017 Day concert last night -- which included T.I., as the two publicly buried the hatchet right in their own city!!!

Midway through his set, La Flare invited T.I. to the stage where he performed his homegrown hit "24" for the crowd, which couldn't contain their excitement to see both men onstage at the same time.

A source close to the situation tells TMZ Hip Hop both superstars have long moved past their previous round of diss exchanges from years ago.

They both were co-headliners for the recent Legendz of the Streetz tour and mended the fences, which didn't take much doing.

The beef largely stemmed from clawing for rap dominance -- if you remember, T.I. told us his "King of the South" title earned him more friction than he could've expected.

It didn't hurt Tip just gave Gucci his flowers while he can still smell them ... naming him to the "Mt. Trapmore" of rap alongside himself, Jeezy and Future!!!

Quavo, Latto, Keyshia Ka'Oir and artists from Paper Route Empire were also on hand, and Gucci delivered a Young Dolph tribute just like he did on his new album.

DDG may or may not be a father-to-be -- he and Halle Bailey still aren't saying -- but in the meantime, he's not gonna be sonned by faceless trolls on the internet.

After all, that's literally his specialty!!!

After speculation he and his GF Halle are expecting their first child (their public outing last weekend made it a near lock), the "Moonwalking in Calabasas" rapper gave off the impression he was bombarded with taunts about not being good enough for "The Little Mermaid" star.

Instead of planning the baby shower, the savvy social media maestro decided to lean into the haters labeling him a bum by adjusting his Twitter bio to "Rich Bum."

Hip hop is full of pocket-watching these days so it's anyone's guess how DDG was honored by Forbes in both 2022 and '21, and also released his "Maybe It's Me" album back in July.

Yeah, Halle sure knows how to pick 'em!

At any rate, DDG should look to his friends -- not his haters, and it appears he has a good ol' pal in Nick Cannon, who's eagerly welcoming him to the "baby daddy gang" with any available arms.

42 Dugg is a free man again -- released from prison earlier after serving 17 months for gun possession ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The Detroit rapper was greeted by family, friends and his CMG Records boss Yo Gotti on Monday outside the Georgia prison where he'd been since May 2022.

After a rousing welcome home, we're told they immediately got some good grub and headed straight to the studio!!!

If you recall, 42 lashed out about his prison conditions back in May of this year ... claiming he was being held illegally past his court date, and the U.S. Marshals were playing mind games with him as if they'd captured Ethan Hunt.

42 led the feds on a manhunt for months, starting at the end of 2021, when he was supposed to turn himself in to a West Virginia prison.

He eventually was sentenced to 1 year, and quickly had regrets after intake at the prison -- he lashed out at the lack of hot water and other amenities on the inside.

Gotti offered up a pretty penny for his release -- $2 million to any attorney able to get his sentence shortened.

No word if he ended up forking out that dough, but Dugg is definitely home.

His arrival comes just in time for the upcoming CMG Tour featuring, arguably, the hottest team in rap ... Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla, EST Gee and more.

Kanye West wants the public to know -- he's not bipolar, as he's previously claimed -- instead, he says, he has "signs of autism" caused from his car crash in 2002.

In a bizarre text-rant to Elon Musk, Kanye states, "When are we going to speak. You owe me nothing. You never have to speak to me again. But if we do speak. The nature of the relationship has to change. I’m not bi polar. I have signs of autism from my car accident."

He continues, "You can’t watch Kim keep my kids from me. And not say anything publicly then call yourself my friend so I can bring my audience to your struggling platform."

The texts were posted by Ian Connor, a guy who has run in Kanye's circle for years, you can see Kanye instructed him to get the message out ... as Kanye's lost access to almost all of his social media accounts.

Elon suspended Kanye's Twitter account in December for antisemitic remarks the rapper made, including stating he was going to go, "Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." The account was reinstated again in July, but Kanye hasn't been active on the platform.

Unclear if Kanye and Elon have had private discussions on bringing him back onto Twitter with some other type of opportunity or what spurred his texts to the Tesla founder.

What's clear from the messages, Kanye's still at war with Kim Kardashian, claiming she's keeping the kids from him. Interestingly enough, we've seen Kanye in Italy for months with his wife, Bianca Censori, and only with his kids a couple of those times -- including a visit from Saint only a few weeks ago.

As for the car crash he's referring to which caused his alleged "signs of autism" ... Kanye was driving home from a recording studio around 3 AM in October 2002 when he allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel of a rented Lexus -- crashing into an oncoming car.

Everyone has their price, and Yung Joc is being blunt about his ... saying he wouldn't perform for the LGBTQ+ community for even a quarter of a million dollars!!!

The rapper recently did an interview for VladTV, addressing something Boosie confessed to not too long ago -- namely, turning down $250k for a show at an event that was exclusively for the LGBT crowd.

That, in and of itself, isn't all that surprising ... Boosie's always worn his homophobia on his sleeve -- and Joc is echoing that sentiment.

He says he, too, would refuse that payment if it meant he had to get onstage in front of gay men, specifically. You gotta watch how he says it, though ... Joc admits being extremely uncomfortable with men gawking at him with "lustful eyes" as he raps lyrics to his hit, "It's Goin' Down."

Joc stresses just how much $250k is ... and how big it is to get paid that much cash in one sitting -- and he does this to stress just how strongly he feels about this issue. As he says, he doesn't seem to want to associate himself with that "lifestyle" on principle.

Russell Wilson may not be winning on the football field, but off it is a different story ... the NFL star and his wife Ciara donated $1 million total to a bunch of organizations around Denver!

Russell and Ciara revealed the amazing contribution on Tuesday ... saying they gave ten different nonprofits in Denver $100k each.

The 9x Pro Bowler and Ciara -- who is pregnant with their third child -- hand over massive checks to "deserving organizations"  ... in partnership with their Why Not You Foundation and Common Spirit Health.

"We are forever grateful for the opportunity to impact our youth!" Wilson said.

"Today, we celebrated 10 deserving organizations which will each receive $100,000 to support their remarkable work in health equity, education, food security, social justice, and support for children and youth."

Of course, the gesture comes days after the Broncos lost a close Thursday Night Football game to the Chiefs, bringing their record to 1-5 record, putting them in last place in the AFC West.

Fans had high expectations when they landed the Super Bowl champ in a trade back in March 2022 ... giving him a 4-year, $245 million extension.

But, the 34-year-old quarterback hasn't been good ... he's 5-16 as the starter, and was sacked 55 times last season, the most in his NFL career. This year hasn't been much better.

However, Broncos' new head coach Sean Payton says the blame shouldn't be entirely on Russ.

"We got to be able to throw it better to win in this league, and that wasn’t directed at one player," Payton said after the TNF loss, "It was directed at all of us on offense."

Despite the struggles in Broncos Country, Wilson hasn't let the on-field struggles slow down his philanthropy.

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.