TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

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.

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.