TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Megan Thee Stallion's no longer tethered to the 1501 Certified Ent. label she railed against for years -- and Trinidad James thinks the "Savage" rapper can become an even bigger act.

TJ floated all the possibilities speaking to TMZ Hip Hop at LAX this week but predicts Meg will land all right. He says there's also a possibility momentum fizzles.

Thee Stallion is gearing up to resume her career Monday with a new release after telling fans she was entering a new journey, where she'll be paying out of her own pocket to give fans the good news.

TJ tells us having a solid team is crucial to making money in the music biz and the industry is especially shady when it comes to the needs of women.

Fat Joe keeps a world of luxury around him, and that includes his wheels ... recently snagging a $750K custom Rolls-Royce Cullinan with a bunch of sick features.

The Don ordered the custom Rolls-Royce 4 months ago -- an impromptu purchase after he saw a version of the wide-body Rolls while he was out in Dubai.

We're told Joe FaceTimed Will Castro from Unique Whips on Speedvision the second he saw the vehicle, and asked Will to build him one.

Will tells TMZ Hip Hop the job proved to be challenging for the team ... Joe demands the absolute best and the kits are made to order and delivered from Europe.

Joe's dropped $100k for the car's body, and Will and his crew added 24” wheels and tires ... the whole thing took the team over a month to build.

Will did all the bodywork, paint, carbon work and will be self-delivering Joe his new car this weekend. The latest cartraption marks the 3rd Rolls-Royce SUV Will and the team has done for Joe ... just last year, they hooked him up with a sweet RR orange-and-black ensemble.

NLE Choppa's mom is worried sick for her son, saying she hasn't heard from him in hours ... and asking anyone who may have contact to get in touch with her ASAP.

Choppa's mom, Angela Potts, posted the concerning message Friday, writing, "Y’all help me pray over my child. He plans on moving back to Cottonwood where we worked hard to get out of just for a mixtape SMH! I ain’t talked to this boy in hours and he usually doesn’t do this. One thing I know about my son is that he doesn’t go ghost for any reason."

She continues with a message to her son, "Whatever your working on I pray GOD is guiding you. If y’all hear from him PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP ! To the fans he wants to please thanks a lot."

What's unclear is whether or not NLE gave Angela -- who is also his manager -- a reason to believe he could be in trouble, or if he's just faced a lot of pressure in keeping up with his own career.

We should note ... a message on NLE's Instagram story (posted by management) also encouraged fans to reach out to Angela if they see the rapper.

DJ Envy's ex-business partner Cesar Pina was arrested on fraud charges Wednesday ... but reports that federal officials raided the iHeartRadio offices and removed electronic equipment are not true ... this according to federal law enforcement sources.

Envy's lawyer Massimo D'Angelo tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the reports are yet another example of the "continued sensationalization" in the media to attach his client's name to this story ... even though he insists Envy is one of the victims, not a perpetrator, of the alleged fraud.

Law enforcement sources tell us the same, and a source iHeartMedia also confirmed to us that no equipment was removed from the building.

We're told the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI all had a part in investigating the case and officials were at the offices to alert Envy that Pina had been arrested.

Pina was charged with one count of wire fraud ... and pleaded not guilty before being released on a $1 million bond.

He's not allowed to leave the state and is restricted to electronic monitoring.

Quavo's time away from music last year to mourn the death of his nephew Takeoff left an incomplete collaboration on the table ... but now, he's finished it up.

Up-and-coming rapper Swxm dropped his new single "Swim" Friday which includes a vibrant feature from Quavo ... a track he recorded in Spring 2022 after Swxm sent the track over to one of their mutual friends.

Swxm and Quavo shot the video that summer in both Long Island and Atlanta ... and he and his team worked diligently with clearance attorney lawyer Bob Celestin to get the appropriate paperwork.

Tragedy struck near the day Quavo's label QC/Motown was to sign the side artist waiver agreement -- Takeoff's death on Nov. 1, 2022 -- leaving the song to dwell in purgatory.

Swxm's team tells us Quavo's team reached out just last week excited about dropping the visual, and now we've got the song. Early reactions are good, and the vibes are classic Quavo.

Directed by WillC & Richie4K, the breezy record addresses topics of floating and pushing through life's adversity ... we're told making for an easy bond between Swxm and Quavo.

Swxm lost his mom ahead of the 2020 pandemic and we're told he stays busy by pouring his all into his music.

Since losing Takeoff, Quavo has also been on a mission for the better ... he and his Rocket Foundation just stormed Washington D.C. meeting with members of Congress in an effort to thwart gun violence.

Russell Simmons has been around for all of Hip Hop's 50 years, and isn't phased by the outpouring of complaints about the current quality of rap music this year.

We caught up with the Def Jam co-founder and DJ Cassidy Thursday ... still reeling from the blowout Hip Hop concert from the recent City of Hope x Pass The Mic fundraiser celebration.

T.I., Big Daddy Kane, Redman, EPMD, and an extremely brolic LL Cool J helped lead the festivities for the night ... Russell tells us he flew all the way from Bali just a be a part of it, he couldn't miss it.

Russ also praised fellow friend and hip hop mogul Lyor Cohen for the millions he helped raise toward cancer treatments mostly impacting minorities ... $4.3 million to be exact, proving the culture can still make a difference at the end of the day.

Many artists this year ... Joe Budden, Layzie Bone, Bow Wow and Fabolous, to name a few ... have cast doubts on the future of rap and Juicy J took things even further, declaring a "state of emergency.

Bronny James was teachin' fans how to Dougie at a USC hoops event Thursday night ... dancing his tail off during player introductions -- but he sat out all of the night's competitions, an indication he's still not quite 100 percent after suffering cardiac arrest.

LeBron's oldest son received a super warm welcome at the annual Trojan HoopLA shindig at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles ... and he sure seemed to love it all, gyrating to Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How To Dougie" as people in the stands roared.

However, that was about all the physical activity he did during the evening ... electing not to participate in the skills competition, dunk contest and the 3-point contest.

Of course, it's not unexpected at all ... Bronny required surgery just a few weeks ago after he had the issue with his heart back in July -- and everyone involved has been making sure he's been brought along slowly ever since.

It's unclear when he'll be able to officially start putting basketballs in hoops for the Trojans this year ... a timetable has not been given -- but LeBron said just days ago the goal is for his son to make an impact at USC soon.

Meanwhile, there were plenty more highlights from the Trojans event Thursday ... including when freshman forward Brandon Gardner threw down a massive slam over star USC quarterback Caleb Williams during the dunk contest.

Rap stars YG & Saweetie also performed!!

7:11 AM PT -- Breakbeat's Dave Mays tells TMZ Hip Hop, “As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th year, more than ever the hip-hop community needs a media platform that they can trust to bring a truthful and authentic perspective on so many important things happening in our world. I’m proud that Breakbeat provides this essential and valuable medium."

He adds, "And I'm so excited to be able to enlist the help of my longtime friend and one of hip-hop’s most formidable, pioneering, and fearless leaders to help Breakbeat continue to achieve this goal. 'Collect Call With Suge Knight' will awaken hip-hop fans worldwide and build bridges across multiple generations.”

Suge Knight might be locked up, but that doesn't mean his voice will remain behind bars ... cuz the Death Row mogul is starting a podcast from prison.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the first intro to "Collect Call With Suge Knight" -- his new podcast with Breakbeat Media CEO and The Source magazine founder, Dave Mays.

Dave tells us they've already stashed about 5 episodes containing half-hour conversations each ahead of the pod's official Halloween '23 launch.

As for topics covered -- we're told Suge won't leave much unturned when it comes to hip hop -- responding to the legions of artists/hip hop pundits who have been using his name for headlines and expanding on his thoughts of Snoop Dogg owning the Death Row brand.

Remember, Suge's got history with everyone from Master P and Wack 100 to Warren G and Akon ... so they're essentially all on notice.

Dave says the pod's not only about slinging mud -- Suge wants the younger generation to benefit from his experiences -- good and bad -- and will be looking to connect them with older artists and also fielding questions from the audience.

Breakbeat will be dropping podcast episodes weekly ... audio on Thursdays and video on Fridays on all major platforms with a sneak peek of the first convo coming on Oct. 24.

Suge called into TMZ Live not too long ago and told us he had no intention of snitching on Keefe D after his arrest in connection Tupac Shakur's murder ... so don't count on that happening on the podcast.

So ya, maybe the saying is true ... just about everybody DOES have a podcast.

Yung Bleu is accused of attacking a woman, an incident at the center of an alleged custody dispute involving a 10-year-old child.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office in GA tells TMZ Hip Hop ... officers responded to a 911 call from a woman on October 15 to a home, and when deputies arrived they say the woman told them Bleu (real name Jeremy Biddle) had shown up at the residence unannounced with the intent to take the 10-year-old child with him.

The woman says an argument ensued, and she told deputies Bleu picked her up and threw her to the ground, causing injuries to her right arm and hip.

She says the "You're Mines Still" rapper left with the child but returned shortly after ... and then left again. We're told the EMS crews evaluated the woman for any injuries, but she refused to be transported to the hospital.

Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary was celebrated to the core last night in Los Angeles at the annual City of Hope gala … DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! steered performances from the likes of LL Cool J, T.I., and Ja Rule!!!

The glitzy gala is known for going the extra mile in raising money for cancer research and went down inside the Pacific Design Center ... allowing for plenty of rap royalty from all generations to collide in the deepest veins of the culture.

Flavor Flav dapped up Jay-Z before hitting the stage with Public Enemy, and N.O.R.E. was also spotted entertaining the crowd with drunk uncle jokes!!!

Redman, Warren G, Onyx and many more all took the stage at one point and DJ Kid Capri burned up the turntables turning the event into an authentic hip hop block party!!!

Late De La Soul rapper Trugoy the Dove aka Dave was also there in spirit via a mural on the wall ... hip hop is 1/5's graffiti, ya know!!!

Pioneering hip hop exec Lyor Cohen spearheaded Spirit of Life's healthcare fundraising this year and was honored for his contributions to the cause ... captured by his good buddy, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons.

Cohen's currently the global head of music at YouTube and Google, but stands as an Israeli-American first and used part of his speech to rip the Hamas terrorist attacks.

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.