TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Duane "Keefe D" Davis, the man who's allegedly responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur over 25 years ago finally got his day in court after 2 delays.

Keefe D was present and in handcuffs Thursday morning at a Clark County courtroom in Las Vegas to face his murder charge ... he pled not guilty after being appointed a public defender.

As we reported, the 60-year-old suspect first showed up in court at the beginning of October, but his lawyer never appeared ... delaying the arraignment a couple of weeks. The second hearing was again delayed for the same issue.

After the initial hearing, Clark County D.A. Steve Wolfson said Keefe was expected to plead not guilty to the charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon.

Remember, Keefe D was arrested near the end of September -- and the body cam footage of the arrest showed him acting pretty calmly while being put in the back of the cop car.

Suge Knight's making an audacious claim about Akon on his new "Collect Call" podcast, accusing Akon of raping underaged girls in studio ... a statement just might land Suge in court.

Akon tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the claims are false, and he's not standing for the slander. He says, "I need to make it very clear that I absolutely deny these outrageous false and disgusting claims Suge Knight made on his podcast about me."

"I've never called, received, or had any contact with Suge Knight since he has been incarcerated. My voice you heard on his podcast was as a soundbite previously recorded from an interview I did with DJ Vlad 3 years ago regarding Suge Knight in 2009."

He continues, "I’ve never been a guest on Suge Knight’s podcast. I always believe in building positivity into the world and my actions and legacy have spoken to that."

"It’s unfortunate that I have to defend myself from these lies and I will be involving my legal team in filing a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Knight, my prayers for him will still continue."

In 2020, Akon addressed a violent confrontation between Suge and Akon's road manager ... which he says came from a business dispute between himself, Suge and Detail.

TMZ broke the story back in 2009 ... Suge was left KO'ed on the pavement and a man in Akon's camp, Robert Carnes Jr., was arrested for felony assault in Scottsdale, AZ.

As we first reported ... Suge launched his podcast with The Source magazine founder Dave Mays to discuss his colorful history as a founder of Death Row. He's recording the pod while doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter.

J. Cole is reveling in the moment his Drake feature on the "For All The Dogs" album emerged as a chart-topper, and says they got there thanks to loyal fans ... who still buying downloads!!!

Lil Yachty got Cole’s reaction to his first-ever No. 1 hit, "First Person Shooter," on the latest episode of "A Safe Place" podcast." He also asked Cole if he was upset the track was surpassed by another Drake hit -- the Yeat-featured, "IDGAF" -- shortly thereafter.

Cole’s no hater -- he tells Yachty he wasn’t actively rooting for his fans to stream 'FPS' over "IDGAF," but he did credit them for still subscribing to old school, brick-and-mortar ways ... actually purchasing the song by downloading from iTunes.

Billboard reports Drake and Cole sold 4,000 downloads and ranked No. 7 on Digital Song Sales after the first week ... in comparison to its 42.2 million DSP streams and 4.3 million radio streams.

Not exactly staggering figures on the iTunes end, but every bit counts in the race to the top!!!

The track actually gave Drake his 13th top hit, tying him with Michael Jackson for the most among solo male acts … hence all the memes he’s been posting.

Latto has a whole lot to celebrate after her track with Jung Kook broke a record for fastest to reach a billion streams on Spotify ... and she told us why she's HYPED about the big news.

We got Latto Wednesday at LAX and congratulated her on the huge accomplishment for "Seven" ... and the one word she used to sum up her reaction to it is "crazy."

Latto says the track's record-breaking success has made her really grateful. She choked up as she told us about recently losing a dear friend, and said she feels this Spotify record is a sign her late pal still has her back from the afterlife.

In terms of what's next, Latto is more than ready to collab with the BTS member on another hit -- saying she's even got something in the works that'd be perfect for Jung Kook.

She also gives a shoutout to his army of fans -- in the U.S. and abroad -- telling us they've been showing her nothing but love and support, and she's all for making them happy again.

Offset and Quavo are honoring their fallen Migos brother, Takeoff, on the one-year anniversary of his fatal shooting ... sharing a look back at their better days together.

Offset posted about Takeoff Wednesday, which marks a year since he was shot outside a bowling alley in Houston. He wrote, "The times we spent is priceless what we built in this game they never wanted to give us our flowers we influenced the world."

Along with the touching video, Offset added, "I Love you Take you still here with us I just know you are!!!! Migo 4Life!!!!!!"

Quavo also honored his late bandmate and relative -- sharing a pic of Takeoff with the caption, "Can’t forget it won’t Forget It NEVER Forget it 🚀♾️ I Remember!"

He's also been reposting artwork of the guy on his IG story.

Ashanti is definitely in the running for best gift-giver -- 'cause she gave her boo, Nelly, the custom Impala of his dreams for his 49th birthday.

Celebrity car broker Ronnie Garber tells TMZ ... he got a call last week from DJ Envy, saying Ashanti was looking for a specific ride to give Nelly for his big day -- and needed it in Atlanta by Halloween night, a couple days before his birthday.

We're told the artist wanted a custom 1962 Impala convertible -- the candy apple blue ride is equipped with a Corvette L's motor and a sound system with Nelly's logo on it.

She gave him the ride at his big army-themed bash, too ... when he was presented with his cake onstage, she told him about the gift she got him, which set off some fireworks ahead of the reveal.

We're told Nelly wasn't just happy, but he got emotional -- saying it was his dream car from when he was a kid, so it rightfully is goin' down for him as the best gift of all time.

As for the custom car, we're told it set Ashanti back well over $100k ... but it sounds like it was worth it!

Diddy gives zero f****, and proved it with a Batman costume -- complete with a real Batmobile -- that's so dead-on to the 'Dark Knight' movies, it's sure to piss off Warner Bros. ... and maybe even SAG-AFTRA.

Check out the artist's killer look from Tuesday night's festivities -- the dude's a spitting image of the big screen Batman, and on top of his picture-perfect costume, he was riding around Hollywood in Batman's Tumbler ... the Batmobile of choice in the Christopher Nolan movies.

Diddy rented the iconic ride from TV Show Cars out of New Jersey and had it transported across the United States.

As we reported, Diddy told Jimmy Kimmel he was going to step up his Halloween game this year -- after saying last year's insanely good Joker costume resulted in WB claiming it was a copyright violation.

Kimmel told him to just dress up as Heath Ledger's character again, despite the heat, but Diddy warned his costume this year would also have WB lawyers working overtime ... and he was true to his word.

And then there's the actor's union -- SAG said it didn't want its members dressing up as movie characters for Halloween, but Diddy, and several others, are clearly ignoring that demand.

Batman was tripped up by one Halloween goblin ... fuel mileage. His Batmobile ran outta gas on Sunset Blvd!!! Of course, he's got people for that, and one of 'em fetched a gas canister for a refill -- not the hero Diddy deserved, but the one he needed!

Lil Nas X certainly had an interesting look for Halloween this year, mixing gore with feminine hygiene ... and opting to dress as a bloody tampon.

The "Old Town Road" rapper revealed the shocking look on Instagram Tuesday night as celebs took to the platform to show off their looks. Nas' video starts out with a homemade vagina before panning out to the rest of his look ... complete with a blonde wig and high white boots.

Most of his fans found humor in the costume, with comments like, "Really said PERIOD." and "Some would say you have a heavy flow."

However some took offense to the outfit, writing, "I enjoy this look but the fact that you personally have never experienced the stigma, shame or pain involved with having a period makes me pause and think……. But why though?"

Another said, "Not funny. Actually quite misogynistic. And being gay does not give u pass."

Lil Nas X is no stranger to pushing the PC boundaries, especially on social media, so the look shouldn't be THAT shocking ... but clearly, he's still causing a divide.

French Montana's flying private, but his travel plans are still coming with headaches ... because he says authorities in Colombia searched his jet for narcotics.

The rapper says he was trying to fly out of the South American country Tuesday, but he was grounded at the airport while officers combed through his plane in search of cocaine.

French posted video of his encounter with law enforcement, and you see a handful of police officers going through the plane along with a drug-sniffing dog.

He's keeping a cool head about it, for the most part, even petting the K-9 in front of officers. He's also proclaiming his innocence ... saying la policia got the wrong idea about him.

Yes, he named his label (and mixtape series) Cokeboys, but French declares there's no contraband on his ride.

Despite the hard time from Colombian police, French says he's still got love for the country ... though he adds, "you don't have to do me like this!!!"

Diddy says his version of Heath Ledger's Joker was so good last year Warner Bros. sent him a cease and desist from doing the look in the future.

If you recall, Diddy masqueraded around L.A. dressed as Batman's arch nemesis during Halloween 2022 and fooled a lot of people in the process who didn't even realize it was Diddy ... just ask Tyler, The Creator and "Power" actor Michael J. Ferguson.

Diddy told Jimmy Kimmel WB's legal team determined his full-blown makeup infringed on The Joker's copyright ... but for Halloween 2023, he's still planning on making them earn their retainer with another take on one of their properties.

Heath posthumously won an Oscar for his take on Mr J. and Diddy did him justice ... staying in character the whole night.

Lizzo hit the bullseye with her Halloween mission to honor female pioneers in entertainment, and all it took was a colorful impression of "Brazilian Bombshell" Carmen Miranda ... and a whole lot of crystals.

Celebrity designer and "Metal-and-Chain Queen," Laurel DeWitt tells TMZ Hip Hop ... it took her days and HUNDREDS of crystal embellishments to recreate one of Carmen’s iconic headdresses -- the colorful fruit arrangements the Portuguese-born actress popularized in her films throughout the 1930s, '40s and '50s.

Laurel says Lizzo's assortment of berries and florals is actually composed of beaded faux fruit and many colored sequins ... which got pretty heavy when fully assembled, but Lizzo's a showbiz pro and mastered the balancing act.

Stylist power couple Matthew and Reginald Reisman fleshed out the rest of Lizzo's homage to Carmen ... a shimmery gown and floral garnishes that capture the elegance of the Latina icon who broke through with American audiences.

Miranda appeared in dozens of films, and released even more music -- something Lizzo has been looking to mirror within her own award-winning career.

Halloween's a very popular day in the TMZ office, and staffers pulled out all the stops this year ... dressing as some of your favorite celebs and pop culture moments.

We had Barbenheimer, Kendall Jenner plugging 818 Tequila with Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande and Spongebob (aka, her new boyfriend, Ethan Slater), and Britney Spears with her concerning dance companion -- a knife.

Taylor Swift during her "Eras" tour was also another highlight ... as was her new romance with NFL star Travis Kelce.

Who can forget pregnant Rihanna performing at the Super Bowl halftime show surrounded by her backup dancers and adoring fans?

Another highlight was Junkrat, one of the heroes in Overwatch ...

A$AP Rocky was more than willing to chat it up with TMZ Hip Hop during his daily workout, and although his workout is jogging at a swift pace ... he invited us to come along -- and, umm, we did our best!!! 😂

The superstar rapper ran our photog straight outta her shoes as he was jogging Monday afternoon in WeHo .... and belted out a hearty laugh when we asked him about Rihanna's desire to have a couple more kids.

Rocky and Rihanna just welcomed their 2nd child, Riot Rose, this past August and have their hands full ... juggling parenthood and their long-delayed projects!!!

Rocky tells us he's currently working on his next album, "Don't Be Dumb," in real-time and fans will be on the edge of their seats wondering if he'll respond to Drake's shots from his "For All the Dogs" album.

Champagne Papi referred to his sexy time with RiRi as "average," and made it clear he didn't envy Rocky's current situation.

He didn't have much to add to that topic, but did recommend the perfect running shoes for our photog. Watch the clip ... we should definitely take the suggestion. 😉

Jeezy's got a lot to get off his chest amid his pending divorce from Jeannie Mai -- the trap pioneer is dropping a double album entitled, “I Might Forgive, But I Don’t Forget” ... so, sounds like it's about to get real.

According to the announcement, the 29-track project drops Friday and will address "trauma, obstacles, and personal growth," and set the stage for the Snowman to answer fans' pressing questions.

The album will mark Jeezy's first release since fulfilling his Def Jam contract after nearly 20 years and will shift focus to his independent label CTE New World. Def Jam recently recruited Wale to keep their ship steady as well.

Production on "I Might Forgive…" side of the album will be handled by ATL Jacob, Ricky Polo, Cubeatz, Hendrix and more -- while the “But I Don’t Forget” portion is produced entirely by Jeezy's longtime collaborators The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.

It's been a busy year for Jeezy ... he promoted life hacks from his New York Times bestselling memoir, "Adversity for Sale," this summer on "TMZ Live."

His family life didn't enjoy the same success ... as he filed for divorce from Jeannie in September. The exes have denied infidelity has anything to do with their split.

Jennifer Hudson used her musical chops to completely transform into Missy Elliott for Halloween, and it was an excellent choice ... according to the costume's inspiration!!!

On Tuesday, Missy gave J-Hud the fire emoji stamp of approval for honoring her most iconic look during the Halloween edition of her talk show.

The costume pays homage to Missy's award-winning "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" music video ... the 1997 visual directed by Hype Williams that went on to become a game-changer in hip hop.

J-Hud went on to celebrate the culture's 50th anniversary and additionally praised Missy for being the first female rapper inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ... an honor that's officially happening this week!!!

Wiz Khalifa channeled his inner rock star at Amber Rose's birthday bash ... belting it out for what turned into an epic karaoke performance!!!

In a video obtained by TMZ, Wiz sang his heart out to Kings of Leon's mega-hit "Use Somebody" ... and the crowd was lovin' it!!

Wiz opened the doors of his swanky house in L.A. this past Saturday to celebrate his ex, Amber's 40th birthday. A real mix of characters were in attendance ... including Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, A.K.A the brothers involved in Jussie Smollett's fake hate crime.

The Osundairo bros tell us they run in the same circles as Amber ... and the party was awesome! It was a costume party with roughly 100 people in attendance ... and Wiz's house was decked out in Halloween decorations.

The party had all the staples of a great time, with delicious food and great music, including karaoke ... where Wiz clearly stole the show.