TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Nicki Minaj is swooping in like a crisis negotiator -- or some sorta rap whisperer -- to put an end to Soulja Boy's reign of internet rants at J. Cole ... even convincing the "Crank Dat" rapper to apologize.

ICYMI, SB totally blew his top over Cole bringing his name up as a prime example of someone with much different taste in hip hop music than himself.

Cole told Lil Yachty, SB's music once went against everything he stood for as an artist, but would listen to his music in mixed company ... a statement Soulja took as disrespect -- that is, until Nicki convinced him it wasn't.

Nicki joined SB's IG live stream Monday -- as his Twitter fingers were sending brutal tweets at Cole -- and managed to calm him down.

She never showed her face on the stream, but stressed the importance of Soulja having real love in his life outside the internet, but more importantly, pointed out Cole was giving him props, and his temper tantrum was misguided.

Wyclef Jean is confident his group The Fugees are solidified in history, even with their lack of albums ... they've been perfecting their craft since childhood.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the 'Carnival' creator at LAX right before his L.A. leg as a part of Lauryn Hill's "Miseducation" 25th-anniversary tour (more on that later) ... and he told us flat-out the trio's legacy surpassed all his expectations!!!

Clef recalled starting the group with Lauryn and Pras all the way back in high school in Jersey in the '80s ... the precursor to their monumental, 22x Platinum-selling album "The Score," which dropped in 1996.

Wyclef says U2's Bono told him The Fugees were "Hip Hop's Beatles" at the height of the album's success, a compliment lost on him at the time but says the years of having fans sell out their shows -- or wait for them at airports -- validated the honor for him.

He's hinted at them finally preparing a release after all this time ... a topic Pras played coy with us when we spoke to him last. Something big's obviously on the horizon!!!

Fast forward to the present day, the trio is still seeing their fans attend their droves .... with some special provisions added to the fray.

Lauryn defended her historic lateness during her first L.A. show on Friday, basically telling fans they should be grateful she's onstage to begin with.

Despite Ms. Hill's shade, fans were still treated at the 2nd L.A. set -- Lil Wayne surprised and performed to The Fugees' "Ready or Not" beat while rocking his own "A Milli" classic.

Nas also showed up to congratulate Lauryn for earning a Diamond plaque for her "Miseducation" album ... and stayed to perform their duets "Nobody" and "If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)."

Their track record speaks for itself ... now seems like the perfect time to add to it!!!

New Edition is set to take Vegas by storm ... the famed R&B powerhouse just announced a residency for Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theater -- and it's coming at ya next year.

The six-man supergroup revealed the six-date details to Sherri Shepard's TV audience on Monday ... with Johnny Gill promising nothing short of a blockbuster, not to mention a more intimate performance than what fans have gotten accustomed to.

NE has been packing arenas on tour for the past two years and says they want to give their diehards a more streamlined experience on stage.

“This is going to be more theatrical than our Legacy and Culture tours,” Bobby Brown told the AP, adding, “This will be a lot more intimate. We wanted it to be up, close and personal for our fans.”

The last time we spoke to Bobby, he told us NE was "forever" and they take pride in everything they do ... looks like nothing's changed on that front!!!

The festivities kick off on February 28 with tickets going on sale Friday.

Chris Brown lives by the motto that a broken clock is right twice a day -- his upcoming album, "11:11," is gonna have two different sides to hear ... in both the AM and PM!

The R&B star made a major announcement Monday -- saying his new album is gonna be double trouble ... touting Future, Fridayy, Davido and a few more surprise guests as part of the project. Like we said, there'll be an A side and a B side ... with 11 tracks on each.

The rollout news also confirmed fans' suspicions that Breezy still loves his long LPs. His last 2 albums both spiraled over 30 songs a piece ... 22 songs is still a heaping dose of new tunes, though!!!

All signs point to CB sticking close to the Afrobeats/light riddims this time around.

He's already dropped a pair of songs from the album -- "Sensational" featuring Davido and Lojay and the track "Summer Too Hot" and is teasing a similarly themed vibe with UK dancehall singer Byron Messia for the next single!!!

Dee-1 and Rick Ross have been engaged in a war of words on IG for days ... all stemming from Dee's open disapproval of Rozay's new "Shaq & Kobe" collab with Meek Mill.

The "Uno" rapper recently appeared on Sway's Universe ... where Dee called out Ross, Meek and Jim Jones for still glorifying killing people in their music after so many hip hop artists have been slain.

Dee lumped Meek, Jim and Rozay into a category he calls "DGs" -- aka disappointing grown-ups, and told a story of how he once spearheaded a shoe giveaway in his New Orleans hometown for Meek's Reform Alliance ... speaking to the movement's strength.

Meek claimed 1st Amendment for his part but Ross didn't take too kindly and dissed Dee for questioning his place in the community, citing his Thanksgiving turkey drives and other contributions for 20 straight years across Miami-Dade!!!

Dee took Ross' "baskethead" snipes in stride but explained to the MMG rapper he was actually criticizing his status as a Hip Hop OG who's still detailing graphic murders like he did on the "Shaq & Kobe" track.

Dee also explained to Rozay that he wasn't clout-chasing ... he's collaborated with several of Rozay's peers and has a long track record of giving back himself, although that wasn't the point of the debate.

3:55 PM PT -- Time hasn't cooled Soulja Boy's jets ... he's still dumping on J. Cole well into Monday afternoon and now is threatening to do the Dreamville rapper bodily harm.

He's also noting to fans that Drake just gave Cole his first No. 1 song when he wrote his first one at age 17. SB thinks there's no career comparison.

Soulja Boy isn't taking any perceived disrespect from J. Cole and Big Sean -- and he's letting them both know about it ... in only a way that Soulja himself could.

The "Crank Dat" rapper held court with his IG followers this weekend, where he gave both Cole and Sean a tongue-lashing for the ages ... all 'cause he feels like they're dogging him and his legacy, especially JC -- who spoke on Soulja pretty recently.

Of course, we're referring to Cole's interview with Lil Yachty the other week -- in which he attempted to give SB his props as a trailblazer -- but in the same breath, admitting he wasn't a fan of the dude at first, and that he simply didn't mesh with his rap purist taste.

Ultimately, it was a compliment ... but Soulja Boy took it as a back-handed one -- which is why he's cussing Cole out here. As for Sean, he got roped into this over past anti-SB remarks.

Soulja took the opportunity to slam both of 'em ... and said they owe their careers to him.

BTW, SB used his trendsetter status to deliver what he felt was the final nail in Cole's coffin -- thousands of people dressed up as him for Halloween this year ... while nobody wanted to copy Cole's unique dressed-down look.

Time will tell if SB will move past this beef -- but we assume Cole is somewhere thinking this is exactly why I don't do interviews!!!

Kanye West has been hanging out in the Middle East lately -- and now, his daughter North is there too ... chillin' with her pops in what seems to be some one-on-one quality time.

Ye's eldest kid -- who seems to like being with her dad more than her mom, Kim K -- was spotted hand-in-hand with her father this past weekend ... walking through a mall. They're surrounded by an entourage, but it seems they had some relative privacy here.

Other clips of KW and North have been floating around on social media these past few days -- looks like they might've been in neighboring Saudi Arabia as well, hobnobbing with fans.

Worth noting ... we don't see any of his other children out there -- and ditto for his wife, Bianca -- so, it seems only North's with him at the moment, which kinda jibes with the parenting style Ye shares with his children these days.

As of late, he tends to bring them along one at a time ... even though they're all usually staying with Kim in California.

Of course, it's also notable that it's North who's here with Dad ... we know she's a huge fan of his and apparently actually prefers to be with him -- at least according to KK. Remember, in a recent 'Kardashians' episode ... Kim revealed North loves Ye's ratty apartment.

That was doubly confirmed by North's costume choice for Halloween this year ... she dressed up as Kanye's famous 'Graduation' bear, paying homage to her father's music legacy.

Jim Irsay channeled his inner Meek Mill after the Indianapolis Colts' win Sunday ... the billionaire busted out his best dance moves to one of the Philadelphia rapper's biggest hits -- and his players lost it!

The 64-year-old Colts CEO and owner was captured celebrating with his players and coaches in the Bank of America Stadium locker room after the Colts' 27-13 win over the Panthers in Charlotte.

Irsay -- who bought his team in 1997 -- rocked a Colts-themed suit, and did his best to dance to Meek's "Dreams and Nightmares" ... while holding head coach Shane Steichen's hand.

Irsay shared the awesome footage on X ... and captioned it, "Hold up, wait a minute, ya’ll thought we were finished. - Meek Mill (and also me)."

The squad loved it ... and so did Meek Mill, who caught the clip of Irsay vibing to his track, saying on X, "Can’t find a better song!"

The Colts fans also thought it was dope ... with one saying, "What the f*** did I just watch? But seriously I loved it."

It's obvious Irsay is proud of his players' performances in Sunday's game, including cornerback Kenny Moore II, whom he gave a shoutout for setting a franchise record with two pick-six interceptions in a single game.

The 4-5 Colts are currently third in the AFC South ... and will play the New England Patriots in Germany next weekend.

Cardi B called BS on Larsa Pippen's lofty sex life claims months ago -- and now, more than half a year later, she's finally weighing in ... and sticking to her bedroom story.

Larsa addressed the skirmish this weekend at BravoCon during a 'Real Housewives of Miami' panel ... where the moderator brought up what Cardi said about her waaaaay back in April. It's super old news, but the dude brought it up anyway ... and LP actually responded.

ICYMI ... Larsa went on Andy Cohen's 'WWHL' and said she and her ex, Scottie Pippen, used to bang 4 times a day -- but noted even that wasn't enough to save their marriage.

Reacting to that ... Cardi went on IG live about a month later and called Larsa out for what she considered clout-chasing, not to mention tall tales of love-making. She said doing it that many times in a day means something's seriously wrong with either the man or woman.

Of course, she also took some vulgar shots ... saying Larsa needed to "stitch your p***y up."

Now, all this time later ... Larsa said this, "I don't know how can someone else comment on how many times I have sex, you guys?" she said, addressing the audience at the event in Las Vegas. "She wasn't in bed with us, so I don't know. I kind of feel like that was comical."

C-Knight -- an original member of rap group The Dove Shack -- is fighting for his life, with his loved ones waiting on some key tests before any next steps ... TMZ has learned.

The MC's father, George Lee Washington Blount Jr., tells us his son was hospitalized on Oct. 18 as a result of a scary blood sugar level -- which we're told stems from his diabetes. Blount says that while C-Knight was receiving dialysis, he somehow suffered a stroke.

In addition to that, we're told C-Knight went into cardiac arrest ... and that his heart stopped, with him needing to be resuscitated by doctors. At that point, Blount says C-Knight was placed on life support -- but Blount says even more health issues surfaced amid all this.

Since the stroke and cardiac arrest ... we're told C-Knight has been in an unresponsive state, and that the medical staff has told the family there's no signs of progress they're detecting.

As for where things stand now ... Blount tells us they're waiting on a crucial MRI scan to be done, which will tell if them if there's any notable brain activity. We're told the family believes he can battle back and recover from this ... despite how grim it looks at the moment.

In the case that the scan shows no brain activity -- which is the worst case scenario -- we're told his family plans to keep him on life support for the time being ... and will weigh their options. For the time being, they're praying for a miracle, hopeful he can pull through.

The Dove Shack only released 2 albums, but they're both memorable ... especially for their impact on the West Coast G-Funk movement in the '90s, which was spearheaded by Snoop Dogg and Warren G -- both of whom are familiar with these guys, and friendly with them.

The other members, 2Scoops and Bo-Roc, are obviously tight with C-Knight -- and Bo called for everyone to send their thoughts and well-wishes his way as CK tries to bounce back.

Ray J's mom, Sonja Norwood, is recovering from a bad reaction to something that's, generally speaking, good for you -- a home IV drip that turned into an emergency situation ... TMZ has learned.

The health drama unfolded when Sonja began feeling light-headed after the IV treatment ... which is meant to deliver essential vitamins and nutrients directly to the bloodstream.

It's a health and wellness trend popularized by celebs in recent years, and a few weeks ago ... Sonja decided to get in on the action.

Unfortunately, we're told there was no wellness involved that day ... as Sonja had to lie down due to sudden rapid breathing, which prompted her family, including Ray, to call an ambulance out of concern.

She got checked out at the hospital and, eventually, she was okay.

The IV therapy she got was a mix of C and B vitamins, as well as calcium and magnesium. It's meant to boost a patient's immune system, but side effects can include infection, rashes, blood clots, air embolism and more.

Lauryn Hill has a tendency to run a little behind at her live shows -- on the rare occasion that she performs, that is -- but she says that should be the least of her fans' concerns.

The enigmatic singer/rapper is currently on tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her iconic album,' The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' and she stopped off in L.A. Saturday night ... where she seems to have been a little tardy for her set, something she addressed head-on.

Check it out ... in the video, LH says she's aware of people who complain about her being late to gigs -- but fires back, saying fans should count themselves lucky she even shows up.

This isn't so much Lauryn lashing out as it is her getting what sounds like a major grievance off her chest -- namely, the fact that she only released one solo album ... and based on what she's saying here, it appears that might've not been her decision back in the day.

Instead of bowing out of the music scene -- which she kinda did for a long time -- Lauryn says she's embraced her one piece of great art (solo-wise, of course) and continued to perform it over and over again ... noting that the people love her album to this day.

Trae Tha Truth is getting back to his philanthropic power moves ... fully furnishing a Houston woman's home -- the first of many such upgrades -- and planning to uplift inmates' spirits later this month.

Trae tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he treats each month like a holiday when it comes to charitable donations, but he's already shifting into overdrive for this holiday season.

He recently visited men and women locked up at the Harris County Jail and is planning to return and deliver them Thanksgiving-style food in the upcoming weeks!!!

As for citizens on the outside, Trae says he'll be passing out food, and has partnered with Bel Furniture once again to boost the quality of life for less fortunate families.

Trae tells us he's keenly aware too many people live in this country without a proper support system, which is why he's stepping in to fill that gap.

He feels it's his God-appointed mission to use his strength to help those in need ... even if it means personal sacrifices, like making music.

Trae nearly broke a 3-year drought of releasing albums while focusing on everyone else, but he says he was able to lock in to create his most recent LP, "Stuck In Motion," which dropped a couple weeks ago.

He admits it's not easy being both selfless and selfish, which making an album often requires of an artist ... but says he's thankful to be a rapper again, especially now that his assault charges following his street scuffle with former collaborator Z-Ro have been dropped!!!

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Trae allegedly assaulted Z-Ro during 50 Cent's H-Town weekend last year, but completed a diversion program to wipe the slate clean -- and he says he's planning to keep it that way.

Some of the biggest names in music were honored at the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Friday night -- as a slew of artists put on memorable performances.

The 38th Annual star-studded event was held at the Barclays Center in NYC and, for the first time, was streamed live on Disney+ to highlight all of this year's winners.

To say the least, the list of inductees was impressive: Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan, Sheryl Crow, George Michael (posthumously), Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush and The Spinners. Among the evening's entertainers were Rock icons Elton John and Jimmy Page.

Actress Laura Dern kicked off the ceremony, giving the first award to Crow while labeling her a “badass goddess.”

Crow then performed three of her hits, “If It Makes You Happy,” "Strong Enough" and "Everyday." Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Nicks and Peter Frampton each jumped in separately to assist on the songs.

Chaka Khan also put on a mesmerizing show after accepting the "Musical Excellence Award" from R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan.

Chaka played 3 of her famous tunes, “I Feel You,” “Ain’t Nobody” and “I’m Every Woman." H.E.R., Sia and Common joined in to add their soulful voices.

Perhaps the most unforgettable moment was when Willie Nelson was inducted and performed with several other icons -- Crow, Dave Matthews and Chris Stapleton. Nelson and Co. featured a few of his most recognizable songs, “Whiskey River," “Crazy” and “On the Road Again.”

As for George Michael, he, too, was honored in a big way. The late Wham! frontman was dubbed “one of the greatest singers of our time” by his former band member, Andrew Ridgeley.

Miguel, Adam Levine and Carrie Underwood brought down the house with their renditions of Michael's “Careless Whisper,” “Faith” and “One More Try.”

Offset isn't wasting time, or the momentum he built from his recently released "Set It Off" album ... he tells TMZ Hip Hop he's bringing some heat to February by dropping another one!!!

We linked up with Offset in Bev. Hills outside Mulberry Street Pizzeria, and he hopped out the van to shoot the latest updates with us, including some family collabs.

His eldest son Jordan has been working diligently behind the scenes to earn his place in the production world, and if we're connecting the right dots ... that could score him a credit on his dad's next album!!!

Offset said they were planning to drop something Friday, but apparently, they needed to tweak a few things. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Meanwhile, his "Set It Off" nabbed a Top 5 spot on the Billboard 200 when it launched back in October with a star-studded party ... cohosted by his loving wife Cardi B!!!

Kate Bush is being ushered into rock and roll history alongside some great artists who'll share the honor ... but they won't share the stage with her, 'cause she's bowing out.

The British singer-songwriter -- who was huge in the '80s, and who recently gained popularity again through "Stranger Things" -- is one of many who are set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Friday night in Brooklyn ... but she seems to be the only one who won't be there in person.

Kate posted a lengthy statement addressing her being included in this year's class, saying she's completely grateful and humbled ... noting her hit song, "Running Up That Hill," put her back in the spotlight again thanks to Netflix.

She writes, "Last year was such a surprisingly successful time for my track ['RUTH'] and I’m sure that a lot of you who’ve voted me in to the RRHOF also drove that track up the charts. Thank you!" Then, she hits everyone with somewhat unsurprising news.

KB adds, "I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend the ceremony tonight, but for me the real honour is knowing that you felt I deserved it." Kate doesn't address why she's bailing -- but she does extend a lot of compliments to the other artists who'll be enshrined ... specifically pointing out Bernie Taupin, Elton John's writing partner, as one who's quite deserving.

The other inductees, aside from the above-mentioned ones, include ... Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners. As far as we can tell, they're all expected to show face ... but unfortunately, Kate's seat will be empty.

Of course, Kate does have a bit of a rep for being elusive/reclusive -- so the fact she's opting out here might not be a total shocker for longtime fans of hers. It's funny ... not even a fan fave like 'ST' could bring her out of her shell. Just goes to show -- Kate stays true!