TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Ron Browz's name is etched in rap history for producing Nas' brutal Jay-Z diss track "Ether," and more than 20 years later he's still collecting residuals ... at least, on some social platforms, but he says others are robbing him blind!!!

TMZ Hip Hop sat down with "Etherboy" this week after his beat was used TWICE to highlight 2 of the biggest moments of the week on the internet ... both of which involved lots of "Ether" level disrespect.

The first was Katt Williams' "Club Shay Shay" interview where he mentioned virtually every comedian in his lane -- and the second came with Stephen A. Smith's hour-long flogging of Jason Whitlock.

The internet -- undefeated, as it is -- seized the moment and put the Ron-produced track over Katt and Stephen's highlights. That's not great for Ron, because he says if those posts aren't on TikTok or YouTube, which track music, then he's ass out ... and has no clue how much money he's missing.

He says the powers that be at other social platforms have yet to creat their royalty road map.

BTW, there's an interesting backstory on the making of the track -- Ron says the aggressive DNA of the song came from him desperately looking for a way out of his Harlem hood, and had the coin flipped on the other side, the instrumental could've belonged to Jay!!!

Ron says he passed the beat, and several others, to Jay's A&R at the time, Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua, but it never fell into Hov's lap.

"Ether" is not the only instrumental RB produced that morphed into a problematic track ... Busta Rhymes' 2008 hit "Arab Money" can easily be misconstrued for bigotry, especially in the current social media landscape.

Ron says he was simply inspired by the Arabic music playing inside NYC bodegas and added his 1uto-tuned twist to the hook.

However, it includes a recanting of the Islamic Shahada -- a profession of faith -- and that almost got Busta in hot water, and Ron too when he got booked for a Dubai gig ... but he swears the track is all positive.

Despite both beats taking a life of their own, Ron tells us his fav track he did was actually "Pop Champagne" with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana.

Anderson .Paak is getting divorced -- ending a lengthy and very private marriage that seems to have fallen apart very suddenly ... TMZ has learned.

The singer just filed legal docs asking for a dissolution of marriage from his wife, Jae Lin ... to whom he's been hitched for a long time. In fact, contrary to the year the public seems to have thought they tied the knot (2011) ... AP cites 2010 as the year they got married.

Now, as far as their separation date ... it doesn't sound like Anderson even knows when that was -- 'cause he leaves it blank here in the paperwork, and simply writes "TBD."

Still, he makes no bones about the fact that he wants a straight-up divorce -- as opposed to a legal separation -- and goes on to list their two minor children as individuals they'll need to hash out custody over ... and right off the bat, he seems willing to share parenting duties.

Anderson notes in his filing that he wants himself and Jae to have joint legal and physical custody of their kids ... with a visitation schedule for both of them. In terms of divvying up their assets/property ... AP says he and his legal team still need to ascertain who owns what.

Like we said, they've been a couple for a while now -- and Anderson's pretty low-key about his private life ... even though, professionally, he's been skyrocketing over the past few years.

Supa Emcee -- the Michigan-born rapper whose biggest claim to fame is being cut OUT of Eminem's "8 Mile" -- has been charged with murder following the death of his girlfriend.

According to the local reports, Supa -- real name Jimmie Brown -- has been accused by the authorities of stabbing and slashing his partner of 13 years, Kelly Mays, around 17 times in the neck and chest during an alleged altercation in their Detroit apartment on January 7.

Cops claim he fled the scene before turning himself in later in the day ... when he was ultimately charged with murder.

Mays' daughter denounced all association with Brown, telling local Fox 2 Detroit, “I hate him now and he is no father of mine. I touched her foot, and it was cold. I have nightmares about it so every time I fall asleep, I see it.”

Brown's a seasoned veteran on the Detroit rap scene ... he got the chance to battle rap against Em in the iconic hip hop film but the scene got downgraded to the DVD ... destined to become a relic soon.

We obtained the court docs ... Brown's next hearing is scheduled for January 25. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. Mays was 49.

Fat Joe says 100 million Americans are in the red because of hospital bills ... and he's working with Congress to try and fix what he says is a greedy healthcare system.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and told us why he's advocating for big changes with the way hospitals and health insurance companies do business.

Fat Joe says most people who go to the hospital have no idea how much care is going to cost until after the fact ... and he says the lack of transparency is putting way too many folks in debt.

Joey Crack's been banging this drum for almost a year now ... and this week he brought his message to Congress' doorstep, hosting about 500 lawmakers and government officials at an event for Power to the Patients ... a healthcare advocacy group.

Fat Joe says only 27 cents of every $1 Americans are charged at hospitals goes back to doctors, nurses, staff and the actual procedures and treatments ... with the rest of the money lining the pockets of the hospitals and insurance companies.

He says folks who are already struggling to afford treatments are being told the prices are going up ... but Fat Joe says that's really just a move by hospitals and insurance companies to increase profits.

Fat Joe's calling on Congress to change the system so people aren't being unfairly charged with hidden costs and fees when they go to the hospital.

Farm life has apparently been treating Kelis well ... something the Internet can collectively agree on ... because she's aging like fine wine, and she's got some cool content to boot!

The singer/rapper posted yet another update on her little California farm -- something she's been doing routinely lately as she grows her social media presence. Kelis' following has been ballooning too ... but many suspect it's because she looks so damn good in these clips.

Anyway, for this latest offering ... Kelis proudly announced a couple additions to her animal family this week  ... a newborn baby goat and a micro-donkey she hilariously named Smokey Robinson, but fans genuinely seemed to care more for what the "Milkshake" singer had in those jeans.

Yes, she's certainly a shapely woman ... something people just can't help but remark on!

While Kelis' agricultural report may have been largely ignored by horndogs on Twitter/IG ... she does have some interesting info here about the habits of new mothers in the animal kingdom. Of course, for the straight men out there ... it's a little hard to focus.

With that said, Kelis is a legitimate farmer ... she's got beans, greens, potatoes, chickens, turkeys, virtually everything you can name for a substantial farm and also starred in her own Netflix cooking show a few years ago.

Bill Murray was her Old MacDonald for a couple of months last summer but that relationship has since fizzled. On its face, it looks like Kelis may be single right now.

Lil Nas X's "J Christ" single was already predestined to piss off Christians -- but the newly released track has a new enemy to deal with ... Kendrick Lamar fans.

The rapper dropped his latest offering Friday, and right off the bat ... hip hop heads heard a striking similarity between 'J Christ' and K.dot's 2017 smash hit "Humble." Can't blame 'em for comparing the two tracks -- fact is, they do indeed sound very similar beat-wise.

"J Christ" is produced by Lil Nas X alongside respected hitmakers, Gesaffelstein and Omer Fedi ... but the energetic bassline and piano melody feel like a carbon copy of Kendrick’s Grammy-winning track, which was produced by Mike Will Made-It and Pluss.

As you can imagine, a good handful of Twitter/X users let LNX have it on social media for seemingly being unoriginal ... not to mention continuing to use his religion for clickbait.

The credit and blame here kinda all goes to LNX -- he wrote and directed the visuals, and packed on the religious imagery … also, the infamous Satan Nikes make a return in the video, and the rapper alternates conducting cheerleading routines in both Heaven and Hell.

So, on top of the Kendrick thing ... some feel like he's just back to fanning the flames generally speaking. Of course, there are many who are feeling the song ... diff'rnt strokes!

One more thing ... the celeb impersonators hired for the video stayed in character to hit the track's release party -- Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran -- and an unflattering Ice Spice hit the red carpet to celebrate … and imitate.

Blac Chyna a.k.a. Angela White's mother Tokyo Toni is sneaking behind her back hoping to get into her daughter's ex-boyfriend's pants ... at least that's what these leaked DMs suggest.

Chyna and rapper Lil Twin Hector dated for a couple of years before breaking up in 2020 but on Thursday he confirmed his claims that Toni was sending him explicit DMs on Instagram -- by posting the explicit DMs on Instagram for all the world to see.

Very nasty work on display ... Toni initially hit up Twin, apparently threatening to take a flight just to beat up her daughter, which prompted Twin to send her a passionate message asking to fill her heart with love.

It turned out to be bait for a thirst trap ... Tokyo swore up and down Chyna was jealous of her natural body and then bared it all in the DMs in an attempt to arouse Twin.

The breaking point for Twin came when Tokyo sent him a clip of her while covered in blankets ... and pounding on her poom-poom.

Hector was so disgusted that he made a diss track/video titled "Ms Toni" and included the DMs as visual evidence.

Kali Uchis and Don Toliver are the latest musical couple expecting a bundle of joy -- the R&B stars popped the lid off their baby-making secret with an IG reveal on Thursday.

The soon-to-be parents both shared a heartfelt video that not only chronicled their baby's journey in their womb but also included footage of them both as children.

Kali capped off the vid with a loving message to their newborn ... "Starting our family❤️‍🩹 don’t take too long to get here little pooks, mom & dad can’t wait to share our life with you."

The two began dating in 2020 and are also frequent in-studio collaborators with one another.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori are back in Los Angeles after an eventful weekend in Vegas -- and since the temps have dropped here lately ... she's finally dressed appropriately.

The couple was out and about Wednesday in West Hollywood, where they were seen hitting up a Maxfield boutique for what seems to have been a little retail therapy. As they were cruising around the area, folks couldn't help but notice they were bundled up in warm clothes.

Specifically, Bianca here looks like she's walking around NYC ... that, or maybe Moscow.

Hubby was also rocking a heavy jacket too -- doesn't look like he was in the mood to show off his mug, though ... 'cause he had his entire hood over his head, and partially his face.

BC, of course, is the one who stands out ... fact is, this look here -- somewhat conservative, albeit fashionably so -- is the exact opposite of what we've seen her in lately ... namely, very revealing outfits.

You'll recall ... Ye and Bianca were zooming around Vegas last week to ring in her 29th birthday -- and throughout the whole weekend, she was wearing these teeny, tiny bikini tops that were barely containing her huge boobs ... which were very much spilling out all over.

We know Bianca isn't afraid to bare it all at a moment's notice -- but on the flip side ... she also seems ready to cover up/hide away. Depends on how chilly it is outside, we suppose.

Anyhoo ... still no word on that new album -- but at least Ye's got Bianca in his corner.

Young Thug's YSL RICO trial continues to provide unintentional entertainment ... today's edition introduced an unlikely name into the mix -- LeBron James!!!

On Thursday, YSL co-founder Trontavious "Tick" Stephens took the stand yet again when he was quizzed about LBJ's potential ties to the YSL -- due to the fact the NBA's scoring leader occasionally doing the "wipe your nose" hand sign with teammates and calling them "slime" as a term of endearment.

Prosecutors argue the WYN gesture is code for offing a rival in the streets and "slime" is also a gang-related term and pressured Tick to cough up what he knew about LBJ and YSL ... which wasn't much.

Tick admitted he's seen LBJ pull off different handshakes with his team -- but his mind seemed to slip into the Twilight Zone on the other questions .. namely, he couldn't remember.

The case has been bridged on potentially having YT potentially having crimes in his rap lyrics and the court played his and Rich Homie Quan's 2014 hit "Lifestyle" for everyone to analyze.

We're not sure what streaming the party track accomplished ... Thug, Yak Gotti and others remained emotionless as the platinum smash blared in the courtroom but it looked like the attorneys were trying hard not to catch a vibe.

Fat Joe, Wyclef Jean and Jelly Roll used their combined musical talents to spread more awareness for their Power to the Patients healthcare advocacy ... by bringing the message right to Congress' doorstep.

The artists performed last night at Hamilton Live in D.C. for about 500 Congressional and government officials, and TMZ Hip Hop got video from inside the show.

The trio's message was clear -- they're all calling for President Joe Biden to act immediately!!!

Wyclef corralled members of Congress onto the stage and passed them the mic while having them chant to Biden, "Power to the Patients" much to the amusement of Joe in the back ... pretty funny stuff.

Jelly Roll is coming off his Best New Artist win at the CMTs, but flexed his hip hop roots performing Eminem's "Lose Yourself" ... a motto he's applied to his career given his recent success.

Sources at the event tell us Joe, Clef and Jelly all met backstage and shared their fondness for each other's careers -- we hear Joe in particular is a huge fan of JR's "Need A Favor" hit from last year.

Fridayy is one of the hottest new artists around -- having rubbed shoulders with DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, and Rick Ross at last year's Grammy's, and let him tell it, he'll gladly pay to be in their company!!!

We linked up with the "God Did" crooner outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and quizzed him on one of those fancy dinners the internet is obsessed with -- which Fridayy's experienced IRL.

When it comes time to pay the check, Fridayy tells us he has no problem footing the bill .. an interesting tidbit considering Jay's an entire billionaire!!!

Jay advised fans to take the hypothetical "$500k" over a dinner convo with him but we're sure money ain't a thang for Fridayy these days.

Gunna had a huge comeback in 2023 and many rap fans may say he won the year outright with his "Gift and a Curse" album -- but he plans to keep that ball rolling in 2024.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Gunna Wednesday in Bev Hills -- still rolling deep with armed security -- and he happily told us fans can expect him to include more "substance" in his music this year.

The "fukumean" rapper also tells us he plans on collaborating with artists ... although it doesn't seem like he has the guest list finalized just yet.

Gunna didn't address much of the drama surrounding him and Young Thug's YSL trial on the 'Gift' album ... leaving many unanswered questions for fans, but the project still topped many "Best Of" lists.

Ozzy Osbourne is giving props where they’re due, because he's deemed T-Pain's cover of his classic rock anthem “War Pigs” ... the best ever.

T-Pain recently rocked out to the 1970 Black Sabbath song during a live performance ... and when it ended up on Ozzy’s radar, he says it blew him away!!!

The rock icon was puzzled as to why he wasn’t brought in for the fun with his anti-war hit, to which T-Pain told him he’s always invited ... opening the door for a monster collaboration down the line 👀.

Lil Nas X's claim of being accepted to a Christian college was a fib of biblical proportions -- at least according to the higher ed institution itself ... who says they've never heard of him.

A spokesperson for Liberty University tells TMZ Hip Hop, "We can confirm that Liberty University did not issue the Montero Hill 'acceptance letter' posted yesterday to social media, and we have no record of Montero Hill applying to the University. Liberty University exists to glorify God by equipping men and women in higher education in fidelity to the Christian faith expressed through the Holy Scriptures."

"We continue to pray for America and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed across this land. We welcome all to apply and join us at Liberty University."

LNX posted the phony placard as part of his new song rollout that's hellbent on convincing fans he's not the devil-worshipping dandy that Dave Chappelle made him out to be in his newest Netflix special.

Many people noted the letter he posted was edited/old ... 'cause the ex-Prez whose John Hancock is on there died a long time ago -- so it was easy to spot the fake. Still, now we got LU officially shutting it down ... and sending prayers Nas X's way too to boot.

Of course, this stunt is just the latest LNX has pulled over the past few weeks to plug this new single of his -- 'J Christ' -- which is very much the opposite of his devil song from a few years ago ... "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)." Now, he's trying to seem holier than thou.

Speaking of this new track ... Lil Nas X dropped a teaser of the music video for it on Wednesday -- and there's a bunch of celebrity lookalikes heading up to the pearly gates.

Funny enough, we saw photos of these same actors a couple months ago doing a shoot -- and while we didn't know what this was for at the time ... we certainly do now. You can take a peek and check out the photos yourself to see what was happening behind the scenes.

Montero may not be a holy roller on campus next semester but he's still pumped to take his fans on a divine journey ... judging from his upcoming "J Christ" music video that spoofs several celebrities walking up the stairways to heaven.

We got a hold of some pics from the shoot ... doppelgängers of everyone from Taylor Swift to Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson, Kanye West -- even Queen Elizabeth can be seen Nasing it up!!!

Life's coming fast for Danielle Bregoli AKA Bhad Bhabie -- she's about ready to pop with her first child and also unveiled her very first movie role to kick off 2024!!!

The upcoming film "Drugstore June" rolled out its official trailer on Wednesday, which billed BB under her real name and joined an ensemble cast.

The film reunites BB with her longtime director Nicholaus Goossen, who primed her for the bigtime shooting a bunch of her star-studded videos in the past ... including "Gucci Flip Flops" with David Spade and "Trust Me" with Bella Thorne, Theo Von and Ty Dolla $ign.

Danielle plays a girl who works at a smoke shop and the cast is rounded out by Bill Burr, Beverly D’Angelo, Esther Povitsky, Miranda Cosgrove, Haley Joel Osment and many more.