TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Suge Knight has questioned the legitimacy of losing his Death Row Records ownership since Snoop Dogg acquired it -- but the label's co-owner says that's far from factual ... as they push the mighty DR into the next millennium!!!

Michael “Harry-O” Harris tells us Snoop's purchase of the label is as legit as it gets, and while he admits he's leery of having discussions about Suge ... he still feels the incarcerated ex-mogul is steaming with hot air!!!

Harry-O has been involved with Death Row for some time now, but a beef between Suge and him quickly boiled over ... leaving both men at the helm during times while the other sat in prison.

Harris was pardoned on Donald Trump's last day as President and immediately got to work with Snoop, re-releasing the label's catalog onto streaming services, and dismissing Suge's commentary. As he put it, the loudest in the room isn't always the correct one.

New York City's rat infestation appears to have taken a turn for the worse ... a reality that's not likely gonna get any better if you ask proud New Yorker Lola Brooke!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently got the "Don't Play With It" rapper's take on what could be done with the rodent rampage -- last week, city officials were put on alert when the furry pests were spotted seeking warmth underneath a homeless man's blanket.

Kathleen Corradi, the 6-figure salaried specialist hired by NYC Mayor Eric Adams to solve the problem, recently told us there's a 7% decrease in rat complaints ... but Lola thinks that's only because people have just stopped complaining.

Lola's a lifelong Brooklynite -- she tells us she grew up with rats in her home to no fault of her own and says it's basically time for the Rotten Apple to realize it's ... well, rotten.

YG and Saweetie's relationship won’t have a 2024 encore … the couple reportedly called things quits --  without a hitch.

Sources close to both artists tell The Shade Room the decision to end their roughly 7-month romance came on a mutual decision -- they both think they’re better off as friends.

The West Coast rappers confirmed their union last May amid a steamy Mexican vacation and continued to step out together -- and also collaborate, as they did for Saweetie's "Birthday" single during her birthday month.

Don’t expect to see them bounce out with someone new … they’re both said to be busy with their careers going forward.

Blueface is behind bars over a probation violation that he got hauled into court over last week -- and now, we’ve learned he ain't due to get out for a while ... months, in fact.

The rapper was making headlines on Friday after officials say he violated one or more of the terms of his probation in his club beatdown assault case here in L.A. from a few years ago.

On Friday, there was a hearing scheduled in the case citing some type of probation violation ... although it's unclear what exactly he's alleged to have done. BTW, this was just the latest in several probation violation hearings during the case.

Anyway, there was video of him making the rounds online as well ... showing him presumably heading to court. In the clip, Blue said he was just there to handle some business -- although, he did hint at the possibility he might be jailed right on the spot.

As it turns out ... he was. TMZ can confirm Blueface is in custody at the county jail right now -- and according to online records ... he ain't scheduled to be released until the summer.

More specifically, Blueface is not scheduled to be cut loose until July 2, 2024 ... although, with overcrowding in the jail -- it's certainly possible he'll be released sooner than this. No word on which wing of the jail he's being housed in just yet ... it looks like they're still sorting that.

Still ... Blue will likely be out of the public eye for the foreseeable future -- something his mother was decrying on Friday, and also blaming on his baby mamas ... Chrisean and Jaidyn.

She claimed these ladies had brought him nothing but trouble -- a sentiment echoed by Blue's manager, Wack 100, as well. As you well know, he's been very active over the past 12 months on a number of fronts ... and it looks like somewhere along the way, law enforcement saw something they felt violated his probation terms -- and then rang him up for it.

We're still working to figure out what exactly Blue is accused of doing -- and getting clarity on a realistic timeline for his release. Until then, he's locked up.

Blueface's manager Wack 100 is sending an apology to Martin Luther King Jr. for what he sees as him dying in vain -- nearly 56 years after the Civil Rights leader's assassination, Wack is pissed about violence bleeding into the rap game.

Wack, like many fans, grew deeply troubled by the news Yo Gotti's brother Big Jook was shot and killed over the weekend, and declared MLK's vision to be dissolved in 2024 -- while owning up to his own sins as well.

In his open letter, Wack laments ... "My apologies Dr. King, You fought for desegregation & we turned around and segregated ourselves. Your fight for the people was turned into the fighting of our own people. I myself at one time played a part in this. My apologies on your born day. You died for what we take for granted. #RIP Dolph #RIP Big Jook #RIP King Von #RIP Drakeo #RIP Marlo #RIP NIPSEY HUSSLE"

Dozens of "stop the violence" movements have followed each of the rap artists' deaths ... but to Wack's point, don't appear to be that effective.

The longtime music mogul has since taken to podcasting and has been vocal about his past gang ties and the bad decisions that played out afterward.

Quavo’s wasting no time getting his 2024 in motion -- the star rapper popped up for a surprise performance in Milan at a fashion show launch!!!

TMZ Hip Hop got this footage of the ex-Migos leader overseas for the launch of 1989 STUDIO's new showroom, where they also introduced the brand's FW24 collection.

We're told Quavo was dripped in 1989 from head-to-toe and he later linked up with the brand's founder, Chaz Jordan, backstage for a photo-op.

He gave dual energetic performances of his hits "Turn Yo Clic Up" collab with Future, and his and Takeoff's classic "Hotel Lobby" anthem.

Lil Nas X is trying to clean up the mess that his "J Christ" single has caused in the Christian community ... but the damage might be done, if these artists' reactions mean anything.

Mr. Montero hopped on IG on Monday to apologize for all the backlash but also admitted he was surprised by the level of hate he received all the same.

Lil Nas X says he figured the masses would have picked up on his satire ... namely, him combatting Satan in the video and turning away from the dark side, so to speak. He goes on to say the Jesus inspo was aimed to be a metaphor for his resurrected career.

He does admit, however, that his communion promo video perhaps took things too far ... he apologizes for the antics ... while denying he's the anti-Christ sent to ruin family values.

Despite Nas X's I'm-sorry ... several of today's top Christian rappers may beg to differ ... they think his new "J Christ" campaign openly mocks their religion and they're not going for it!!!

Dee-1 is no stranger to calling out artists he feels are leading fans down dark paths and posted up next to a mural of Lil Nas X ... and warned him his record label Columbia Records was allowing him to be a crash dummy for Christians.

Dee suggested LNX was suffering from "church hurt" -- shunned for being gay but still told him to cut it out.

Lecrae, the first rapper to ever win a Grammy for Best Gospel Album, echoed similar thoughts and urged his following to pray for LNX -- arguing he's not a lost cause, yet.

Hurricane Chris -- who told us he credited Jesus for his not guilty verdict after being acquitted of murder -- was far less forgiving and threatened to resurrect the Crusades ... and slide for his Lord and Savior against what he perceives as the evil in Nas X's song.

The trial for 2 men charged with murdering hip hop legend Jam Master Jay of the trailblazing group Run-DMC is all set to begin ... more than 20 years after the pioneering DJ was killed.

Jury selection began last week from a pool of more than 500 prospective candidates -- the process is scheduled to be completed by January 22, and the trial will begin one week later.

Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington are the defendants who were indicted back in August 2020.

Prosecutors charged a third defendant, Jay Bryant, in July 2023 and his trial will commence sometime in 2025.

Jay was shot and killed in October 2002 inside a Queens recording studio he owned and operated.

Juice WRLD's ex is hawking some of his memorabilia fans wished she kept in the vault ... namely, an alleged sex tape of the 2 of them ... advertising it as explicit footage!!! 😲

Ally Lotti's been posting content on OnlyFans for a while now -- but recently told her subscribers they could unlock the vid of her and the late "Lucid Dreams" rapper ... which she says warrants a XXX rating.

Now, as for an explanation for this move -- best believe this is drumming up outrage among JW's fan base -- AL claims to be under pressure by would-be bad actors. She writes ... "F***ed by my famous ex. Hackers are trying to threaten me to leak my old sex tape with my ex fiance Juice WRLD."

She adds, "IDGAF anymore. I’ll leak it myself. It’s a long time since I have been f***ed rough with some big black c**** like this. I am so mad that I am adding every nude I ever sent him. I know you will at least enjoy it. Can’t believe I am actually sending this but I can’t be threatened anymore."

While it remains to be seen if people are buying her rationale -- let's just say folks don't feel good about her throwing up Juice's private moments after his death ... it just feels gross.

Of course, Juice has been gone since 2019 ... and friends and fans weren't feeling Ally's excuse, hackers or not -- and demanded she have some dignity and take the post down.

One of the Juice WRLD's own collaborators, Denzel Curry, also weighed in ... and he thinks people (including Ally) should let him rest in peace.

Dan Campbell had his Lions players ready to run through a brick wall after the franchise's first playoff win in 32 years ... giving a speech right from the heart that got the entire locker room hyped!!

The Lions pulled off the close 24-23 victory in the Wild Card matchup against the L.A. Rams on Sunday ... punching their ticket to the Divisional Round, where they will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.

Campbell -- who's in his third season with Detroit -- addressed his squad shortly after the contest ... and he didn't hold back as he honored general manager Brad Holmes and Jared Goff with game balls.

"Dude, how electric was it out there?" Campbell said. "I'm telling you what, it doesn't get any better. It's everything you dream of and then more, all right? That's outstanding work."

Holmes was also fired up to the max after the game ... letting out a scream in the elevator, which was captured on video.

Emotions were high at Ford Field ... as the Lions faced off against former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, who played 12 seasons in Motor City before being traded to L.A. in 2021.

Some fans in the crowd were visibly crying after the final whistle ... and understandably so, as the Lions had to deal with some miserable seasons before the turnaround.

In fact, the team's biggest A-list supporters like Eminem, Barry Sanders and Big Sean were present for the showdown ... and they were certainly soaking in the huge moment.

As we previously reported, Slim Shady playfully begged Stafford to let the Lions win ... claiming the former No. 1 overall pick owed him a favor for crushing it during the Super Bowl halftime show when the QB secured his first ring with the Rams in the 2021 season.

Soulja Boy's baby mama says her defamation lawsuit against Blueface is taking an extreme emotional toll -- her lawyers say she's seeing doctors and taking new medications for anxiety and insomnia.

Jackilyn Martinez's attorneys, Vadim Yeremenko and Tara Licata, tell TMZ ... their client is feeling distressed over Blueface's statements about her child and threats she says she's getting from his fans. We're told she's been seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist, who have prescribed her meds.

TMZ broke the story ... Jackilyn sued Blueface after he said they had sex the day before her and Soulja Boy's baby shower back in 2022 ... and insinuated the son she shares with SB could actually be his.

Blueface took more jabs at Soulja and Jackilyn in a series of social media posts ... and as a result, we're told this whole situation has sowed discord between Soulja and the baby boy.

We're also told Jackilyn and Soulja Boy now have minimal communications themselves.

Jackilyn seems to be going through a lot ... her lawsuit claimed she received death threats from Blueface fans, and now her legal team tells us she's since disabled messages on social media.

The lawsuit was filed in December and lawyers tell us they served Blueface while doing a meet and greet at Fountain LA in Koreatown ... the same night our photog got him there with Jaidyn Alexis.

1/14 2:57 PM PT -- Memphis police have a lead in the Big Jook shooting ... posting photos of a white Ford Explorer they say may have carried the rapper's killers.

They're asking the public for help identifying the car and are offering a $4,000 reward for information.

Yo Gotti's brother, Anthony 'Big Jook' Mims, was shot and killed this weekend ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the rapper's older sibling was gunned down Saturday in Memphis on near Winchester Road. Per reports, this murder took place after he'd attended a funeral service in the area.

There are photos and videos circulating online that purportedly show Jook bleeding on the ground with people attending to him. The exact details of the shooting are unclear at this point ... but Jook is confirmed dead.

Big Jook was incredibly close to his famous brother ... he appears to officially be affiliated with Gotti's label Collective Music Group -- promoting artists under the imprint and appearing in music videos for them as well. Jook seemed to be more so on the business side.

It's sad that he happened to be killed during a time of mourning -- something he alluded to in one of his last IG Stories Saturday ... where he was honoring a fallen relative.

Unclear if Gotti himself was with Jook during the killing -- he hasn't addressed his brother's murder just yet either. Another element to this is the possibility that this might be related to the murder of Young Dolph in 2021 ... at least that's the speculation online anyway.

As we reported ... cops rushed to Gotti's Memphis restaurant shortly after the young rapper was shot down himself outside of a cookie store -- this out of fear of possible retaliation.

It's no secret Dolph and Gotti had beef ... and now, many suspect this might be connected. Also worth noting -- the location of Jook's murder is not far from Gotti's establishment ... in fact, it's on the same block. This is also not very far from where Dolph's murder took place.

We've reached out to Gotti's camp for comment ... so far, no word back.

Tory Lanez was paid a visit from a very special person while behind bars -- his son Kai.

Ceasar McDowell, a member of Tory's legal team and CEO of Unite the People tells TMZ ... the 6-year-old got to visit his dad 2 weekends in a row at California Correctional Institution Tehachapi ... where the rapper is less than 4 months into his 10-yr sentence for shooting Meg Thee Stallion in the foot.

We're told a family member brought the youngster to the prison ... and they didn't have to talk through glass. In fact, they got to sit at a table and spend 4-5 hours together on both Sat & Sun.

The father/son duo played board games, did some drawing, and ate food out of the vending machine.

Tory was happy to hug his son ... and it was especially good to see him as he'd been unable to spend time with him for the holidays -- though they communicate frequently.

You'll recall ... Tory brought Kai to court several times during his shooting trial in 2022.

Tory was sentenced in August 2023 ... found guilty of all 3 charges against him -- negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.

Drake's music might technically be considered "rap" if you had to throw it in a genre bin -- but Yasiin Bey (aka, Mos Def) says it ain't pure hip hop as far as he's considered.

The legendary MC recently sat down for an interview on "The Cutting Room Floor" ... where the host asks him straight up if he considers Drizzy to be "hip hop," which made for a fascinating exchange. Long story short, no ... Mos doesn't think Aubrey's in the circle.

Check out the video to see his full response on this ... 'cause it's pretty brutal. MD says Drake's tunes are like shopping music -- namely, friendly/easy to listen to and digest ... perhaps with a little edge every now and then.

He also uses Target to make his point here ... noting Drake, by and large, is as mainstream and commercial as they come, and calling him pop more than hip hop. Yeah, it's harsh.

Mos had even more to say on the topic ... rhetorically asking if Drake actually challenges his audience with art they might not necessarily enjoy -- going on to suggest that everybody thinks Drizzy's music is always "great," and that there's a lot of pom-pom cheering.

Of course, this has been a raging debate forever now -- with hip hop purists constantly s****ing on Drake as too soft for their taste ... and now, a hip hop great is piling on.

Drake has defended himself on this issue, and yes ... he's proven he can spit with the best of them, so his hip hop bona fides have been proven. Still though, it sounds like he continues to be considered a little too pop-y for some of his contemporaries... which is fine.

Fact is, he's one of the most famous artists in the world, and he's wildly wealthy too. You trade one thing for the other, we suppose ... mass appeal is pretty freaking profitable.🤷🏽‍♂️

DDG and Halle Bailey's newborn son is already being primed for superstardom -- his proud papa couldn't wait to hit the town and splurge on high-end baby gear!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with DDG this week outside English Rabbit -- a posh Bev Hills children's boutique -- where he celebrated fatherhood by dropping $5k in that one store.

The child will be "Moonwalking in Calabasas" in his baby kicks just like his daddy in no time!!!

DDG and Halle announced their son Halo's birth last week, which was the first time they even confirmed the months of speculation about them expecting.

Even though fans were buzzing about it, DDG says he and Halle never felt like they had to cave to social media pressure ... and only decided to introduce Halo when they felt comfortable doing so.

DDG also discussed the stereotypical "horrors" of new parenthood, which he says is mostly 🧢.

He says he and the 'Little Mermaid' star are already diaper-changing pros and have a good rotating schedule for late-night crying ... a sound neither one of them minds hearing.

Playboi Carti had his spot blown this week ... body cam footage of the enigmatic rapper being arrested in September 2022 for driving over 133 miles per hour on Atlanta's I-75/85 Southbound Expressway leaked online.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the police report from the incident ... Carti was slapped with multiple traffic violations, including reckless driving ... a case he tried to plead with the arresting officer to no avail.

Carti told the officer he was driving like greased lightning because of an emergency getting to the airport, to which the officer informed him that driving 133 MPH in a 55-mile-per-hour zone, was a hazard in itself and placed him in the back of his vehicle.

According to the docs, a search of his car also found a Glock handgun on the passenger seat, along with an extended mag in the weapon but no round was chambered.

The firearm was legally registered to Carti and his background check revealed he was not a convicted felon ... his uncle later arrived on the scene and took possession of the weapon at Cart's request.

A somewhat funny moment also occurred when Carti was booked ... a fan recognized him through his face mask and openly admitted Carti was his fav rapper in the whole wide world!!!

We checked the records and Carti emerged with a clean slate from the incident ... which wasn't the case that following December.