TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Snoop Dogg's ad for smokeless fire pits totally won the internet last year ... but the company that hired him says they won nada and their 4th quarter tanked as a result!!!

Solo Stove, the company behind the clever spot that teased the end of Snoop's days of blazin', fired its CEO after it fell short of its $520-$540 million yearly revenue stream ... sounds like they were banking on Snoop to save their asses!!!

The outgoing CEO John Marris tells The Daily that Snoop brought them 60k new followers after his spot dropped and data shows the ad ranked high with just a few weeks to live in the public eye.

2024 projections have been adjusted for Solo Stove -- the incoming CEO only has to clear $490 million and $500 million ... which probably won't be coming from rap fans; they were there to be entertained by the D-O double G, nothing else!!!

Snoop's also onboard to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics for NBC. Ya gotta wonder ... what's gonna happen to the execs when he earns higher ratings than the games?!? 🥴

Drake says the last time his pops, Dennis Graham, was allowed in Canada ... Drake's career was just taking off, but after a 15-year wait ... he's happy to say daddy's home!!!

Drake hopped on IG Monday night to boast both of his parents were together under one roof on Canadian soil ... quite the milestone. He said, "First time in over 15 years they let the OG back into Canada thank you to everyone that helped us out @therealdennisg."

In a separate flick, Dennis was seen diving right into grandfather mode with Drake's 6-year-old son Adonis ... a little breakfast toast makes school that much more enjoyable!!!

Whether or not he's physically there, DG always wants the best for his fam. He shared some of his fatherly advice recently, when he told us it was wise for Drake to stay out of online debates surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.

Drake's gotta be soaking up this family time -- he and J. Cole are set to embark on their "It's All a Blur -- Big As The What?" tour.

Martin Lawrence and his "Martin" costars reunited for the Emmys and some laughs … with a sketch that allowed them to thumb their noses at the awards for years of snubs!!!

Martin, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold and Carl Anthony Payne II all gathered on the iconic show's recreated set to present Jeremy Allen White's Lead Actor award for "The Bear" -- and also paid homage to late cast member Thomas Mikal Ford with a photograph of him on the table.

Martin's sitcom has remained a pillar in hip hop and the Black community years after going off the air, and Carl immersed fully into his Cole character ... blindly assuming they were there to snag an Emmy, not give one away.

Tisha exposed the fact the show never won an Emmy, which got some props from the audience.

The series ran from 1992 to 1996 and boasted dozens of cameos including The Notorious B.I.G., Method Man, Tommy Hearns -- the hat Carl wore for the Emmys bit is even a nod to their episode featuring MC Hammer!!!

Diddy and alcohol giant Diageo were ensnarled in a nasty legal battle last year -- but that's old news now ... 'cause TMZ can confirm both parties have buried the hatchet.

Both Diddy and Diageo tell TMZ simultaneously ... "Sean Combs and Diageo have now agreed to resolve all disputes between them. Mr. Combs has withdrawn all of his allegations about Diageo and will voluntarily dismiss his lawsuits against Diageo with prejudice."

The statement continues ... Diageo and Mr. Combs have no ongoing business relationship, either with respect to Cîroc vodka or DeLeón tequila, which Diageo now solely owns."

The Bad Boy music mogul sued the company last year -- accusing them of racism for allegedly neglecting his tequila line, DeLeón Tequila. Diddy claimed Diageo put this booze on the backburner, and alleged there were racist intentions behind it.

Diageo, of course, denied that ... and said they'd tried dealing with this behind closed doors -- but once Diddy opened the legal floodgates, they were ready to defend themselves.

This case has been playing out quietly behind the scenes, but now ... it's suddenly over. Diddy's withdrawing his lawsuit against Diageo -- and while there's no mention of it explicitly ... this certainly smells like a settlement of some sort.

Anderson .Paak's wasting no time getting back in the dating game ... days after officially pulling the plug on his marriage, he's hitting the beach in Mexico with a new songbird.

The Silk Sonic scribe was spotted in Puerto Vallarta Sunday with Dutch singer Sterre Marith Tapilatu, and they're clearly a couple ... holding hands during a romantic walk at sunset.

The breathtaking scenery makes it seem as if they're in a music video for one of his R&B classics -- cue up "Leave the Door Open."

It's unclear when AP and Sterre first got together, but their public coming out as a couple happened just days after the Grammy winner filed to end his 13-year marriage to singer Jae Lin.

TMZ broke the story, in his divorce docs, Anderson is seeking joint custody of the 2 kids he and Jae Lin have together, and wants to divvy up their assets equally.

Rick Ross was among the honored guests at 5000 Role Models' Dr. MLK Jr. Scholarship Breakfast on Monday ... a celebration he entered with a heavy heart in the wake of Big Jook's killing.

Ahead of the event, Rozay pumped up a motivational speech to all his followers in Memphis ... lose the ski masks -- or Pooh Shiesty's as they're known in the streets, and also ixnay on the gunplay.

Sounds like Ross wants the city to do better going forward. Memphis led the nation in homicides last year and Jook, who was Yo Gotti's brother and CMG Records top exec, started 2024 on a sour note after he was murdered over the weekend in the 901 after leaving a funeral procession.

Ross eventually arrived at the event where he was all smiles as he was swarmed by admirers and received The Key to the City of Miami from Mayor Francis Suarez and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson ... who stole the show dressed as a crimson cowgirl!!

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.