TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West shelled out a small fortune for some ad space during the Super Bowl -- in a limited capacity, anyway -- and it seems to have paid off ... at least according to him.

Ye announced his haul from Sunday on social media to kick off the new week -- and single-day figures that he's citing are pretty good ... around $19 million is what one of his reps says Yeezy.com made after his stripped-down SB spot.

He posted a screenshot of a text he apparently received, which breaks down what items were sold and the dollar amount for each. There's 4 different products that KW and co. were really pushing, it seems, and those include a top, pants, a T-shirt and YZY pods.

The pods are basically foldable futuristic socks that you can wear as actual footwear.

Funny enough, Kanye seems to have had a great sale on his website ... these items he's hawking are all on sale for a measly $20. Yep ... even now, you can get 'em at that price.

If these numbers are accurate -- then yeah ... Kanye low-key cleaned up on his inventory ... and it would appear his "commercial" (if you can call it that) actually worked wonders.

ICYMI ... the dude had one of the most bare-bones ads of all time -- which only aired in certain markets during the Super Bowl broadcast -- and it featured Ye literally filming himself in the back of a car, selfie-style, and giving a quick explainer of what he was selling.

Like we said, it was as basic as it could be -- and yet, it seems to have done the job!

Some are calling Ye a marketing genius over this ... and others are grumbling that the dude still has a customer base that'll buy his stuff -- even after everything he's said/done by now.

Usher resembled something out of "Space Jam" during part of his Super Bowl thanks to his futuristic Air Jordan 4's -- an emergency addition to his glitzy wardrobe!!!

Dominic "The Surgeon" Ciambrone had to spring into action 48 hours before Usher hit the stage ... we are told Jordan Brand had given the R&B megastar only one prototype of the silver metallic sneaker but was unable to get him the other shoe time for Super Bowl over delays due to Lunar New Year.

Usher reached out to Dominic to recreate all the materials of the kicks ... which fuse the chrome finish atop mirrored textiles and blue compliments ... which, he did in under 48 hours after taking 11 cracks at redesigning the shoe to get it perfect!!!

Dominic tells us Jordan Brand and Usher whipped up the design inspired by the "Confessions" singer's universal space theme.

Upon completion, Dom handcuffed himself to the briefcase containing the coveted kicks and hightailed it to Vegas on a last-minute flight Sunday to hand-deliver them.

1:05 PM PT -- And just like that, there will be no Naptown beatdown during NBA All-Star Weekend from either Mike Epps or Shannon Sharpe's camps ... the "Club Shay Shay" host is issuing an apology for escalating the situation and promises a "man-to-man" sit down soon.

Mike Epps isn't backing down from Shannon Sharpe's apparent threat that the streets aren't safe for him ... this, after the comic recently took some big shots at the HOF'er.

In response to SS's recent tirade against him on his podcast with Chad OchoCino -- in which Shannon claimed Mike had lied on his name (more on this later) -- ME himself hopped online to address it Monday ... clarifying who reached out to who, and what the deal is.

ICYMI ... Mike did a stand-up set about a week ago where he made fun of Shannon and his viral "Club Shay Shay" interviews lately, particularly the Katt Williams one. In his set, Mike said Shannon had reached out to him for a follow-up sit-down -- and then went on to make some homophobic jokes at Shannon's expense ... all of which caught Shannon's attention/fury.

On Sunday -- while recording his pod with Chad -- Shannon unloaded on Mike without ever naming him -- and said the gay jokes didn't bother him ... but the "lying," as he put it, did. He went to suggest he'd be confronting Mike about this soon, and perhaps more.

Welp, Mike's got a response to Shannon now ... explaining he had actually DM'd Shannon in the aftermath of Katt's now-infamous interview -- during which Mike says he felt Shannon was trying to bait KW into trashing his former 'Friday' costar, even though he never did.

Mike says he thinks Shannon is out here trying to get people to say wild things about others just for clicks -- and on the issue of meeting up ... ME says they can do that too.

Now, he does note he doesn't fight anymore -- so it doesn't sound like he wants to get physical with the former tight end (frankly, nobody does) ... but he continues to taunt SS.

BTW ... Mike has some shots for Shannon's pod partner, Chad, and some insults to boot.

Mike and Shannon are bound to cross paths next weekend at 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend ... which just happens to be in Mike's hometown of Indianapolis. So ... things are happening.

Usher had a ton of people "caught up" during his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show ... including Ne-Yo -- who tells TMZ Sports the R&B legend's performance was top five of all time!

Ne-Yo made the claim following the Big Game out in Las Vegas ... after Usher wowed the Allegiant Stadium crowd with his singing, dancing and skating skills.

"I liked it!" Ne-Yo told us. "I liked it a lot!"

The "Miss Independent" crooner wasn't the only one who loved what Usher did while singing alongside Alicia Keys, Ludacris and Lil Jon ... Janelle Monae also said she was a big fan of the spectacle.

In fact, she said the act should put Usher squarely in the discussion when it comes time to talk about music's GOATs.

"So proud of him," the 38-year-old singer said. "I love you, Usher!"

Of course, there were some haters ... including boxing star Gervonta Davis, who wasn't pleased with the way Usher caressed Keys during their rendition of "My Boo."

Usher and Alicia Keys got up close and personal during the Super Bowl Halftime show ... a little too close for some people's comfort, Alicia's husband is perfectly fine with it, it seems.

Swizz Beatz not only wasn't offended, but he's kinda laughing off all the critics who were outraged on his behalf -- and he's telling them that their focus is in the wrong place ... rather than zoom in the hug-from-behind (from Usher to Alicia), SB says look at what they did!

He writes, "Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!! y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium ⚡️🚨😂😂😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants !"

Swizz went on to say ... "Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic 🤍 We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history ✌🏽 Go see GIANTS at @brooklynmuseum it’s open until July blessings."

In other words ... he's not trippin', even though a lot of folks were.

ICYMI ... Usher's performance was buzzing heavy on social media for this particular moment -- namely, him wrapping up Alicia in his arms from behind as they sang their duet, 'My Boo.'

One notable person who commented on it -- boxing star Gervonta Davis ... who suggested he'd use his prizefighting skills to teach Usher a thing or two about boundaries. Boosie Badazz even got self-righteous and demanded Usher publicly apologize.

Indeed, there were some who were legit pissed. But even with those crying foul, you won't get what they're looking for here from Swizz ... he's telling everyone it's really NBD at all.

Cleary, he's comfortable in his relationship with Alicia -- they've been married for years now.

Still, Usher's PDA move caused quite a stir -- and some invoked Keke Palmer's husband to make their point.

Anyhoo, we broke the story on Alicia's SBLVIII cameo ... the two music megastars revamped their 2004 multi-platinum song -- recreating the hot/heavy vibes from the video.

Davido has a sparkling new pendant to honor his three-year-old son who died from an accidental drowning in 2022 ... and like his guardian angel, it's a one of one!!!

Celebrity jeweler Gabriel Jacobs presented Davido with the completed chain earlier this week, a shimmering replica of his son Ifeanyi's face wearing a crown of flowers, and tells TMZ Hip Hop the piece contains an astounding 8,000 stones in total ...  natural brown, champagne, and black diamonds, oh my!

Gabe says the entire piece weighs 60 carats in total and cost him $250,000 in full but the details found craftsmanship is priceless.

The headwrap adorning Ifeanyi is made from even more diamonds, opal, topaz, and citrine ... the birthstones of the late toddler, in addition to Davido and his wife Chioma.

Davido told TMZ Hip Hop he was hoping to cash in on at least one of his 3 Grammys at this year's awards but came up empty-handed at last Sunday's ceremony.

Drake's betting big bucks on Kansas City to take home the Lombardi Trophy ... some harrowing news for Chiefs fans who know about his betting track record.

The singer/rapper shared a picture of his betting receipt to Instagram Sunday morning ... showing he put down $1.15 million on the Chiefs to win it all.

Drake also seemed to be making a shrewd political move by the way ... joking he couldn't "bet against the swifties" -- definitely a fanbase you don't want coming for your head!

Unfortunately for Drizzy, this might leave K.C. fans upset with him ... 'cause the dude's betting track record is pretty suspect.

For those who don't know ... Drake bets big like this quite a bit -- and loses a decent amount too. This has led fans to dub Drake cursed, saying essentially any team he bets on is bound to lose.

Sports fans tend to be an overly superstitious bunch ... but there's quite a bit of "evidence" to back up this claim with teams and players like the Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide and even Conor McGregor losing pivotal matches when Drake's in their corner.

However, Drake's been a bit more accurate recently ... he hit two bets during last year's NBA finals and won just over $3.5 million when the Chiefs took home the title last year -- so maybe he's actually good luck for K.C.!

Travis Scott's music is an aphrodisiac ... at least it seemed to be for one couple who got hot and heavy with their hotel room window wide open.

Here's the deal ... the rapper took the stage at the Hakkasan Nightclub at the MGM Grand Saturday night to perform a few songs ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

While busting out a few of his songs, fans there to watch TS got a totally different kind of show ... the kind you usually need to pay big money to see in L.V.

Check out the video ... it appears a couple was getting down and dirty in one of the hotel rooms overlooking the venue, and they weren't shy whatsoever about having an audience.

Unclear if the couple was aware they were so visible ... but it definitely seems like it'd be obvious that everyone could see them -- hotel room windows aren't usually tinted, people!

Some of the performers apparently addressed the erotic display on the mic ... with one of the performers straight up saying, "That boy's a legend."

People on social media, however, were up in arms ... calling the whole thing uncomfortable and expecting people to have a bit more common courtesy when it comes to those intimate moments.

We don't know if the couple's faced any discipline from the hotel or even the police ... but that wouldn't be entirely unexpected given how much the attendees saw.

Justin Bieber's definitely in Sin City ... but he brought his faith with him -- in the form of his new pastor!!!

The singer-songwriter was spotted walking through Wynn Las Vegas with his wife Hailey Bieber and his new friend and confidante Pastor Judah Smith who tossed a comforting arm around Justin.

Justin and Judah have hung out quite a bit through the years ... with pics of them together over the last decade or so. Now, Judah's his main pastor, taking on the role from Carl Lentz with whom Bieber had a public falling out.

Remember ... Bieber and Lentz were super close for years before Lentz admitted to cheating on his wife in 2020 ... a day after Hillsong Church fired him. It seems Justin distanced himself from Carl in the aftermath -- and now has charged Judah with his spiritual guidance.

He seems to be taking over the role to a T BTW ... 'cause the guys share a very similar look, all the way down to the beanie and glasses.

Unclear exactly when this clip was taken ... but we do know Bieber impressed the crowd at The Delilah -- a popular nightclub in The Wynn -- when he hopped onstage and showed off his drum skills.

Bieber banged away on a drum kit with a member of WeTheBand, twisting the sticks around in his hand and slamming away on percussion.

One party wasn't enough for Justin though ... with the 29-year-old hitting up Michael Rubin's 2024 Fanatics Super Bowl Party and jumping behind the DJ booth -- hanging out alongside rapper Travis Scott.

Rubin's party was stacked with stars like Scott and Ice Spice who both performed while T-Pain, Queen Latifah, French Montana and Remy Ma also pulled up to get down.

We broke the story ... Usher reached out to Bieber directly to ask him to join him for the Super Bowl Halftime show -- and Bieber arrived with the Kardashians yesterday.

Kanye West has blown the lid off the water taxi mystery in Italy a few months back ... he seems to confirm, it was indeed oral sex.

Kanye's new song "F**k Sumn" reveals what and who went down when his wife, Bianca Censori leaned down as Ye's pants were at least partially down.

The telltale lyric ..."Shawty wanna f–k on somethin’? / F–k on me / Suck on me, publicly."

As you probably recall, Kanye and Bianca were mum back in August as to what was really going on, but the water taxi company felt it knew of the shenanigans ... it banned K&B from its vessels.

As you also know, Kanye and Bianca caused a stir with what she was wearing around Venice ... more accurately what she was not wearing.

Kanye collaborated with Ty Dolla $ign for the song, which dropped Friday.

Jelly Roll is hyped to have his own Super Bowl commercial, but he still can't believe it -- and he told us how much he would've demanded to do the spot!

Jelly Roll, who's getting mobbed by fans in Vegas this weekend, teamed up with Power to the Patients to "demand transparency in healthcare" ... alongside Lainey Wilson and Valerie June.

The ad will air sometime during the big game today. The cost of a 30-second commercial this year is about $7 million. On top of that, the sponsor has to pay the talent, and folks like Ben Affleck are raking in $10 mil for a spot. As for JR ... well, watch the clip.

Jelly Roll clearly believes in the importance of the message, saying the coolest part of the whole experience is that people are already responding to his message.

Power to the Patients previously teamed up with hip hop legends Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Method Man, Rick Ross, and French Montana to combat "hospitals and insurers rigging a system to make profits off of people that are in struggle."

Hidden behind this squiggly-lipped celeb is a handsome fella who's been in the entertainment industry for three decades. He may not confess to much on social media, but his pics are always 🔥! See if you can guess this mashed-up celeb ...

He's collaborated with music's hottest stars like Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. YEAH, he's a musical genius but he's also no stranger to the big screen ... He played the deejay in the iconic movie "She's All That" with Freddie Prinze Jr.

NLE Choppa has unlocked the code to prevent being bored in bumper-to-bumper Los Angeles --- stage a fan meet-and-greet on the spot!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Mr. Cottonwood posing for pics and signing autographs for his adoring public from the backseat of a car in DTLA at the let out of the Lakers game last night ... after they got smacked by the defending champs Denver Nuggets.

The fans were geeked to get up close and personal and NLE's giving them more than enough reasons to stay excited in 2024.

On Friday, the Memphis rapper released his new "City Lights" single -- a tribute to his slain friend Deonte' "Tae Grape" Fletcher and hits the road later this year with A Boogie Wit da Hoodie for the 'Better Off Alone' tour in May.

Katt Williams and Mo'Nique's sharing their "truth" on "Club Shay Shay" was the worst possible move for the Black community ... at least in Judge Mathis' eyes.

The man has been paid to have an honest gauge on uneasy situations -- legal, ethical and otherwise -- and according to Hizzoner, he rules that all this mud-slinging stinks. On Friday, Mathis held court on his IG page and called for an end to the recent missiles launched in the public eye amongst Black entertainers.

He didn't single out Katt and Mo by name but the social media space has been in shambles since Katt's interview aired on January 3 ... and Mo followed suit this week -- even joining KW's nationwide tour with other comics who seem to have bones to pick.

Judge Mathis didn't bite his tongue -- he called the feeding frenzy an embarrassment to Black culture and feels it his gut that big H'wood execs and studios are silently laughing on the sidelines.

He also pointed out he doesn't see other cultures tearing each other down in public ... just Black people being the sideshow spectacle -- that's how's he framing his argument here.

The 63-year-old justice admitted he doesn't always keep his cool in his own courtroom but notes those outbursts are spun into entertainment for his TV shows.

Judge Mathis concluded by stressing that these stars' issues should be hashed out in private settings ... instead of setting bad examples.

We'll see if Shannon Sharpe takes a breather with these interviews -- or if he keeps on bringing celebs with more grievances to air. On its face, he seems inclined toward the latter.

Alicia Keys will be a featured guest at Usher's Super Bowl Halftime Show, TMZ Hip Hop can reveal ... the latest development in the highly anticipated performance!!!

Sources close to the production confirm eyewitness accounts that AK rehearsed with Usher inside Allegiant Stadium on Thursday. Now that we know she'll be in the mix -- the first confirmed guest of his BTW -- all signs pointing to them doing one big song together.

Of course, we're talking about their 2004 mega duet "My Boo" -- which will undoubtedly be at least one of the tracks she performs.

The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks when it came out -- and became the soundtrack to high school slow dances worldwide. It'll be interesting to see where the slow jam is included in the track list ... but he'll have plenty of time to squeeze it in.

Remember ... Usher negotiated to have a 15-minute set as opposed to the originally allotted 13 minutes ... 'cause it's the only way he knows how to rock, it seems. Considering how many famous collaborators Usher has had over the years ... it makes sense he needs the extra time.

His Apple Music commercial to promote the big event also heavily featured his "Yeah!" collaborators Ludacris and Lil Jon. Most everyone assumes these two guys will also be special guests during his performance ... although, they technically haven't confirmed yet.

As you know ... Usher has also been talking to Justin Bieber as a potential guest onstage -- although we haven't locked down whether the Biebs will actually be in attendance or not.

Joe Budden's rants aimed at Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and Kai Cenat are nothing but history repeating itself ... that's Soulja Boy's take, anyway, and he says the entire spat is quite triggering.

The "Crank Dat" creator chopped it up with TMZ Hip Hop Thursday in Bev Hills as he got some Valentine's Day shopping out the way. He just dropped his latest album, "Swag 6" where he didn't forget about the ladies, and advises all you fellas don't either!!!

Love in hip hop feels hard to come by these days -- Budden recently ripped Travis and Carti's Grammy performance for being a garbage bag of grunge ... and the podcast czar also clowned live streamer Kai Cenat for failing to see the merit in Killer Mike sweeping the Grammys rap categories.

SB tells us he's seen beef like this before ... à la the time Ice-T called him out for "killing hip hop" when he was just 17!!! Ice later admitted he overstepped his boundaries by telling a kid to dine on male genitalia, but still insisted Soulja's raps suck big time.

The infamous beef was the first of countless arguments that highlighted hip hop's generational divide -- but Soulja is sticking to his guns and siding with the youth against Joe just like he did with Ice-T.

Soulja advises Joe and anyone who feels like him to adapt to the times -- Twitch and TikTok are the new arenas ... either you adapt or become a dinosaur-sized fossil!!!

As always, Soulja's quick to point out when he's leading the competition in anything -- and, now, he's calling dibs as the first rapper with the Apple Vision Pro!!!