TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West is firing back at Taylor Swift fans who are trying to block him from a top spot on the music charts ... telling them he's not an enemy, though not exactly a friend either.

Here's the deal ... Swifties are calling on other Swifties to buy and stream Beyoncé's new country music to block Kanye's new music from getting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kanye's seen the "SWIFTIE EMERGENCY" on social media and now he's firing back ... and making some interesting counterpoints.

Ye says Swifties shouldn't be coming after him because, in his mind, he's been far more helpful than harmful to Taylor's career. Kanye's views in Wednesday's post jibe with what he's rapped about before ... namely, "I made that b**** famous."

Of course, T-Swift and Kanye have beefed ever since he crashed her 2009 VMA win to say Beyoncé had a better music video ... although, Ye is of the belief the longstanding drama has actually elevated Taylor's profile.

Here, Kanye also points out he was on Taylor's side when Scooter Braun bought her master recordings of which her dad reportedly made $15 million from ... and he says TayTay and Beyoncé are actually big inspirations to all musicians, including himself.

Kanye name-dropping Taylor on his new "Vultures" album seems to have opened up some wounds ... but he says the album is actually super positive and fun.

Justin Bieber's Super Bowl Halftime appearance could've very nearly happened ... but it just wasn't in the stars, so says Lil Jon.

We spoke to the rapper on TMZ Live Wednesday ... and he tells us JB was actually considering taking to the stage for his former mentor Usher's big performance ... but ultimately decided to sit it out 'cause it was just a lot for him to take on.

LJ adds they all wanted Biebs in the show ... but all the rehearsals, responsibility, time, and eyeballs on him apparently wasn't something he wanted to tackle right now ... and as we all saw Sunday, he opted to chill in the audience with his wife Hailey.

Of course, fans were bummed he didn't say yeah to Usher.

Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Ludacris, and will.i.am ended up hopping onstage alongside Lil Jon, so it's not like fans were deprived of an A-list line-up during Usher's 13-minute-long performance. And while Justin wasn't up there ... Lil Jon says he was still supporting him.

Still, there's no denying that the hyped-up JB/Usher collab would've added an extra layer of magic to the spectacle ... especially since we were first to break the story they were in direct talks of executing the moment that would've been remembered for years to come.

In case you didn't know, Usher helped catapult fresh-faced 13-year-old Bieber to massive fame back in the day ... and he's been working overtime ever since, so from his end, it looks like he still needs a break from performing.

Jason Kelce missed every bit of Usher's halftime show on Sunday ... saying the chaos surrounding Taylor Swift during the break in the Super Bowl's action forced him to find cover elsewhere.

Travis Kelce's big brother made the revelation on Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" ... explaining so many celebs tried to get to Swift at halftime of the Chiefs vs. 49ers game at Allegiant Stadium, that he simply could not catch "a lick" of Usher's big performance.

"There was so much happening in the suite," the Philadelphia Eagles star said. "Turns out, everybody wants to meet Taylor."

Jason said the A-listers looking to chat with the "Love Story" crooner included Shaquille O'Neal ... and at point, so many people were there trying to grab her ear that it all got "overwhelming."

"I mean, dude," Jason said, "I think it was my first really understanding of kind of some of the things she has to deal with on a lot of basis. Because there was so many star-studded people there, where it's like, 'Dude, everybody wants to come see her,' but the suite's only so big."

Jason implied, though, that Taylor handled it all with flying colors ... something that didn't surprise Travis one bit.

"Taylor thrives in those situations," Swift's boyfriend said on the podcast. "She's been in them countless times in her life."

LeBron James simply couldn't contain himself while jamming out to GloRilla's new song in the gym ... dancing along and reciting the very few words he knew.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar -- who's no stranger to documenting his favorite tracks in the rap game on social media -- was back at it with his usual antics on Tuesday ... this time, showing love for the Memphis artist's "Yeah Glo!"

We're not gonna fault the guy for not knowing all the lyrics, considering the song just came out last week ... but damn, does he really try to push his way through it nonetheless.

Of course, King James isn't believed to be a frequent visitor of Genius.com -- he's known for taking some creative liberties whenever he throws his background vocals during his music sessions ... like his notorious "yabba dabba doo I don't know Old Navy" while singing along to 6LACK's "hoppin' out the car, no photos, baby" line in "Stay Down."

Either way, it's a drastic improvement for the four-time NBA champ ... he really has come so far.

DJ Whoo Kid is applauding J. Cole's decision to ignore a CD recently thrown at his dome right in the middle of a performance, because he says there's a time and place ... and that wasn't it!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the 'Whollywood Shuffle' star at Shaq's Fun House in Las Vegas, where he soaked up the festivities, including Lil Wayne's stage-shattering performance.

Whoo Kid says he can relate to Cole in the worst way possible ... he's had guys pushing tapes on him at the worst times imaginable -- while he's trying to get his mack on!

Which would you choose ... a potential ménage à trois or some guy's hopes and dreams on a hard drive? Whoo Kid says that's a no-brainer for everyone.

Cole didn't give things much thought last week while performing in support of Drake's "It’s All a Blur – Big As the What?" tour when a burned CD crash-landed onstage, getting the Dreamville rapper's attention.

The fan who threw it was instantly given a wake-up call when Cole quipped, "It’s 2024, n****, USB is okay.”

Some fans took exception to Cole's reaction -- after all, much of his early rhymes focus on cracking superstardom at all costs.

Usher is a newly married man once again ... an event his ex-wife couldn't be happier about for him -- 'cause she's got motion of her own ... moving and grooving over the news!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Tameka Foster on Tuesday, ahead of the launch of her new reality series, "Bold and Bougie" ... but she tells us she had a blast at the Super Bowl last Sunday, just like her ex-hubby did during his halftime show.

Tameka's been one of Atlanta's most sought-after stylists for YEARS, so first things first -- we had to get her thoughts on the viral backlash regarding Jermaine Dupri's schoolboy-style uniform ... and him trying to use its Louis Vuitton labels as somewhat of a defense.

Hundreds of comments rejected JD's rebuttal and you can add Tameka to that list too. She tells us relying heavily on designer brands won't always breed the best style results ... sorry, JD ... these are just her confessions.

Bottom line ... she's not very approving, just like the rest of the Internet didn't.

As for Usher, social media users couldn't help but bring her name up when we broke the deets on his marriage to Jennifer Goicoechea on Sunday ... Tameka's blowing them off.

They've been divorced for eons now -- since 2009, actually  -- but do have two children together ... and Tameka tells us he's a great dad. As a matter of fact ... one of their sons just may follow in his singing shadow sooner than later, 'cause he's a helluva crooner himself.

In any case, Tameka's not entertaining negativity on her side -- and neither are her gal pals Malaysia Pargo, Gocha Hawkins, Princess Banton-Lofters and Crystal Smith in their new TV venture.

Ya can't be a boss and be bothered by online BS ... and Tameka certainly isn't as it pertains to Usher's new marriage.

Beyoncé's keeping the surprises coming with her dive into country music -- that's according to Killah B, who produced and co-wrote her new track, "Texas Hold 'Em," and hints something huge is on the horizon.

We spoke to the Grammy-nominated producer Tuesday on "TMZ Live" ... asking him if Bey's upcoming "Renaissance Act II" album would feature any guest collabs, particularly with her good pal Taylor Swift, who obviously has country music roots -- and his response is very telling.

Of course, Killah didn't outright tell us TS would appear on the album -- he reinforced what fans already know ... secrecy is practically Bey's middle name.

However, he did raise our eyebrows by saying this about the project -- "Let's just say she's on the approach of shocking the world."

As he put it ... go ahead and let your imagination run wild with that cryptic comment.

Go ahead and start crossing your fingers, or clutching your friendship bracelets -- a collab between the 2 biggest women in the biz seems plausible, especially considering their history of supporting each other.

You'll recall, Tay Tay showed face at Queen Bey's "Renaissance" London premiere in November after B came out to support the 'Eras' tour movie's L.A. premiere.

But Killah makes it clear, we're just gonna have to wait to see what unfolds when the album drops March 29.

As for now, he's celebrating "Texas Hold 'Em" being the number one country song on all music streaming platforms -- a massive deal given that Bey just unveiled it on Super Bowl Sunday ... alongside another track, "16 Carriages."

A small-town Oklahoma radio station is under fire after a listener accused it of purposely barring Beyoncé's new country songs -- but the whole thing has been totally warped, and in fact, it's now resolved.

Here's the deal ... someone on X hopped online Tuesday, claiming KYKC -- a local country station in Ada, OK -- had told him they refused to play Bey's 2 new country singles when he requested them, because they "do not play Beyoncé."

There was a lot of context missing here, obviously, but the user ran with this as what he characterized as blatant racism ... suggesting the station was purposely trying to box her out.

He wrote, "I requested Texas Hold ‘Em at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, i received an email from the radio station." He posted a screenshot of the KYKC response, which notes they're a country music station, and that's why they wouldn't play Beyoncé.

Again, on X, the user didn't explain (or show proof of) the exact wording of his original request to KYKC, but he was calling for people to boycott the station -- and, as you might expect, lots of Bey's fans have their pitchforks out.

Welp, TMZ got to the bottom of this, and the station might be off the hook.

We contacted the X user, who told us his original request to KYKC was ... "Please play the new song, 'Texas Hold 'Em' by Beyoncé." In his eyes, he says it should've been obvious to the station he was requesting a country song, as it's already been labeled as such on major streaming platforms.

We also reached out to KYKC, and a staffer told us the station hasn't received Beyoncé's new songs -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- yet, and that's why it's not playing them. Another Oklahoma country station -- KECO in Elk City -- told us the same ... they don't have the tracks yet.

In terms of whether KYKC was even aware Beyoncé had dropped 2 country songs -- with a country album on the way -- the answer seems to be no.

We obtained further correspondence between the X user and KYKC that strongly suggests the station just was not aware of Bey's new drops. Fact is, if its programmers weren't on social media Sunday night, or watching the Super Bowl when Beyonce's Verizon commercial aired ... it makes sense they'd have no clue.

But, the Beyhive can fall back. Due in no small part to all the attention the X user's post got today ... KYKC tells TMZ it played "Texas Hold 'Em" for the first time Tuesday afternoon. Problem solved.

As of right now, Bey's new songs are not charting on Billboard -- they were just released 2 days ago, so they won't appear on Billboard's charts until next week, at the earliest. However, "Texas Hold 'Em" is doing very well on streaming charts, and we suspect KYKC listeners will be hearing it plenty in coming days.

There's been a lot of discussion -- online and IRL -- about Beyoncé breaking into country, and, on its face, it feels like some have preconceived notions about the country music scene.

Kevin Durant's career portfolio is expanding into hip hop music ... the NBA superstar appears to have shot a new music video with rapper Stalley, and he's delivering autobiographical bars!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a video of KD and Stalley vibin' to an audio recording of them while watching basketball highlights on TV ... and the NBA All-Star starter sounds like he's got a lot to get off his chest.

The raps appear to be a classic back-and-forth ... Stalley opens the track by championing his own independent hustle and stress-release practices.

KD eulogizes his late grandmother ... "RIP to Barbara Davis/We hit another layer/When she speak to me, it's like she saying prayers."

He was just named as a starter in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, his 14th appearance, but but gripes about aging players getting discriminated against ... by comparing himself to Randy Moss during the Hall of Fame wide receiver's time with the Oakland Raiders.

Stalley, the Ohio-born rapper, had stints playing college hoops and was also on Rick Ross' Maybach Music label -- so, it's ideal he and KD would spark up a friendship.

KD's worn his hip hop fandom on his sleeve his entire b-ball career and the love has been reciprocated ... Drake, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Kash Doll and several other rap stars have interacted with him, and name-checked him in songs.

Lupita Nyong'o's Academy Award-winning lips appear to have found a new target to land on -- and that would be R&B star Brent Faiyaz's face, which he's showing off in a new video.

We got our hands on a new video clip featuring Lupita and Brent going over a table read where the "Clouded" singer openly admits his attraction to her has become a distraction. BTW, this is a scene from Brent's new music video/short film 'Wy@,' which will be out tomorrow.

Anyway, watch the clip -- Lupita checks him about professionalism in the workplace ... but the 4th wall appears to break under the pressure of the apparent sexual tensions.

With just a day before Valentine's Day, ya gotta wonder how Lupita's real-life BF, Joshua Jackson feels about it. Remember, they made their relationship public back in December -- and as far as we know, they're still together.

Don't worry folks, this is just a really good promo to highlight all the many nuances of a romance ... in other words, it's acting!

The sensual clip is just a taste of Brent's booty call anthem from his most recent project, "Larger Than Life".

Brent's been teasing Lupita's role for some time now and the full vid, directed by Mark Peaced drops tomorrow on the Lover's Holiday.

Shaquille O'Neal got his wish by running into Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl ... but he seemed a bit more infatuated with the pop superstar's plus-one on Sunday -- revealing he has a big ol' crush on Ice Spice!!

The four-time NBA champ told TMZ Sports last week he wanted a seat right next to Travis Kelce's girlfriend for the Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers ... and while that didn't happen, he still got to rub elbows with her on at least two different occasions throughout the night -- even gifting her a Judith Leiber bag, which comes with a $4,500 price tag.

Shaq made sure to show his appreciation for his run-in with Swift -- who ended up sitting with the "Think U The S*** (Fart)" rapper, Kelce fam and Blake Lively instead -- going to Instagram to share the interactions with his followers ... as well as his a special shoutout to 24-year-old IS.

"and @icespice is so dam fine thanks @taylorswift," Shaq said on social media ... which undoubtedly sounds like shooting his shot.

His comment section was flooded with similar takeaways ... with one user joking, "Shaq shot his shot… but it was a free throw 😞"

Another added ... "The last thing I’d expect on my page is Shaq saying ice spice is fine."

Unclear what Ice thought of the gesture ... but gotta respect Shaq's courage to throw it all out there, even if it goes over like a "fart" in a windstorm.

Beyoncé's decision to go country -- for at least one album -- is stirring fan excitement, but within country music, perhaps no one's more thrilled about it than CMT host Cody Alan!

The 38-year-old, who also hosts SiriusXM's "Highway Mornings," tells TMZ he's all for the pop/R&B icon opening the Beyhive to a new genre with Super Sunday surprise drop of "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" ... 2 singles on her upcoming "Renaissance Act II" album.

Cody says having someone as big as Beyoncé shine the spotlight on country music is a big deal -- and he's totally embracing it.

A turn to country appears to be a bit of a trend recently as Cody reminds us of the success rapper Jelly Roll has had going back to his country roots -- and while Cody isn't certain Queen Bey's country foray will translate to the masses, he thinks it super cool she's even giving it a go.

Alan also notes that the music biz usually categorizes artists -- but it's a genius move on Beyoncé's end to step out of the box 'cause that's usually where the best music is found.

Kanye West says he hasn't been canceled yet for a couple different reasons -- and he also explains why he's not backing down from some of his antisemitic statements.

We got Ye Monday at LAX -- after he'd returned from Super Bowl festivities in Vegas -- and the guy talked to us about a bunch of topics. As his finally released new album "Vultures" hit #1 on iTunes, he marked that success by digging into why he survived his "cancelation."

Check it out ... Kanye tells our photog he weathered the storm last year, and came out the other side perhaps even more successful than ever ... at least in his eyes.

That's debatable, of course, because he lost out on a lot of business deals, not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet, Kanye thinks he's landed on his feet pretty well ... and he explains why.

Kanye says he's got a few different things in his utility belt that have helped him remain popular, even in a mainstream capacity ... and he says a lot of it has to do with the fact he's incredibly talented with unique, interesting ideas.

Of course, his devoted fans also love that he's outspoken ... something KW's well aware of too. All that is why he says he's been able to survive a modern-day teardown.

He cites his feud with Adidas in making this point, and also lays out why he was in Europe for so long last year. It was actually more business than pleasure after all.

Anyway, Kanye says business is booming for him yet again ... despite the industry's best efforts. That's how he sees it anyway.

You can tell from this interview, he's in full us-versus-them mode right now. He attacks the music industry and record labels, saying the streaming structure isn't fair to artists -- and vows to speak up on these issues on behalf of all artists.

Interestingly, he even puts himself in the same boat as his archenemy, Taylor Swift! Yes, he speaks her name, and not in a disparaging way.

On the subject of antisemitism ... he offers a non-apology apology for some of his hate speech but believes other comments were spot-on.

He also cites an oft-used defense of his as to why he can't be antisemitic.

Watch it for yourself, but really the only apology he offers is to the Jewish kids who had to hear a "grown-up conversation."

Grammy sweeper Killer Mike was loving every minute of Usher's Super Bowl halftime show ... because it put his beloved Atlanta's culture on the biggest stage!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Mike Monday in NYC ... he says he caught the big game during a flight yesterday, but Usher still had him A-town stomping at cruising altitude.

From the Magic City stripper poles and the custom Air Jordans to Ludacris and Lil Jon's inclusion, Usher made sure to represent ATL to the fullest, but it was his steamy duet with Alicia Keys that stole the show.

AK's husband, Swizz Beatz called out trolls who tried to read more into the performance than it was -- and Mike agrees.

The Run The Jewels rapper even gives Ursh the greenlight to dance with his wife nice and slow -- a little jealousy goes a long way in establishing security, at least, according to his logic.

Now that he's secured Rap Album of the Year with his "Michael" LP, he plans on keeping the train full steam ahead ... furthering the album's trilogy

Jermaine Dupri's defending his right to dress up his ankles anyway he sees fit ... after his Super Bowl wardrobe turned into a trending topic coming out of Usher's Halftime show blowout.

Social media relentlessly ribbed JD for his schoolboy uniform getup, complete with the type of ruffled socks that resembled the kind kids wore back in the outhouse days. Some critics suggested all he was missing was an apple for the teacher!!!

On Monday, Jermaine posted proof his footies were certified haute couture ... revealing them to be Louis Vuitton pocket socks worth hundreds of bucks!

The "Money Ain't A Thang" rapper said he was too drunk to combat the jokes in the moment, but has time today ... and also called in for backup from Pharrell, LV's current men's creative director.

The rich flex didn't help JD's case much -- fans are saying this designer drip should have stayed in the closet.

Ice Spice pissed off many with her appearance at the Super Bowl -- as some interpreted a pendant she wore as pure evil ... even though, Playboi Carti meant nothing by it.

Here's the deal ... the rapper was seen a lot during Sunday's broadcast of the game, and a good amount of folks noticed the chain/necklace she was wearing in the suite with Taylor Swift and co., which (to a lot of people) looked like an upside-down cross.

Of course, that got some pearl-clutchers up in arms ... with accusations of "devil worship" and "demonic" symbols being shown on TV in front of millions. A hand gesture she made at one point -- quiet coyote -- certainly didn't help either with the unholy accusations.

Welp, as it turns out ... there's nothing un-godly about this pendant at all -- at least that's what we're being told anyway.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ that the piece was designed by celeb jeweler Alex Moss, and it's just a sweet piece of ice with no devil ties behind it whatsoever. We're told the pendant is made from black gold, a new material that's been developed and which Alex is using in a forthcoming collection this cross also has baby pink sapphires all throughout.

Our sources say Ice is the first star of her caliber to have this sort of piece in her possession -- and she has Carti to thank for it ... we're told he actually gifted it to her not too long ago.

While the dude is certainly known for his gothic/vampire vibes these days -- our sources assure us ... there was nothing satanic behind the meaning/design of the piece, which we're told was a collab effort between Alex and PBC.

Hard to tell if people will buy that ... but that's the explanation that's been provided to us.

Whether it leans toward the dark side or not -- 'cause frankly, who the hell knows what's in people's hearts -- what we can gather from this is ... the chain is freakin' dope, and it's rare.

Anyhoo ... it's just the latest star to fight off accusations of dancin' with the prince of darkness.