TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Offset might've spent Valentine's Day with estranged wife Cardi B ... but it seems he's enjoying some alone time on the weekend -- gambling away down in Florida.

We got video of the rapper at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida playing cards on his own Saturday night.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... Offset played for about two or three hours, tossing down an average of between $1,500 and $2,000 a hand.

We're told he wasn't playing a high-limit table ... but, we're told that didn't stop him from dropping a few grand -- pretty obvious from the frustrated expression on his face.

Offset lettin' it ride comes at the end of a pretty noteworthy week in his love life ... we broke the story, the estranged couple grabbed dinner at Carbone in Miami Beach on the day of love -- trying to stagger their entrances to avoid drawing attention.

Didn't exactly work out ... the dinner caused a flurry of speculation about the estranged couple -- who've admitted to getting it on recently -- but, as far as we know, the pair aren't back together.

The couple announced they were splitting up at the beginning of December, but they've seemingly kept things amicable -- spending major holidays with the kids. So dinner on V-Day sans children raised some eyebrows.

Bobby Shmurda got into it in the wee hours Sunday, as fists flew at a London club.

Bobby and his entourage were hanging out at the Proud Cabaret nightclub at around 4 AM, and after he performed 2 songs, he got into a heated argument with the club promoter.

There was pushing, shoving and at one point Bobby allegedly spit at someone in the crowd.

Shortly after the fight, Bobby and crew said peace out and left the club. The scuffle was soon forgotten, and no cops were called and the party continued We're told no one was injured.

C.J. Stroud had a notable passenger riding shotgun with him on Thursday night -- Amber Rose -- and it's got many wonderin' ... are the two an item?!?

The superstar quarterback and the model competed in the 2024 Cactus Jack Foundation HBCU Celebrity Softball Classic at Minute Maid Park ... and shortly after it ended, they were seen walking toward the same car together.

There were no signs of PDA as they made their way through a gaggle of photogs and fans ... but they sure didn't seem awkward around each other -- sparking dating rumors all over the internet.

Our sources tell us Rose -- who's dated Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa in the past -- is not formally seeing anyone at the moment ... and Stroud is reportedly single too -- so it's all entirely possible.

The one potential hang-up, though ... Rose is 40 years old, and C.J. is just 22 -- but if you've ever seen him play in an NFL game, he's shown plenty of signs that he's mature beyond his years.

D.L. Hughley's moving on from his feud with Mo'Nique ... saying he's a grown-ass man who doesn't think every argument needs a resolution, and this one definitely will NOT!

We got the comedian/actor out in New York City, where we asked about his very public beef with the Oscar winner ... and wondered if he'd be interested in a sit down with her on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast.

You gotta see how D.L. immediately shot down any notion of that happening ... because it sounds like he's not too thrilled with Shannon, either.

Hughley said he'd never go on "Club Shay Shay," and he's definitely not reaching out to Mo'Nique 'cause he's convinced they've both said all they need to say.

Remember ... Mo'Nique went after a bunch of entertainment industry folks on Sharpe's podcast, and specifically said D.L. offended her on his radio show during an interview.

She demanded the segment not air -- a request D.L. said he agreed to in the same social media rant where he called her a "liar" earlier this month.

D.L. told us he's not backing down on a single word he said about Mo'Nique ... saying he's got zero regrets and doesn't need to reconcile with her because they're both adults who said what they said.

Basically, Hughley says they "don't have to be in the same space," and he adds, it's a "fallacy" to believe folks who don't see eye to eye have to reconcile.

BTW ... this isn't the first time Hughley and Mo'Nique have had beef. Back in 2022, a contract dispute over who was supposed to headline a comedy show resulted in Mo'Nique calling out D.L. for saying he didn't believe his daughter at first when she said she was sexually assaulted.

Mo'Nique apologized for bringing up his daughter, but Hughley told us at the time arguments like the one with her just weren't worth his time -- pretty much exactly how he still feels today.

Snoop Dogg's brother Bing Worthington has died ... with his famous sibling commemorating him on social media.

Snoop posted a couple times on Instagram to honor his younger brother's passing ... sharing a pic of them in a dressing room and also posting a clip of him and Bing hanging out with their other brother, Jerry, in a cemetery.

SD wrote in the caption for the clip, "always made us laugh 💙🙏🏾😢 u bac with moms."

Bing -- who was Snoop Dogg's half-brother on his mother's side -- worked with Snoop over the years, starting as a roadie on Snoop's tour before taking over as tour manager.

Bing also released music with his own group, Lifestyle ... they made a couple albums together and even had a song appear on the 'Van Wilder 2' soundtrack -- but Bing said he realized he enjoyed the behind-the-scenes business work more and gave up his rapper dreams.

A few years ago, Bing decided to strike out on his own and moved to Canada to open up a music studio and production company -- a merger between his own Dogg Records and Canadian hip hop label Urban Heat Legends.

Bing was 44.

Kevin Durant is now a certified hyphenate celeb -- athlete-rapper, that is -- and the title comes courtesy of his collab with Stalley on a track called “Scared Money.”

Stalley tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he and KD shot the video a couple of weeks ago in NYC … a full circle moment after recording the track last summer.

KD was feeling ambitious and asked Stalley to send him a beat, and their mutual friend Travonne Edwards suggested the boom-bap instrumental that became “Scared Money.”

Stalley says the collab came organically … KD sent over his verse faster than some of the full-time rappers he’s worked with in the past!!!

The track will live on Stalley’s upcoming album “Peerless” which drops in March.

He has a show on Friday in Cincy but will have to wait to perform it live with KD -- the Phoenix Suns star will be in Indy this weekend as a starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

Cardi B spent Valentine's Day with her estranged husband, Offset -- and while they don't look very estranged here ... they have yet to definitively confirm they're back together.

The rapper's been keeping fans guessing about her relationship status with her hubby lately --- spending time with him on key dates such as Xmas and New Year's ... and even letting everyone know they've banged as of late -- despite having announced their split in early December.

Well, this is just the latest confusing curveball -- they were at it again with mixed signals for Valentine's Day ... hitting up Carbone in Miami Beach for the lovey-dovey holiday Wednesday.

Check it out, the pair arrived at the Italian eatery together ... and Offset went inside a few minutes after Cardi, seemingly trying to stagger themselves.

He was clearly taking his time to greet fans/onlookers, even sharing a hug with one of them. In the end, however, they emerged together after midnight, with Cardi holding her phone up to her face while signing some autographs before they headed into their vehicle together.

So, yeah ... they're together -- no questioning it now at this point, especially on V-day.

Of course, we know Cardi's gone off on people speculating on where things stand between them -- she's gone on online tirades on Twitter randos, at times suggesting they are NOT, in fact, together. Yes, it's all very confusing -- and they haven't provided much clarity.

Whatever the hell is going on -- obviously, they're on good enough terms to hang on a very special day in the year that's for lovers ... so you can draw your own conclusions.

Major key alert ... DJ Khaled got pulled over by police while driving around his Miami neighborhood ... where he came across a little Fred Flinstone-y in a golf cart.

The "We The Best" mogul was tooling around in his golf cart Thursday morning when a cop on a motorcycle lit him up on the road.

As you can see, Khaled pulled off to the side of the road and it looks like the motorcycle cop may have ended up writing him a ticket -- although it's unclear what exactly happened.

Fact is, we don't know for certain if Khaled got dinged here or for what, if anything ... but it does appear he isn't wearing a seatbelt in any of the photos ... and in one shot he's got one hand on the steering wheel and a phone in the other hand.

Oh, and Khaled's barefoot here BTW ... so, that's an interesting tidbit. The good news for Khaled, whatever this was seems to be pretty minor -- so no harm, no foul really.

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.