TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West continues to gripe about where his kids go to school -- publicly demanding his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, take them out ASAP ... and he's dog-whistling again.

The rapper/producer threw up a new IG post Wednesday night and he name-dropped Kim explicitly with a strong request ... namely, calling her out and telling her to take their 4 children out of the ritzy private school they all go to.

The image he posted read, "KIM TAKE MY KIDS OUT OF SIERRA CANYON NOW IT'S A FAKE SCHOOL FOR CELEBRITIES THAT ARE USED BY 'THE SYSTEM."

His caption was just as telling -- with Ye adding, "At this point everybody knows what "the system" is code word for 👀 I was removed from my dad by the system and the system removed me from my children."

KW continued ... "When the system drafts athletes they avoid working with those who have their father in their life because they are harder to manipulate. My two oldest know they daddy is."

Kanye sounded firm in his stance here, but like we said ... he quickly yanked this down -- probably after a call from Kim and her lawyers, we presume. Still, it's pretty obvious this is 100% how he feels ... and yes, he again seems to be leaning into antisemitism.

We know for a fact that Kanye has railed against "Jewish indoctrinated" schools... and we also know he's griped about his kids going to an institution he considers to be exactly this.

So, yeah -- his not-to-subtle reference to what he considers "the system" is beyond just coded language ... it's basically a bullhorn, and he's wearing his sentiments on his sleeve.

What's interesting here, though, is the fact that Ye is pinpointing two of his kids specifically and suggesting they love their dad ... namely, North West and Saint West. We've been seeing North hang out with her dad a lot lately -- and Saint pops up here and there too.

We don't normally see the 2 youngest children, Chicago and Psalm, with their dad these days -- and he's already admitted that Kim has their kids about 80% of the time regarding custody.

Sounds like Ye's grumbling about that, and perhaps feeling not as in control as he'd like.

Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner are once again trying to unload their Beverly Hills palace -- and this time, they've slashed the price big time ... which might tickle somebody's fancy.

The ex-couple's first property together -- which they purchased in 2018 for a steal at $13.4 million -- is back on the market anew ... only now, they're listing it for just under $18 million. The exact price is $17,995,000 ... for anyone who's a stickler the specifics.

Mind you ... this is quite the drop from what they were hoping for when they first tried selling this pad in 2022. At the time, their asking price was $21.9 million ... but they had no takers, so they dropped it down to $19.99 mil back in March of last year.

TS and KJ still weren't able to get rid of the pad -- and the listing ended up getting removed entirely around September ... but now, it's cropped up again, with a 10% markdown.

Whether it's $21M or $17M ... whoever ends up taking this off their hands is in for a whole lot of house -- it's got 7 bedrooms, 11 baths with over 9,000 square feet of living space.

In terms of perks, it's got a ton ... a private movie theater, a billiard room, a gym, a massage room, and, yes, a pool as well. Remember, this is Kylie and Travis' first home together -- but obviously, they're not together anymore ... so they don't really need this house in the mix.

Kylie's got several other properties in her portfolio ... Travis is doing just fine as well. 'Million Dollar Listing' stars Josh and Matt Altman of Douglas Elliman and Adam Rosenfeld of The Agency hold the listing.

Turns out Lil Rod's not the only one with deeply rooted gripes about working with Diddy -- superproducer Hitmaka is making his own claims about bad biz deals with the music mogul.

On the recent PPV episode of "The Joe Budden Podcast," Hitmaka shared his experiences while working on Diddy's "Love Album: Off The Grid" -- the same project for which Rodney Jones, aka Lil Rod, is suing Diddy for unpaid royalties ... among a litany of other allegations.

Hitmaka told Joe, Diddy dialed him up ahead of the album's creation and gassed up his talent to get him in the studio with fellow artists London on Da Track and Jozzy.

After sending Diddy several tracks, Hitmaka claims Diddy went behind his back recruiting Cardiak, Eric Bellinger and several others to dissolve his contributions from the tracks ... so much so, the album was released without any of his credits!

Hitmaka says he ran into Diddy afterward, and as he describes it ... the gaslighting about the project continued -- and he says he feels sorry that Jozzy is stuck on the Love Records imprint amid all the lawsuits against Diddy.

To make matters worse, Hitmaka alleges Diddy infringed on another Bad Boy project in which he was involved ... that being French Montana's 2021 album "They Got Amnesia."

Hitmaka says he was originally the executive producer, and had his tags on the album opener "ICU," but got hit with the Diddy Effect ... as his voice got replaced with the man writing the checks!!!

He calls it diabolical déjà vu ... Hitmaka said the same thing happened to him during his 2008 freshman season when Diddy came between him and his OG co-producer Rob Holladay.

Hitmaka says he put a stop to Diddy's shenanigans when he attempted to poach his go-to artist and part-time lover, Tink, for one of his projects.

Diddy's attorney says a couple individuals who were identified as minors in the salacious lawsuit filed against the mogul are not minors at all ... they're fully grown women.

Shawn Holley tells TMZ ... two women have come forward to clear the air after they saw their images included in Rodney Jones' explosive legal claim from Monday -- where he alleged everything under the sun against Diddy, including claims of partying with underage girls.

There are photos included in Rodney's lawsuit that purport to show a party that Diddy threw last summer in L.A. ... and some of the images show Diddy and his son Justin around some women -- with captions characterizing them as minors.

The suit even blacks out their faces ... perhaps in an attempt to lend credence to the notion they're underage -- but Holley tells us two of the women depicted are anything but that.

For starters, she tells us the woman depicted in the screenshot of Diddy has actually come forward to her to set the record straight ... as she feels she's been grossly mislabeled, as have the circumstances under which she was in Diddy's company that night.

Holley tells us the woman's name is Chelsea, a 33-year-old ... who has a child. We're told Chelsea does not want to publicly reveal her full identity -- hoping to maintain her and her family's privacy amid this whole mess -- but we're told she insists that's 100% her in the pic.

More importantly ... we've been provided with a photo of Chelsea, which we're told shows her in the same bodysuit outfit she was apparently wearing in the photo included in Rodney's suit.

We've blurred her face in the photo -- out of respect for her privacy -- but the bottom line here is ... Chelsea is saying she's in that picture with Diddy, and she is most definitely NOT a minor.

There's another photo of Justin in this lawsuit that purports to show him partying/hanging around underage girls at the same party -- but Holley tells us ... that, too, is false ... as the woman whose face is blacked out in the pic is actually Justin's 32-year-old girlfriend.

We've obtained what we're told is an unredacted version of the photo in Rodney's lawsuit -- and sure enough, it appears to be Justin's significant other, Stephanie Rao.

There's another photo of Justin and Stephanie from the same night -- but a different angle -- that appears to back up that it's her.

Holley points to this as evidence that Rodney and his attorneys were, at a minimum, careless in putting together the complaint here.

Last but not least ... we've gotten some clarification on Rodney's claim that Diddy and Justin were somehow involved in a shooting that left a man injured at a recording studio here in Hollywood -- something Rodney alleged in his complaint was covered up by Diddy himself.

But, our law enforcement sources tell us ... the story that was told to cops that night -- namely, that the victim was robbed at gunpoint and shot by unknown assailants outside -- ended up leading to arrests in the case, and those suspects are currently awaiting trial.

We're told cops think the gunshot victim stepped outside of the studio around 3:30 AM and was accosted by two individuals ... at which point they tried to rob him. Our sources say the man suffered a gunshot wound ... and when officers arrived, there was no sign of Diddy at all.

The alleged culprits are Rudolph Flowers and Laron Bundley -- and we're told they're suspected in other crimes in and around Los Angeles ... including follow-home robberies.

Long story short ... Holley thinks this is just another one of the dominoes that'll start to fall as the details of Rodney's suit get picked apart.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori are getting full-throated support in their fight against Adidas ... as a Paris Fashion Week crowd rallies for their cause.

As Ye and Bianca left The Ritz Wednesday for a lunch break, they were quickly swarmed by fans and photogs outside the hotel ... some of whom began chanting "F*** Adidas" in unison.

The profane chant clearly got a rise out of the couple as they both cracked smiles of approval -- well, it seems like Ye was smiling. Hard to tell, really, with the full mask over his face and head!

Kanye was especially pumped up ... he encouraged the crowd to chant louder, and grabbed an autograph seeker's copy of his 2010 classic album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and signed the words "F*** ADIDAS" in black marker!!!

Earlier in the week, Kanye went hard at Adidas, accusing them of raping his fashion sense by selling Yeezy sneakers he never greenlit.

Spicy words, but his fans -- at least in Paris -- are riding with him!!!

The head-turning couple continues pushing boundaries at Fashion Week events -- Bianca popped out Tuesday night basically bottomless with only sheer pantyhose to cover her hoo-ha.

They definitely got some folks in Paris going gorillas this week!

Ja Rule is currently scrambling trying to figure out why his UK Tour fell apart days before it was supposed to jump off -- and now he has to fend off 50 Cent once again!!!

On Tuesday, Ja offered ticket holders of his UK Tour a refund with a heavy heart after accepting the bad news.

Apparently, Ja's past criminal record caught up to him all the way in the UK, where officials made it clear there would be no "Venni Vetti Vecci" going down in that country, as they barred him from entry.

Despite his claims that 85% of the shows were sold out, Ja says he's now out $500k of his own pocket and the tour ain't happening!!!

His announcement was interesting ... Ja made the news public on Monday but fans have been getting notifications for days now, and none of his tour mates Keri Hilson, Mya or Lloyd have been promoting the show on their social media.

Maybe Ja was trying to hold out for some sort of British miracle?!?

Ja's bad fortune multiplied when 50 Cent entered the chat after fans blamed him for somehow masterminding the "Iconn" rapper's UK ban.

50 swore off the negativity as a New Year's resolution, but couldn't help but get in a couple of digs ... calling Ja a "bitch" and reminding him that his own 'Final Lap' tour had ZERO issues in the UK!!!

Travis Scott is in a perilous position, with his Brentwood, CA mansion sitting atop a HUGE fissure in the land below.

The crack formed after record-breaking storms saturated the soil in the L.A. area, and the hills of Brentwood were hit particularly hard.

At least 5 homes are in peril of slipping off the hillside, but no evacuations have been ordered ... at least so far.

The Fire Dept. told local residents the cracks are just on the surface -- about 4 feet of topsoil, but obviously with more rain that could change.

Geologists and the L.A. Dept. of Building and Safety are assessing the area, and they're pretty confident the entire hillside won't come down, but that doesn't mean the homes are safe ... especially because more rain is predicted this week.

Travis' $23.5 million home appears safe -- for now -- but when a hillside develops massive cracks, there is always cause for concern.

Liam Gallagher says a lot of the people who've been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year don't deserve to be there -- taking aim at hip-hop/ R&B acts specifically.

The singer is nominated along with Oasis this year -- but he slammed the inclusion of artists who have barely dipped their toes into rock territory -- recently telling The Sunday Times, "As much as I love Mariah Carey and all that, I want to say, do me a favor and f*** off."

LG likened MC's inclusion in the category to tossing him into the rap hall of fame. In his mind, it just doesn't make sense to have non-traditional rock acts in the Hall.

He didn't stop there either ... Liam claims he's done more for rock 'n' roll than "half of them clowns on that board."

In addition to Oasis and Mariah Carey, the other nominees this year include A Tribe Called Quest, Sade, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Sinead O'Connor, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. & Rakim, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Jane's Addiction, Kool & the Gang and Lenny Kravitz. So, it's definitely not your typical rock 'n' roll lineup, that's for sure!

BTW, this is the second time Liam's vented about the topic  ... he wrote on X earlier this month: "F*** the Rock n Roll hall of fame its full of BUMBACLARTS LG x" -- also telling a fan in the comments not to waste their time voting.

The HOF definitely has mixed it up in recent years when it comes to the types of inductees they usher in. In 2022, Dolly Parton was inducted, and they even got Eminem in there as well ... so yes, they clearly do consider outside genres to be rock and roll.

Kanye West's wife, Bianca Censori, is at it again -- and by that, we mean she's in the mood to go nude ... and this time, she's making a fashion statement among the French.

Bianca and Ye were out and about Tuesday in Paris, where it's fashion week there ... and where BC was definitely letting it all hang out -- only here, she was doing it below the belt -- a little different than how she normally rolls when she's baring it all upstairs.

We're not kidding, BTW ... Bianca was low-key exposing herself A LOT in this getup. She's got see-through stockings on here ... and literally nothing else underneath, no undies at all.

Indeed, Bianca is going full commando in these pics ... and you can see everything.

Kanye, of course, doesn't seem to mind -- if anything, he appears to love having her dolled up and dressed down ... we know Ye has flaunted her body a number of times online.

We've seen some wild outfits from Bianca before -- including her in a full-blown birthday suit under a freaking raincoat -- but for some reason ... this one kinda takes the cake.

Remember, it was just last week that we saw Kanye and Bianca in Milan strutting their stuff at another fashion event -- so now, they're just hopscotching around Europe again doing their thing and posing for the camera.

Kanye is still promoting his album overseas ... this after finding it difficult to book venues here in the States for the types of listening events he likes to host these days. In Europe, it looks like he's a bit more well-received.

Of course, this entire time ... Bianca has been by Kanye's side, remaining loyal and steadfast.

She's also remained really, really naked -- but that's sorta par for the course now. Feels like we know a little well at this point -- and yet, she continues to shock and surprise us.

Here's to Kanye's favorite "meal" on display for all to see ... cheers.

Even fans of Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" are calling it out for its similarity to the "Franklin" cartoon theme sung by Bruce Cockburn ... and while he gets the comparison, he tells TMZ he's making no claim on her hit.

In case you didn't know ... Beyoncé's country single was transposed with the theme for "Franklin" -- a Canadian-produced kids' show -- shortly after it dropped on February 11.

Many TikTok users, and even some radio DJs, insist the country #1 song borrows plenty from "Franklin" -- so much so, some of the TikTokers are getting upwards of 5 million views on their posts.

Yet, Bruce doesn't think Beyoncé needs to lasso up an apology -- he tells TMZ, "I think Beyoncé’s 'Texas Hold 'Em' is a good record. Unfortunately, I can’t claim to have had any part in writing it."

He adds, "The rhythmic feel is similar to my theme song for the 'Franklin' TV series, but to my ears, that’s where the similarity stops. 'Texas Hold 'Em' is her song, and I wish her success with it!"

Perhaps Bruce knows better than to cross the BeyHive?

For those unfamiliar with "Franklin" ... the animated preschool series aired in Canada between 1997 and 2004. The show followed the titular turtle's aminated adventures with his fellow woodland creatures.

Now, Bey would've been 16 when "Franklin" premiered -- so, we highly doubt she's familiar with the kiddo show, however her co-writers on the track might be a different story.

The 3 songwriters credited, in addition to Bey, are Elizabeth Boland, Megan Bulow and Nathan Ferraro ... all of whom are not from Nashville or Texas.

Yup, they're Canadian!

Now, hold your Texas horses ... we're not saying that proves any plagiarism -- but the Canadian connection does make it slightly more likely the songwriters heard "Franklin," and could have been inspired.

Diddy's latest accuser is being questioned on several key things after filing a lawsuit full of heavy allegations of sexual misconduct ... but his attorney has all the answers.

Rodney Jones' attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, is firing back after people started questioning his client's claims ... with the first being Rodney's allegation that Diddy forced him to watch a video involving Stevie J having sex with another man.

Remember, Stevie J told us earlier today that all the allegations concerning him were totally bogus -- and an adult film star Knockout has since come forward and said he's the man in the now-viral pic from the supposed sex tape and not SJ. So ... what gives, right?

Tyrone tells TMZ the video in question was allegedly provided to Rodney by Diddy himself, and we're told Rodney's sticking to his story that Diddy told him it was Stevie J -- that's what he's alleging anyway.

In terms of who it actually is ... Tyrone says his client only knew what was allegedly relayed to him when it first fell into his lap during his time with Diddy.

Tyrone also offers an explanation over another question that's been raised -- namely, why Rodney made no mention of sexual assault in his GoFundMe page a few weeks before the lawsuit was filed Monday ... where he literally tried to raise funds in an attempt sue Diddy after claiming he screwed out of royalties and publishing rights on Diddy's latest album.

Tyrone tells us, "Victims of sexual assault respond to their trauma in very different ways. There is no uniformity in response to sexual trauma."

He adds ... "Mr. Jones is a father and Christian. He was willing to sacrifice his rights concerning his assault, in an effort to protect his dignity and the dignity of his family. Mr. Combs was made aware of Mr. Jones' claim for assault from the moment Mr. Jones made his intentions to sue clear."

Tyrone explains the main reason Rodney started the GFM was to pay his previous attorney ... who was hired to assist with collecting the publishing and royalties money. Since then, his claims against Diddy have obviously expanded in scope ... and now Tyrone's involved.

Lastly ... Tyrone also addresses speculation that Rodney isn't the man with Cuba Gooding Jr. in a snap that was included in the complaint as purported evidence -- where the actor is allegedly seen cozying up with another dude, which the suit says is Rodney.

Tyrone's straight-up dismissing the conjecture that it ain't Rodney ... 'cause he says it 100% is. He actually claims they've got the video proof to back up their claims here.

Despite some holes people have tried poking in Rodney's narrative -- his attorney is remaining steadfast ... and insisting his client is telling the truth.

Fat Joe believes in the separation of style and politics, and as such, is a proud owner of Donald Trump's new gold high-top sneakers ... despite having ZERO intention of voting for him!!!

The veteran rap star recently held sneakerhead court on his IG page and defended his acquisition of Trump's "Never Surrender" kicks -- the exclusive "Friends & Family" editions.

Joe didn't pay for them with his own money but he thinks they're fire, so he didn't refuse the handout!!!

Of course, Joe's allegiance to the shiny sneaks has an extra layer of scrutiny after a Fox News host predicted the shoes will help Trump win over Black voters -- an offensive notion Detroit rapper Peezy gravitated toward ... but not Joe.

He compared Trump to dead artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol ... saying art collectors don't question anything they were into behavior, they simply praise their works.

Unintentional or not, that's pretty high praise for DT.

Two men have now been convicted of murdering Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay ... bringing an end to one of hip hop's longest-running cold cases.

The jury in Brooklyn Federal Court found both defendants Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. guilty Tuesday, just a little under a month after the trial began.

Jay was gunned down more than 21 years ago on the evening of October 30, 2002 ... where prosecutors argued Washington and Jordan both ambushed him at his studio over a failed drug deal, with Jordan executing him at close range with multiple shots to the head.

A third defendant, Jay Bryant, will be tried at a later date after he was implicated in the murder.

Investigators say Bryant left an article containing his DNA at the scene as he's said to have been the point man allowing Washington and Jordan access to the studio to murder the hip hop icon.

Kanye West is being dragged to court by Donna Summer's estate -- this after her estate claims he made an unauthorized soundalike of one of her biggest songs ... after it denied his request to clear a sample of the real thing.

The late singer's estate just filed suit against Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Ye's record label and others -- and according to the docs, obtained by TMZ, they're claiming Kanye wanted to sample Summer's smash hit "I Feel Love" for a track on his first 'Vultures' album.

The song in question is called "Good (Don't Die)" ... and it was actually included in the tracklist at first when KW dropped 'Vultures 1' on Feb. 10 across different streaming platforms.

Indeed, those who've heard the song know quite well ... it sounds a lot like Donna's voice from 'IFL' in the new West track -- but the problem, according to the lawsuit, is that Ye and co. never properly got permission to use it ... and the estate claims they were very clear about rejecting the request.

In the suit, filed by attorney Larry Stein, Donna's estate claims Ye and Ty approached them about a month ago -- on Jan. 31, 2024, they say -- to request clearance on her iconic hit ... but the estate flatly denied them.

The estate says Summer's estate still controls a portion of the copyright -- and claims Ye and company approached them a little more than a week before the release date for the new song ... with Kanye apparently wanting to drop the album on Feb. 9, with the song in the mix.

The estate says because of Ye's rep lately -- presumably the controversies surrounding his antisemitic comments and other public statements -- Donna's estate decided her song being used on his album wasn't going to do them any good ... so they say they passed, and rejected his ask for the sample.

Despite this, Donna's estate claims Ye dropped the album anyway with "Good (Don't Die)" on there ... and it showed up on Apple, Spotify and other major streaming/music platforms.

They claim Ye attempted to get around the denial by creating an interpolation of Donna's song instead of the actual track --- but Donna's estate claims the workaround doesn't insulate them from copyright infringement.

Donna's estate says they contacted Apple, Spotify and other streamers to ask they yank the song -- which may explain why Kanye's album briefly disappeared the weekend it was released. Eventually, it was re-uploaded -- but "Good (Don't Die)" is now removed from the list.

However, in the time it took for all this to happen ... Donna's estate claims the song had been streamed millions of times -- and they allege they've been harmed as a result.

BTW, "Good (Don't Die)" is still included in the track list for 'Vultures 1' for those who actually purchased the album when it first dropped, and it still plays in full ... at least, we've confirmed that's the case on Apple Music.

Bob Marley's biopic is the biggest thing sizzling at the box office despite mixed reviews ... but that's no excuse to miss it if you're a real Jamaican ... as far as Shaggy's concerned.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with rapper/singer at the Island Music Conference in Kingston this past weekend -- and he tells us straight up ... it's completely "un-Jamaican" for any native NOT to support the flick.

Divisive words for sure ... but Shaggy's not sipping on hypocrisy here -- he's been a staunch supporter of the film himself and even recently attended the 'One Love' premiere in L.A. alongside Brad Pitt, Stevie Wonder and several members of the Marley family.

The film has been accused of skimming through the late-reggae legend's life too quickly -- but Shaggy defended the film, as well as lead star Kingsley Ben-Adir's vocal performance.

Kingsley's British, so he had to be coached to learn his Jamaican accent, which opened him up to more criticism. Of course, all the singing done on-camera ain't him ... it's Bob.

Anyway, Shaggy gives us an honest review of his own -- he admits Kingsley's dialect wasn't spot-on but still thinks the guy gave a believable performance considering he's not actually Jamaican ... so, KBA gets his seal of approval here.

The film's success could potentially make the Marley clan billionaires ... something Shaggy is counting on if people heed his advice.

Diddy's former producer -- and latest accuser -- filed a lawsuit with damning sexual misconduct allegations ... but just a few weeks ago, he fundraised for this same suit, and made no mention of the alleged sexual assault he detailed in his complaint.

Back on February 7 ... Rodney Jones -- aka, Lil Rodmadeit -- posted an IG confessional that flew under the radar before his very public lawsuit hit the press Monday, and the video is an attempt to raise money from his followers to pay for a suit against Diddy.

In the video, Jones lamented over not being able to revel in Diddy's 'LOVE' album's Grammy nominations -- because he claimed he'd been screwed in royalties and publishing ... and alleged that Diddy had refused to pay him what he says was owed.

He goes on to indicate that he plans to launch a legal battle against Puff, and notes that he'll need funds to fight him in court -- and that's where his GoFundMe comes into play.

Two days before this video went up, Rodney had started a GFM campaign -- the title of which reads ... "Help Me Sue Sean 'Diddy' Combs" and it had a $50k goal. In both the description of his GoFundMe and in his clip, he makes no mention of the alleged sexual assault he claims he endured at the hands of Diddy/his associates while working for him.

It's all interesting in hindsight ... ya gotta wonder why he might not have addressed these claims of his a few weeks ago ... when he was literally trying to raise cash for this lawsuit.

As we reported ... Rodney claims Diddy forced him to sleep with sex workers and watch gay porn -- and even floats the possibility that he was drugged at one point ... but the bulk of the complaints online earlier this month were geared towards his business dealings with Diddy.

At the time of this writing, his GFM has only raised $1,500 of his $50,000 goal.

Unclear how Jones was able to pay for his legal counsel but obviously -- the suit was filed.