TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Fat Joe's push in D.C. to gut America's cryptic healthcare system last night peaked with an encounter with the man in charge himself -- President Joe Biden!!!

The Bronx-bred rapper came face to face with the Prez following his SOTU address that took shots at Donald Trump -- a personal invite from his good friend, House Rep. Nanette D. Barragán.

Sources close to the encounter tell TMZ Hip Hop they exchanged pleasantries inside the Capitol Building ... Joe's skills as an MC have cemented his life's legacy and even he was impressed with Biden's delivery!!!

Joe wasn't only representing Barragán, he's been in D.C. all week on behalf of the Power to the Patients org that combats hidden hospital fees and we're told Joe's stance is 100% bipartisan ... he even had Democrats and Republicans flocking to him for selfies after he dapped up Biden.

Chuck D's also fighting the power for the patients, an issue, he recently stressed to TMZ, that needs to be corrected sooner rather than later as the American people are often left in the dark about how the systems work.

Joe Budden is predicting further doomsday across the hip hop music industry -- especially when it comes to pushing female rappers -- but Bktherula is telling the podcast king to PIPE DOWN and let the ladies flourish!!!

Save for Latto, Flo Milli and a few others, Joe confidently stated the window of opportunities is closing for their competition ... a total insult to BK when we asked her about the topic Thursday at Litt Live in H'wood.

Bk's been on the scene for a few years, racking up millions of plays for her music. She raps, she sings, she rages -- and completely shut down JB's scorching hot takes ... basically calling his viewpoints on the female artists out-of-touch.

She backed her points by highlighting Billboard's Women In Music awards from this week, which Ice Spice, GloRilla and a studious Saweetie were all a part of, as further proof JB is off the mark.

In the recent JBP episode "Means To An End," JB clarified his hot take by adding more flames to the discussion -- Joe says only the crème de la crème of artists will rise to the top because the music industry has let it be known that all humans are expendable.

There's been a ton of industry layoffs this year -- and it's only March!!!

It's clear Joe set BK off ... she's been on a more spacey vibe leading up to her "LVL5" album dropping next week.

Chloe and Halle Bailey have a bond that can't be broken -- which is probably why the older sibling here says it was no issue keeping her little sister's pregnancy a secret.

We caught up with sister duo at Essence mag's pre-Oscar gala on Thursday -- and Halle couldn't help but blush and gush about her newborn baby boy Halo, whom she shares with boyfriend DDG ... who was enjoying fatherhood as we spoke with Mama Bear.

Just check out the video DDG threw up recently ... showing him goofing around with the kid.

Anyway, back to Halle -- our photog asked if Halle's musical talents have transferred over to the baby just yet ... and based on her reaction, it sounds like it might be too early to tell.

So, instead ... we lobbed her a softball, asking how motherhood was going -- and HB told us it was great. Chloe, however, gave us a little more insight into her sister's pregnancy ... which sorta flew under the radar (although, not really).

Nonetheless, we asked Chloe if was difficult keeping everything under wraps for Halle -- and she told us it was actually a breeze. Halle herself addressed this as well during her remarks at the event ... and said she had no obligation to share her pregnancy with the world.

Damian Lillard's a must-have commodity for GloRilla, after the rapper pulled up from 40 feet to shoot her shot at the reigning NBA All-Star MVP!!!

TMZ caught up with Dame in Bev. Hills on Thursday ahead of his Bucks face-off against the Lakers and asked if he was even aware that Glo wanted to be on what he was on.

After Dame led the highest-scoring ASG ever with 39 points, Big Glo squeezed in a photo op and instantly marked her territory ... and threatened to hard foul anyone who attempted to score on her future man!!!

The way her "Yeah Glo!" hit has been on the rise, it doesn't sound like Glo's taking no for an answer, either.

Judging from Dame's ear-to-ear grin, he's aware the Memphis rapper wants him bad ... no comment if he's already taken her up on her offer!!! 🤐

Dame Time may not have clocked GloRilla just yet -- but his new Milwaukee teammates are feeling the love ... after he upgraded everyone's wrists with gold watches from his Tissot line on the team plane.

If Francis Ngannou pulls off the upset win over Anthony Joshua on Friday, perhaps nobody will be happier than Drake -- 'cause the rapper just bet a small fortune on the UFC fighter to get the dub!!

Drizzy showed off his betting slip on his Instagram page just hours before the match goes down ... revealing he put a whopping $615,000 on Ngannou to beat Joshua in a boxing match in Saudi Arabia.

If it hits, Drake stands to make a ton of cash -- $1,906,500 to be exact -- and based on his IG caption, he seems confident it will all actually happen.

"Betting on a scary man," Drake said.

The fight will be just the second pro boxing one of Ngannou's career -- but, given how the first one went against Tyson Fury back in October, many think he can actually win it.

You'll recall, Ngannou -- the former UFC heavyweight champ -- roughed up Fury for most of their bout ... but lost in a controversial split decision.

One loss aside, Ngannou's seemed super confident in the leadup to this next fight -- and Drake appears to be believing the bravado.

Megan Thee Stallion's snake-driven campaign slithered away with a whimper when she met face-to-face with the real deal ... a bottle of alcohol with a dead snake stuffed inside!!!

The rapper is currently turning heads during a trip out in Japan that tested her "Fear Factor" meter -- this after she sampled Habushu, a traditionally super strong liquor native to Okinawa.

Apparently, it's powered by poison ... the local Habu snake is said to ferment inside the container to age as long as possible -- which makes for one hell of a boozy drink.

Welp, Meg dove in without hesitation and asked if the potion would send her to the morgue -- but she didn't chicken out ... taking a sip of the concoction, but not really liking it much.

Meg took a little slurp of the Habushu -- but this time around, she didn't drive the boat too far ... docking and anchoring her experience, saying the drink was too strong for her liking. Can't blame her ... drinking dead snake, even for a buzz, doesn't sound pleasant at all.

It's pretty funny ... Meg topped the Billboard Hot 100 a few weeks back with her single "Hiss" -- which was the follow-up to another reptilian record "Cobra." But, when it comes to the real McCoy ... she isn't into it, it seems.

Mike Epps is still feeling some sorta way about the Richard Pryor biopic that didn't happen -- and 10 years after he got the dream role, he's blaming Richard's widow for shutting it down.

Mike did his best to crack jokes about it as revealed the backstory to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on their "All the Smoke" podcast -- claiming things went south with Jennifer Lee Pryor because he refused to render certain services for her.

Call it the ultimate d**k move -- or lack thereof -- but Mike claims Jennifer wanted a little quid pro quo ... and when he refused to sleep with her, she yanked the role from him.

Mike claims he and Jennifer clashed harder at Richard's funeral in 2005, which he says doubled as a comedic event ... albeit not intentionally!!!

He threw the late Paul Mooney and Richard's other friends in attendance under the bus for not speaking at the funeral -- instead leaving Mo'Nique and George Lopez to pay their respects even though they didn't actually know the comedic legend.

You gotta see Mike paint the picture of how the funeral went down ... especially his Diana Ross impression.

But the jokes stopped when he talked about walking up to Jennifer to insist he was the man for the biopic role, because his legacy has outlived Richard's -- and all the kids know it!!!

Lee Daniels was originally on board to direct the RP film in 2014 but jumped ship 2 years later, leaving Mike to portray Pryor in minor capacities as he did in HBO's short-lived "Winning Time" series ... potentially the last time he'll get to impersonate his idol.

Saweetie was all the way tapped in at Billboard's Women in Music last night with zero signs of stage fright ... a triumph after she went viral for struggling on the podium at another event.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Saweetie inside the YouTube Theater booming with confidence in a sultry black split dress as she presented an artist with an Impact Award.

Saweetie wasn't the only one dazzling in a slinky wardrobe -- just ask Katy Perry, who tantalized the Billboard blue carpet in a g-string thong ... but the night was all about female empowerment.

Saweetie showed love to all the women in the room ... Ice Spice, Victoria Monet and Coco Jones, were definitely doing it for her.

She also put her USC degree to use and wooed the audience with a little Spanish speaking ... her shout-outs for Miko, Karol G and Bad Bunny even earned her brownie points with the crowd!!!

Chuck D has joined the fight initiated by Fat Joe and many others to tackle the U.S. medical industry's hazy pricing methods ... which he says is public enemy #1 to the average American citizen.

We kid of course, but Chuck was deadly serious while talking to TMZ Hip Hop about this issue -- which he thinks is going to bite Americans in the ass the longer it goes ignored.

The legendary rapper joined Joe, The Foo Fighters, French Montana, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Valerie June and several other music stars this week for the Power to the Patients' concert in Washington D.C. to further pressure lawmakers to pass legislation to combat the healthcare price transparency issue.

FF frontman Dave Grohl called Chuck his "hero" during their performance, noting how Chuck and Public Enemy set the tone long ago for using their platform to raise social awareness among fans.

We ask if celebrities can still sway the vote at this point in time but Chuck points out that hip hop is now 50 years old -- with rock being even older -- and both communities are well-traveled enough to speak facts. Remember, artists are voters too!!!

Chuck rallying in Washington is one of the many precursors to the 2024 election -- with all signs pointing to a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump -- two unappealing candidates from Chuck's POV.

He laughed off Trump's recent string of promos ... slangin' sneakers and shirts with his mugshot photo have caused a stir but Chuck says Americans shouldn't believe the hype, 'cause it's the same 'ol scenario.

Rick Ross says he had no ill intent when he documented Tyreek Hill's house fire earlier this year ... claiming he was actually a good guy in the situation.

Cheetah unloaded on the rapper this week ... saying it was pretty messed up of him to post footage of the emergency for his 19.4 million followers to see.

Rozay got wind of Hill's gripe ... and he thinks it's all a misunderstanding.

"Tyreek Hill, I wasn't picking on you homie," Ross said on Instagram. "I wasn't picking on you at all."

RR pointed out he did not share any footage of Hill's loved ones at the scene ... and news coverage of the incident was already underway by the time he started recording -- so what's it matter if he makes his own content??

"And, let's not act like I'm the one that premiered the fire to the world," he said. "It was five helicopters circling over your crib and my crib. We stay across the street from each other."

"I didn't post you and your girl outside, I didn't post mom, none of that. But the s*** was everywhere, homie."

On a side note, Rozay also knocked the fire department ... saying he thought they did a bad job at attacking the flames on Jan. 3.

As for his conversation with a fireman that Hill mentioned, RR also had a defense for that ... claiming he was only interacting with the responder to see if he could help Hill's mom take a seat.

Kodak Black helped deliver his newborn son last week -- and made sure the little guy was freshly dressed for his world debut!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the first photo of Kodak's newborn son, who he and his girlfriend Maranda Johnson named Prince Kapri.

Kodak tells us … "I'm happy to be home with my family and my new son. It was very special to help deliver a new soul into the world. I know he's going to be a special person."

Prince was born on February 27 and the newly minted father/son duo captured a stylish photo-op for the birthday -- Kodak was decked out in a baby blue t-shirt and jeans, and Prince was wrapped in a baby blanket and cap with matching colors.

Prince's arrival makes him Kodak's 4th kid -- his 2nd with Maranda, and the "Super Gremlin" rapper is approaching parenthood with flair.

Just take a look at the blinged-out pacifier he had dangling around his neck ... that's gotta be worth a lifetime supply of diapers!!!

Camila Cabello is spilling all about her brief reconciliation with Shawn Mendes -- including what caused their final split ... and the gist of it is, they just weren't right for each other.

The singer went on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" -- where she revealed that her reunion with Shawn ended as quickly as it began. Apparently ... she and SM realized that -- despite their hot make-out sesh at 2023's Coachella -- they weren't as good a fit as they thought.

Camila said she jumped into things again with him on an impulse -- but soon, she says they both realized it wasn't working and that they didn't need to force the relationship. CC recalled deciding just to be friends with Shawn ... saying she and SM ended on good terms.

The two pop stars previously dated between 2019 and 2021 -- before giving it another go ... which included a date night to Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour in May.

Doesn't sound like Camila regrets the rekindled romance ... calling it a "fun moment."

The fun didn't stop there for Camila, BTW ... who was spotted on vacation with Drake in Turks and Caicos this past December. However, Camila clarified that it wasn't all good times and games -- it was a work trip, too ... labeling it a "friends vacation."

Unfortunately, the singer stayed tight-lipped on whether she and Drizzy did more than make music. But, she did notably share ... "I will say I love him."

Shawn, for his part, has also moved on from Camila -- having been linked to British presenter Charlie Travers last fall. Remember, Shawn and Charlie were spotted enjoying a beach day in their underwear after linking up in West Hollywood in November.

Shannon Sharpe made himself a meme this week by simply walking into a business -- but Donnell Rawlings thinks we should cut him some slack, even though he's here to roast too.

We caught up with the funnyman in NYC on Wednesday -- and he had his own 2 cents to add to the viral conversation ... including a staunch defense that's layered in comedy. Check it out ... Donnell explains why Shannon strutted the way he did, and it's all about athletics.

Of course, he couldn't help but do his own impersonation of the ex-NFL'er, and it's great.

ICYMI ... Shannon was promoting his cognac in New Jersey last weekend and sluggishly stepped out of an SUV in a snug-fitting all-green ensemble, coupled with an orange bag slung around his chest ... and as you can imagine, it instantly got tackled with jokes online.

Like we said, Donnell did his best Shannon Sharpe -- both speaking and walking -- and we gotta say ... it's pretty freaking good. He has his voice and cadence down to a tee here.

He even joked about Mike Epps not wanting the 'Shay Shay' problems after their short-lived spat ... but it's all in good fun, we swear! You can tell Donnell's got love for Shannon -- even though he's been hosting some guests lately who are going after his comedy buddies.

Even though Shannon's blowing up these days over his wildly successful "Club Shay Shay" podcast, Donnell reminds everyone Shannon is also a HOF football stud and his banged-up body might be why his walk is getting made fun of ... something DR thinks is kinda unfair.

Damon Dash recently took a break from bashing Jay-Z to focus on his post-Roc-A-Fella Records days when he wanted to lead the next generation of rap stars into independence ... but claims they abandoned him for the major label machine.

Those stars grew up to become Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y and Stalley --  who all got a scolding from DD in a recent podcast with Math Hoffa ... where he came off like a disappointed dad in the aftermath of all three of them signing to Atlantic Records, which Dame claims happened behind his back.

TMZ Hip Hop actually caught up with Stalley, who tells us Dame's recollection of events is without merit ... saying they never signed any legally binding paperwork. He even had to pay his own way to be part of the music video shoots.

Stalley appeared on several tracks for Dame's DD172 label -- including his self-titled "S.T.A.L.L.E.Y." track -- and tells us he can't understand why Dame can't pronounce his name correctly. Dame does kinda butcher it a bit in the vid.

Dame framed Stalley as "grumpy" -- and cited a run-in at the airport years ago where he says Stalley expressed regret for taking the Atlantic deal.

Stalley denies telling Dame he regretted anything at the airport ... and says there was frustration more than anything, but is certain that he and Dame had the least interactions of everyone present.

Kanye West had a bit of opposition in clearing samples for the "Vultures 1" album -- but none of the pushback came from Juvenile's end ... in fact, he was happy to sign off.

The Cash Money Records legend tells TMZ Hip Hop that he was honored to be a part of the same project Ozzy Osbourne openly boycotted ... if you didn't know, Ye sampled his classic tune "Back Dat Azz Up" for the song "Do It" -- and the rest is Billboard history!!!

Of course, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne both ripped Ye to smithereens over him trying to use Black Sabbath music ... but Juve tells us unlike Ozzy -- who blocked Kanye from using his group's "War Pigs" track -- he feels Kanye is a good dude and fondly remembers Ye supporting his indie efforts with his "Nolia Clap" guys Wacko and Skip.

As a result ... giving the green light on "BDAU" was a no-brainer, from his POV.

The booty-shakin' anthem was the marquee single on Juve's breakout album, "400 Degreez" -- and it's still a fan favorite 25 years later, with Juve celebrating the anniversary with a digital deluxe rollout featuring 2 new tracks he and producer Mannie Fresh collaborated on and colored double LP vinyl set.

The surprises don't stop there either ... Juve says he'll be shooting a music video for the "400 Degreez" title track, which he says is his absolute fave song on the album!!!

The music has aged nicely -- and fans can NOW expect to see Juve on the super-star-studded Lovers & Friends Festival stage after the NOLA rapper did a bit of ripping of his own in the promoter's direction.

Juve tells us he caught them denying that his name was on the flyer in an alleged effort to prevent them from paying him ... but all the contract wrinkles have since been ironed out.

Chrisean Rock has no plans to turn herself in over a warrant out for her arrest in Oklahoma -- saying she's got no time for jail ... as she has a son to raise.

In a new IG Live session with her fans, Chrisean addressed the open bench warrant from the Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections ... which says she's wanted in connection to an incident from 2022 there, including drug and traffic charges.

It's been known for a while that Chrisean has this little situation outstanding there halfway across the country -- remember, she's living in L.A. right now while Blueface is in jail -- and now ... she's addressing it on camera ... saying she's working on getting it resolved.

In terms of why she says she doesn't wanna just surrender and do her time ... well, Chrisean says she's got a baby now -- and she simply doesn't wanna be away from him/behind bars.

Sounds like she's not really sweating it either ... Chrisean says it's worked out for her so far.

BTW ... this isn't the only legal woe of Chrisean's -- remember, she's being sued for allegedly assaulting a dancer for Tamar Braxton here in L.A. ... who claim she battered him backstage.