TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

The transgender woman who took a serious beating at Kanye West's Rolling Loud set last week is blasting the attack as transphobic ... while also explaining what exactly led up to it.

Blu Linares -- the 22-year-old who was seen in a wild brawl last week while Ye performed here in L.A. -- tells TMZ that she believes the violence she endured that night is directly connected to her gender identity.

She says she feels the men she sparred with singled her out for unintentionally bumping into them -- explaining that in the mosh pit-like environment, she was getting pushed around -- despite plenty of other concertgoers packed in the tight space doing the same thing.

Once she inadvertently made contact, Blu tells us the guys hurled transphobic remarks at her ... while trying to paint her as the aggressor when they were the ones to pounce first.

Blu shows us some of the injuries she suffered during the melee -- one deep gash between her eyebrows is especially bad, as you can see. Despite everything, she says she's OK.

Moving forward, Blu's planning to meet with some attorneys to weigh her options ... but also notes she most likely won't be taking any legal action. Blu emphasizes to us she wasn't the one starting the fight -- instead, she says she was being bullied and stood up for herself.

You'll recall ... Kanye West's set at Rolling Loud descended into a violent mosh pit, with Blu bloodied and battered in the midst of it all. While she got thrashed, she also held her own.

Dr. Dre was enshrined on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week -- something some of his best buds in the music biz made sure to attend ... including Snoop Dogg and Eminem.

The legendary producer -- who's had a storied career in and out of hip hop, having touched so many facets of the genre and the music industry at large -- got his very own star cemented into the ground Tuesday in an awesome ceremony that was packed with celebs.

In addition to SD and Slim Shady, lots of other titans in rap showed up to pay their respects for the Doc -- including Big Boy, Jimmy Iovine, 50 Cent, Kurupt and lots of others too.

It looks like a handful of them even shared some kind words for Dre ... and rightly so -- the guy has helped launch the careers of so many veterans in the game, so a lot of people owe much of their fame and fortunes to him. Dude's been finding talent for literally decades.

Just a refresher on some of the albums Dre has produced throughout his career -- in case you weren't already aware of what he's done. DD's worked on classics like "The Chronic," "2001," "The Slim Shady LP," "California Love," "Murder Was the Case," "Doggystyle," and countless others.

Dre is a highly decorated artist too -- he's been nominated for Grammys dozens of times over the years ... and has won 7 times, not to mention a Lifetime Achievement Award with the N.W.A.

We talked to Dre's son Curtis Young after the WOF ceremony, and he explained why he thought his dad was more than worthy to be recognized -- and he makes good points.

All in all, he's considered one of the best music producers of all time ... so it was probably about time he got his star, and his flowers. He received both on Tuesday ... it's Dre day.

New Beyoncé music is coming at the end of the month -- and based on what she's describing in terms of possible features ... a lot of folks think Taylor Swift will appear.

The singer made a big announcement Tuesday -- dropping the release date for her forthcoming album, "Cowboy Carter," as March 29 ... and adding a lengthy caption to describe the process that went into making this one.

She starts out by thanking everyone for blowing up her two new singles -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- and goes on to say she's excited to trot out this new era of hers.

Bey writes, "This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."

She also notes she faced criticism when she first broached the country music scene -- something that was well-documented at the time with her track "Daddy Lessons."

With all that, Beyoncé says this ... "I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound."

She finishes by saying "Cowboy Carter" isn't a country album, but rather ... a Beyoncé album -- which is obviously exciting, but her suggesting some legendary acts are on this project has seriously piqued people's curiosity ... including the Swifties.

Fact is ... a Beyonce and Taylor collab would be one the biggest musical team-ups in recent memory -- and the fact that Taylor got her start in country isn't lost on anyone either.

Plus, we know T-Swift and Bey are already friendly -- having attended the other's respective movie premieres last year ... so we know for a fact they respect and support each other.

Also, remember ... music producer Killah B -- who came up with the beat for "Texas Hold 'Em" -- played coy with us when we asked him point blank if there was a possibility Taylor might appear on this record of Bey's. Worth noting ... he didn't outright deny it at the time.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori went to some business meetings on Monday -- and they were dressed to impress ... depending on what type of ventures they're chasing, that is.

The couple hit the town again to kick off the week, and they first started out by hitting up Bev Hills -- going into office buildings for what we're told appeared to be formal chats with powerbrokers and shot-callers ... and if they did, they were ready to knock some socks off.

By that, we mostly mean BC, who outdid herself yet again with another eye-popping, body-hugging 'fit that was squeezing her up tight -- and barely holding her upper half together.

Just when we thought we'd seen everything ... Bianca trotted herself out in this little number -- rocking a revealing pink tube top, showing off major cleavage, and neon nylon stockings.

Ye, of course, was just rockin' his usual all-black getup -- and it looks like he was styling Bianca in one of the buildings at one point. Unclear if he was pulling her stocking bottom down or up -- but here, it looks like her booty is very much so revealed, on purpose.

After their business meetings in BH ... Ye and Bianca went to The Grove and hit up a bunch of the shops -- and we're told they even went to Cheesecake Factory at one point. As you can see ... they were having a ball in each other's company, laughing it up/holding hands.

Of course, this outing follows another one the night prior ... when they were up in Burbank strolling around, where there too Bianca was letting it all hang out -- quite literally.

That 'fit of hers was more color-coordinated than this latest one appears to be -- but hey, Spring is upon us ... and perhaps she was feeling a little festive in the daytime and wanted to reflect the mood with her highlighter-esque colors.

Bianca Censori has struck again with another mind-bogglingly racy outfit -- turning heads while pulling up to a Raising Cane's drive-thru in Burbank with her man Kanye West.

The Aussie bombshell doesn't hold back in this latest getup Sunday ... serving up some serious heat in a super sheer black ensemble with thin clear straps that were fighting for dear life trying to contain her assets.

Bianca's confidence in rocking her daring styles is iconic ... but even she knows when to draw the line 'cause she strategically placed her phone across her crotch to keep things R-rated -- as opposed to NC-17.

Of course, Kanye's outfit was nowhere near as shocking, but he did match his wife in an all-black look for the outing that saw them reunited after a brief break.

BTW, worth noting ... Ye is rocking Nike gloves here -- telling, considering his on-again-off-again feud with Adidas ... with whom he's currently on the outs as he's accused them of trying to make money off his Yeezy designs. What else is new though?

One last thing about this little outing of theirs in the Valley -- some dude tried blocking them off as paps fired away ... throwing up what appeared to be a jacket or blanket of some sort as he aggressively tried to obscure their view. No word on whether he's a hired security guard, or just some random Schmo who popped up out of nowhere. It's kinda giving the latter!

Anyway, it's clear Bianca isn't shying away from her typical style these days -- even with her folks in town ... or one of them at least.

As we reported ... BC was hanging with her mom, Alexandra, for the last few days ... hitting up Rolling Loud to catch Ye's performance and stopping by a San Fernando Valley cosmetics store. In the latter, the model went braless under a pink mini-dress -- but for the most part, it was practically conservative dressing on her part.

Bruno Mars doesn't owe millions in gambling debt to MGM Resorts -- despite what a recent report claimed ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for MGM Resorts International tells TMZ ... the singer doesn't have a $50 million gambling tab on the books with them -- even though some recently alleged the opposite. Instead, MGM came to Bruno's defense ... calling the allegation he owes a massive sum completely false.

In fact, the Las Vegas hot spot is super excited to collaborate with the Grammy winner again in the future -- not exactly the tone someone would take with a dude who's got a fat bill.

They add ... "We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe. MGM and Bruno's partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests."

This update comes shortly after a report began circulating this past week that claimed MGM basically owned Bruno over an alleged gambling bill that was worth tens of millions. While Bruno has yet to address the gossip, MGM made it clear that there is nothing shady about their business relationship. BTW, Bruno's got an upcoming residency there at the resort.

Bruno previously opened up to James Corden in 2016 about being a card shark before hitting worldwide fame. In a "Carpool Karaoke" appearance on 'The Late Late Show,' he explained that he used to play poker to help pay his rent in L.A. ... so the dude does like to gamble.

Alicia Keys and Roc Nation came to the rescue of a 7th grader who's raising money for an NYC school's performing arts program ... and she's a lot closer to doing that now.

12-year-old Tennyson Artigliere got a huge boost from Alicia and co. to help out a GoFundMe she started in an attempt to keep the Professional Performing Arts School main program alive and kicking ... this amid budget cuts that threaten to close it for good.

The kid had a high goal of $102,000 -- which would help keep the Performing Arts Program open -- even if only for a little bit longer. Alicia -- who attended the school -- caught wind of the fundraiser, along with the rapper's entertainment company, and decided to intervene ... chipping in a whopping $60,000 toward her goal.

Alicia and Roc Nation's contribution adds to money they'd already raised ... around $50k.

Alicia and Roc Nation aren't stopping there -- as they have also vowed to help raise money for the program every year until the city is able to fund it themselves. Jeremy Allen White -- another alumni -- has also donated to the cause, pushing out the GFM link on his IG.

Tennyson couldn't be more grateful for the celebrity assistance, especially from such a notable alum like Alicia. Apparently, Tennyson's classmates couldn't believe it when she revealed that Alicia would be stepping in to save their performing arts program.

She added ... "We still talk about her legacy every single day."

Kanye West's appearance at Rolling Loud appears to have sparked a massive brawl that roped in an alleged transgender woman ... who took a serious beating.

This footage from Ye's set on Thursday is making the rounds, and it shows a person -- alleged to be a trans woman -- getting into a fight with a guy, which then blows up into an all-out melee with other concert attendees. Effectively, it turns into a violent mosh pit.

You can see this person taking fists to the face -- and the hits leave them completely bloodied and battered. And yet ... they keep coming back for more, holding their own.

There's a mix of bystanders watching and cheering it on ... and others who are seemingly trying to break it up. Another group even appears to push this person to continue fighting -- encouraging the chaos and shouting "WorldStar."

As the fight goes on ... this person continues to get more and more pummeled -- not only being punched constantly, but getting flipped over and thrown onto the ground a lot too.

Like we said ... they don't retreat, only continuing to come at the initial aggressor, a guy.

Eventually ... the fighting seems to come to a stop with everyone coming together to dance to the music Ye and co. were playing -- and even the battered victim here appears to let it all go and partakes in the festivities. It goes from incredibly violent to incredibly musical instantly.

Ray J's car collection is a couple rides light today ... 'cause he apparently he's missing two high-priced automobiles -- and we're told he's not getting a straight answer about their whereabouts.

Sources close to Ray J with direct knowledge tell us ... two of Ray's Maybach SUVs are currently missing after having been put on a enclosed car carrier to New York City Friday night.

We're told the cars were supposed to show up in New York today ... but apparently never did. Instead, our sources say the cars' have been tracked -- and, it seems the trackers are just sitting still in Reno, Nevada.

Sources tell us Ray's reached out to the shipping company in charge of moving the cars ... but they say he's not getting a straight answer on where exactly the Maybachs are right now.

Ray J's got the police involved we're told ... and -- though the cars are currently missing and not stolen as far as anyone knows -- police are investigating the matter.

We're also told Ray J -- who's out in NYC to launch his new original content steaming platform The Tronix Network -- will still be at all of the pre-organized events while figuring out next steps with the cars.

BTW Maybach SUVs ain't cheap -- with some reports saying cars like that can go for upwards of $200k ... so you can imagine Ray J's pretty keen on getting his vehicles back!

Fat Joe's rubbing elbows with some of the top politicians in the country ... specifically Vice President Kamala Harris -- and he's sharing his solutions for some of the country's greatest issues, too.

The outspoken rapper met up with the VP on Friday afternoon and led a panel regarding criminal justice reform featuring Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and White House Director of the Office of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin.

The convo -- which featured a few other prominent criminal justice advocates and three recipients of marijuana-related pardons -- lasted about an hour and featured lots of personal anecdotes from those pardoned.

We're told Fat Joe expressed his gratitude for how his journey through hip hop had landed him in a close relationship with the vice president -- who he apparently met through his healthcare reform group Power To The Patients.

BTW ... we're told Joe actually sat down for a private conversation with Kamala where the two talked about healthcare price transparency and other issues close to Joe's heart.

Harris isn't the only exec who Joe's spoken to in recent days ... the Bronx-bred rapper also caught up with President Joe Biden himself -- following the Prez's SOTU address, which took some shots at Donald Trump.

Sources told us members of both parties wanted a piece of Fat Joe after he dapped up Biden ... with reps on both sides of the aisle rushing to the man for an autograph.

Fat Joe's been on the advocacy grind for a while now ... and we even talked to him about Power to the Patients on "TMZ Live" back in January.

Bianca Censori doesn't need hubby Kanye West to turn heads ... she did just fine without him.

Bianca and her mom, Alexandra, hit up a cosmetics store in the San Fernando Valley, and she loose again ... no bra underneath a skimpy pink mini-dress.

The mother-daughter duo has been spending time together lately, hitting up Rolling Loud in L.A. Thursday night to watch Kanye perform. Kim Kardashian was also front and center ... we don't know if they talked, but they clearly have lots to talk about!

Bianca and Kim have been showing up at the same events ... 2 days before Rolling Loud, they were at Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign's "Vultures" listening party in San Francisco.

Our sources say North West is top of Kim's mind these days. The kid's fully in on Kanye's new album -- both in terms of performing at events and recording -- and we're told Kim's concerned about keeping her daughter grounded and free from toxic conversation.

Usher won big at the NAACP Image Awards Saturday night, lassoing statues for Entertainer of the Year and the President's Award -- but it was his speech of sheer gratitude for his mom that took everyone by storm.

The R&B singer stepped up to the podium at the 55th annual ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles after NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson bestowed Usher the coveted President's Award.

During his acceptance speech, Usher delivered his passionate words about his mom, Jonnetta Patton, giving her full credit for his successful career.

Usher told the star-studded audience that his mom taught him the purpose of being able to speak to the world through his music.

He also highlighted that his mom overcame the male-dominated entertainment industry and brushed up on her boardroom skills to cut the best deals for her son, putting him on top of the industry.

At several points, the emotional crowd clapped for Usher, showing their approval of him. But Usher didn't stop there ... he also mentioned women in the industry often do not get the recognition they deserve.

The singer also took home the Entertainer of the Year award, beating out Colman Domingo, Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey and Keke Palmer -- that award was given to him by none other than Oprah Winfrey, too.

The Usher wins were well deserved ... as you know, Usher has been killing it lately with his Las Vegas residency which he closed out at the end of last year -- not to mention a memorable performance at the 2024 Super Bowl.

Diddy and Kanye West haven't been on good terms for a while ... but, now it seems they might be mending their relationship -- 'cause Diddy pulled up to Kanye's Rolling Loud set!

The rapper/producer made a rare public appearance Thursday at the show in Los Angeles and walked into KW's performance alongside his twin daughters, Jessie and D'Lila Combs.

Check out the vid ... Diddy brought his whole crew to the set -- he always rolls deep -- and appeared to pull up as Ye's and Ty Dolla $ign's "Keys To My Life" played over the speakers.

And Diddy made the evening a whole family affair ... 'cause he was also spotted in the back/side stage area with his son Justin while watching the controversial performance.

The show certainly had people up in arms ... 'cause instead of performing live, Kanye and Ty stood onstage and just played recordings of their songs -- leaving lots of fans disappointed.

Unclear how Diddy felt about the show ... or if he and Ye sat down for a conversation -- 'cause they kinda gotta clear the air about their viral 2022 beef.

Remember, Puffy sat down for an interview on "The Breakfast Club" where he called Kanye's hella controversial White Lives Matter t-shirts "tone deaf" back in 2022.

Well, Kanye didn't like that one bit, and he ultimately shared some private messages between him and Diddy -- including one where he accused Diddy of being sent by Jewish people to threaten him.

Diddy wanted to meet in person ... but Kanye called him a federal agent and threw in a big "f*** you" for good measure.

It was all pretty unhinged ... and it seemed the two hadn't made up -- at least not publicly. But, now with Puffy at the show, ya gotta wonder if some words have been said behind the scenes.

So are the two officially burying the hatchet ... or did Diddy's kids just really wanna see Ye? Vote below!

YG squashed rumors he and Saweetie called it quits ... bringing her out onstage at Rolling Loud California and professing his love to her.

The rapper was performing at the hip hop festival in Inglewood Friday night when he stunned the crowd by sharing the mic with Saweetie after the two reportedly broke up in January.

Check out the vid ... YG was rubbing up behind Saweetie and nuzzling her as he wrapped his arms around her body.

After their brief, sexy interlude, Saweetie started walking off stage as YG followed her, repeatedly saying, "I love you, girl."

Well, there you have it, folks. Rumors officially squashed!

As you know, YG and Saweetie were first spotted packing on some PDA in May 2023 while vacationing at a resort in Cabo, Mexico -- getting photographed sucking face poolside.

Fast forward to January 2024 ... The Shade Room reported the pair amicably ended their 7-month relationship.

But, the next day, YG responded by posting an older video of him and Saweetie getting cozy at a Beyonce concert, suggesting they were still an item.

Flavor Flav blessing Billie Eilish with a personalized clock chain on Oscars night was no PR stunt ... instead, the Public Enemy rapper tells us he wanted to crown her a winner, even if she didn't win the Academy Award.

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Flav this week following his big night out on the town, post-Oscars ... where he was the life of the party per usual.

Flav absolutely floored Billie when he surprised her with a personalized Rock N Stones clock after the 22-year-old became the youngest 2x Oscar winner ... courtesy of her "Barbie" track, "What Was I Made For?" winning Best Original Song.

He calls Billie a generational talent and is proud to know her. Who knows, maybe they'll hit the studio one day???

Taylor Swift is also lucky enough to have a Flav clock in her possession -- he reserves them for the best of the best, and made sure TS got one at all costs!!!

Flav's saving some flowers for himself, too, as he'll be returning to reality TV this year to document himself earning his high school diploma!!!

Shout out to Adam Sandler ... his movie "Billy Madison" made it a gimmick, but Flav says he's never stopped dreaming of getting his diploma despite all his hip hop success and no, he won't settle for a GED.

Kanye West's team claims more than $1 million worth of clothing has been stolen from his L.A. warehouse ... and now there's a dispute about whether or not he'll ever get it back.

Ye's chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, tells TMZ ... people in the rapper's camp noticed a massive amount of Yeezy GAP clothes in Ye's warehouse went missing a couple days ago -- approximately 60,000 pieces of clothing worth roughly $1.2 mil.

Yiannopoulos said the team had no clue where the clothes went, but then they noticed a Kanye fan account advertising an event Friday in L.A. ... where buyers could purchase a bunch of Yeezy GAP apparel at $20 a pop.

Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call about the alleged stolen property, and sent officers and detectives to the Yeezy sale.

We're told the people in charge of the event told cops they had receipts for the clothing, but cops say they couldn't show ALL the clothing was backed up by receipts.

Nevertheless, we're told cops were unable to seize the merch given the conflicting stories, and because Ye had not filed a police report.

Regardless, Milo insists all of the clothing is, in fact, stolen ... claiming Ye's team has no record of the sale, and would never let someone purchase clothing in bulk. Moving forward, Milo says Ye's camp will do whatever is necessary to retrieve the clothing, including filing a police report ... and they've now fired off a cease and desist letter to the organizer of Friday's sale.

In the document, Ye's team accuses them of forging records to make police believe they legally obtained the Yeezy goods.