TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

A couple of big names in country music aren't just embracing Beyoncé's new album, they also think it's a tipping point for the genre ... which is why Chris Young's inviting her to get in-studio with him.

We caught up with Chris in NYC, and he told us he loves Bey's "Cowboy Carter" album -- especially Dolly Parton's intro on the new "Jolene" rendition. As he put it, Beyoncé's venture into the country scene proves the industry's more welcoming now than before.

Showing off some of that southern hospitality, Chris says ... "Tell [Beyoncé] I'm here for her."

Diddy's ex, Cassie, has been in touch with the authorities in the federal investigation -- not just that, we're told she's cooperating  ... as are others who've sued him.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Cassie is among the witnesses the feds have been in contact with in connection with the Diddy investigation ... we're told she's been working with investigators for several weeks ... presumably even before Diddy's homes were raided.

Given the timing, it seems Cassie may have helped the feds establish probable cause to get a judge to sign off on the search warrants. Other women, we're told, have also been in contact with federal investigators.

Shannon Sharpe asked GloRilla the question everyone wants to know the answer to -- did her flirtatious shot at NBA superstar Damian Lillard actually work -- but the rapper dodged the query expertly ... and the whole interaction was hilarious.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer peppered the Memphis rapper about the message she sent to Lillard while the two were on Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" show this week.

Initially, Shannon tried to get her to talk about her favorite NBA players ... before he pivoted the convo to her social media post where she said she "wanted" Lillard.

Rod Wave found himself in a jail cell this week -- this after cops arrested him on a firearm charge ... even though his attorneys are calling BS.

The rapper was booked into Manatee County Jail Wednesday on two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon -- and he posed for a mug shot on his way in. The exact circumstances that led to RW's bust are still unclear at this point.

In any case -- his attorneys, Bradford Cohen and Mark Rankin, tell us ... "The officers that made the arrest are incorrect. He is not a convicted felon and has never been a convicted felon. We would have hoped additional research would have been done prior to them filing these charges."

Chance the Rapper and his wife, Kirsten Corley, are calling it quits on their marriage -- something they just announced with a joint statement.

They write, "After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways. We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the same time we spent together. God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together."

The estranged couple continues... "We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition. Thank you."

Ryan Garcia is picking a side amid 50 Cent's longstanding beef with Diddy ... publicly asking the "In Da Club" rapper to walk him out for his fight against Devin Haney.

50 has been having a field day as Diddy faces sexual misconduct allegations and a federal sex trafficking investigation ... constantly posting memes and jokes at his nemesis' expense.

Garcia has also done trolling of his own ... training in a shirt that showed Haney standing shirtless in a pool with Diddy and speculating whether "The Dream" has been involved in any alleged wrongdoing.

On top of that, King Ryan has posted numerous unfounded allegations surrounding Diddy and Haney ... and despite the latter's outright denial, Garcia is now calling on Fiddy to be by his side when he makes his way to the ring on fight night.

"@50cent would be awesome if you walked out with me 4-20," Garcia said ... while adding a new homophobic slang term involving Diddy's name.

"Let's do this!!!!"

It's just the latest example of Garcia's social media antics leading up to the bout -- as we reported, the 24-1 pugilist has posted wild conspiracies and exhibited other bizarre behavior ... and even though he previously vowed to only speak about sports and the fight, that hasn't been the case.

Metro Boomin can't catch a break in this hacking saga ... 'cause now his Tyler, The Creator Louis Vuitton collab order got rerouted last minute to a random address.

In a recent X post, the superproducer dropped a bombshell screenshot from his convo with his high-end goods hookup man -- turns out the guy had just seen Metro's earlier posts about getting hacked, and was worried he'd shipped Metro's order to the hackers.

Metro Boomin replied with a big "Broooooo. Wtfff. No way, please you didn't," and added in the caption: "Now I just found out in real time that all the Tyler LV I ordered just got shipped to the hacker. Going to sleep now."

A report claimed that 50 Cent was being eyed to replace Diddy as the face of Ciroc -- something we now know isn't the case ... despite the guy himself seemingly leaning into it.

Sources connected to the vodka brand tell TMZ there's no truth to rumors or claims that Fiddy is the top name getting kicked around among Ciroc executives -- this in the wake of Diddy and Ciroc (and its parent company Diageo) going their separate ways earlier this year.

One report even goes so far as to cite an anonymous Ciroc honcho who supposedly said 50 Cent was actually their initial choice to lead Ciroc way back in 2007 ... with this anonymous person going on to claim that Diddy swooped in and "stole the deal."

Metro Boomin declaring war on Drake isn't coming without consequences -- the superproducer claims his phone and iCloud recently survived a serious hacking he suspects came directly from Team OVO!!!

Shortly before his new album "We Don't Trust You" dropped -- the one he and Future let Kendrick Lamar go all sicko mode on Drake -- Metro claims he started getting spammed by Toronto-area phone numbers.

Joyner Lucas is looking back at his stint on a major record label with deep regret ... he says his experience was mostly clouded with empty promises!!!

While venting on Math Hoffa's "My Expert Opinion," Joyner and his longtime manager/business partner Drew recalled the time they were courted by Atlantic Records ahead of signing in 2016.

They also claim it took them forever to get paid -- money falling slowly like confetti isn't exactly worth celebrating!!!

Joyner admits he was beyond geeked when he signed with Atlantic, but only released one project with the label, and then bounced a few years later.

He's now calling Atlantic's recruitment a big 'ol sham ... Joyner and Drew both claim the label used love-bombing tactics to trick him into inking the contract.

Joyner says Atlantic execs told them it would be easy to get some of the label's biggest stars -- such as Cardi B, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars -- in the studio, but, of course, it never happened!!!

Joyner's nabbed some blockbuster collabs throughout his career ... folks like Eminem, J. Cole and Chris Brown. Even Jelly Roll appears on his newest album "Not Now I'm Busy," but none of those guys are signed to Atlantic.

Stevie J's aggressively defending his pal Diddy, and firing new shots at 50 Cent for his never-ending trolling over the federal raids and investigation ... something he thinks is racially-motivated.

We spoke to Stevie Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and he didn't hold back, accusing 50 of attempting to tear down the Black community ... so much so, he repeatedly labeled him an "Uncle Tom."

Stevie pointed fingers at 50 for spreading propaganda and lies about Diddy ... straight-up telling him to "stop being a girl and talking about him."

Lizzo says she isn't quitting the music industry -- despite her fans assuming she was after last week's message -- but rather ... she's leaving her haters in the past.

The singer clarified her alarming remarks that got people worried about her -- in which she said she felt people didn't want her around ... and that folks were constantly dragging her, no matter what she did. She emphatically added at the time ... "I QUIT."

Welp, now she's explaining exactly what she meant ... and luckily for her fans, Lizzo isn't leaving music behind -- on the contrary, she says she's just quitting negativity.

The mother of one of Diddy's sons, Justin Combs, just shared never-before-seen footage from the L.A. raid ... and she's tearing the feds a new one for storming in the way they did.

Misa Hylton posted shocking surveillance footage from the dramatic event Monday -- when Homeland Security agents busted through the front door of Diddy's Holmby Hills mansion with guns out and massive military-style vehicles in tow ... all this to execute a search warrant.

The video now gives us an inside view of what exactly was happening within Diddy's walls while the feds conducted their raid -- and yes, it's just as shocking as everyone thought.

Kanye West is being taken to court by a former employee who's claiming Ye openly had some bizarre plans for kids attending his Donda academy ... and openly espoused antisemitic rhetoric at the school.

Trevor Phillips just filed suit against KW ... saying he was brought on to the Yeezy org in late 2022 -- right around the time Ye's antisemitism controversy reached its peak -- and explains he was tasked with growing the cotton production for Kanye's fashion line.

However, according to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Phillips claims his duties quickly expanded and started to encompass handling Ye's Donda Academy school as well, which he says started to experience difficulty as a result of Kanye's public rants.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift were the feature attractions at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards Monday night -- and two superstars walked away with more than a few statues.

But, unlike Taylor, Bey showed up at the star-studded event at L.A.'s Dolby Theater, flashing her new persona as a leather-clad cowgirl after last Friday's release of her very popular country music album, "Cowboy Carter." Taylor arrived later via video message.

After posing for some pics on the red carpet, Bey and the other stars went inside to enjoy the show, which was hosted by Ludacris. Among the awards nominees were Miley Cyrus, Drake, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Olivia Rodrigo, Shakira, SZA and Usher.

Cuba Gooding Jr. was in Miami this past weekend -- the same place Diddy has been amid an ongoing federal investigation ... interesting considering their alleged connection.

TMZ obtained a photo of Cuba in South Beach on Easter Sunday, and as you can see ... he's by his lonesome on the back of a golf cart, which is advertising yacht rentals, and there are 2 unknown fellas sitting up front.

Cuba looks relaxed with his shades on as he peruses his phone -- and yes, he's certainly dressed for a festive sunny day in the Sunshine State.