TMZ Hip Hop - Page 41

"Love Island USA" star Leah Kateb is being confronted with rumors she used to date Kanye West ... and she's doing little to dispel online speculation the two were once an item.

The reality star appears in the latest episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast and host Alex Cooper asks her about the scuttlebutt around her and Yeezy -- something that literally nobody had heard about (at least not publicly) until now.

Alex prefaces her question with this ... "Are you going to kill me if I ask you this?" ... and then she goes ahead and asks about rumors in L.A. that Leah and Ye used to bang.

Drake promised to keep summer playlists popping after backing off from his Kendrick Lamar beef -- and that moment appears to be here courtesy of his longtime homie Gordo's "Diamante" album!!!

The new project was released on Friday and boasts not 1 but 2 new Drake records ... beginning on the album's second track "Sideways" and the final song "Healing."

The songs take on an island theme with Drake harmonizing about fleeting relationships ... a continuation of Drake's 2022 album "Honestly Nevermind" where Gordo produced multiple songs.

Snoop Dogg's blazin' in Paris ... or, at least his left hand was -- 'cause the dude carried the Olympic flame Thursday marking a huge moment for himself and hip hop culture.

The rapper carried the torch through the northern Parisian suburb Saint-Denis ... and check out the pics 'cause Snoop looks like one proud pup while doing his part to get the flame to its final destination.

Snoop -- clad in an all-white tracksuit with "Paris 2024" and the Olympic rings splayed across the back -- waves to the crowd during his portion of the jaunt, staring at the torch in awe.

Flavor Flav says as soon as Snoop Dogg emerges in Paris with the Olympic torch in hand on Friday -- no one in the hip hop community will ever forget it ... explaining this week it'll be "a very, very big moment for rap music history."

Flav, of course, will get to see it all go down in person ... as he made the trip to France this month as part of his role as the official sponsor of the USA women's water polo team.

He told Charlie Neff and Towanda Robinson on "The TMZ Podcast" that watching Snoop with the flame is actually the "main thing" he's "really, really" looking forward to in the buildup to the Paris Games -- because he thinks people will be talking about it decades from now.

Hip Hop's days of promoting voluptuous surgery-enhanced women are ancient history ... at least according to DreamDoll and Safaree ... and the "Love and Hip Hop: NY" vets aren't even working together on this initiative!

DreamDoll, as her name suggests, built her rap career based on being a real-life Barbie doll ... her debut mixtape series was even called "Life In Plastic."

While speaking on "The Zeze Millz Show," DreamDoll admitted she regretted all the times she went under the knife to fit the hip hop image, and opened up about "transitioning" back into her natural body.

Latto recently suggested Ice Spice wouldn't entertain a lyrical rap battle with her and turns out she was right ... but not for reasons she originally thought.

Sorry Latto, Ice thinks your entire beef is nothing but a lame marketing ploy!!!

The Bronx-born, 'Munch' creator is the latest cover star for Rolling Stone to promote her upcoming "Y2K!" album, where she slammed Latto for using her headlining Birthday Bash concert in her Atlanta hometown to fan flames she claims were never sparking to begin with!!! 😫

Cardi B is NOT a fan of some new flavored chicken wings at Popeyes ... but the restaurant is welcoming her poor review, and encouraging her to taste other flavors.

Here's the deal ... Cardi was working late in the studio in New York when she posted a video with some Popeyes chicken wings, rating them a 2 out of 10 and bashing the taste.

Cardi says she's trying the new honey lemon pepper wings ... blasting Popeyes for "fumbling" the flavor, which she says tastes like Sprite.

Bianca Censori is back at it again with yet another see-through top ... offering up another look at her breasts and nipples.

Kanye West and his wife went out for a movie date Tuesday in Los Angeles, and Bianca didn't feel the need to support her tatas with a bra ... instead putting the goods on full display in a VERY sheer top, if you can even call it that.

We're hearing Ye and Bianca got a couple tickets to "Fly Me to the Moon" -- starring Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson -- but folks who were there say the pair bounced after only 45 minutes.

Chris Brown and Yella Beezy just got hit with another lawsuit -- this time from a security guard who claims he was horribly injured while breaking up the brawl that led to the first suit!

In the docs, filed Wednesday and obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Frederick R. Overpeck says he was working as a security guard at Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth on July 20, and, more specifically, was instructed to work the backstage meet-and-greet where the alleged fight took place.

We broke the story earlier this week ... 4 guys who say they were invited to Chris' VIP experience after the show let out a claim things got violent when the singer's camp recognized them as former ops.

Joe Budden's prediction the female rapper boom had peaked is backed by Spotify ... at least according to its 2024 Songs of the Summer picks, and the lady MCs are MIA from the list!

On Wednesday, Spotify championed Adam Port and Stryv's Afrobeats-charged "Move," a pair of Sabrina Carpenter tracks, and naturally Kendrick Lamar's monster hit "Not Like Us" ... but nothing from female rappers, who are supposedly running the rap game.

Ice Spice has been pumping her debut album "Y2K!" ... Cardi B has been teasing her comeback and album, and Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla just came off their nationwide "Hot Girl Summer" tour.

Funny Marco says his big dreams with Bobbi Althoff have gone up in smoke -- and he's citing creative differences as the reason ... especially when it comes to what's funny on what platform.

The social media giants were supposed to be burning up the summer on their lengthy-titled "Open Thoughts Vs. The Really Good Podcast" tour ... but Marco revealed it's a done deal in a new post after he says Bobbi refused to update her deadpan style for her stage set.

Marco says he explained to Bobbi she needed to perk up and maybe even dance onstage because paying ticketholders would expect bigger bells and whistles from the two of them, but claims his advice fell on deaf ears.

2:28 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Diddy was never a suspect in the Tupac murder investigation, and that remains true today. In other words ... it's clear cops weren't buying what Keefe D was selling about Puff, and didn't deem his claim as credible.

The guy charged with Tupac's murder should not be released on bail, because he once alleged Diddy offered him 7 figures to kill 'Pac -- at least that's the case prosecutors are making to the judge.

Here's the deal ... Duane "Keefe D" Davis has been behind bars in Nevada since his arrest for the Tupac slaying, but he's asking the judge to let him out pending trial.

Snoop Dogg will be bearing the Olympic torch with a heavy heart ... because he and his family are mourning the death of his cousin, artist Darryl "Joe Cool" Daniel.

The Long Beach native recently passed away -- as announced by Snoop and co. -- and he was invaluable to the rapper's career ... serving as the brainchild behind Snoop's debut album "Doggystyle" artwork.

Snoop and Daz Dillinger shared multiple tributes to Daniel on Instagram throughout the week ... and the late artist's social media is also filled with several memories with Dogg Pound members all the same.

Gary Holt says Beyoncé's super overrated and not all that talented -- whereas Taylor Swift, in his opinion, blows her outta the water on multiple fronts ... hot take ahead, y'all.

The thrash metal rocker/Exodus guitarist sat down for an interview on the "Scandalous Podcast" and gave a harsh review of Queen Bey's catalog and accolades ... claiming her body of work has required a massive team, including songwriters ... comparing her to Taylor.

Then he brings out the big guns ... calling Beyoncé one of music's most overrated stars with just "marginal" talent -- and he also crapped on her daughter Blue Ivy.

Iggy Azalea says she considers herself to be a single mom to the kid she shares with Playboi Carti -- going so far as to claim she's not co-parenting whatsoever.

The Aussie rapper -- who birthed her and Carti's son, Onyx, in 2020 -- hopped on the 'Dinner's On Me' podcast this week and was asked point blank about her family dynamic ... and Iggy made no bones about the fact she believes she's on her own in parenting.

Iggy says, "I'm very much a single mother. I'm very much the only parent, no disrespect, but yes, I am not co-parenting really, and that's just the reality of it. It's one, it's 24/7."

Kanye West is protecting his wife, Bianca Censori, from prying eyes ... using his body as a shield during their latest outing -- while she continues to rock wacky, revealing outfits.

The couple stepped out for lunch at the Chateau Marmont Tuesday in L.A., where Bianca opted for a surprisingly covered-up, monochromatic ensemble ... which included a top, skirt, stockings, baseball hat and heels.

While she still showed some skin -- her shirt was see-through, after all -- her look was far more modest than what she's been known to wear lately. As you know ... BC's been out with no pants, a completely see-through top, the teeniest bikini and more bold fashion choices. So yeah, this is relatively safe by those standards.