TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West brought the soulful sounds of his Sunday Service choir to prisoners in Texas just days before his face-to-face with Joel Osteen.

Law enforcement sources tell us Kanye and his choir showed up at the Harris County Jail in Houston Friday morning to put on a show. We're told the whole thing was a surprise to almost everyone, with only a few who helped to put it together.

Our sources say Kanye and the team stayed for a couple of hours and performed for a select group of prisoners and staff members.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye will make an appearance and chat with Joel Osteen Sunday at Osteen's Lakewood Church service. Sunday night, Kanye and his Sunday Service choir will take the stage at Lakewood for a performance of their own.

Osteen's team has been working feverishly behind the scenes, teaming up with Ticketmaster to make sure everyone -- Kanye fans and churchgoers alike -- get a chance to see the performance.

Originally Published -- 12:37 PM PT

Kodak Black was set up and possibly drugged when he got into a fight behind bars ... at least according to the rapper's camp.

Sources close to Kodak tell TMZ ... his team believes last month's prison fight, which left a guard injured, was all a setup because they claim someone slipped something in his drink to set him off.

We're told surveillance video shows Kodak drinking a cup of coffee about 20 minutes before the fight broke out ... and his reps believe Kodak's coffee was spiked with a chemical substance intended to make him lose control.

Our sources say an agent from the FBI testified Wednesday that witnesses said Kodak appeared to be under the influence during the brawl.

As for the fight itself ... we're told Kodak got into it with another inmate, and a corrections officer sprayed KB with mace. Our sources say it took several prison guards to restrain Kodak, who displayed incredible strength after allegedly being drugged.

Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Emery Nelson tells us a staff member was physically assaulted during the fight and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

As we reported ... Kodak was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty in his federal gun case. Prosecutors were gunning for 96 months after KB was involved in the fight.

Kodak's camp thinks it's suspicious the other inmate in the fight was placed in KB's prison pod earlier in the day, and the same inmate was released on bond about 12 hours after the brawl. Kodak's team says the fact the fight went down 2 weeks before his sentencing is also fishy. KB's been behind bars before, and we're told it's the first time he got in trouble.

Black's reps tell us they don't know for sure who allegedly drugged him, but they have their suspicions ... telling us a lot of people want to see him jammed up.

We reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office ... but they have no comment.

Kanye West's appearance at Joel Osteen's megachurch this Sunday is expected to draw overflow crowds ... and the folks at Lakewood Church are scrambling to avoid pandemonium.

We've learned the Church has contacted Ticketmaster and will offer tickets Friday for the first 45,000 takers. It will be strictly first come, first served, and the tickets are free.

Here's the catch. Tickets will only be available for the evening service, where Kanye and his choir will perform their already iconic Sunday Service. As we've first reported, there's an earlier service at 11 AM, where Ye will walk up to the pulpit and have a 20- to 30-minute conversation with Osteen. The 11 AM service will not be ticketed ... the first 45,000 who arrive get seated.

As for what Osteen will talk to Kanye about ... we're told the focus is how Ye found and embraced God.

As for Kanye's Sunday night Sunday Service ... our sources say Osteen's church provides top-of-the-line sound and lighting equipment but might need to find a way to make its stage bigger to accommodate the rapper's 100+ choir members. One source says the choir will be 120 strong.

We're also told the church has an overflow room if the crowd's too big ... and it will almost certainly be utilized.

Kodak Black could spend the next 46 months behind bars in his federal gun case ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... Kodak's been sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison after he pled guilty in his federal gun case back in August. Kodak's also been sentenced to 3 years of supervised release.

It's a bit of a break considering prosecutors wanted 96 months after Kodak was involved in a fight behind bars which resulted in a prison guard getting hurt.

As we reported ... as part of Kodak's plea agreement, prosecutors said they would push for a lighter sentence because Kodak had been cooperative. He initially faced a maximum of 10 years after pleading guilty to 2 counts of knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm.

Kodak had been in federal custody since his arrest in May. He had wanted to be let out while the case unfolded but a judge denied his request for bail after calling him a danger to the community.

The rapper had been arrested at the Rolling Loud festival on arrest warrants stemming from his indictment.

Rapper Bad Azz -- one of Snoop Dogg's close friends in the game -- has died in jail.

Bad Azz appears to have passed away Monday while being held in custody at a detention center in Riverside, CA on a domestic violence charge. It's unclear how he may have died, but the guy was picked up Friday and had an upcoming court date Tuesday.

His bail was set at just $10,000, and based on jail records ... it doesn't look he'd bailed out.

The west coast MC was an affiliate of Snoop's, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Warren G, Nate Dogg and others associated with Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta Crips based out of Long Beach.

He'd collaborated with all of those guys, plus Tupac (when he was alive) as well as MC Eiht, Mistah F.A.B., Bizzy Bone, The Lady of Rage, Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes and others. He put out four solo albums and was featured on at least 2 collaborative albums.

His DPGC buddies posted tons of tributes on social media -- seeming to confirm his death -- including an Instagram post by Snoop who wrote ... "Damn 😥. R. I. P. To my young. D. P. G. L. L. G. L. B. C. Crew original @badazzlbc gone 2 soon."

One of his most famous tracks was "Wrong Idea," which featured SD. He had well over 70 features credited to his name over the years, dating back to the mid-90s.

Bad Azz was 43.

RIP

Kanye West may have his biggest audience yet for a Sunday Service, because we've learned he's agreed to take the stage for Joel Osteen's incredibly popular Sunday ritual.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ye and Joel have been talking fairly regularly recently ... they've become friends, especially since Kanye has doubled down in his devotion to God.

We're told the plan is for Kanye to show up at Joel's 11 AM service in Houston this coming Sunday at the Lakewood Church. Kanye will walk up to the pulpit and have a conversation with Joel that will last between 20 and 30 minutes.

Our sources say Joel wants his congregation -- which stands 45,000 strong -- and his TV audience -- which stands at 10 million in the U.S. alone -- to hear how Kanye has overcome significant adversity in his life.

As one source put it, "Kanye used to be about nothing greater than himself. Now it's all about a higher power." BTW, Kanye has echoed this sentiment before. We're told Joel will ask Kanye to contrast his life then and now.

We're told Kanye will not perform at the 11 AM service, but Joel has other services later in the day so it's possible Kanye would stick around. He doesn't seem to go anywhere on Sundays without his choir, so it would not be at all surprising if they show up in H-Town this weekend!

BTW ... the service will be broadcast live on SiriusXM.

Rough night for Drake, who got booed off stage at his pal Tyler, the Creator's music festival ... due to a crowd that clearly wanted, and expected, to see someone else.

Champagne Papi came out as the surprise guest headliner Sunday night at Camp Flog Gnaw, which was held at Dodger Stadium. It sure seems like folks were jonesin' for Frank Ocean to the hit the stage and sing ... instead, they got Drizzy rapping.

The set didn't seem to be going well from the jump -- barely any energy from the audience, and what's worse ... when Drake offered to stay longer, the crowd didn't want him.

It seems like he heard 'em loud and clear ... Drake thanked the Flog Gnaw festivalgoers for their time and made his way off stage -- seemingly cutting his set short. No love lost between him and the mob either, because they chanted for Frank after Drake left.

As for why this happened to one of the biggest music acts in the world right now ... it might have something to do with the type of music these ticket holders are into, and who else was in the lineup -- tons of alternative hip-hop and R&B artists.

Safe for a handful of guys who can crossover to the mainstream -- DaBaby, 21 Savage, Juice WRLD, YG, etc -- the majority of the acts cater to a bit of a more indie listener. Ditto for Frank Ocean, who's the king of that whole genre right now.

Meanwhile, Drake is as mainstream as it gets. 'Tis what it is. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Screw jerseys, hats and jackets ... Post Malone's repping the Dallas Cowboys in the most baller way possible -- with a $250,000 diamond chain!!!

The "White Iverson" rapper is showing off some new bling to profess his fanatical admiration for his favorite NFL team. Isaac from Angel City Jewelers is the master behind the chain and massive pendant ... and delivered it to him at AT&T Stadium last weekend for Post Malone’s second annual hometown festival, Posty Fest.

We're told the new bling includes 3,000 stones, 9.7 carats of baguettes, 13.5 carats of sapphires and 8.7 carats of diamonds. There's also a "77" inscription on the back ... PM's favorite number.

Post Malone's fandom for the Cowboys is unrivaled. He's gotten a NY Giants fan to wear his Cowboys jacket after winning a bet. PM's also put his money where his mouth is ... and it once cost him. Like when he handed over 20k to YG after the 'Boys fell short to the Rams.

It's been a family affair this weekend in Houston -- Travis, Kylie and Stormi are together for Daddy's music festival -- just like old times, except they're not a couple anymore.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ it's important for Travis to have Stormi with him for his second-annual Astroworld Festival ... and he wanted the event to be a bonding experience. She was at the Festival last year.

We're told while Kylie and Travis remain friends, and parenting partners, they're not back together. Kylie's made the trip to Houston too ... but only to show her support and to make things as comfortable as possible for Stormi.

Travis holds the festival in Houston because that's where he grew up, and any trip home is a chance for Stormi to bond with her dad's side of the family ... so there will be plenty of that too. We don't know if they'll all be staying under the same roof.

You'll remember ... Travis busted his knee 3 weeks ago during a show in New York. Surgery was on the table so he could heal quicker. He had appointments with surgeons, but we don't know if he followed through and went under the knife. Travis had to cancel his show in Vegas last weekend because of the injury.

He's clearly in good enough shape to perform. Then again, there's a spare throne -- once used by the likes of Axl Rose and Dave Grohl -- so Travis could easily inherit the crown.

Travis Scott fans got more than they bargained for Saturday night ... because Kanye West appeared on stage and performed for the crowd.

Travis headlined the Astroworld Festival in Houston, and in the middle of his set, Kanye appeared and performed his new single, "Follow God," off his 9th studio album, "Jesus is King."

The concert was huge ... 50,000 people packed NRG Park.

Fans went nuts, climbing barricades and stampeding into the venue. The Houston-based rapper posted the video earlier Saturday. Three people were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for leg injuries after being trampled.

Other performers included Gucci Mane, Migos, Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, Marilyn Manson and Pharrell Williams.

Tory Lanez wasn't liking what he was hearing from a guy he swung on shortly before taking the stage at a Florida club this weekend -- a guy who's allegedly on 'Love & Hip Hop.'

The Canadian rapper-singer was LIV Miami Friday night, where he was booked to do a show. Prior to taking the stage, however, he got into a little dust-up with someone who must've said something truly out of pocket ... 'cause Tory tried punching him near the VIP area.

TMZ got a hold of this video in the moments Tory swung -- it's unclear if he connected with the guy cleanly, but the dude fell back and Tory charged after him. Eyewitnesses tell us that the rest of Tory's security team and entourage allegedly joined in on the beat down too.

As for who the alleged victim is, a rep for LIV Mimai tells TMZ it's Prince Michael Harty ... a rapper/promoter on 'L&HH: Miami'. The club tells us, "Last night our security broke up an altercation between Love and Hip Hop’s Prince and Tory Lanez. We have a zero tolerance policy towards violence and both parties were immediately asked to leave the venue."

Either way, it doesn't seem Tory let the fight get to him. We're told after his initial swing and charge, he allegedly let his team handle the rest and went back to his table ... later even performing on stage. As you can see, he also had some cheeky company nearby.

Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival just opened its gates, and fans literally could not wait to get inside -- stampeding past each other ... which Trav seemed to appreciate.

The rapper posted a wild video Saturday morning showing ticketholders for the Houston-based music event climbing over the barricades and rushing to the entry gates to get in as the doors opened -- with folks of all ages, including what appear to be little kids.

It doesn't look like anyone was harmed by the massive swarm in this clip -- no security in sight, BTW -- but it's still pretty frightening  ... 'cause people could've easily gotten hurt.

For his part, Trav wrote of the chaotic scene ... "DA YOUTH DEM CONTROL THE FREQUENCY. EVERYONE HAVE FUN. RAGERS SET TONE WHEN I COME OUT TONIGHT. BE SAFE RAGE HARD. AHHHHHHHHHHH." From our view, he's kinda sending mixed signals here.

Be safe ... but yeah, act crazy too. That's interesting, considering TS has a history of being accused of inciting riots and encouraging fans to become unruly at his shows. He's been arrested for the former at least twice, and got sued for the latter in 2017.

It should be noted Travis himself didn't directly have a hand in making these fine people to lose their minds -- but he certainly seems to, at least, be half cosigning the pandemonium.

As he says ... be safe, everyone.

A$AP Rocky is heading back to the danger zone -- aka, Sweden, where he was jailed and convicted of assault over the summer.

The rapper's set to return to Stockholm, Sweden on December 11 for a show at the Ericsson Globe that will include other Swedish artists, yet to be announced.

In a statement released Friday, LiveNation says about Rocky ... "After tremendous support from the Swedish fans, he returns to Stockholm for a long-awaited gig for all his supporters."

Tickets apparently go on sale on November 12.

As you'll recall ... A$AP was found guilty of assault by a panel of Swedish judges in August, but he did not have to go to prison.

The judges determined the case -- which hinged on whether A$AP threw a bottle at the victim during the all-out brawl in late June -- did not warrant self-defense ... despite video showing the victim was antagonizing his crew.

Despite the guilty verdict, the judges felt Rocky and his codefendants got ample punishment with the month they served in a Swedish jail as they awaited trial. So instead, Rocky got a suspended sentence ... meaning he just had to pay various fines and fees.

The Swedish prosecutor who worked on the case tells us ... A$AP has NO restrictions on him related to the assault conviction. We're told ... "He can return to Sweden for his gig and won't be arrested unless he commits another crime."

Kanye West knows what's going to put him in the Oval Office in 2024 -- he's reaffirming his plans to run while revealing his platform and a name change ... a huge one.

Kanye dropped bombshell after bombshell Thursday in NYC, where he spoke at the Fast Company Innovation Festival. Seated next to Yeezy designer Steven Smith ... Ye told the crowd, matter-of-factly, he will be running for Prez.

Watch the video, because he didn't get the reaction he was expecting ... at all. The audience laughed, and Kanye stared back with a deadpan look and said, "What y'all laughing at?"

He went on to make the point that by 2024, Yeezy brand "will have created so many jobs, I'm not gonna run [for President], I'll walk." There was an uncomfortable silence following that, and he went on to say celebrities are terrified to speak their minds, including himself.

He admitted his wife, Kim Kardashian West -- who was in the audience -- would probably tell him later he was too outspoken at the event.

Ye also complained about Forbes' reluctance to label him a billionaire and announced he'll change his name to "Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West" ... just to stick it to the outlet.

Irv Gotti says he would NOT rip a page outta T.I.'s parenting handbook, but quickly adds ... that doesn't mean Tip deserves to be bashed for keeping gynecological tabs on his daughter's virginity.

We got the Murder Inc. Records honcho outside Le Pain in WeHo and wanted to get his take on T.I. stirring up controversy by revealing he's been taking his daughter to the gyno, for years, and sits in for the results ... strictly to confirm she's still a virgin.

From the jump, Irv says he's not gonna judge T.I. on how HE chooses to parent HIS kids. But, if it were his daughter ... it's pretty clear where Irv would stand.

As we reported, T.I. earned tons of backlash for his admission on the 'Ladies Like Us' podcast. In fact, the cohosts -- Nazanin and Nadia -- also took a bunch of heat for how they handled the interview. They apologized and deleted the episode.

Lil Pump damn near became a snack for a slithering snake ... and it left him a bloody mess.

The rapper was shooting a music video Thursday night and the crew was handing off a snake to Lil Pump, who was sitting on some sort of stair-like throne. Then, it happened.

The snake, out of nowhere, whipped around and sunk its fangs into Pump's left hand. The scary moment was captured by podcast host Adam Grandmaison -- aka Adam22. You can see Pump flail as he extricates himself from the reptile. He then shows off the gnarly injury.

LP's left hand is covered in blood. And, if you look closely near the end of the vid ... it appears as if the snake's setting its sights on a second victim.

Good news for Lil Pump ... he doesn't seem that hurt, saying, "I just got bit by a snake WTF." He threw in a snake emoji on the caption and a few laughing ones before adding, "I can't f**k [with] no snakes. I hope I don't die."