TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Eminem is cleaning out his closet to help out during the global pandemic ... parting ways with an EXTREMELY rare and expensive pair of his Jordan 4s for COVID-19 relief.

The Rap God announced the gesture Wednesday ... saying he had an extra pair of his highly coveted Jordan 4 Retro "Carhartt x Eminem" kicks lying around ... so he teamed up with shoe auction site StockX to raise money for the good cause.

So ... what makes these shoes so damn expensive?? Back in 2015, Em and the Jumpman made just 10 (TEN!!!) pairs available for bidding on eBay, with proceeds going to the Marshall Mathers Foundation.

Ever since, only a few pairs have made it to family and friends ... but for the most part, normies have a snowball's chance in hell of getting their hands on them.

In fact, the pairs that have made it to resale are going for INSANE numbers ... ranging from $20-$28k on StockX.

To make Em's gesture even sweeter, he's throwing in a vintage "Detroit Slim" shirt on top of the Js ... with the proceeds for the combo going to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

2 Chainz is looking out for his community ... by feeding the homeless instead of reopening his Atlanta restaurants for dine-in service.

The Atlanta rapper fed about 120 homeless people Monday, the day he was originally slated to reopen his 2 food joints, Escobar Restaurant and Tapas, for table service.

2 Chainz and his business partner, Snoop Dillard, distributed free meals outside their downtown Atlanta location ... and folks in need practiced social distancing while waiting for the free grub, standing six feet apart in line.

On the menu -- butter garlic chicken pasta and water. Snoop also hopped in a car and drove around the neighborhood, handing out free meals to people living on the streets.

As we reported ... 2 Chainz and Snoop were planning to reopen their restaurants Monday with Georgia lifting many of the state's coronavirus restrictions, but they reversed course after more consideration.

The restaurants are still open for take-out service, which is way safer than dining out.

Post Malone certainly entertained us with his Nirvana tribute performance ... but the live streamed show also raised serious funds for coronavirus relief.

If ya missed it on Friday ... Posty sang and played guitar à la Kurt Cobain during a 15-song, 80-minute set that included classics like "About a Girl," "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Come As You Are."

He was joined by 3 socially-distanced musicians in other rooms of his Salt Lake City home -- blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, bassist Brian Lee and guitarist Nick Mack.

We're told the makeshift tribute band raised $1 million in the first hour of the virtual concert alone, but that number's since climbed to a whopping total of nearly $4.3 million and counting.

Fans can still donate on the YouTube page of the performance, and all proceeds go to the United Nations Foundation's Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund for The World Health Organization.

BTW -- Post's performance got rave reviews from some very important people, as well. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselić said, "I don't think these fellows can play any better. They are on fire!!!!" while adding that he was "holding emotions back the whole show."

Courtney Love also gave her stamp of approval with an emphatic "GOOSEBUMPS! F*** YES." on Instagram. She told Malone to celebrate afterward with a margarita.

One of XXXTentacion's murder suspects fears he'll die from coronavirus while he's behind bars ... and now he's begging a judge to let him out on bond.

Dedrick D. Williams -- the first of 4 suspects arrested and indicted for the rapper's murder -- has written a letter to Judge Michael A. Usan claiming he's afraid of contracting COVID-19 because his immune system is very weak.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Williams gets right to the point in his letter, writing, “I am sending you this letter to save my life.” He claims a deputy at the Broward County main jail infected an inmate with the deadly virus and says he's afraid because he claims nobody's being tested at the jail.

Williams says he's being held behind bars because he violated probation but swears he's innocent of his involvement in the rapper's murder. He's asking the judge to allow him to bond out at least until the pandemic blows over.

As we first reported ... Derrick -- along with Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome and Robert Allen -- were indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder. All 4 men were also charged with armed robbery with a firearm.

Williams says he's been behind bars for 21 months now and claims he's stayed out of trouble while in jail. And, get this ... Williams is hoping his history with the judge will sway him to take his side. He writes to the judge, “Since the age of 17 I’ve had you as a judge. I am now 24. Never have I missed court or failed a drug test since being in your courtroom.”

He also tried tugging at the heartstrings .... telling the judge he doesn't want his children to be without a father. But, don't forget ... Williams has a long rap sheet. As we reported ... he has at least 11 felonies under his belt, according to arrest records.

Williams ended his letter telling the judge, "I hope that you and your family are safe as well." The judge has not yet made a ruling.

Lil Durk brought some warm meals and happiness to healthcare workers on Chicago's frontlines against COVID.

The rapper and his team pulled up to Chicago's Rush Hospital Friday with boxes of meals from PHLAVZ Restaurant -- owned by Durk's manager -- to distribute. We're told a member of the hospital's hospitality staff then brought the meals inside to distribute.

Not only did they drop meals off at the hospital, PHLAVZ also made 100 meals available to healthcare professionals for pickup later Friday night.

Durk -- who grew up in Chicago -- but now lives in Atlanta, tells us, "Everyone back home has been in my thoughts, especially those doing something for the community and all the neighborhood heroes. I thought about all the first responders putting their lives on the line to help out and it inspired me, so I took a jet back to Chicago to show my thanks."

Escobar season has returned for 2 Chainz ... the rapper is reopening his Atlanta restaurants for sit-down service, and he says he has a plan for keeping folks safe from COVID-19.

Both of 2 Chainz's joints, Escobar Restaurant and Tapas, are serving dine-in meals starting Monday -- his business partner and co-owner, Snoop Dillard, tells TMZ -- and they're making public safety a top priority.

Escobar restaurants were strictly doing take-out orders due to coronavirus restrictions, but with Georgia's Governor paving the way for businesses to reopen -- in many cases recklessly -- 2 Chainz is getting people back to work.

We're told sales at both locations have been down 95% during the shutdown, and the restaurants were forced to furlough around 80% of its staff.

With dine-in service coming back, Snoop says they're planning to bring back 65% of restaurant staff -- 80 people -- and the hope is to have everyone back at work eventually.

As you know ... a debate is raging over Georgia's plan to reopen its economy. Governor Brian Kemp is giving the green light, but Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is urging people to be responsible and cautious and stay home.

2 Chainz's restaurants are trying to have the best of both worlds, and they think they will be able to host sit-down service safely.

We're told safety precautions at the restaurants include staff having their temperatures checked when they clock in, mandatory gloves for all employees, masks for the cooks and single-use paper menus.

Any staff member showing coronavirus symptoms will be asked to go home and quarantine for 14 days.

We're also told the restaurants are bringing back hookahs, which will be cleaned and sanitized frequently. Most folks bring their own hoses anyways.

And, on the weekends, we're told live DJs will return to both locations ... 2 Chainz and Snoop say the DJs need to make a living as well, but things aren't going into full party mode yet. They even paid a few DJs to come in and spin when it was take-out only -- just to brighten people's days.

2 Chainz and Snoop donated hundreds of meals to medical workers on the frontlines ... and we're told they're planning to give more free meals to workers at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has been out of prison for weeks now, and his baby mama says he's still ghosting their kid -- but he says that's not what's going on at all.

The rapper's ex, Sara Molina, tells TMZ ... just like before, Tekashi has shown little to no interest in reconnecting with their daughter, Saraiyah. Sara says she wasn't expecting him to change out of nowhere, but she's still disappointed by the radio silence.

She is grateful, however, Tekashi's mother is actively trying to keep a bond alive with the little girl. Sara says grandma's been in close contact over the past month or so ... coming over to see Saraiyah in-person a number of times.

It's interesting ... Sara says Tekashi, while still incarcerated, reached out to her mother, to set up a neutral location for his mom to meet Saraiyah. That apparently went off without a hitch, but Sara says right before 6ix9ine was set to be released ... his mom cut off communication and went off the radar.

So why's Papa 6ix9ine been M.I.A.? Sources close to the guy tell us the only reason he hasn't reached out and attempted to connect yet, is because he wants the coronavirus pandemic under control first, as he wants to put his child's safety first.

We're also told Tekashi is claiming Sara's begging to get back with him ...  suggesting he's afraid she's using their daughter as a ploy to reunite.

That might explain why he's anxious to get a custody arrangement hammered out in court ... according to our Tekashi sources.

For now, Sara says Tekashi's mom is still welcome to visit her granddaughter -- but a daddy-daughter reunion seems to be on the back burner.

Post Malone is paying tribute to Kurt Cobain's iconic band with a special concert from home, featuring Nirvana songs ... and it's all for coronavirus relief charities.

The singer put up a somewhat cryptic video Wednesday, showing himself sitting on a stool onstage, with an acoustic guitar in hand ... while an unseen crowd cheers in the background. It's very reminiscent of Kurt's famous ''MTV: Unplugged'' show from back in the '90s.

After the footage plays, a title card reading "Post Malone Nirvana Tribute Livestream" flashes on the screen teasing a Friday YouTube special.

Our sources say Post wanted to honor the Nirvana frontman this month, which marks the 26th anniversary of his death. In the same breath, he also wants to help out in the COVID-19 fight.

Post will have a donate button on his YouTube page on the day of the at-home special -- which we're told will be shot at his living room bar -- and the cash will go toward the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization -- a newly-created org that uses funds to help train and equip communities to detect and fend off the virus on the ground. YouTube's matching all of PM's donations.

It sounds like the music will be strictly Nirvana, although it's possible he might sprinkle a few other songs in there too.

FYI ... he's got a tattoo on his face that reads "Stay Away," after the Nirvana song of the same name. So yeah, better than average chance you'll hear that one come Friday.

YG is taking a hands-on approach to giving back ... dropping off care packages filled with what have become crucial items these days.

The rapper's nonprofit org 4Hunnid Ways is sending $10k worth of PPE (personal protective equipment) to dozens of families in Emergency Crisis Housing in Central Los Angeles. The packages have masks, gloves, sanitizer detergent, clothes, board games water, diapers, bottles and other toys.

In total, YG and co. are helping more than 100 families.

YG and his biz partner Sheron Barber tells TMZ, "Nothing prepares you for a situation like this, rather than sit by and wait for updates on how people in underserved circumstances are going to be assisted, we took the initiative to listen to the needs of families and provide all the necessary items to help them through Quarantine while still practicing social distance."

He's just the latest example of people -- famous or not -- stepping up to help out those less fortunate right now.