TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Travis Scott made a McDonald's look like one of his concerts ... he got mobbed by a huge throng of fans waiting in line to get his new fast food combo meal.

The rapper stopped by a Mickey D's in Downey, CA Tuesday to celebrate the release of the Travis Scott Meal, and ya gotta see the video -- people went absolutely bonkers.

Travis left his red sports car and grabbed a McDonald's employee's shirt on his way over to the huge line of people, but folks broke past the barricades and swarmed ... sending TS running for cover.

In a split second, social distancing and mask-wearing went out the window ... and all Travis did was show up and show love.

Maybe Cactus Jack's combo meal can calm these folks down ... it comes with a Quarter Pounder with cheese topped with bacon and lettuce, plus medium fries with barbecue dipping sauce and a Sprite.

BTW ... Travis is the first celeb to get his name on a McDonald's meal since Michael Jordan and the McJordan burger way back in 1992 ... no wonder fans are making such a big fuss.

Kanye West is trying to meet with his political rivals ... Ye says he was denied a meeting with Bernie Sanders, and wants the opportunity to chat with Joe Biden.

Yeezy recently sat down with Nick Cannon for a segment on Nick's podcast, "Cannon's Class," and they started talking politics, and how Ye caught a ton of flak for meeting with Jared Kushner.

Kanye says the sit down with President Trump's son-in-law and trusted aid "ain't no secret meeting" ... and says he wanted a similar meeting with Bernie, but the former presidential candidate wouldn't grant one.

Now that Biden is the democratic nominee for prez, Kanye says he wants a power meeting with Joe and is willing to meet with any politician, regardless of their party.

Looks like the ball is in Biden's court here.

Labor Day has a certain sadness to it this year for those still feeling the sting of the tragic loss of Mac Miller ... who died 2 years ago today.

Miller's receiving an outpouring of love as friends, fans and peers in the music biz remember the late rapper with tributes on social media, including Mustard, Wale, Juicy J, Souly Had and many more.

Mac died at just 26 on September 7, 2018 at his home in Studio City, CA. The rising hip hop star's death was ruled an accidental overdose due to mixed drug toxicity.

The news of Miller's passing hit hard for his fans and loved ones, including his ex-girlfriend, Ariana Grande ... whose relationship with the rapper was highly publicized.

The months following Mac's death were loaded with tributes from celebs in the entertainment industry and culminated with his 'Celebration of Life' concert in October 2018.

He'd also go on to be nominated for Grammy posthumously for his "Swimming" album, and later release "Circles" in 2020.

As Souly Had said -- Mac left the world with a catalog full of inspiration ... and people all over the world are feeling it today. RIP.

Cardi B and Candace Owens are in an epic feud, with Candace calling Cardi an "illiterate rapper" who isn't worthy of interviewing Joe Biden ... thing is, Owens just doesn't get it.

Owens blasted Cardi for her recent sit down with Biden ... specifically, Cardi's question about what Biden would do about Black men dying in America. Owens thinks Biden should have fired back that, according to her, most Black men don't die at the hands of cops but rather other Black men.

Apparently, Owens doesn't think there's an issue with systemic racism in police departments, nor does she address the long list of Black men and women who have died at the hands and knees of cops ... sometimes over minor offenses and sometimes over no offenses at all.

Owens just can't wrap her head around Cardi interviewing a Presidential candidate ... she just can't understand why Biden didn't, as she put it, sit down with "intellectual" black people.

Here's what she's missing. Cardi has a huge following and can do more to get out the vote that the people Owens mentions, including herself. On top of that, she may not care for Cardi's interview, but lots of others did. Maybe she thinks Cardi was just too effective.

At one point during the back and forth, Cardi posted a vid from the Hamptons of her sister, Hennessy, getting harassed because she and her friend are an Afro-Hispanic gay couple.

Owens says Cardi is "uneducated when it came to politics." For her part, Cardi says Trump supporters have gone after her, encouraging people to set her house on fire.

2020 politics ... it ain't pretty.

Kanye West held what could be his most ambitious Sunday Service yet, when the whole gang walked on water during the event.

As for notable guests ... Kim Kardashian showed up. Hard to read the tea leaves, but it seems relevant, because of his self-described marital issues. But, there she was ... flying to Atlanta for the service.

Pastor Joel Osteen delivered the sermon and spoke about Jesus walking on water and how he gave Peter permission to follow suit. They all took it to heart, because after the sermon Ye, Joel and the choir all walked on H20, although not exactly.

The service was held on a lake near Pinewood Studios in ATL.

Someone wants the home where Pop Smoke was gunned down ... because we found out it's about to be sold, just six months after the rapper was killed on the property.

The Hollywood Hills home was listed for $2,950,000 in July, and the house is now in escrow ... meaning the seller has accepted an offer from a prospective buyer.

We broke the story ... Pop Smoke was shot and killed by 4 masked gunmen back in February, in what looked like a home invasion robbery at the rental pad.

Bloody history aside, the 4-bedroom home is pretty awesome ... it's 2,918 square feet with views of Laurel Canyon, the L.A. skyline and the Pacific. The place is outfitted with an infinity pool, spa, fire pit lounge, koi pond and zen garden, plus some cool sundecks.

The master bedroom has a soaking tub and its own private terrace ... and the home comes with smart tech, surround sound and a 3-car garage.

Teddi Mellencamp and her husband, Edwin Arroyave used to own the home and rent it out ... and now it's on the verge of changing hands despite being the scene of Pop's grisly death.

Wiz Khalifa says don't be fooled by the marijuana-inspired menu for his upcoming delivery-only restaurant chain ... because you don't have to light up to bite down on this food.

We got the rapper leaving Mr. Chow in Bev Hills and our camera guy asked him the hard-hitting question about his new restaurant venture, "HotBox by Wiz" -- namely, is it a stoners only establishment??

'HotBox' is definitely catering to the cannabis crowd ... with a "top-shelf munchie menu" featuring burnt ends rebranded as "blazed ends" and a "mile-high dark chocolate brownie."

However, Wiz told us you don't have to smoke weed to place an order -- it's for everyone, whether you're stone-cold sober or blazed outta your mind. There is one requirement though ... ya just gotta be hungry.

The virtual restaurant venture is scheduled to start delivering Oct. 1 in Chicago, Houston, L.A. and New York City ... and Wiz tells us what he's looking forward to ordering.

Safe bet he'll blaze up beforehand ... but no peer pressure for the rest of you!

Kanye West's campaign has spent millions trying to get his name on ballots from a bunch of states -- and most of the loot has gone to companies specializing in just that ... but which also have tangential ties to President Trump.

Ye's campaign filed its first financial report Friday with the FEC, and if you tally up his disbursements (what he/his campaign have spent personally) ... it comes to just under $6 million. If you go into the raw data, you can see exactly what he's spent and on what.

Between July and August, Ye and co. spent a little over $4 million on ballot access services -- sending hundreds of thousands to a handful of orgs that ... well, help someone get on a ballot (and quickly). There are three main LLCs he's gone to repeatedly, and some are headed up by guys that either used to work for Trump's campaign ... or were trying to.

One of the ballot companies Kanye hired is Fortified Consulting -- which, according to the Washington Post, has the same address of a consulting firm called the Lincoln Strategy Group ... run by a dude named Nathan Sproul, who worked on DT's 2016 campaign.

Here's another ... Ye dished out about a mil to a company called Atlas Strategy Group -- which is led by another guy named Gregg Keller ... who interviewed to be Trump's campaign manager in 2016. Interestingly, one other BAS company he used was one recently used by Pete Buttigieg ... Millennial Strategies based out of NYC. So ... not total bad optics, right???

Fact is, the money trail appears to lend at least some credence to the theory Kanye has allowed his campaign to be infiltrated by GOP operatives ... Trump ones, at that.

Dr. Dre's estranged wife claims in legal docs Dre was violent with her in the past, and she also ticked off why she needs nearly $2 mil a month in temporary spousal support while their divorce winds its way through the legal system, and the expenses she lists are eye-popping.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicole Young wants $1,936,399 to cover her expenses.  Here's the breakdown

-- Laundry and cleaning $10,000 a month

-- Clothes $135,000 a month

-- Education (tuition and living expenses) $60,000 a month

-- Entertainment $900,000 a month

-- Charitable contributions $125,000 a month

-- Mortgage. $100,000 a month

-- Telephone, cell phone, e-mail $20,000 a month

In all, she says she actually has a monthly nut of $2,530,000

As we reported, sources connected to Dre say he's covering all her expenses, including the Malibu house where Nicole is staying, chefs, security, etc.

But, in her docs, Nicole says Dre has been controlling with the pursestrings, denying her the right to use, among other things, her AmEx black card.

In her docs, Nicole goes into detail about the prenup she signed, using the "gun-to-the-head" metaphor just before their wedding. She also says Dre ripped it up several years into the marriage, although he denies it. At stake -- as much as a billion dollars.

Nicole says things really fell apart April 1st, claiming Dre was intoxicated at their West L.A. home when he started yelling at her, "F*** you. F*** you. Get the f*** out. Get the f*** out. Go to Malibu."

She claims at one point he ordered ... "Do not spend one more cent ... period. You can't be mean and disrespectful and spend my hard-earned money. F*** that!!! Yes that's a threat ... I'm putting the beach house up for sale next week ..."

Nicole also claims Dre is furious at her that her lawyers are trying to dig into his personal finances, threatening "war" if she persists.

She also claims she became alarmed when he had his brother-in-law come to the Malibu home to pick up his Glock. She says she feared Dre and wouldn't turn it over because she says Dre had a "history of violence and coercive control, both before and during the marriage." She does not elaborate, but does mention texts messages from Dre after they separated. In one, he said, "Why are you ignoring me? Why are you ignoring me ... should I come see you?" She says the text was "frightening" and instilled fear in her.

As we reported, Nicole is also asking for $5 million to cover her attorney's fees.  She filed for divorce 2 months ago.

Kodak Black is praying for more than just his release from prison ... because he says he can't get access to a rabbi to practice his Jewish faith behind bars.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ he's ramping up to file a lawsuit if his client doesn't get what he says he's been requesting for months ... a consultation with his own personal rabbi -- or any rabbi, really, at this point.

Of course, the other headline here is ... Kodak Black's Jewish??? We're with ya, and Cohen explained the rapper identifies with the faith -- even though he has yet to convert. He claims the feds have gone radio silent on his efforts to connect with his go-to rabbi.

If nothing changes, Cohen says they'll be suing for a violation of Kodak's First Amendment right to practice his religion.

He admits the chaplain at Kodak's facility in KY recently emailed to say face-to-face spiritual meetups were being temporarily axed due to COVID. However, Cohen says the chaplain also told him phone calls with the rabbi shouldn't be an issue.

Oh, and if you're wondering why Kodak's so adamant about getting access to any rabbi and a Torah, we're told he thinks it will help his mental state. Kodak believes God has a plan for him, and wants to talk it out with a pro.

Kanye West's bid to appear on the ballot for president in Kentucky and Mississippi is in the works ... but he's not reached the finish line just yet.

The Kentucky Secretary of State's Office says Kanye submitted petitions Friday to get on the ballot as an independent candidate for prez.

State elections officials say they're still reviewing around 19,000 petition signatures submitted by Kanye, to determine if he qualifies to appear on the ballot. Ye needs 5,000 signatures from registered Kentucky voters.

Kanye also filed paperwork Friday to get on the ballot as an independent in Mississippi, according to the Secretary of State's Office in the Magnolia State, which says a decision on whether or not his petition is accepted or denied won't be finalized until Tuesday.

BTW ... Kentucky has 8 electoral votes and Mississippi has 6 electoral votes.

Kanye's attempts to get on the ballots in KY and MS come on the heels of a Thursday ruling from a judge in Arizona, barring him from appearing on the ballot in the swing state despite spending a fortune collecting signatures.

Tekashi 6ix9ine dropped first album since being released from prison, and he's definitely leaning into the whole snitch thing.

The album's called "TattleTales," and there's a special cameo in the music video, "TUTU," by none other than Blac Chyna. BC makes her presence known with pink boots and sprinkles.

The album has big stars, including Nicki Minaj, Smilez and Akon.

As we reported, Tekashi is a free man, with strings attached. He completed home confinement last month, but he has to keep his nose clean for 5 years while he's on probation.

Tekashi faced 47 years in prison but copped a deal, agreeing to testify against his former gang members. He was sentenced to 24 months back in December and had already served 13. He was released early to home confinement because of coronavirus.

Dr. Dre's wife is seeking a steady flow of serious cash from the music mogul as they head toward divorce ... but our sources say she's not going to get it without a fight.

Nicole Young just filed legal docs asking for temporary spousal support from Dre ... and the amounts are staggering, even for the uber-wealthy.

According to the docs, Nicole wants $1,936,399 monthly in temporary spousal support. She wants an additional $5 million in lawyer fees ... even though she just filed for divorce 2 months ago.

This huge swing by Dre's estranged wife has all the makings of a contentious and bitter divorce battle ... especially since there's already a raging prenup dispute.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... nothing has really changed for the 2 since Nicole filed for divorce -- she still lives in their Malibu house and has access to all the cars, personal chefs and other luxuries.

Our sources say Dre's going to push back, arguing Nicole doesn't need anywhere close to that amount since her lifestyle hasn't changed. Nicole, on the other hand, will argue she doesn't want to depend on Dre paying all the bills ... thus the need for temporary support.

As we reported ... things are already contentious after Nicole filed docs in early August claiming she was forced to sign the prenup back in 1996. She says 2 years into their marriage he told her he was ashamed he made her sign the prenup and tore it up in front of her.

Dr. Dre -- whose net worth is estimated at $800 million -- denies he ever tore up the prenup, and says she signed it willingly and wants it enforced.

A chemistry class expecting instructions from their professor instead got a very special message from his T.A. instead ... the one and only, Snoop Dogg.

Dr. Benny is the sharply-dressed teacher of Chem 60 at Los Angeles Pierce College, and on the first day of visual learning, he enlisted the rapper to send a very important message to his students ... read the syllabus!!

As for why, Snoop tells the class ... "The more you know, the further you go." Dr. Benny approves.

If first impressions are everything, you gotta think these college kids will be more inspired than ever to learn about elements and compounds.

Kanye West spared no expense putting on his Sunday Service ... he claims it cost a whopping $50 MILLION to pull it off!!!

Ye recently sat down with Nick Cannon for a segment on Nick's podcast, "Cannon's Class," and they started talking dollar figures, with Kanye boasting he's richer than Donald Trump.

Kanye says he burned through a ton of cash on his Sunday Service in 2019 ... with the $50 million being spread around for choir uniforms, flights, operas and all the other operating expenses that went with it.

At first glance, that number sounds way overblown.

However, remember ... Sunday Service traveled around the country last year, with stops at Coachella, Skid Row in Los Angeles, Houston, Howard University in D.C., the family home in Calabasas, his ranch in Wyoming, The Forum in Inglewood, Louisiana, Chicago, Ohio, Joel Olsteen's Lakewood Church and even Jamaica.

There were construction costs too ... for the Sunday Service on Easter at Coachella, bulldozers moved tons of earth to make a huge hill for the performance.

Ye says the cash was taken out of funds set aside for marketing his Yeezy shoes ... Kanye says he didn't need to spend all the marketing dough on the kicks -- Yeezy's sell themselves, he says -- so instead he used it to put on Sunday Service.

$50 million ... that's a lot of holy bread.

Kanye West says claims the President or the GOP are paying him to run a spoiler campaign are laughable, because he's already wealthier than Donald Trump!

Ye recently sat down with Nick Cannon to do a segment on his podcast, "Cannon's Class," and it looks like they got to talking about controversy they've both been embroiled in recently -- Nick's anti-Semitic remarks and Kanye's presidential run.

Nick says folks have accused Kanye of being a mere puppet of the Republican Party -- and some have even speculated they're shelling out big dough to keep Ye's political ship afloat. Well, he had a perfect comeback for that ... and it came at the expense of his pal, Donald.

You'll have to watch yourself to see how Kanye worded it, 'cause it definitely got a laugh out of Nick (us too, frankly). Bottom line though ... Ye says he's virtually un-bribable.

Nick gets to another point -- which will be explored more when the full episode comes out Tuesday -- and it touches on whether Kanye believes he can actually win this thing ... and whether it's reasonable for him to be running at all. In response, another zinger from Ye.