TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West seems to be moving on with his life after Kim made it clear she's moving full steam ahead with the divorce ... because he was out partying with Instagram model Yasmine Lopez.

Ye and Yasmine were partying in Houston Tuesday night ... he and Justin LaBoy rolled up to James Harden's Thirteen restaurant for J Mulan's birthday... YouTuber Michaela Mendez was also in attendance, standing close to Ye.

It's a sign Kanye too is moving on ... TMZ broke the story, earlier this month Kim filed to restore her marital status to single, STAT, and leave all the other issues for another day.

Kanye clearly wanted to reconcile -- as he made clear during the concert with Drake earlier this month when he told the crowd he wanted Kim back with the lyric, "I need you run right back to me, more specifically Kimberly -- but Kim's made it clear the marriage is over.

As we reported ... Kanye bought a $4.5 million home directly across the street from the family house. We're told he bought the house abruptly -- so he could be close to the kids -- and our sources say this fixer-upper is going to be stripped right down to the studs ... it needs everything.

BTW ... just last week Kanye apparently called it quits with another model, Vinetria, according to page 6. So it seems he's back on the market.

Dr. Dre has settled his divorce case by striking a property settlement agreement with his ex-wife, and for Dre's part, we're told he's "delighted" Nicole Young is only getting a fraction of his estate.

Dre and Nicole just filed their property settlement agreement, in which Dre agreed to pay Young $100 million -- $50 mil now, and $50 mil a year from now. Dre's estimated net worth is $820 million.

As for why Nicole didn't get half ... there's a prenup which she contested.

In exchange, Dre gets to keep 7 of the properties they own, including a Malibu home, 2 homes in Calabasas, and 4 properties in the L.A. area, including the $100 million Brentwood estate.

In addition, Dre gets full rights to his master recordings, trademarks and interests in various partnerships and trusts. He also keeps all of their Apple stocks, which includes the proceeds from the sale of Beats by Dre.

They divide a fleet of vehicles -- he gets 6 and she gets 4.

She gets to keep jewelry, cash and bank accounts that she had maintained during the marriage.

Nicole must pay her own legal fees ... which amount to millions of dollars.

Sources connected to Dre say Nicole could have actually gotten a bigger piece of the pie had she settled a year ago. One of those sources said, "She could have even been on the field for the Super Bowl halftime show as a friendly ex-wife."

There are also some storage lockers filled with items from their various homes. Dre had put the items in storage, and according to the settlement she gets to keep all the stuff inside that was hers.

The settlement forecloses Young's ability to get spousal support ... something that was hotly contested during the divorce.

Travis Scott's Catus Jack collab with Dior has been put on ice.

Dior made it clear Tuesday the project between Travis and Dior's men's artistic director Kim Jones -- hawking Travis' Cactus Jack line -- would not be released in the foreseeable future ... and possibly never.

Dior said, “Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection."

Sources connected to Scott tell TMZ this was a mutual decision made by both Dior and Travis Scott to postpone the upcoming collection due in Jan '22 with both parties working to reschedule the launch at a later date.

There have been other projects and engagements that have been sidelined in the wake of the Astroworld tragedy. Among the projects postponed -- Nike, which was set to launch a line of Air Max 1 sneakers with Scott earlier this month.

As you know ... 10 people died during the first night of the festival, and more than 300 were injured.

Scott continued performing for more than 40 minutes after fire officials declared it a "mass casualty event." Scott says he had no idea of the calamity below, and apparently neither did cops, who seemed oblivious to the deaths and injured in the crowd.

Madonna is beefing with Tory Lanez ... she says he's using one of her famous songs without her permission, and that's illegal!

Madonna called out the rapper on Instagram, leaving a comment on one of his recent posts and claiming "illegal usage" of her song, "Into The Groove."

It sounds like Madonna even slid in his direct messages to tell him off ... she's demanding he read his messages.

The song in question here is Tory's recent track, "Pluto's Last Comet" ... and he's been promoting it on his social media ... but Madonna's clearly not a fan. She believes the song -- especially the beginning instrumental -- is a rip-off of her earlier work.

As you know ... Tory's been getting himself into tons of trouble recently, mainly with his Megan Thee Stallion shooting case.

As we reported, a cop took the stand earlier this month and claimed TL shouted "Dance bitch, dance!" while firing gunshots at the ground near Megan's feet, subsequently injuring her.

TMZ broke the story ... a cast member on 'Love & Hip Hop: Miami" claimed back in May he needed medical attention after Tory allegedly attacked him at a nightclub.

Now, Madonna's taking issue with Tory ... though it's unclear if she's preparing to take legal action.

Diddy is doing the responsible thing with his enormous, annual New Year's Eve bash ... he's giving it the ax as the pandemic takes a turn for the worse.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the mogul was planning to throw his annual NYE party in Miami Friday night, for 500 of his closest friends, but earlier this month he decided to cancel the whole thing due to rising COVID cases in Florida and across the nation.

This will be the second year in a row Diddy's NYE bash was put on ice.

Diddy hosted the party yearly before the pandemic hit, and the celebrity guest list was insane as you might imagine, but he also was forced to cancel in 2020, because most people had not yet been vaccinated.

Still, the Omicron variant is coming with a bunch of breakthrough cases for the vaccinated ... so it's the safe play to sideline the NYE soiree again.

The last time Diddy had his NYE party was back in 2019, when a bunch of celebs crammed into Story Nightclub in Miami ... including Fat Joe, Winnie Harlow, Meek Mill, DaBaby and DJ Khaled.

Kanye West seems to be acknowledging he can't pull his marriage out of the fire, so he's reportedly moving a stone's throw from his former family home ... presumably, so he can effectively co-parent with Kim.

Kanye bought a $4.5 million home across the street from his estranged wife ... so says the Daily Mail. The home is just over 3,650 square feet, with 5 bedrooms. He reportedly paid $421,000 over asking ... proof the real estate bidding war in SoCal is alive and well.

As we reported, Kanye gave Kim his interest in the family home ... a home Kanye designed over a period of years. TMZ broke the story, there are still some property issues that remain unsettled, so Kim has asked the judge to grant her the divorce now, and leave the other issues for later down the road.

Kanye's been wheeling and dealing lately in the real estate market ... he bought a $57.3 million Malibu beach home back in September, and recently listed his $3.7 million former bachelor pad.

As for his new digs, it also has the obligatory swimming pool and a stable for horses. It needs a lot of work, but Ye has more than proven he's up to the task.

As we've been reporting, Kanye has made a full-court press to get Kim back ... most recently at his concert with Drake at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, he improvised lyrics to "Runaway"  ... I need you to run right back to me, more specifically Kimberly."

Diddy is getting rid of some bad memories ... because he sold the mansion where his late soulmate, Kim Porter, died.

Diddy put the Toluca Lake mansion up for sale back in October, listing it for $7 mil, and now there's a buyer ... the deal is pending and will likely close this week, but the sale is not final.

The sprawling estate is 9,655 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms ... and it's got all the bells and whistles, including a family-sized pool and spa, plus a sports court.

The gated property sits on a half-acre on one of the most famous streets in the San Fernando Valley ... and the celeb neighbors include Steve Carell, Billy Ray Cyrus, Viola Davis and Sia.

As you know ... Kim, a model and actress, dated Diddy off and on for 13 years and they had 3 kids together, including 2 daughters and a son.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim was found dead in the home back in November 2018 at the age of 47, after losing her battle with pneumonia.

Saweetie is another living example ... certain people look awesome bald ... especially when it's bald by choice!!!

It's pretty stunning ... she shaved off all her hair, and all that's left is a blonde buzzcut. She snapped the pics poolside, first posing in a pink bikini and then trading it out for a white one, before taking a dip.

No word on what inspired her to change her noggin, but for whatever it works the consensus here is thumbs up.

Truth be told ... this isn't an out-of-the-blue thing for Saweetie ... she likes to change it up. A few days back she posted pics of her with fiery red locks. And there are plenty of other examples ... girl doesn't want to bore herself with the same look for very long.

Travis Scott and his foundation are working around the clock to make sure kids in his hometown of Houston don't go without a little something to bring home some holiday cheer.

TS and The Cactus Jack Foundation will distribute toys to more than 5,000 kids in Houston who come from struggling families. We're told the gifts will be pushed out across 6 Houston neighborhoods throughout the city before Christmas Day.

We've obtained pics of all the presents and toys for the kids, plenty of dolls, golf sets and even keyboards for the aspiring musician.

Families flocked to the distribution locations throughout this week, and if the kid's smiles were any indication, you can tell the gifts were well appreciated.

The massive donation comes on the heels of an effort Travis is spearheading to make sure a tragedy like what happened at his Astroworld Festival never happens again. TMZ broke the story, TS is working with government officials and music honchos to create a safety plan for cities interested in holding large events in the future.

It was a few weeks ago when Travis sat down with Charlamagne tha God and expressed he felt a responsibility to fix things moving forward and figure out what led to the deaths of 10 of his fans.

Tis the season of giving -- just ask Tory Lanez -- who put $100,000 to work, buying toys and clothing for single moms and their kids.

Donning a Santa hat and mask Wednesday, Lanez was busy giving out the items in Broward County, Florida area as vehicles pulled up to his distribution station. Lanez handed out bikes, Barbies, lightsabers, legos and more ... even passing out snacks and taking the time to chat with those in need.

In all, we're told Lanez spent about $100,000 on the event, telling us, "We’re still battling a pandemic that’s left so many people between a rock and a hard place. I’m just happy I can be a blessing to others and help them safely bring some joy back during the holidays."

If Kanye West is upset about Pete Davidson hanging out with Kim in L.A. this week, he certainly isn't showing it on his face ... Ye was all smiles while he watched his Donda Academy team hoop from the best seat in the house.

Ye sat courtside next to his buddy French Montana and chatted with O.T. Genasis Wednesday night during the Donda Doves Homecoming matchup in Whittier, CA. While he was seated for most of the contest, at one point, Ye got up and chatted with some of the team's players.

As for his attire, Kanye certainly didn't wear a team jersey ... sporting the look we've become accustomed to seeing him rock over the last few weeks -- boots, black hoodie, gloves, sunglasses and a baseball hat. Fans were also instructed to wear all black, and obliged.

Kanye advertised the game on his Instagram a few hours before tipoff, and resale tickets ranged anywhere from $25 to $500 ... aka, not your regular high school game prices.

Kanye started his Donda Academy earlier this year, recruiting basketball prospects to the program which mostly centers around hoops -- usually with multiple practices per day -- and online learning for academics.

Kanye and French go way back ... remember, French used to date Khloe Kardashian, and O.T. Genasis has a child with Khloe's bff Malika Haqq.

The Astroworld Festival tragedy has now become an issue of national importance -- because Uncle Sam is stepping in and demanding to know what happened ... and STAT.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is requesting that Live Nation -- the main promoter for the event -- come to the table for a conversation about how 10 people ended up dying at the concert ... requesting any and all pertinent info on the colossal failure.

The effort to get to the bottom of this at the congressional level is being headed up by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and Rep. James Comer, the Ranking Member ... among other members of the committee.

In their open letter, the Representatives write ... "Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival."

They add, "For instance, reports indicate that security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries. Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape. Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs."

The House also says there is a disturbing window of time that public officials in Houston have pointed out -- saying they declared the event a mass casualty relatively early into Travis Scott's set, and allegedly told event staff people were going down ... only to have the show go on for several more minutes. The committee members want answers on that, too.

The Oversight Committee notes they're deeply saddened by the loss of life, and are drilling down in hopes of figuring out what went wrong ... and preventing this in the future. They're asking for info to be sent from LN no later than Jan. 7, and even a briefing by Jan. 12.

Cardi B wasn't the only one to shower Offset in gifts for his 30th birthday -- LeBron James also sent some dope presents to the rapper to celebrate the big night!

The King signed a pair of all-white Air Force 1s and shipped them over to Offset's bday bash in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and they're pretty awesome.

The Lakers superstar put his autograph on both sneakers ... and added a happy birthday message to one of the shoes as well.

James also gifted Offset with a custom bottle of his Lobos 1707.

Offset clearly loved the presents -- he shouted out LeBron on social media, thanking the NBA player for the swag.

Of course, the gifts were great, but LBJ had a ton of competition to win the night's best present award.

A bunch of celebs showed up to celebrate Offset at the bash, with most coming baring gifts -- including Cardi B, who handed over her man a $2 MILLION check.

Yeah ... LBJ's signature is great, but hard to beat cash!

Offset just got $2 million richer!! That is... after Cardi B gifted him a fat check at his celeb-filled, sneaker-themed birthday bash.

Offset turned the big 3-0 earlier this month, and last night he and Cardi turned things waaaay up by cutting her hubby a $2 mil check ... during a night filled with money-hurling, drinks and lots and lots of twerking.

As you see, hubby and wife let loose for the celebration. Offset was decked out in a Louis Vuitton blue jacket, and Cardi's chest glistened with a giant Playboy bunny chain. As you know, she was recently anointed the mag's creative director.

Now, she's looking to help her man diversify too ... Cardi says the $2 mil check for Offset is seed money for some big biz ventures he has coming up in 2022.

That's the trend in show biz these days ... significant others are pumping up loved ones' portfolios. Remember, Tiffany Haddish's wish list was real estate, and ditto for Cardi. Investments are the new Lambo!!!

But, back to the party ... Cardi and Offset weren't the only big names front and center ... Kanye, The Game, Takeoff, French and Quavo also pulled up to last night's event.

Ye came solo, in authentic Kanye fashion ... a purple hoodie, covering his face with a black baseball cap and sunglasses in the dead of night. He layered things up with an oversized leather coat, grey jeans and chunky-soled boots.

Jay-Z says he's in a league of his own when it comes to music and greatness -- to the point he's claiming nobody could realistically touch him in a 'Verzuz' showdown.

HOV did some chest-puffing of his own during a Twitter Spaces convo this week, saying there wasn't a chance in hell another artist could go toe to toe with him over hits ... and not just songs everyone knows well, but ones Jay says no one's heard him perform live.

One example ... the 'Grammy Family Freestyle,' which he says he hasn't even performed onstage before. Bottom line -- he really does believe he's the GOAT of this rap game ... and that there's no true contemporary who could give him a fair fight.

Not everyone agrees, of course -- with some names having already been tossed into the proverbial ring ... like Lil Wayne, Eminem or the great OutKast as potential rivals.

The only way to find out for sure ... putting his money where his mouth is, and making it happen!!! Eh, don't get your hopes up though because it sounds like Jay's too good to consider it ... in kind of a snooty way.

The backdrop to this seems to be Future recently saying he's "bigger" than Jay-Z (in the streets) ... which stirred up a lot of debate as to whether Mr. Carter is as relevant these days as he once was.

Diddy is the proud owner of his clothing brand again -- being reunited with his Sean John line after buying it out of bankruptcy for a steal.

The rap mogul won the rights to Sean John after a bidding war with 4 other parties ... claiming it for about $7.5 million, cash. The deal will be finalized this week, barring any objections -- and safe to say, the guy's pretty excited about it.

He tells TMZ ... "I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced Hip Hop to high-fashion on a global scale."

Diddy adds, "Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I’m ready to reclaim ownership of the brand, build a team of visionary designers and global partners to write the next chapter of Sean John’s legacy."

Like we told you ... the SJ line fell into bankruptcy recently under management firm GBG USA Inc., which had owned 90%. When word of its assets being up for grabs reached Mr. Combs, he'd expressed interest in gaining control once again, especially considering how cheap it was going for earlier this month.