TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

DJ Carnage alarmed his million-strong Instagram following by announcing his retirement -- at just 31 years old -- but instead of saying goodbye, they can say hello ... to Gordo, anyway!!!

He joined us Friday on "TMZ Hip Hop" to officially announce the end of his "Carnage era" and birth of Gordo, his new stage name and persona dedicated to making dance and house music that slaps.

Carnage hinted at a burnout from all his travels, which include doing records with Migos, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Uzi Vert, Tyga and the late Mac Miller ... just to name a few rap superstars.

He sounds plenty invigorated about his upcoming Gordo transformation, however, citing hip hop, house and even techno as primary influences for his experimentation. Papi Gordo dropped some knowledge on us, regarding the birth of techno, too.

BTW, he's got a bone to pick (playfully, we think) with Drake ... as they both have been vying for the title of the best "Papi" for some time. Naturally, Drizzy came through and doused champagne on the Carnage retirement announcement -- but Gordo fired back while chatting with us.

Day one Carnage fans can take comfort in knowing he's going out with a bang, having announced a batch of farewell dates nationwide.

Mary J. Blige absolutely cannot be stopped in 2022.

Fresh off her Super Bowl LVI appearance and the release of her 14th studio album, "Good Morning Gorgeous" ... Atlanta's bestowed the Queen of Hip Hop Soul with her very own "Strength of a Woman Day."

The slogan is borrowed from Mary's previous album and marks the official kickoff to the Live Nation and Pepsi-sponsored "Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit" this Mother's Day weekend.

Thursday night's celebration went down with ATL City Councilwoman Keisha Sean Waites presenting an award to MJB ... as 2 Chainz, Kandi Burruss, celebrity stylist Misa Hylton and music exec Kenny Burns attended.

Mary will perform this weekend ... along with Chaka Khan, City Girls, Ella Mai and a host of other standout women of color. The festival will also have musical and technological workshops to inspire and educate.

Next month she's getting the Icon Award at Billboard Music Awards ... which her longtime pal and mentor Diddy is hosting.

The man who killed Nicki Minaj's father, Robert Maraj, in a hit-and-run has pleaded guilty.

Charles Polevich pled guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and one count of tampering with physical evidence ... both felonies.

He was facing up to 7 years behind bars on the felony count alone, but it looks like he won't get nearly that long of a sentence. Judge Howard Sturim committed to sentencing Polevich to no more than one year in jail, along with community service and suspension of his driver's license.

As we reported ... Robert Maraj died at the age of 64 ... after being struck in a hit-and-run accident back in February 2021.

Nicki later opened up about the tragedy on her website saying ... "I can say it has been the most devastating loss of my life." She added, he was very loved and will be very missed.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have left all the drama behind ... as they got super touchy-feely on the beach in Turks and Caicos.

Kylie and Travis took their kids, Stormi and their little boy along ... sorry, we still don't know his name. As we reported, he was named Wolf at birth, but apparently, his parents didn't think the name fit, so they presumably found a new one, but haven't shared it.

Kylie's on the beach in a flowing white dress while Travis is walking shirtless.

It's interesting ... these are the latest pics showing the gradual emergence of Travis Scott after the Astroworld tragedy. He's performed some -- mostly to small groups, but will be performing at various festivals this summer.

Speaking of ... Travis is set to perform Saturday in Miami ... at E11EVEN during the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's baby mama and daughter were involved in a nasty car crash this past Easter ... one that sent them straight to the ER with some serious injuries.

Sources tell TMZ ... Sara Molina, the mother of Tekashi's 6-year-old daughter, Saraiyah, was in an Uber minivan on the expressway in New York City. Saraiyah and Sara's sister were in the car too.

Their driver suddenly got cut off, resulting in them getting rear-ended pretty badly ... we're told Saraiyah was scared and crying after the ordeal.

An ambulance was called and all 3 were taken to the hospital. Sara's sister got whiplash. Saraiyah had serious pain in her arm.

Sara might've gotten the worst of it ... in addition to getting whiplash, like her sister, she also got a concussion and is still in a lot of pain. Sara has been battling multiple sclerosis prior to the crash.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are certainly a pair in love, but aren't on the course to get married, at least not anytime soon ... despite what fans may speculate from his new video.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ the two aren't engaged, despite A$AP's newly-dropped "D.M.B." video, where they flashed their grills at each other -- his says "Marry Me?" while Rihanna's says "I Do."

Of course, fans went nuts, thinking Rocky asked for RiRi's hand in marriage ... or even that they've already gotten hitched.

The music video also contains plenty of wedding-themed imagery, which caused for more theories.

Our sources say the whole thing was just done for fun. As you know, the two are expecting their first kid together ... and the due date is rapidly approaching.

42 Dugg's patented "Free Dem Boyz" slogan now applies to himself as well. The Detroit rapper -- who's signed with Lil Baby and Yo Gotti -- was reportedly arrested the moment he got off a plane from Memphis.

Dugg, whose government name is Dion Hayes, failed to turn himself in to a West Virginia federal prison camp last month to serve a 6-month sentence for illegal firearm possession ... according to The Detroit News.

The 27-year-old rising star, who was just named to XXL's 2021 Freshman list, hasn't exactly been living like a man on the run. In April, he released his joint album "Last Ones Left" with Collective Music Group labelmate EST Gee, and has been shooting plenty of music videos for it.

Like Pooh Shiesty -- who just got a 63-month sentence -- such legal drama could disrupt what was shaping up to be a promising rap career.

A$AP Rocky is using his new song to call out one of Rihanna's exes ... referencing his girlfriend's infamous beating at the hands of Chris Brown.

The rapper takes a thinly-veiled shot at Breezy in his new track, "D.M.B" ... where Rocky raps, "I don't beat my bitch, I need my bitch." The song title stands for, "DAT$ MAH B!*$H."

Of course, A$AP is referencing CB's well-document attack on RiRi back in 2009, when Chris punched her in his car, resulting in bruising and a split lip.

Chris was sentenced to 5 years probation and community service for assaulting Rihanna, and later admitted the incident made him feel like a monster and would haunt him forever. Clearly, A$AP is not letting Chris live it down.

DaBaby claimed self-defense when he shot a man who randomly breached his North Carolina property -- and it looks like prosecutors agree with the rapper -- he won't be charged.

In legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Iredell County D.A. says it reviewed the case and has made the decision not to proceed with any charges.

TMZ broke the story back in April ... a man scaled DaBaby's estate walls and was eventually shot in the leg after exchanging words with the superstar rapper.

The eerie 911 call also showcased a cool, calm and collected DaBaby instructing cops of what had taken place ... with the man hollering in the background.

It's still full steam ahead for Kanye West and his girlfriend Chaney Jones ... the two have gone international, visiting one of Kanye's favorite countries, Japan.

Chaney posted a photo of the two overlooking a Japanese street Thursday on Instagram. The pic didn't have a caption, but it's clear to see the two are very much into each other.

We're not entirely sure what the trip entails for Ye, but he's often over there for work and for inspiration, so you have to imagine he's mixing business with pleasure -- as the country is closed to tourists. A source with direct knowledge tells us they first got to Japan around April 22.

It's the first time we've seen Kanye in a while -- he's remained silent since getting suspended from Instagram for going after Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson and others on the platform.

Three 6 Mafia legend and Academy Award-winner Juicy J is having himself a career renaissance after nearly 30 years in rap, and he says it's time to put some respect on his rank in the biz!

Juicy J chopped it up with the "TMZ Hip Hop" crew Wednesday ... fresh off releasing his latest single, "Step Back," where he lovingly spoofs Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, and showcases the skills of fellow Memphis rapper Duke Deuce.

As far as Juicy is concerned ... hip hop is a young man's game and he says he's exactly that -- ageless, with a timeless catalog. JJ went so far as to tell us he's the "Quincy Jones of rap music," and has a discography that should be mentioned with the Jay-Zs, Dr. Dres and Pharrells of the world.

Bold claims but Juicy is sticking by his resumé. While the countless TikTok clips, samples used and his Diamond certified plaque for his feature on Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" all speak for themselves ... he's looking forward to future collabs with Megan Thee Stallion, Key Glock and Pi'erre Bourne.

He's also a few months removed from the release of "Stoners Night," his joint album with Taylor Gang boss Wiz Khalifa and currently doing live performances with the rest of Three 6 Mafia.

Ludacris is officially a Panther for life -- he just got some southern hospitality at his alma mater Georgia State University: an honorary degree in Bachelor of Science in Music Management!

The 'Fast & Furious' legend addressed more than 800 master’s degree graduates on Wednesday to kick off the school's Commencement Week.

Despite attending GSU for a couple of years, Ludacris isn't your average college dropout. He actually left the Music Management program in the mid-90s ... because he signed a record deal with Def Jam Records and released his 2000 breakout single "What's Your Fantasy."

The rest is hip hop history. Luda would go on to release several multi-platinum albums and become a staple in Hollywood (including the aforementioned multi-billion Fast & Furious' franchise) and a happily married father of four.

Still, with all his success, Luda was clear to let the graduates know his heart never left the campus and signing to Def Jam was a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity.

He saluted GSU for not only having its first African-American President in nearly a century, but also for graduating more African-Americans than any other university in America!

The same guy who allegedly rushed Dave Chappelle on stage also used the comedian as the inspiration behind his own rap career ... naming a song after DC.

You heard that right ... Isaiah Lee, the 23-year-old allegedly responsible for the attack, is a self-proclaimed rapper by the name of NoName_Trapper. He actually has a song on his 2020 album titled, "Dave Chapelle' on Spotify.

The song's lyrics are puzzling, mostly repeating, "laugh at you n****s a joke."

Lee also has a decent social media following, with 32k followers, and only follows 80 people ... Dave being one of them. He posted a bizarre video of himself yesterday with a filter to give himself a bloody nose and devil horns.

As we reported, Lee rushed and tackled Dave while he was onstage at The Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night -- holding what we're told was a replica gun and knife.

Dave Chapelle took a hard hit and fell to the ground, before Dave's team stepped in and gave the guy a severe beatdown ... Jamie Foxx was also in the melee, and got some hits in too.

The Kidd Creole -- a rap pioneer from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- just got a lengthy prison sentence for his conviction in the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the rap legend's sentence Wednesday ... 16 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.

As we reported ... The Kidd Creole was convicted of first-degree manslaughter last month, for fatally stabbing a homeless man with a steak knife.

The incident went down in August 2017, when prosecutors say The Kidd Creole was walking past the man on the street and they exchanged words, with TKC walking past the man before turning back, confronting him face-to-face and stabbing him twice in the torso.

The D.A. says a group of tourists found the man bleeding in the street ... he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

PSA for all the Internet trolls out there -- if you come at Drake, he WILL DM your significant other ... and the 6 God proved it during a heated debate over NBA star Ja Morant's dad.

Here's the deal -- Drizzy hit the Instagram comments to defend Tee Morant over a meme criticizing his support for the Grizzlies guard throughout the playoffs, which some have deemed "annoying."

Drake was having none of it -- saying, "Imagine your son makes the league and he’s Ja Or Melo (Ball) or Lonzo (Ball) all you can do is be elated and competitive and over supportive and it’s a right of passage to that the OG’s talk s*** 😂😂😂😂."

"I know I’mma be this way even if my son is in a rubix cube competition 😎."

One troll thought it would be wise to crack back at Drake by referencing the rumor he doesn't write his own songs ... saying, "ya son prolly play with ghost writers."

Big mistake -- 'cause Drake fired right back in the most ruthless way possible.

"I just followed your girl cause she prob miserable and needs some excitement in her life."

Sheesh.

And, get this -- Drake wasn't kidding ... because the troll later posted a screenshot of his wife getting a DM from Champagne Papi himself, which read, "I'm here for u ma."

Chalk this one up as a win for Drake ... and a teachable moment for anyone else looking to go after him.

G-Eazy suffered a sneaker catastrophe at the Celtics game on Tuesday -- when his expensive and rare pair of Air Yeezys CRACKED on him ... but luckily, he had a backup pair of Jordans ready to sub in.

The Bay Area rapper was showing off his Kanye West x Nike kicks in several IG photos before the Celtics tipped off against the Bucks in Boston ... when a sneakerhead's worst nightmare happened.

As it turns out, the kicks completely gave out on the "Provide" rapper during the game ... showing off a crack in the rubber outsole.

"One of the last wears I might get out of these babys," Gerald said on social media ... clearly heartbroken over the situation.

And, these aren't just any Yeezys -- these are one of three colorways of the Air Yeezy "Zen" release -- Ye's first sneaker he made with the Swoosh in 2009, before he eventually switched over to Adidas.

Of course, not everyone wants to give up on the sneaks just yet -- one fan responded, "Last wears? Boy give me that s***. I'll fix em."

But, Mr. Eazy didn't have to go home barefoot -- it appears his buddy, Walid Samaha, was able to secure some Union LA x Air Jordan 2 "Rattan" kicks and have them delivered right to him at his courtside seat!!

"In game substitution," G-Eazy said, "Bye Yeezys!"

FYI -- the Zens cost up to $10k on popular sneaker app GOAT and up to $50k on StockX (in a size 14) ... but we're pretty sure the award-winning rapper will cop another pair.