TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

The late Tupac Shakur's last studio album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it's being pushed into the digital world.

That means creating an NFT -- non-fungible token -- from the original artwork ... a controversial piece depicting Pac as Jesus Christ wearing his crown of thorns while nailed to the cross. The parental advisory sticker infamously covered his pelvic area.

Released on November 5, 1996, nearly 2 months after his murder, Pac recorded the album under the alias Makaveli ... unleashing some greatest hits material such as "Hail Mary" and "To Live In Die In L.A." -- and fueling rumors he was still alive in the process.

Riskie Forever designed and sold the painting Tupac handpicked to be the album cover back in 2015 ... but crypto/NFT wallet manager Zelus helped him recover the art, and auction house Heritage Auctions will sell it to the highest bidder.

The auction goes down starting today through June 18 in Dallas at 445 Park Avenue and fans will also have a chance to win up to $100,000 through sweepstakes on the MakaveliArt.com website starting today all the way to June 5.

Mike Tyson will host the painting Tuesday on a special episode of his "Hotboxin" podcast, where he will also run through some of his cherished Tupac memories. They enjoyed a long-running friendship during the course of Pac's life, whose last moments were spent attending the Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.

Iron Mike tells TMZ Hip Hop: "This episode was cool to shoot. Having the opportunity to honor Pac and have this painting here with us was awesome. It's by far the most iconic hip hop album artwork of all time."

Riskie, an iconic hip hop artist, was initially propositioned by then Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who later introduced him to 2Pac -- and commissioned Riskie to create the album cover.

Freddie Gibbs got into a huge fight with a bunch of dudes before his weekend performance in New York ... and it's all on video!!!

The massive brawl broke out Saturday at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Buffalo, where Freddie was in town for a performance. He's the guy in the green shirt, and video shows him in the thick of things.

As you can see, there's a bunch of people throwing punches and kicking ... and Freddie gets taken to the ground before getting up and continuing the fight. At one point, it appears items are being thrown.

It's unclear what started the fight, but there are social media rumblings Freddie's foes are "associates" of Benny The Butcher ... and the two rappers do have beef.

Freddie ended up taking the stage the same night at Town Ballroom ... sporting a shiner and a swollen eye.

Young Thug's controversial YSL record label is far from a criminal organization, according to Joe Moses, who says YSL is a totally legit enterprise.

The "Gang Bang" rapper, who's recorded several tracks with Young Thug, was adamant YSL is NOT a gang when he appeared on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast. Joe says cops and the Fulton County D.A. got this case all wrong because YSL is solely focused on making clothes and music.

As you know, prosecutors in Georgia feel the opposite, having indicted Thug, Gunna and 26 others on a 56-count RICO case -- but Joe says law enforcement is just trying to use YT's lyrics against him because Thug's Black.

Among Young Thug's lyrics listed in the indictment ... "I killed his man in front of his momma, like f*** lil bruh, sister and his cousin," and "my trigger start itching."

Joe says this is merely a case of a rapper describing or reflecting on things that happen in his community, and he believes Thug shouldn't be punished for his art.

What's more, he explains why all his dealings with Young Thug over the years lead him to believe the man has a heart of gold.

DJ Envy and wife Gia Casey's new book -- "Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together" -- has sparked some serious conversations among couples ... just ask Lil Scrappy and Bambi!!!

We caught the "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" couple outside at Harlem Panda restaurant as they celebrated the engagement party of cast members Sierra Gates and Eric Whitehead ... when the conversation of faking orgasms came up.

In case you were unaware (like Bambi!), Gia faked orgasms for the first 10 years of marriage. The book reveals how they were able to strengthen their relationship and sexual chemistry.

Scrappy and Bambi have been married for more than 4 years and want everyone to know ... everything's good at Club O. The crunk rapper even went as far as to regurgitate the Slip-N-Side reference Rick Ross used when he said on The Breakfast Club back in April ... a little wetness is all the evidence he needs to say "job well done."

Bambi corrected her hubby, letting him know everything isn't always what it seems and he'll have to ensure he's all the way present to get the job done.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban got the last laugh over Lil Wayne on Monday ... firing back at the legend for calling Luka Doncic a "ho" -- by using one of Weezy's very own song lyrics!!

Of course, Wayne -- who is a big Chris Paul supporter -- was sitting courtside as he watched the Suns lose Game 7 to the Mavs in pathetic fashion behind Luka's 35 points on Sunday.

Wayne ended up getting a ton of blame for the 123-90 blowout loss ... with folks claiming his "Luka a ho" tweet from May 8 gave the Mavs too much motivation.

Cubes shared his two cents on Monday ... and the clapback's gotta sting.

"'It’s a s*** show, put you front row' #MFFL," Cuban's tweet read with a pic of Wayne at the game.

Of course, the line comes from Tunechi's hit, "Uproar" from 2018 ... and ya gotta admit, Cuban's taking the win on the court AND on Twitter here.

Another man responsible for selling Mac Miller the fentanyl that contributed to his fatal overdose will be behind bars for a long time.

Stephen Walter, 49, was handed a 17.5-year sentence after pleading guilty to distributing the fentanyl that ultimately resulted in Mac's death back in September 2018.

Another man ⁠— 39-year-old Ryan Reavis ⁠— also pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge and was sentenced to more than 10 years behind bars. The case against a third man by the name of Cameron Pettit remains pending.

As we reported, Miller died of a fatal concoction of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol and Walter told the courts and Mac's family he was "truly remorseful" for his actions.

An April 2022 tweet from independent stats collector chart data claims Mac is the best-selling rapper of the decade so far, perhaps indicative that his popularity hasn't wavered with the fans.

Kendrick Lamar is celebrating his first album release in over 5 years by playing street soccer with the locals over in Ghana.

Kendrick's been hanging out in the West African nation since dropping his latest hit album, "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," last week ... and new video shows him playing a little soccer in a street setting.

The game's being played on what appears to be a concrete surface inside an abandoned structure, complete with murals on the walls, including one of another famous rap artist, Tupac Shakur.

Kendrick, in a yellow shirt and red shorts, obviously drew a crowd ... and there's a few cameras capturing his every move.

After the game, Kendrick posed for pictures with his teammates and competitors ... who are known around those parts as the Jamestown Boys.

K. Dot is venturing out in public more recently due to his new music ... we saw him at Dodger Stadium last month after announcing his album ... and a street soccer game in Ghana is not a typical album release party.

The party didn't stop at The Billboard Awards when the cameras turned off ... in fact, things got even crazier at the after-party with some of the night's biggest stars.

Diddy and company headed to Tao in Vegas following the show ... letting loose with MGK, Megan Fox, Nelly, French Montana, Usher, Teyana Taylor, Mary J. Blige, Cara Delevingne and more.

We got video from inside the bash, which also served as a bday party for Megan Fox -- complete with a cake and song to celebrate the occasion.

At one point, Diddy also got behind the DJ booth to get the crowd going, having changed out of his award show garb, and wearing a Michael Jordan Bulls jersey with a red hat.

As for the show itself, it seemingly went on without issue. Diddy, of course, hosted and the night was complete with performances from Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Dan + Shay, Maxwell, Ed Sheeran and more.

Travis Scott's comeback is officially in full effect -- the guy just hit the Billboard Music Awards, marking his first televised gig since the Astroworld tragedy.

The rapper performed "Mafia" and "Lost Forever" Sunday at the show, in a highly anticipated moment in the show. For TS standards, the performance was very tame, mostly centered in a small room on the stage. Diddy and French Montana intro'd Travis.

As for how he was received -- fans seemed to love it, and the crowd cheered as he was introduced, and was roaring when finished up.

TS has been creeping back into public life little by little these past few months -- he made his first full-blown public performance last week in Miami ... and has been doing small sets here and there throughout 2022.

Travis also performed at Zouk Nightclub Saturday night, where he joined resident DJ Zedd.

As you know ... he's due to headline a major festival in South America later this year, so there's no doubt that this appearance on a national award show helps in that regard.

Another controversial artist that hit the stage Sunday ... Morgan Wallen. He performed two songs earlier in the show, and he too got a decent reaction from the audience.

Now that Norman Reedus is coming clean about his child's name -- after 3 years of silence -- he knows, more than most, what Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are going through with their baby naming sitch.

We got with the 'Walking Dead' star at LAX and asked about his daughter, Nova, and any words of wisdom he might have for Trav and Kylie ... who still haven't gone public with their baby boy's name.

Norman says he and partner Diane Kruger only decided to share Nova's name because she's not so little anymore ... otherwise, they'd continue keeping things as private as possible.

He also had some advice for Kylie and Travis, telling us they shouldn't feel pressure to share the name.

As we've reported, Kylie and Travis announced they were changing their baby's name a month after welcoming him to the world. They'd initially named him Wolf Jacques Webster, but later said the handle just didn't fit.

French Montana just got screwed by his pooch -- because a jury just awarded his pool guy a bunch of money over French's dog biting the man.

A California jury found French's German Shepherd, Zane, was the culprit in the gnarly attack against Juan Lomeli -- the dude who sued FM way back in 2018.

You'll recall ... Lomeli alleged at the time French's pet lost it on him while he was doing his job on the grounds, lunging at him and sinking its teeth into his arm, causing a nasty and painful injury.

Lomeli -- who was represented by attorney Brad Wallace -- testified the injuries were severe enough for him to miss a substantial amount of time working ... which he claimed cost him serious dough he would've otherwise made.

Looks like this case has been working its way through the legal system ... and now, a jury has weighed in -- awarding Lomeli a whopping $129,500 in damages.

Here's how the judgment breaks down -- $39,500 in past economic loss, $60k in non-economic loss (pain/suffering etc.), and another $30k for future non-economic loss.

Travis Scott is in Las Vegas ready to take the stage at the Billboard Awards, and he looks mighty happy.

Travis was at the Encore Beach Club Saturday, hanging out with Marshmello and his crew. He was all smiles as he left with his entourage and hotel security.

As you see in the pics, as he left the hotel, a guy came up to Travis and shook his hand.

Travis will take the stage Sunday at the Billboard Awards ... the first awards show he's performed since the Astroworld tragedy last November.

Diddy, who's hosting and exec producing the show, has said he's canceling cancel culture, saying, "So one of the things I'm doing directly is uncanceling the canceled. That's breaking news because people haven't been about uncanceling. But canceling is a trend that needs to stop."

Toward that end ... he's also invited Morgan Wallen to perform. As you know, Morgan was persona non grata at last year's Billboard Awards after a video surfaced of him using the n-word.

Rapper Lil Keed, a rising star from Atlanta and member of Young Thug's controversial YSL label, is dead ... according to his reps and family members.

His brother, Lil Gotit, said, "Can't believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that's go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy."

Complex first reported the death after getting confirmation from Keed's reps.

Although the "Trapped on Cleveland 3" rapper was signed to YSL, he was not part of the recent indictment in Atlanta that led to Gunna, Young Thug and 26 other YSL associates getting arrested on RICO charges.

After the raid and arrests, Keed posted an impassioned declaration about his label, insisting YSL was not a criminal organization ... as the Fulton County D.A. has claimed in the 56-count indictment.

Lil Keed recorded many popular songs, including "Snake," "She Know" and "Wavy (Remix)." Keeds garnered plenty of success from his own albums and mixtapes, as well as being featured on tracks with artists like Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Chris Brown, Future, Zaytoven and Lil Yachty.

Offset, from the popular rap trio, Migos, took to his IG story and said, "Damn twin rip."

Rapper Taylor Bennett wrote on his IG, "Keed you are the new sound of music surpassing hip hop and all genres."

Quana Bandz, Keed's GF posted a heartbreaking tribute mourning his death on IG saying, "I love you sooooo much baby🥺 what I'm post to do with out you😤 I can't breathe right sleep right nothing. I don't even wanna talk to nobody. Keed I can't take this why you leave US bru."

Keed leaves behind his GF, Quana, and their daughter Naychur.

He was 24.

Gunna was a busy man before surrendering to authorities in his RICO case ... carving out time to see family and making sure his business plans were in line before turning himself in.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... it was important for him to see his relatives before going to jail ... we're told he's big on family and has a lot of close relationships, especially with his mother.

Gunna also had to get his business affairs in order, because his music is really hot right now and he's got a No. 1 album in "DS4Ever" ... and it's not exactly easy to run a biz behind bars.

Before his arrest, we're told Gunna was in the middle of releasing visuals for his popular single "Banking On Me" and his focus before going to jail was tying up some loose ends with release dates, music videos and other biz affairs related to his new tunes.

As you know ... Gunna was booked on RICO charges Wednesday in Fulton County, and his lawyers are claiming he's innocent and hammering police for using his lyrics against him in a 56-page indictment.

Family and music aside, Gunna's facing some serious charges ... and our sources say he also wanted to huddle with his legal team to make sure they're all on the same page on how to prove his innocence.

Diddy has hopped on the newest train in pop culture ... the one canceling cancel culture.

Diddy said, "As a music family, none of us are saints; none of us are without things that happen to them in life," he told Billboard.

The mogul is exec producing and hosting the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, and he's squarely behind the org's decision to invite Travis Scott and Morgan Wallen to perform.

Diddy went on ... "So one of the things I'm doing directly is uncanceling the canceled. That's breaking news because people haven't been about uncanceling. But canceling is a trend that needs to stop."

Diddy was insistent on Scott taking the stage ... "I said, 'My brother Travis Scott has to perform.'"

He added ... "Travis went through a tragedy; Morgan [hurled the n-word] while talking to his boy. People make mistakes. Now we're moving on with love and respect for everybody that was hurt or affected. It's time to forgive."

Wallen was canceled from several awards shows last year after the incident, including the American Music Awards, but sales of his music actually rose during that period.

As for Travis ... he was sidelined for months after the Astroworld tragedy, but he's back performing and will do so in front of 100,000 people at the Primavera Sound festival later this year.

Drake's son has mad skills ... and sorry Drake, we're not talking basketball!!!

Adonis channeled his inner Warhol by painting an impressive, colorful abstract. Remember, the kid's 4, so it's a pretty spectacular start.

His mom, Sophie Brussaux, was busy on a canvas of her own ... and her work is objectively awesome. She posted, "A little progress pic, we paint together and deep condition together."

So, pretend you had no idea Adonis painted the abstract ... would you hang it in your house? We're guessing the answer is yes.

BTW ... the kid's already speaking French ... as Drake proudly showed his fans.