TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Twista knows gun violence is a huge issue in his hometown, and he believes educating the public about proper firearm usage can go a long way toward making the country safer.

The Chicago rap veteran joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss his firearm education course, "The Gun Camp," where he trains civilians to be smarter with weapons.

In the wake of the Buffalo and Ulvade mass shootings -- not to mention the continued spree of shootings in the Chi -- gun control and reform are once again front-burner debate topics ... but Twista's firmly embracing the "blame people, not guns" theory.

He repeated the oft-used line about it being the person behind the gun who ultimately makes fatal decisions.

As for the AR-15 -- which, according to polls, most Americans support banning -- Twista says there are many misconceptions about the rifle frequently used in mass shootings. He's optimistic that if people open up to the notion there can be positive ways to use firearms -- such as organized competitions -- they'll get past what he calls "negative vibes" portrayed in the news.

Of course, when the news is reporting, not portraying, a school shooting that takes the lives of 19 children ... it's hard to focus on anything uplifting.

Still, Twista says most of the response in Chicago to his Gun Camp has been positive, and he's leaning on the idea that law-abiding, safety-minded gun owners are a good thing for all communities.

Noted hip hop historian Tom Brady is naming his champion in a crowded sea of 2022 album releases, and for him it's ... Pusha T’s 'It’s Almost Dry!'

During a literal promo run for his Brady Brand “Run” apparel line, TB12 used Pusha and Kanye’s 'IAD' collaboration “Dreaming of the Past” as he jokingly bragged about being the fastest QB in the NFL.

Pusha got wind of the drop ... retweeted and got TB12 to cosign that ‘IAD’ was indeed Album Of The Year. In their book at least, anyway.

Released in April on Good Music and Def Jam, the album split production duties between Ye and Pharrell and features from JAY-Z, Lil Uzi Vert and Kid Cudi … who said it was his last time pairing with Ye … but that’s another story.

Push recently performed cuts at Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival and reunited with brother Malice of the Clipse and Justin Timberlake.

TB12’s the football GOAT and if his music tastes are influencing his playing … then it’s probably safe to trust his ears. Unless you're lining up against him on Sundays.

Drake, and now Beyoncé too, are sending shockwaves through the music industry with new dance music releases ... which has Joe Budden and co. wondering if hip hop and R&B's days are numbered.

Frequent 'Joe Budden Podcast' caller Vince Staples was around to answer one of these questions when the crew asked him to weigh in on Drake's decision to drop an album that's pretty much rap-less. Vince stated the internet and especially social media are making the call on what trends/sells.

Basically, he says Drake's "Honestly, Nevermind" comes down to simple mathematics.

At the end of the day, Vince feels we should all just accept the end of musical genres and just embrace the experience. To hammer home his point, he referenced his 2017 album "Big Fish Theory" ... a project that stood out for its EDM sound, but didn't get anywhere near the same amount of love.

It's hard to deny Drake's latest W, even if it's not rap -- he has the biggest dance album of all time, with beats from Black Coffee, Gordo, RY X and more.

Tragic news ... Caleb Swanigan -- the former Purdue star who was later picked in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft -- has died at 25 years old.

A spokesperson for the Allen County Coroner’s Office in Indiana tells TMZ Sports ... the ex-Boilermaker center died of natural causes.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, the Purdue men's basketball team said Swanigan passed on Monday night.

"Devastated," the school's team's account wrote in a tweet. "Our thoughts and prayers to Caleb Swanigan’s family and friends. The world lost a gentle soul last night. Love you Biggie."

Purdue head coach Matt Painter added in a statement, "Biggie had a positive influence in everyone's life. Was such a thoughtful person and gentle soul who had to overcome so much in his life. He will be greatly missed."

Before starring at Purdue, Swanigan compiled one of the greatest high school basketball careers ever in the history of the state of Indiana.

The 6-foot-9, 260-pound hooper was a five-star recruit, who earned McDonald's All-American honors after averaging 22.6 points and 13.7 rebounds per game in his senior season.

During his two years with the Boilermakers, Swanigan averaged 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He was eventually taken by the Portland Trailblazers with the 26th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Swanigan played in the NBA with the Trailblazers and the Sacramento Kings until 2020.

Damian Lillard, who played with Swanigan in Portland, paid homage to Swanigan in an Instagram post Tuesday ... writing, "Rest In Peace Big."

The Trailblazers added in a statement, "We are heartbroken by the passing of former Trail Blazers player Caleb Swanigan. Our thoughts and prayers are with Caleb’s family, friends and all who loved him. Rest In Peace, Biggie."

Off the court, Swanigan had a music career -- rapping under the name "Slyy5jackk." He released several songs including "Thoughts/THOTS" and "My Life" in 2021.

Swanigan had just put out a music video called "Acquired Taste" in April ... and according to the rapper's IG, a new project was coming soon.

Migos are still amigos, and the proof is in the icing ... 'cause Quavo gifted Takeoff a Migos chain to mark his birthday.

Quavo bought Takeoff the bling for his 28th birthday two days ago ... this according to celebrity jeweler Elliot Eliantte. We're told each group member now has matching customized chains -- each chain has a picture of all 3 Migos and each member is the center of their own chain.

Quavo and Offset got the chain last year as birthday presents. As for Takeoff's, Quavo spent a pretty penny on it ... $350K!!!

The gift comes on the heels of rumors that the trio might have broken up ... after Offset and Quavo stopped following each other on Instagram. Takeoff, on the other hand, kept following both.

At one point, our photog asked Huncho about a possible split, but he didn't say much and instead talked about his collab with Takeoff, "Hotel Lobby". A label rep later told us, the trio was still very much together ... but they had to cancel their Governors Ball performance because of a scheduling conflict.

Beyoncé dropped her first new song in what feels like a lifetime ... and fans are loving every second of the upbeat track.

Her new track "Break My Soul" dropped Monday night ahead of her anticipated 7th album, "Renaissance," which is set for release late next month.

"Break My Soul" sends a message of breaking out of that normal 9-5 gig -- which a lot of people actually did during the pandemic -- and finding some new motivation ... she says what all her fans are thinking -- "Bey is back, and I'm sleeping real good at night."

Big Freedia, who has collabed with Beyonce before, is featured on the song too, and unsurprisingly -- the song's been trending on Twitter and is aiming to break the charts. It's Beyoncé's first solo track release since 2016.

XXXTentacion fans are going all out to show their love on the 4th anniversary of his murder, with some traveling thousands of miles just to mark the sad day.

XXXTentacion's mother, Cleopatra Bernard, tells TMZ ... X's family, friends and dozens of his most hardcore fans gathered Saturday at his mausoleum in South Florida. We're told there was no planned event inviting fans there -- they all just came on their own to pay tribute on June 18.

His mom says she was shocked to meet fans who made the drive all the way to FL, from places like Los Angeles and Virginia.

Some of them started to gather outside as early as 9 AM ... and when Cleopatra arrived at the mausoleum around 4 PM to open it, there was still a good amount there.

TMZ broke the story when 20-year-old XXXTentacion was shot dead, back in 2018, as he was leaving a motorcycle dealer in Broward County.

X's mom estimates several hundred fans rolled through the cemetery, played X's music, adorned themselves in his merch -- and she says some even had replicas of his tattoos!

BTW, that all went down in 95 humid south FL degrees ... so, these were dedicated fans.

Drake has a new album and a new vibe, but he's totally fed up with the fake Drake's same ol' tricks.

The social media personality -- who actually gets paid thousands of dollars to impersonate Drake -- was spotted over the weekend in Houston nightclub Area 29.

Promoters DJ Eric and Chris Chizer also spotted the imposter and demanded security remove him from the premises ... in the name of loyalty to the real deal.

After the damning video made its rounds to DJ Akademiks' Instagram page, the real Drake let his actions speak louder than words, and attacked the clone ... by liking the clip!

The plot thickened when fake Drizzy claimed the embarrassing nightclub moment was staged to help promote real Drake's new album, "Honestly Nevermind."

Well, PretendPapi might wanna pump his brakes on that story -- TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Houston Ross, the promoter who shot the clip, and he says the altercation was totally organic. What's more, he says fake Drake and his manager paid the $30 cover just like everyone else.

Ross tells us DJ Eric and Drake are actually close friends and seeing the imposter set him off. Drake actually has his own reserved section inside Area 29, so it wouldn't make any business sense to bring the phony guy in to host.

Ross also shared Instagram DMs from fake Drake's manager, blaming DJ Eric and Drake for putting his client in the embarrassing viral moment.

Drake's new album projections are circling the 210-230K first-week sales benchmark ... a total steal for an album announced just hours prior to its release.

French Montana says he and his mopstick are ready to clean up the rap competition this summer with his album "Montega" -- an album that now has certified approval from NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

French & fam were out in The Big Apple last night at Sei Less restaurant soaking up the sounds of the new project, which won over listeners with features from Quavo, Rick Ross and late collaborator Chinx ... over a bangin' bevy of longtime producer Harry Fraud's beats.

French tells TMZ Hip Hop he's back in his bag saying, "This album takes me back to my roots and original wave sound with Harry. I create my best work with him and always trust him to see the vision."

He adds, "I think the fans are going to appreciate this one, it’s really going to bring them back."

Last weekend, French dropped off the intro track video "Blue Chills" and plans to keep the hype moving into the album's June 24 release date.

Chris Brown wants no part of the Internet debate about whether he's more talented than Michael Jackson -- he's shutting down the whole convo after an interview on "Big Boy's Neighborhood."

During the opening moments, the L.A. radio host addressed the swirling controversy to which CB decided to dead things once and for all.

Breezy says if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, he wouldn't be anywhere near the entertainer he is today and cited a shrine he has dedicated to the late King of Pop.

For the past few weeks, hip hop artists like Fivio Foreign and Tank have been leaning toward giving CB the ultimate crown -- but Chris himself says he'd concede to the man who brought us "Thriller," "Rock With You" and "Billie Jean."

Going forward, CB is gearing up to go on tour with Lil Baby and drop his new album "Breezy" -- a project he tells Big Boy he recorded 250 songs for, before whittling it down to just 23.

D.C. rap staple No Savage is a wanted man for a shooting that occurred inside a high-profile shopping district ... this according to law enforcement.

Fairfax County PD believes No Savage got into a fight with another group inside VA’s Tysons Corner Center … before firing off shots and fleeing the scene in a black Cadillac.

The alleged encounter that led to the shooting was caught on camera. Two men appear to approach each other and seem to be scrambling for items on the ground. Shoppers at TCC were running for their lives once the shots were fired.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the stampede.

Cops are calling No Savage “armed and dangerous” and are charging him with attempted malicious wounding, three counts of discharging a weapon in an occupied building and use of a firearm in a felony.

Nas famously immortalized his neighborhood kingpin, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, and his Supreme Team drug empire on his classic debut album "Illmatic" — and now he’s making a movie about him!

During a Q&A for his Showtime docuseries, "Supreme Team" ... Nas spoke on how McGriff and his Queens-based gang were influential in getting C.R.E.A.M. and helping pump his creative juices in the process.

After rising to prominence in the early 90s at the height of NYC’s crack-cocaine boom, McGriff was eventually convicted of murder in 2007 and eventually sentenced to life in prison … where he remains to this day.

ST's success in the streets and flashy wardrobe are said to directly influence the styles -- and command the respect -- of early hip hop artists, and the docuseries digs into that phenomenon.

The conversation between his co-director Peter J. Scalettar and Billboard’s Deputy Director of R&B/Hip-Hop Carl Lamarre marked the end of the 2022 Tribeca Festival ... and NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Tribeca CEO Jane Rosenthal were watching the convo.

Incarcerated Supreme Team leader, and McGriff nephew, Gerald "Prince" Miller called in from federal prison.

If Antonio Brown ain't performing on the field, he's damn sure doin' it on stage -- 'cause the NFL star just put on a dope show at the Summer Smash festival in Chicago.

And, he even jumped into a pit of fans for some crowd surfin'!!

Brown -- rap name AB -- hit the stage this weekend in Chi-town for the hip hop festival that featured some of the big names in rap like Quavo, Lil Yachty, and Playboi Carti.

AB pulled up in an all-white fit and rapped his single 'Pit Not The Palace' off his 'Paradigm' album that was released in April.

The concertgoers went completely nuts when AB jumped on stage -- and, the 33-year-old showed 'em love right back by crowd surfin'!

It wasn't the cleanest surf ... but at least he tried, right?!

Of course, Brown has been all about his rap career since infamously walking off the field during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NY Jets game in January.

Browns been enjoyin' the free agency life ever since ... hangin' out with stars like Kanye West, Floyd Mayweather and Madonna to performing his music at clubs and festivals.

The celebration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a combination of solemn moments and all-out partying -- featuring multiple generations of music superstars -- to mark the occasion.

The biggest party went down Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl where Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Khalid, Billy Porter and many more took the stage and got the sold-out crowd on its collective feet.

The concert event -- "Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom" -- aired live on CNN, and Chaka's performance was especially rousing, backed by The Roots, she belted out her hits "Ain't Nobody" and "I'm Every Woman" ... while EWF and Bell Biv Devoe also played crowd favorites "Groove Tonight" and "Poison."

President Biden and Vice President Harris recorded messages to address the Hollywood Bowl audience ... and called the holiday a "time to celebrate, time to educate and time to act."

Meanwhile, the activist who fought hard for years to get Juneteenth federal holiday status also marked the day.

95-year-old Opal Lee completed a 2.5 mile walk in Fort Worth -- symbolizing the 2.5 years it took for the enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, TX to get the news that President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

That happened on June 19, 1865 ... hence the holiday's name, Juneteenth. While it's long been unofficially recognized -- especially in the Black community -- it didn't become a federal holiday until last year.

Opal's suggestion for all Americans to recognize the holiday -- "I advocate that we celebrate from the 19th of June to the 4th of July. That would be celebrating freedom."

Rapper Obie Trice was busted in Michigan for allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend ... and cops say he told her family he was going to harm them too.

The "Got Some Teeth" rapper was booked Thursday afternoon in West Bloomfield for using a telephone to harass or threaten someone ... according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Curt Lawson, the deputy chief at the West Bloomfield Police Department, tells TMZ ... Obie was dating a woman, and after they split he allegedly sent threatening messages to her and also started texting threats to some of her relatives.

Police say they were told Obie showed up uninvited to his ex's family home on multiple occasions ... and cops got involved and told him to stop.

But, we're told Obie didn't listen and allegedly continued with the threats, so police got a misdemeanor warrant ... leading to his Thursday arrest.

Offset got the royal treatment on Father's Day -- 'cause Cardi B and his kids were all over him as soon as he woke up ... with a morning buffet that would make IHOP blush.

The rapper was treated to breakfast in bed Sunday, with 4 of his 5 children present -- including his 2 with CB ... Kulture and Wave, their baby boy. Cardi laid out a tray with a ton of tasty dishes ready to gobble ... although Offset had to turn it around so he could feast.

There was just about everything you could imagine as far as food options -- eggs, chicken, bacon, pancakes, fruit and what seems to be porridge of some sort.

Unclear if Offset was able to get a bite in, because his little ones seemed eager to have them read their cards/open their gifts downstairs -- which, as a good dad, he obliged. BTW, their house was totally decked out in Father's Day decorations ... balloons and the like.

Seems like Offset took it all in stride and hammed it up with his kids, who seem to think their old man is a hoot. Sweet to see the whole fam together like this on a special day.