TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Ne-Yo just dropped his first album in 4 years, and he says the hiatus is largely because COVID took a massive toll on his emotional state and creativity.

The R&B singer joined "TMZ Live" to talk all about his 8th studio album, titled "Self Explanatory" ... an album that was put on the back burner when the pandemic hit. Ne-Yo says music was not on his mind nearly as much as survival -- the survival of his family.

He says even after quarantine was lifted, it took time getting the "funk" removed from his psyche.

The album does not reference COVID ... he says he has nothing new to offer since we all went through it. Ditto the Black Lives Matter movement ... he says it has been so well-documented that the album would not move the ball forward.

The album is much more about his personal life ... especially the ups and downs he experienced with his marriage. We get into all of that, and more, in the full interview, which airs on Monday's "TMZ Live."

Ne-Yo has been in an on-again, off-again marriage to his wife, Crystal Renay. You'll recall, the two got remarried in Vegas back in April ... nearly 2 years after she filed for divorce and then withdrew the petition.

Kanye West is out, and Kid Cudi is in at Rolling Loud Miami -- an interesting swap, considering the two have been beefing these past few months.

Festival organizers made the announcement Sunday, saying that -- for reasons beyond their control -- Kanye wouldn't be performing at their event later this month as one of the three headliners ... and in his place, Scott would be stepping in to take up the mantle.

Rolling Loud Co-Founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler further tell TMZ ... "We were looking forward to Ye headlining Rolling Loud Miami 2022. We spent months working with him and his team on the performance. Unfortunately, Ye has decided that he will no longer be performing. This is the first time a headliner has ever pulled off our show and though we don’t take it lightly, we wish him the best."

They add, "We look forward to welcoming Kid Cudi as a headliner in Miami and we can’t wait to see what he has in store."

Kid Cudi himself confirmed the news, posting the new lineup on his IG story. It's unclear why Ye bailed, but that's kinda his M.O. lately -- you'll recall, he also pulled out of Coachella last minute, with no explanation. There, too, they had to scramble last minute for a new act.

The backdrop to this latest news, of course, is the fact that Cudi has officially disavowed Ye ... publicly declaring that their friendship is over, this after Ye took some swipes at him for being friends with Pete Davidson.

He even clarified afterward that he and Kanye still weren't cool, despite the fact they collaborated on a song of Pusha T's -- which KC said would be the last time they worked together. So, him being the guy to fill Kanye's shoes is almost coming full circle on all that.

Kanye West may have been hit by the supply chain crisis, because his floor-to-ceiling renovation of his Malibu home is far from completion.

Ye paid just a skosh over $57 million for the Malibu beachfront home. He's using a famous architect ... Tadao Ando, but even he can't seem to accelerate the process. Then again, Kanye is famous for coming up with a plan and then changing it until it's exactly to his liking.

The home is 4,000 square feet ... which is huge by Malibu standards for beachfront property ... thus the hefty price tag. BTW, when Kanye bought it it was listed for $75 million.

It's pretty austere ... which is Kanye's thing. The house he designed for his family -- which Kim Kardashian now owns -- is also minimalist.

Amber Rose knows Kanye West, and she opens up about his divorce from Kim Kardashian ... short story, she's not surprised at all.

Amber sat down with Raquel for the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast and Amber -- though circumspect -- seems to know of what she speaks. She makes it clear ... she saw the divorce coming, and it's all based on her experience with Kanye.

Amber acknowledges she had her own issues with Ye, but she's still wished him nothing but the best. Amber, who's always been rock solid, says she's focusing on her own life and not what her exes are doing.

Amber and Kanye dated from 2008 to 2010 ... before he moved on to Kim a year later. So, she had a fresh look at Kanye's new relationship with lots of experience to lay odds. And, her odds are that it just wouldn't last.

Raq makes a point of saying Amber and Kim share the same birthday and therefore they have something in common, but Amber makes it clear ... the birth date is where similarities end.

Kodak Black's weekend is off to an unfortunate start … the "Super Gremlin" was arrested after cops say they found a bunch of oxycodone pills in his car.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Kodak was traveling in a Dodge Durango Friday in Ft. Lauderdale with what cops believed was an illegal window tint.

After pulling the rapper over, cops say they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and eventually searched the car. Officers claim they found 31 oxycodone pills and $74,960 in cash during the search.

Our sources say Kodak's license and tags were also expired.

Kodak was then arrested and hauled off to Broward County jail.

It took some time, but Brandy says she's now on board for Ray J's "unique" leg tattoo he got to honor his sister ... and now she's considering getting one to honor him in return!!!

We ran into the R&B legend as she was getting a ton of fan love outside "Black-ish" star Jenifer Lewis' Hollywood Star unveiling Friday. Brandy explains, at first, she didn't fully appreciate Ray's tribute ... but it's only because she didn't understand it.

However, Brandy says after speaking with Ray J's tattoo artist, and learning he adopts a "Basquiat-style" she was all in. What's more ... Brandy says she's open to the idea of getting a Ray J tribute of her own, but a much more tame version.

Xzibit thinks it's absurd for him to pay his estranged wife spousal support ... he says he's struggling to make ends meet while she's living in their $3 million home with her new boyfriend.

The "Pimp My Ride" star just filed a response to Krista Joiner's legal docs seeking spousal support in their divorce ... X says he simply doesn't have the cash because a huge chunk of his income dried up during the pandemic.

According to the new docs, obtained by TMZ, Xzibit says he's no longer the breadwinner he was before the divorce ... claiming he hasn't worked in Hollywood since 2019, isn't getting any money from his cannabis ventures and lost tons of income when COVID scuttled the concert scene.

X says in the docs he's "struggling to make ends meet at the same time trying to uphold being a public figure, pay my own expenses and provide for my son."

Xzibit paints Krista as someone who is doing just fine without spousal support ... he says her recent income was around $175,000 a year and claims she's living in their home with her new boyfriend and the man's kids.

X says Krista's boyfriend has been bragging about the digs on social media, filming a pilot in the home and taking down Xzibit's artwork and recording plaques.

Xzibit says he asked Krista to agree to sell the home after she filed for divorce in February ... but he says she only recently agreed to unload the property and now the housing market is starting to cool.

X says the home is estimated to be worth $3,715,600 ... but he thinks they could've sold for a higher figure if she played ball earlier, and says they had to take out short-term loans to pay the mortgage pending a sale.

Oh, and get this ... Xzibit claims Krista went behind his back to obtain a new lease on a 2021 Bentley and signed for the lease under his company name, Xzibit Inc., even though she's not an exec there. He also alleges she forged his name on a check for the down payment.

Master P is continuing his grocery store takeover with the introduction of another product: New Orleans Style Snow Cones.

The Colonel tells TMZ Hip Hop ... companies like Kellogg’s and Kraft rooted themselves in the business and have revenue streams that outlast entertainment careers in music, sports and movies.

Exactly the type of advice you’d expect to get from a guy who named his company “No Limit" ... and with more than 30 years in the biz, Master P thinks negativity in Black culture gets too much of the spotlight.

His mission is to teach kids flooding the market with product is better than having talent, something he firmly believes.

The new product has 7 different flavors to add to his other products, which include Soldier and Rap Snacks, noodles and cereal.

P also tells us he has a special food project with Snoop Dogg in the works. He says the “menu” is still under construction, but the two have been collaborating for years and he promises this one's gonna be special.

Diversifying the game is the tune most legendary rappers are singing these days.

Bun B recently told TMZ Hip Hop how he brought together Nas, Jadakiss and Styles P, E-40 and several other rappers' restaurant franchises for the upcoming Rock The Bells food court.

The UGK co-founder echoed many of Master P's sentiments in believing artists can use their influence to leverage into many opportunities typically foreign to them.

Kevin Hart is coming in hot with guests for Season 2 of “Heart To Hart” ... 'cause he's got Jay-Z opening up about milestone moments in his legendary career, and what it takes to get a guest verse outta him these days.

Following up on his Pete Davidson convo, Kev chatted with Jay about his 2003 rap retirement which ended with the “Kingdom Come” album, and its “Lost Ones” track that made him and his best friend Ty Ty face the nature of death.

Hov admitted he’s been downshifting musically since releasing his last album in 2017, but still does his share of blockbuster guest features along the way ... like he did for Pusha T’s “Neck & Wrist” and DJ Khaled’s “I Got The Keys.”

Despite being rap’s first billionaire, Hov says he never charges for verses, nor chases down artists to be a part of their project, because that wouldn’t be very 🐐-like, now would it?

He also revealed he declines more requests than he approves, usually due to timing, scheduling or just not liking the track altogether.

Although Jay didn’t name names, we know 2 Chainz felt that defeat when prepping his 2020 album “So Help Me God." Tity Boi didn't get a response for a song tailor-made for Hov and gave up on being part of Jay's discography altogether.

Erica Mena and Safaree are officially over, and parting ways from the house they once called home.

A real estate source tells TMZ Erica and Safaree sold their GA home Friday to TV Executive and producer Carlos King for $1.3 million. The home has a pool, master bedroom complete with balcony and plenty of space to lounge and entertain.

As we reported, the "Love & Hip Hop" star filed divorce docs back in May of 2021 after less than 2 years of marriage ... Erica was pregnant with the couple's second child at the time.

In the docs, Erica asked for primary custody of their 1-year-old daughter, child support and use of the home on her own.

Boosie Badazz says Twitter is the only social media platform he has left ... and he's using it to fire off a series of hate-filled messages to the FB and IG honchos he blames for banning him.

In the rants, which continued Friday after an initial wave on Thursday, Boosie IDs Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram's Adam Mosseri for shutting down his @americasmostwantedig handle -- and he drags their families into it too, while spewing some pretty foul things.

He went so far as to wish they died in a helicopter crash, instead of Kobe Bryant.

Boosie thinks body cam video in Georgia prompted IG's latest deletion of his account, and he's vowing to get revenge by starting a new Instagram account.

As of the time we posted, his 62 followers don't exactly represent the rallying cry he's hoping for, but maybe the weekend will bring in more support?

TMZ broke the story ... Boosie's been fuming since he was handcuffed earlier this week in Georgia during a traffic stop where he was the passenger.

While in cuffs, he ranted the cops were targeting him. The cops say they weren't rapper profiling, just following protocol.

NBA YoungBoy has just been found not guilty in his federal gun case.

The verdict, confirmed by both NBA's lawyer Andre Belanger and the U.S. Attorney's Office comes after a 3-day trial ... the jury found him not guilty of a charge of illegal firearms possession over a loaded handgun found in his car last year.

As we reported, LAPD and the feds attempted to pull over a vehicle the rapper was in last March on an outstanding federal warrant.

The guy apparently didn't give up easily -- a short pursuit went down, but once the car stopped, cops said the rapper bolted on foot. Police set up a perimeter and brought in a K-9 to help find YoungBoy. The gun in question was found in his vehicle.

He was released on a $500K bond from federal prison back in October, but the judge ordered him to sit in home confinement in Utah until his trial date.

DJ Premier dropped his "Hip Hop 50 Vol. 1" compilation packed with a handful of his favorite rappers on Friday ... setting the stage for Remy Ma to lay waste to basically all her peers!

Mrs. Terror Squadian opened her “Remy Rap” collaboration with Rapsody with both guns a-blazin' … while proclaiming there are only “5 dope female rappers” out.

She also ripped the bulk of female rap artists for hiding behind social media-driven sex appeal for spins.

Rapsody also added testosterone to the track, comparing her rap skills to holding the weight of the world in her pants while giving out gag reflexes.

Assuming Remy counts herself and Rapsody … that would only leave 3 remaining spots on the dope list. Who else could she mean?! 🔍🤔

Remy, being the versatile and veteran battle rapper she is, recently specified how she thinks rappers who just recite their lyrics are closer to karaoke stars or comedians than actual MCs. Damn!

T.I. has long been credited as a creator of trap music (his 2003 album is named after it), but now he says he's disavowing the thoughts and ideologies of his past occupations.

While speaking with Bill Bellamy for the opening of his "Top Billin’" podcast, T.I. revealed how his approach to making music had matured over the years and admits his music was written when he was 20, sounds like it was written by a 20-year-old!

Tip even joked -- he's a comedian after all -- about rising up in the ranks in street hustling … but no longer being able to brag about it on the résumé.

He said, "I get it … I respect it! Now, for me to go out here and continue to force those skills on the marketplace when I know I have no real stage to present these skills on, it's counterproductive."

The Atlanta rap legend first burst onto the scene at the top of 2000 with pure trap classic records such as “24” and “Be Easy,” but says adjustments had to be made.

His son Domani Harris, who is also a rapper, also pushes him in the direction of non-trap-raps.

T.I.'s last album, 2020’s "The L.I.B.R.A.," saw him playing with the balance of moving away from the trap, but the comedic stage -- where he's gotten cheers and boos -- has been his go-to outlet lately.

When we last spoke to the Trouble Man in April, he said he was taking his lumps on the laugh circuit in stride and learning to be a better performer.

Hip hop legend Bun B's love for both food and rap is colliding headfirst come August 6 when he spearheads the first hip-hop-themed food court at Rock The Bells 2022.

Bun, who owns his Trill Burgers franchise, shared his excitement with TMZ Hip Hop on how he got cool with the one and only LL Cool J during their Sirius radio shows and pitched the idea of having a "Trill Mealz Food Court" at the upcoming Rock The Bells Festival … which is now run by the "Mama Said Knock You Out" creator.

LL loved the idea and in addition to Bun's Trill Burgers, E-40's Goon With The Spoon, Ghostface Killah's Killah Koffee, Jadakiss & Styles P's Juices for Life, Nas' Sweet Chick and Mia X's Team Whip Dem Pots will also be available for heavy consumption!!!

He credits both Ice Cube and Russell Simmons for pioneering hip-hop entrepreneurship and feels the creators should all be the CEOs!!!

Bun also shed light on the current state of hip hop amid all this money talk ... explaining how his time building a legacy with the late Pimp C happened in a completely different world.

According to the younger generation in Bun's ears, NBA YoungBoy is the new Tupac, and today's music conveys much of the same feelings toward the government as N.W.A and UGK did for past generations.

Rock The Bells '22 is coming up with performances from LL, Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Dipset, Fat Joe & Remy Ma, Jadakiss, and a newly added Busta Rhymes.

Latto is using her buzzing platform to make a political statement against the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade with a simple and direct title diss track ... "P***Y."

There's nothing subtle about Latto's lyrical ripping of SCOTUS, starting with her song's exotic artwork. Yeah, that seems to be pink hot lava spewing from ... well, you get it.

The music video uses images from some of the protests that have broken out across the country since the landmark decision ... and it also features Latto surrounded by lots and lots of cats as she raps to lawmakers -- "How you ain't got a p***y, but got opinions on p***y?/ That's p***y/ My ovaries ain't for you to bully!"

During the initial promo run earlier in the week, Latto fended off fans angry she was using Roe v. Wade to further her career.

Apparently, a rapper speaking on social justice issues is still a wild concept for some people.

The song also samples the late R&B pioneer Betty Wright as they scold "little boys" for making grown-women decisions.

Latto's been spitting with "Big Energy" all year ... with that particular hit song -- her biggest to date -- helping her win Best New Artist at last month's BET Awards.