TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kevin Gates is not one to mess with -- the popular rapper straight-up clocked AEW star Tony Nese during Dynamite on Wednesday ... after he was told his music sucks!!

It all went down at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA ... where Gates was standing ringside as the newly-crowned tag team champs, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, celebrated their titles in the ring.

During the segment, Nese and his on-screen manager, Mark Sterling, interrupted the festivities ... and the duo immediately went up to Gates and demanded he sign a petition to have Strickland removed from the AEW roster.

Gates refused ... which set off Sterling, who said, "Just like Swerve Strickland, you're untrustworthy, and your music sucks!!!"

After Tony stepped in between Gates and Sterling ... and BOOM, down went Nese with a mean right hand from the 36-year-old "2 Phones" hit-maker.

Based on the vid of the incident, it certainly looked like Gates made contact with Nese ... which sent him to the ground.

The AEW fans ate it up ... applauding the AEW superfan for exacting some revenge on Nese for crashing the celebration.

Kim Kardashian is taking interest in a new legal case ... she wants to see Gunna released from his jail cell while he awaits trial.

Kim, who has helped a ton of folks get out from behind bars over the years, tweeted out her support for the rapper Wednesday, with a hashtag and a nod to one of Gunna's popular songs.

KK tweeted to her 73.1 million followers ... "#FreeGunna" and emojis saying "Free P" ... a reference to his song "Pushin P."

As we reported ... Gunna was recently denied bond a second time in his Young Stoner Life RICO case and will be held in a Georgia jail until at least January, when his case is scheduled to go to trial.

Gunna's accused of possession of drugs with intent to distribute and receiving stolen property, pleading not guilty to the allegations, and he's been going hard for his freedom ... penning an open letter about the U.S. Constitution on his birthday, which he spent behind bars.

Now Kim appears to be in Gunna's corner ... and it will be interesting to see if her celebrity can help his cause.

Polo G complains about not being able to enjoy his birthday on his latest hit song "Distraction," but his son certainly doesn't share his father's pain.

This past weekend, the "Hall of Fame" rapper went all out for his son Baby Cap as he celebrated his 3rd year around the sun.

Here's what we mean by all out ... Polo G splurged for this 13x10 foot blue and silver display from a company called Balloon & Paper.

If you're thinking your kid needs a massive balloon display like this to tower over their next birthday party, we hope you've saved well. Sources involved in planning the event tell us Polo plunked down about $10k in "RAPSTAR" money.

That'd be a baller move for a 30-year-old's party, much less a 3-year-old's!

Polo called his little man his "main priority" and tossed additional spoils his way in the form of a Lamborghini toy car, a slippery slide and the type of love that's gonna tire a toddler all the way out!

He may not remember the party as he gets older ... but he can always link back to this post. 😉

Jay-Z is saying yes to Jermaine Dupri's request to sample a classic track -- even though he recently admitted he rejects many collab requests -- but Jay's approval comes with a disclaimer.

So, JD is producing Drake's artists, the duo dvsn, and on Wednesday he posted a text convo with his “Money Ain’t a Thang” collaborator, in which Hov cleared the sample -- after all, who is he to knock the hustle, right?! But, he had some commentary on the dvsn track.

Jay claims the song beats out his 2001 heartbreak anthem “Song Cry” in terms of “toxicity,” and, as a result, said he wants the world to know he ain't cosigning on the message of dvsn's song, which is called "I Get Caught."

Sources close to the situation tell us 'Caught' actually samples “Song Cry” -- and dvsn is doing a serious hype job, claiming it's in the same class as other emotional wrecks like Usher’s “Confessions Pt. II” and SZA’s “The Weekend” ... but better.

Drake's offering some hilarious observations -- some of them subtle -- about his fellow hip hop artists while he's kicking back in St. Tropez.

Drizzy was hanging at a pretty lively spot in the south of France when he playfully clowned a daytime rager for Crip walking to Latto’s “Big Energy” -- which seems like a win for female rap fans everywhere.

He quickly got distracted, though, when the DJ played Joe Budden’s biggest hit, “Pump It Up."

Drake didn't hesitate to clown the retired rapper-turned-podcaster for the played-out party jam ... and OVO Chubbs said a lot more with his facial expression.

With his dance album still in the Billboard 200's top 10 after its release several weeks ago, Drake has been tearing down Europe ... partying in Sweden, Ibiza, St. Tropez, or wherever the good vibes take him.

Nelly belted out several home runs ... on a stage in Los Angeles as the co-host and performer for his carnival-themed MLB All-Star after-party with Dodgers star Mookie Betts.

The Diamond-certified rapper brought Betts and his wife Brianna up on stage, dedicating his “Hot In Herre” performance to them … just like he did a few months prior at their wedding!!!

Mookie and Nelly have become fast friends since that big day back in December, and collaborated on Tuesday night's event to celebrate the All-Star Game ... which Mookie played in a couple hours earlier on his home turf at Dodger Stadium.

He also clowned Mookie's National League squad for disrupting sports bets by blowing their 2-0 lead to lose 3-2.

Drake's dad, Dennis Graham, was also in the building, as were YK Osiris and Kid Ink.

Trina's family is reeling after the devastating loss of her niece, who was shot and killed in Miami ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Trina confirmed with TMZ that her niece, who the rapper endearingly referred to as Baby Suga, was killed Tuesday night ... telling us she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Law enforcement sources say it appears the teen was visiting the area, they're still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting to determine if the attack was random or targeted.

Suga and 2 other women sustained gunshot wounds during the incident ... the condition of the other 2 is not currently known.

A rep for Trina tells TMZ, "We kindly ask that everyone please respect the privacy of Trina and her family at this devastating time."

Baby Suga, whose real name was Toni Chester, was only 17.

Day26, former winners of Diddy’s “Making The Band” MTV series are back together, and they’re out to prove R&B sorely needs them.

We caught up with all members of the five-man group -- Que, Willie, Brian, Robert and Michael -- who were all excited, promising their past in-fighting's been squashed and they're ready to deliver an R&B classic.

They sent the feelers out on IG this week, and are now confirming a full-fledged comeback.

As Season 4 winners of “MTB,” the fellas say they’re thankful to Diddy for putting them together but ... even Puff couldn’t grasp the full depths of their potential as an act.

They say there are no hard feelings, but being on Bad Boy is a thing of the past ... and they want to convince the world it’s okay for men in music to soften up.

Their rollout should provide interesting competition for their mentor -- Diddy is currently perfecting his new Love Records venture, which he says houses the "R&B Biggie."

Day26's sentiments on R&B’s current standing echoed that of Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, who said the singing community is too much like the rapping sector these days.

The group is looking ahead to its 15th anniversary live stream concert on July 26 where they’ll debut new material, which they say will re-cement their stake to the throne.

Joey Badass is currently in the middle of a national tour and just hit a speed bump named Delta -- he's blaming the airline for damaging critical gear he needs to perform.

The rapper/actor landed in Portland Tuesday afternoon for his 1999-2000 Summer Tour's stop ... but says he quickly discovered his studio rig equipment was broken during the flight. It wasn't even in its case!!!

JB then proceeded to rip Delta for smashing up the knobs and buttons before finally putting an invoice on it: $12,000. And, he says this isn't the first time it's happened.

There’s still a considerable number of West Coast dates left, including stops in Los Angeles and Seattle -- but at this rate, he might have to do a cappella shows.

Joey's gotta feel like he can't win -- he made the switch to Delta from American Airlines after accusing AA of racism back in 2018.

His new album, entitled “2000,” drops on Friday -- maybe that will bring some better luck his way.

50 Cent and director Josh Stolberg have an instant promo for their upcoming horror flick, "Skill House" ... it's so terrifying, even the film's crew is losing consciousness on set!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained this footage ... it's the camera operator's reaction while filming a particularly bloody scene, and whoever's behind the lens has a weak stomach ... because he passed out on the spot.

The clip opens up with an extremely bloody actor and you can see the camera become wobbly almost immediately as the cameraman loses consciousness (but thankfully not his lunch!).

If you're squeamish too, you get why the guy went down -- 50 still couldn't believe it when he shared the gory story on Instagram ... and he was just getting it secondhand.

We're told Fiddy wasn't on set at the time but several other cast members, including Amira Mertaban, were present -- Amira was actually the first person to rush to the cameraman's side. Medics stepped in, and we're told the camera guy is fine ... he'll be back on set to finish the film.

Hollywood SFX legend Steve Johnson is credited (or blamed) for creating the gut-wrenching scene. He and Stolberg -- who worked on the last 2 'Saw' movies -- seem hellbent on pushing the limit on "Skill House."

Kodak Black claims he had a perfectly good reason for having several oxycodone pills when he was busted last weekend … his legal team insists he needs them to deal with serious pain.

Kodak's attorney Bradford Cohen tells TMZ ... the "Super Gremlin" rapper has battled chronic pain after getting shot in February during a scuffle in L.A. over Super Bowl weekend. Cohen says Kodak was prescribed pain pills to take as necessary to deal with that injury.

What's more, prior to the shooting, Kodak alleged he was assaulted by guards during his stint in a Kentucky federal prison, before Donald Trump commuted his sentence and released him. We're told he suffers ongoing pain from the attack and the meds help with that pain.

Cohen says he's handed over proof to prosecutors that the pills were legally prescribed, in an effort to resolve the matter STAT.

Lil Baby is in especially high spirits heading into his Washington, D.C. tour stop with Chris Brown, and briefly clued us in on Gunna and Young Thug's moods ... even though we interrupted his Future flow.

The 4PF Records CEO kindly stopped his rapping rendition of Future’s "Back to the Basics" Tuesday afternoon outside Reagan National Airport. We caught him right at the "DC sniped it" line, so yeah ... he was getting hyped for the Capital One Arena show.

We asked if he had any update on how Thug and Gunna are holding up on the inside, and LB pumped the brakes on the lyrics. He assured us both YSL superstars are in good spirits and added a thumbs up, which is rarely faked in this day and age!

Earlier in the week, Gunna was able to video call with some relatives, and a short clip posted online was filled with laughs ... a good sign, for sure.

And just last week, Young Thug’s sister says she paid him an in-person visit that yielded similar vibes.

Both Atlanta-based rap stars have to wait until at least 2023 before they see trial but a friend like Baby is sure to keep them plugged in the rap world.

Desus and Mero’s Showtime series’ untimely demise put the spotlight on internal negative intentions … at least that's Charlamagne Tha God's take as he digests the surprising news.

Charlamagne pointed out how numerous outlets rushed to cover the breakup in spite of D&M’s 6-year TV run on Showtime and Vice ... and blamed the “culture” for rushing to highlight failure over success.

The Breakfast Club host didn’t specify which culture he was referring to, but D&M’s brand intersected the worlds of music, movies, comics and ... generally speaking, all things NYC.

The show’s official Twitter account closed the curtain Monday on Desus and Mero’s run -- all but citing the irreconcilable differences fans suspect behind the split.

A $345K+ factory Rolls-Royce wasn't enough for Floyd Mayweather ... "Money" upgraded his whip with an authentic mink fur-lined car seat for his little baby grandson that cost $18,000!

TMZ Sports has learned the undefeated boxer hit up his longtime car guy Obi Okeke -- aka Doctor Bugatti -- who arranged to have the seat lined in the real fur ... and then they installed it in the 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

Luckily, we have video of the finished product ... and you can see the seat perfectly matches the interior of the luxury car.

And, that's because the car's also mink ... though the interior was done previously. Floyd wanted the car seat to match the interior ... and that's exactly what he got!.

The car seat also features "Kentrell Jr." stitched in highlighter yellow thread ... the name of Floyd's grandson. His daughter Yaya and NBA Youngboy are Kentrell's parents.

Ever since Kentrell Jr. was born, Mayweather's clearly been loving the role of grandpa -- from spoiling the baby boy with gifts to bringing him to the boxing gym.

Issa Rae's latest HBO series "Rap Sh!t" is about to debut, and she says you can expect to see characters spitting lyrics written by her favorite rappers ... all women!

Issa shouted out PineappleCITI, NCognita and Dreezy, who tells TMZ Hip Hop ... writing for the show was a breeze, seeing as how she's written for hip hop and R&B artists in the past.

She's sworn to secrecy as far as naming any co-collaborators for the show, but Dreezy assured us a few upcoming hot tracks have her fingerprints all over them.

"Rap Sh!t" -- which drops Thursday on HBOMax -- is centered around 2 Miami women looking to get ahead with their music, and, naturally, they also experience all the sinful spoils of the industry.

It looks and feels much like the life of City Girls Yung Miami and JT ... mainly because they're co-executive producers with Issa and several other people.

Dreezy also tells us the backlash behind women rapping about their bodies is a moot point, mainly because sex sells everything ... including rap, and "women are sexy AF!!!"

She claims women rappers have just as much variety as men, citing love songs, party songs, get money music, heartbreak and bad bitch music as different subgenres.

French Montana is accusing record labels of embracing street violence related to their artists, and actually capitalizing off rappers’ deaths.

Comparing his entry point to today’s star rappers, French told Akademiks ... record labels are now taking life insurance out on artists in anticipation of them being killed in action.

French says when he began buzzing in the late 2000s through NYC aficionados Max B. and Dame Grease, labels and artists actually distanced themselves from street drama but now they’ve learned how to monetize the murders.

Over the past few years, rappers such as Pop Smoke, King Von and Drakeo The Ruler were all killed … and subsequently had albums released posthumously to the public.

French also says today’s rap game is more dangerous than in the past, and blames social media for escalating the beefs saying, “One day a full war [can] go on.”

Fellow NYC-bred rap stars Nas and Jim Jones have both sided in the past with French and his notion that being a rapper is the world’s “most dangerous” j-o-b.

We recently caught him in NY as he broke down the complicated culture ... reacting to his friend/collaborator Lil Tjay’s shooting. His message: urging all hip hop artists and entourages to stay safe.