TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Former NBA and college basketball standout Chris Webber is entering the cannabis biz via his new Player’s Only strain -- collaborating with several other rapper brands in the process!

On Thursday, C. Webb rolled out his Players Only strains C4, Time Out and G.O.A.T.’s Milk strains in addition to collaborations with Quavo’s BIRKINZ strain, Royce 5’9’s “Heaven” and Raekwon’s “Compliments Of The Chef” brand.

The Wu-Tang Clan legend’s company actually pays people to grow weed in their home state while Royce’s strain will double as an NFT.

And, the last time we checked with Quavo, his Birkin business was booming without any fear of copyright claims!

Naturally, C. Webb’s “Players Only” also lobs to athletes with cannabis companies and today’s launch reunites the Hall of Famer with his ex-Sacramento Kings teammate Jason Williams who has his “White Chocolate” strain, former Fab 5 teammate Ray Jackson and his Black Sox strain and former NBA champ and “All The Smoke” podcast co-host Matt Barnes, who launched “The Smoke” strain with Stephen Jackson.

Barnes was recently appointed Chief Collaborations Officer of PO and C. Webb calls it a big move for minorities and entrepreneurs alike.

For those who don’t know, C. Webb is quite the rap head … having produced for Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead" album and even dropped a rap album towards the peak of his NBA career!

J. Cole's Dreamville artist JID is countering the current conversation sparked by Tory Lanez that 2022 hip hop music is in the dumps ... claiming it's a great year for the genre.

We caught up with the Atlanta-bred lyricist in Hollywood at DASH Radio as he readies his upcoming album "The Forever Story" ... and he's fully confident the new project won't have a problem penetrating the alleged "mid" landscape.

ICYMI, Tory basically called out the entire hip hop and R&B game for not bringing the excitement this year ... a take not only brushed off by JID but singer Tank all the same.

Tony Yayo recently did an interview with VladTV and disclosed J. Cole could've been in G-G-G-G-Unit before he ultimately signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint ... which would've altered JID's career indefinitely.

It's not uncommon for rappers to shop for deals nowadays and JID reveals he was actually being courted by Quality Control's Coach K ahead of his Dreamville contract!

JID says it's still all love with QC, Migos and them, as there's plenty of rap money for everyone in ATL. And, he actually has plenty of reasons to be pumped about his odds to beat the "mid-year."

Just yesterday, he released his "Dance Now" video which garnered nearly one million views in a day and the album is slated to feature the likes of 21 Savage, Russ, Lil Yachty, Ari Lennox and more!

Drake flipped the script for his 119 million Instagram followers this week by changing up his profile pic … a moment that surprised even the artist who created the portrait.

South African artist Siphesihle PM tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he was inspired by the music on Drake’s latest album “Honestly, Nevermind” … especially since it’s partly produced by hometown hero, Black Coffee.

BC scored a pair of tracks on the album and Siphesihle immediately created the oil painting on June 18 — a day after Drake dropped “HN” … coloring in details like Drizzy’s finger wave braids and diamond ring.

Siphesihle thought nothing of it for nearly two months, continuing to paint as usual, until Tuesday ... when he woke up to messages alerting him Drake had posted his work.

Siphesihle calls the recognition Drake gave on his profile and IG stories “an honor and huge accomplishment," as the megastar rapper is giving a budding artist a chance to showcase his work.

A$AP Rocky is now being sued over the alleged shooting that led to his arrest ... and the guy who says he's the victim is a former member of the rapper's group.

Rocky is being sued for assault and battery by Terell Ephron, a former A$AP Mob member who used to carry the moniker "A$AP Relli."

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Ephron claims the shooting went down November 6 in Hollywood, where he says Rocky set up a meeting and initiated a verbal altercation leading to shots being fired.

In the docs, Ephron says Rocky pulled out a handgun during the dispute, pointed it at him and pulled the trigger ... firing multiple shots, with bullet fragments striking Ephron. Ephron claims he suffered injuries to his hand that required medical attention.

Remember ... A$AP was arrested at LAX back in April, with cops waiting for him to get off his private jet from Barbados and take him away in handcuffs.

Rocky was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon ... and police said it stemmed from the Nov. 6 shooting, where the alleged victim claimed Rocky shot at him multiple times, with at least one bullet grazing his hand. Cops also said Rocky knew the alleged victim.

There's some bad blood between the A$AP Mob and Relli ... with A$AP Bari claiming Relli snitched on Rocky, leading to the arrest.

Relli claims a large portion of the shooting incident was caught on camera ... which lines up with what LAPD sources told us back in April, when we first reported cops had footage of the alleged shooting in their possession.

Ephron is going after Rocky for damages ... he says he continues to suffer emotional distress as a result of the shooting and is losing out on work.

Ludacris is currently beaming with positivity -- even if the world is drenched in negativity.

We ran into Chris Lova Lova out in NYC … defending Snoop Dogg's gray dreadlocks and pounding the pavement in support of the 3rd season of his Netflix children’s special “Karma’s World” and he says the overall goal is to spread light and energy in the places that need it the most.

It’s been a helluva career for Luda, one he tells TMZ Hip Hop he can't believe bounced from blockbuster rap albums and movies to dropping his own toy line.

Luda, ever the proud Girl Dad with four daughters, also connected with Barbie toymaker Mattel for a line of 'Karma’s World' dolls -- with accessories ranging from microphones, portable stereos, high fashion sneakers -- y’know, everything needed for ladies to become the next big thing in rap!

DaBaby is playing antagonist with all his naysayers and haters in his new video titled “Tough Skin” … which probably best describes what his critics will need to stomach through the entire thing.

Directed by his longtime visionaries Reel Goats, DaBaby takes on the classic controversial image of being depicted on a cross akin to some guy named Jesus Christ, while rocking nothing but a loin cloth … or a diaper.

The alternate scenery also reenacts his time as a youth … having to fight at home and school for hierarchy, hence the tough-skinned rapper who is always dodging an altercation.

2022 alone has brought out several DB jaw-dropping moments … including shooting a home intruder in self-defense as well as engaging in a bowling alley brawl against the brother of singer DaniLeigh, the mother of one of his daughters.

For day one DB fans, the imagery shouldn’t come as much of a shock … his first rap name was Baby Jesus and he infamously dressed like a toddler at SXSW to make a name for himself (Spoiler alert, it worked 😎).

Tank doesn't believe R&B and hip hop are in a state of crisis like some folks do ... but he does believe today's music rotation is missing some important elements.

The R&B vet was checking in with Bill Bellamy's new podcast out in Hollywood Tuesday promoting his 10th and final album "R&B Money" and talked Tory Lanez -- who recently blasted all 2022 album releases for being "mid" AKA forgettable!

Tank didn't totally agree with Tory, but he does believe there are some things artists could work on ... like figuring out how best to spend their time. Tank says the CD-selling generation had more time to create and promote their music.

He also admits his generation could've done more to pass the torch, including his misunderstandings with Yung Bleu earlier this year. Nonetheless, Tank is in good spirits these days, even in light of the fact he's losing the hearing in his right ear.

Angela Yee is leaving "The Breakfast Club," but not before they can find her replacement -- a process for which she says she's going to help.

The longtime radio host was in NYC Wednesday -- shortly after her announcing that she was starting her own nationally syndicated show -- and she told us the hunt for a new female co-host to join DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God hasn't really begun yet.

It'll definitely get going now, though, since word's out. And, as far as selecting a successor ... AY tells us she'll likely have a hand in that, although the guys will have final say.

Our photog floats one name to possibly replace Angela, and she doesn't shoot it down. If anything, she embraces this potential pick -- someone who's been on the show a lot.

When it comes to how Angela thinks 'TBC' will do in her absence ... she says it'll probably be just fine. Yes, the dynamic will be different with a new host in her old chair -- but that doesn't necessarily mean much will change in terms of success. So, she's rooting for 'em.

"Boy Meets World" star Matthew Lawrence and TLC singer Chilli certainly had a good time together at the beach in Hawaii ... but sources say they're not romantic.

Matthew and Chilli were spotted Monday on the beach in Waikiki. Some beachgoers tell us the two got in the water together and shared some intense convos while chilling on beach chairs.

A rep for Chilli tells us the two aren't dating or romantic, TLC had a show on the island, and Matthew and some pals came to watch ... the two are friends and linked up later.

We haven't seen Matthew out much since his ex-wife and "Dancing with the Stars" pro, Cheryl Burke filed for divorce about 6 months ago.

As we reported, Cheryl and Matthew were married nearly 3 years, before she pulled the plug back in February, citing irreconcilable differences. She noted they'd been separated since Jan 7.

Kanye West and his fellow Geminis Lil Uzi Vert and Steve Lacy clearly believed they had a night worth remembering forever -- getting matching tattoos to commemorate the event.

Both Steve and L.A.-based tattoo artist Mez Afram shared a pic taken in the wee hours of Tuesday night, showcasing their freshly inked arms in the mirror.

The message is kind of hard to read out but Steve and Mez both added clarity by captioning the Instagram moment, “We here forever technically.”

Ye's face says he's really into the moment ... following the latest Pete Davidson outburst, the new needle stick could've been therapeutic for him.

Kanye recently praised Steve for his hit “Gemini Rights” ... calling the album "beautiful" when it was released a few weeks ago, and Uzi and Ye’s relationship goes back several years.

Angela Yee is out of the 'Breakfast Club' after 10 years on the popular morning radio show.

Yee Tweeted Tuesday, "The Breakfast Club is over as you know it."

Yee faced her cohosts Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy on Wednesday, revealing she had been planning an exit strategy even before the pandemic and iHeartRadio approached her with an offer she couldn't refuse.

Both Charlamagne and Envy saluted and supported the move without any blowback.

Shortly after the bittersweet bombshell, Premiere Networks announced the solo afternoon show "Way Up with Angela Yee" would be starting in the fall, given the green light by the station's EVP.

Folks can't seem to get enough of Travis Scott ... look no further than his concerts across the pond, where he made history at the merchandise table.

Sources close to Travis tell TMZ ... the rapper sold more than $1 million in merch at his weekend concerts in London, setting a record for performers in the United Kingdom and knocking BTS from the top spot in the process.

We're told Travis released a new series of merch exclusively for his two shows at The O2 arena in London, where fans arrived hours before the show was set to begin just to make sure they got their hands on the gear.

TS hoodies were going for $100 to $125 a pop, while shirts ranged from $45 to $75 and hats flew off the rack for $45 each.

Our sources say Travis is the only artist to sell at least $1 million in merch in the U.K. We're told BTS did just under $1 mil during their "Love Yourself World Tour" stops.

The tattoo artist who was put on blast by Drake over his dad's tattoo says it wasn't his fault the final product was far from perfect ... and it was straight-up disrespectful to get other artists to fix it.

Money Mike tells TMZ ... he met Drake's dad, Dennis Graham, at a birthday party in 2017 and hit him up to get Dennis' famous son inked on his upper arm. Mike even did it for free, despite not being a fan of Drake -- hoping to get more clients.

As we reported, Drake posted a pic of the tattoo Monday, clearly not feeling it -- captioning it with, "I was sitting here thinking why you do me like this we family 😂 😂." His dad commented, saying he's gotten it touched up 16 times since.

Mike admits the tat didn't come out as good as it could've, but that wasn't on him ... he claims Dennis was in pain at the 4-hour mark, and rushed Mike to finish the job.

Mike claims everyone in the fam was actually diggin' the art -- including Dennis -- but once Drake saw the tat everything changed.

As an independent artist, Russ is always looking to maximize his results … including spending a whopping $1 million on his feature record with Ed Sheeran!!!

Russ released the video to his “Are You Entertained” collaboration with Ed back in July … and hopped on TikTok on Tuesday to break down a little Music Industry 101.

For Russ, the decision to drop big money into the song’s promotion was simple, Ed Sheeran is the biggest artist in the world, towering over The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles for most Spotify listeners at over 81 million a month!

But Russ says money still doesn’t equal hit records … claiming some of his platinum records had $0 financial backing while he wasted money on others.

For Russ' $1M, he says it put $300K into the music video shot in London while the other $700K went into Spotify, radio and other social media campaigns.

The video is doing well, at 17 million views on YouTube, and Russ says the pairing was organic -- having casually met Ed at a restaurant in London before becoming fast friends.

Last time we spoke to Russ, he was adamant about how artists should bank on themselves and should cut record labels out of their career equation.

Morgan Wallen has been touring for a long time, but his latest show might go down as one of his favorites for more reason than one ... because not only did he welcome one of his heroes, they chugged beers together too!!!

Morgan's 'The Dangerous Tour' made a stop in Atlanta over the weekend, and he brought a surprise guest, Jeezy. The rapper's "Put On" blasted through the speakers while Morgan and fellow country artist Hardy shotgunned beers on stage, Jeezy poured a shot.

While the moment was clearly a good time for fans, it was kinda full circle for Morgan, who actually tweeted back in 2012 that Jeezy was one of his favorite artists.

Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Tour is making people light up with excitement on and off the stage -- just ask Dapper Dan!

The fashion trendsetter got the hip hop surprise of a lifetime when K. Dot, Dave Free, A$AP Ferg & co. surprised him in Harlem at his boutique shop Monday to wish him a Happy-78th-Birthday in person!

It's a heartwarming moment as Kendrick, who's currently on tour, is seen harmonizing with the group while DD's daughter provided a cake shaped like one of his signature Gucci fedoras.

DD has been long credited for pioneering the hip hop fashion game, having started his boutique in Harlem back in the 1980s ... and has stacked his résumé with the names of virtually every star rapper since.

Ferg also escorted Kendrick, his pgLang artist Tanna Leone and several others on a tour of the Black Mecc -- including the stoop where the A$AP Mob solidified their popularity shooting A$AP Rocky’s breakout “Peso” video back in 2011.

Tour life can be grueling and Kendrick didn’t whiff at the chance to get some NYC-style exercise in … by doing pull-ups on the block.

It’s pretty impressive stuff … especially since his competition is about half his size.