TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kodak Black earned a platinum plaque for this year's hit “Super Gremlin” -- a passionate accusation of betrayal toward his former Sniper Gang artist Jackboy, but now Jackboy's clearing the air.

He's just dropped a new track ... "Renegade Freestyle (Closure),” which samples Jay-Z and Eminem’s legendary duet.

Kodak and Jackboy had a public falling out over numerous topics on Instagram Live last summer and Jackboy opens up as many old wounds as possible on the record.

According to Jackboy, Kodak has never visited Haiti despite repping the country's culture regularly, and even serves as a “federal agent” in exchange for immunity through Donald Trump. Again, that's just Jackboy's claim ... but it is true Trump was Kodak's saving grace when he was incarcerated.

Kodak’s recent run-ins with the police suggest he’s not above the law -- he's also not above a lawsuit.

Florida rapper Hotboii’s career stalled last year when he got caught up in a RICO case that authorities claim involved warring gangs … but he just scored a legal victory that may help his chances of being released on bond.

Hotboii’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ Hip Hop his client’s Miami gun possession case was dismissed on Tuesday … but the RICO case in Orlando remains open.

Hotboii's bond was revoked when he surrendered last month in Miami to deal with the gun case and Cohen thinks this dismissal could provide a silver lining to getting his bond reinstated.

Hotboii was also part of the 34-person indictment dubbed “Operation X-Force” … a concentrated effort to thwart the alleged crimes of rivals Army Gang and 438 Gang.

The 22-year-old rapper was riding high this past summer when Drake put the stamp of approval on his newly released “WTF” single … but saw the buzz fizzle when he surrendered to authorities last month.

Miami rapper Zoey Dollaz recently dropped "Dollaz" from his handle, but added a money notch to his biz profile -- essentially starting a bulletproof version of Uber or Lyft.

On Tuesday, Zoey hit up "TMZ Live" to discuss Aegis -- the bulletproof car service he named after the Greek god Athena’s protective cloak -- and he told us he was partially inspired by his own brush with death.

Zoey is actually a shooting survivor himself, having been shot in December 2020 outside Teyana Taylor’s birthday party in Miami.

On top of that, he and Young Thug survived a shooting while driving around Atlanta … where he guestimates 75 rounds were fired in their direction.

That was enough of a spark for him to start Aegis operations with just 2 vehicles back in January 2021. Zoey says proudly he rented out 23 cars to artists during this year's Rolling Loud Miami festival.

Zoey says his company isn’t just for rappers ... he actually counts Manny Pacquiao as a past client and he wants pro athletes and regular citizens fearful of road rage to utilize his services.

He's based in Miami but has availability in major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Texas, Chicago and NYC.

The Washington Post reports Americans have purchased more than 43 million guns over the last 3 years -- and many, in and out of the industry, have called rapping. "the world's most dangerous job."

Kanye West will not be charged for allegedly punching a fan after a heated exchange outside an L.A. hotel.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office tells us, "After a thorough and careful review of all the evidence, our office is declining to file based on no reasonable likelihood of conviction." Translation -- there's likely just not enough evidence for a conviction.

As we reported, Ye got into an argument that turned physical back in January near the Soho Warehouse, according to law enforcement sources. We're told things got so heated, Kanye pushed and punched the male fan.

The case was being investigated as a misdemeanor battery, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 6 months.

We obtained a video of an irate Kanye, shot around the time of the alleged assault. You hear Kanye yell, "Did y'all say that or not? Did y'all say that or not?" "Cuz that's what happened right f****** now."

Rick Ross is tired of Jake Paul's boxing opponents backing out, so he's reaching deep into his pockets, offering up a whopping $10 million on top of the fighter's purse ... all to secure a fighter for the Problem Child.

Of course, 25-year-old Paul was scheduled to fight Tommy Fury (twice) and Hasim Rahman Jr., but both men never made it to the ring ... and Ross tells TMZ Sports he's so sick of it, he's cutting an 8-figure check.

Rick, who is friends with Jake, says the $10,000,000 will be awarded in addition to whatever fighter pay is negotiated with promoters. He doesn't care how the cash is split up (all to the winner, 50/50, etc.).

Ross believes fighters are (let's say) a bit hesitant to step into the ring with Jake ... after the YouTuber turned boxer starched Nate Robinson in 2020, turning the former NBA star into a meme.

It's unclear how Ross, a renowned businessman, would make his money back.

Rozay says the 10 milli isn't directly tied to any one fighter, but the rap mogul tells us he'd love to see the Fury fight finally go down.

Tommy and Jake, who have beefed for years, were twice supposed to fight in the past. In 2021, Fury, brother of heavyweight champ, Tyson Fury, withdrew from his bout with JP over a chest infection and broken rib. Tyron Woodley stepped in ... losing by KO.

In 2022, Fury, citing issues traveling internationally, again pulled out of his scheduled bout with Jake. Rahman Jr. stepped in ... but that fight was also canceled after contractual disagreements relating to the weight of the son of the former heavyweight champ.

But, despite the fight seeming cursed, all hope isn't lost that the men will face in the squared circle. Earlier this week, Tommy hit social media and reaffirmed his desire to scrap with Jake, flatly saying "no one is afraid to fight you!"

Paul, 5-0 (4 KOs) professionally, announced several days ago he'd fight at 185 lbs. in October ... but did not specify an opponent.

Capitol Records is raising eyebrows with its recent signing of a digital rapper named FN Meka -- an artificial lifeform that creates music through computer intelligence -- and veteran human MC Krayzie Bone has mixed thoughts!

We got the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member outside of Dash Radio and on one hand, he thinks it could start a booming trend ... which isn't hard to see, given the popularity of TikTok, the metaverse and cryptocurrency.

Of course, Krayzie sees the writing on the wall ... real rappers could be out of work and label signings as a result of the digital uprising.

He's not alone in his thinking ... The Game, Lil Mama and R&B singer Sammie all railed against the announcement ... forcing FN Meka (or its handlers) to make the Instagram account private, which is not a good look for a new artist -- real or otherwise.

One weighty cosign FN Meka has going for him/it is Gunna, who was featuring with gaming streamer Clix on the AI rapper's debut single, "Florida Water."

Krayzie also took time out to address the ongoing legal drama brewing between Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and their Verzuz partners at Triller.

If you remember, Krayzie was a part of one of the most memorable episodes ... Bone Thugs Verzuz Three 6 Mafia, most notable for Bizzy Bone's wild on-stage brawl that almost shut down the event.

Beyonce and Jay-Z are doing their own version of "The Love Boat" -- sailing the high seas through Europe ... this after setting the music world on fire.

The couple was spotted Monday on a mega yacht -- a multi-level vessel that looks damn expensive -- where they were looking out onto the ocean blue ... or at least Bey was, snapping some pics with a digital camera.

Jay eventually was out there as well -- and he, too, was taking photos -- not too far from their kids, who were enjoying an onboard swim with nannies and staff in tow. When you're this rich and you're cruising on a boat this nice ... that's how ya do childcare.

Take a look at this thing in the wide shots ... it's like a floating palace on water.

Seems like the Carter-Knowles brood is enjoying these final days of summer ... but if we're being honest, they can kinda take a vacation like this anytime they want.

Their trip here is well-deserved. Bey's fresh off a major album drop -- her eighth solo project, "Renaissance" topped the charts and crushed in sales ... despite some early criticism of its dance tracks.

Firmly back on her throne ... Queen Bey apparently needs some R&R. Or, in this case, mega R&R.

Vanessa Bryant had some emotional support Monday in her trial against L.A. County over crash-site photos ... walking in shoulder to shoulder with Ciara and Monica.

The 2 singers arrived with VB and her daughter Natalia ... all the women forming a united front. They sat behind Vanessa during testimony from an internal officer with the Sheriff's Dept.

They never left her side ... at certain points in Monday's proceedings, Vanessa had to step outside -- and both Monica and Ciara went out with her.

The trial's been going on for nearly two weeks, and it's been an emotional rollercoaster for the Bryant family ... and Vanessa in particular. She got on the stand herself last week to testify about how the thought of photos of her late husband and daughter's remains being circulated among County employees -- including first responders -- mortified her to this day.

As you know ... she's suing L.A. County for emotional distress, among other claims, and the jury got to hear firsthand how this whole ordeal has affected her since Kobe and Gigi's passing.

Vanessa has remained stoic as she comes and goes each day -- but inside it's been difficult for her ... especially during graphic testimony.

"Airplanes" rapper B.o.B is brushing off student protestors upset some of his past lyrics are being construed as anti-semitic.

Members of the University of Central Florida Jewish community have called for a boycott of his upcoming August 25 tour appearance for their Welcome Week … citing his 2016 flat-earther, Neil deGrasse Tyson-dissing track “Flatline” for its olive branch extended towards Holocaust denier David Irving.

Bobby Ray tells TMZ Hip Hop he doesn’t have any issues with any colors or creeds, and the show will go on as planned this week.

B.o.B says that particular time period was a weird one for him -- but he learned a lot through massive book consumption and traveling the globe.

He even considers himself a cancel culture survivor ... having taken lumps on social media for his deep philosophical dives.

The enigmatic rapper just released a 12-song album titled “Better Than Drugs” ... but says he’ll clarify his past flat-earthing and other conspiracy theories on a new song called “TED Talk” to be released on another project in the near future.

B.o.B acknowledges his mind is a strange one ... and says great artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Drake share his pain.

DJ Drama wants all the smoke ... he's letting his feelings and frustrations be known regarding his artist Lil Uzi Vert and Jay-Z's Roc Nation -- even as he sends some trash talk back DJ Khaled's way!

While talking to thriving ex-Joe Budden podcasters Rory & Mal, the Gangsta Grillz creator accused Roc Nation management of running a "Free Uzi" campaign against his Generation Now record label back in 2019.

Uzi had gone public with his issues with Drama and GN at the time ... but Drama says it was Roc's notion it had "saved" Uzi from his deal that truly pissed him off!

Drama says Roc Nation basically painted him and GN co-founders Don Cannon and Leighton “Lake” Morrison as culture vultures. It would take several years to repair the relationship with Uzi, but they eventually did.

After blowing off steam, Drama also officially accepted DJ Khaled's open-ended Verzuz challenge ... after the Miami-bred producer recently went on "Drink Champs" and claimed he would "smoke" all comers.

Both legendary disc jocks claim to have culture-shattering records -- Khaled is prepping his upcoming "God Did" album with confirmed guest appearances from Drake, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, 21 Savage and more.

But Drama just might be feeling himself about what's yet to come.

Nicki Minaj's new song "Super Freaky Girl" is now officially historic, shooting to the top of the charts, with the most pure sales of any track released in 2022.

The song makes the diamond-selling artist the first female rapper to debut at No. 1 since Lauryn Hill's iconic song "Doo Wop (That Thing)" hit big back in 1998.

On Monday, Nicki celebrated her 1st No. 1 with her fans, the Barbz ... crediting their everlasting fandom for pushing the song past the works of Lizzo, Future and Harry Styles.

"Super Freaky Girl" serves as Nicki's first solo No. 1 hit ... having scored a pair previously with 6ix9ine and Doja Cat.

Afroman's weekend was capped off by a lot of police activity -- his house was raided by law enforcement ... who were apparently on a drug hunt, and came in guns drawn.

The rapper -- who's originally from Palmdale, CA -- tells TMZ ... the Adams County Sheriff's Dept. burst into his property Sunday with their weapons drawn and orders being shouted. We're told they were in search of narcotics ... but in the end, came up empty-handed.

Afroman says he's not sure why they thought he was stashing illicit substances ... because all he had on hand, he insists, was a jar of hemp and a vape pen ... nothing else.

Afroman says he wasn't home at the time -- he was in Chicago -- he was notified by his neighbors, who got video and photos of the raid. Afroman tells us the believes this attempted bust is complete BS ... suggesting he was profiled over his music.

As you may know ... Afroman has a long history of rapping about weed and other misadventures. It's weird though -- his most famous songs are from back in the day, so if this music theory holds up ... it doesn't quite explain why cops thought something was amiss.

We've tried reaching out to the Sheriff's Dept. multiple times this morning to get an explanation on what exactly led to this and what they say they found, if anything. So far they haven't responded.

Afroman himself is outraged ... he took to IG to offer a bit more context on why this may have happened. According to him, it could have to do with him checking on a police report regarding a burglary at his home -- something ACSD apparently wasn't pleased with.

He writes, "One time my house got burglarize while I was on tour. For home insurance purposes I tried to fill out a police report. The cop came out three days later he told me they was really busy. He took my report. I would call every day and see if there was any progress being made. The Adams county sheriff department threaten to arrest me for checc-ing up on the case too frequently."

Afroman adds, "I excepted the fact that the police department is not necessary here to protect and serve me a blacc man in America so I just took my loss and never called bacc. Now here they are kicc-ing in my door looking for weapons of mass destruction and 100,000,000 pounds of weed lol wow Donald Trump calls these investigations witchhunts."

Fetty Wap will be sentenced to at least 5 years behind bars after pleading guilty to a federal drug charge.

Fetty was in court Monday where he pled guilty to one count of intent to distribute controlled substances including cocaine, heroin and fentanyl for his arrest back in October.

Two of his co-defendants, Robert Leonardi and Anthony Cyntje pleaded guilty to the same count, in addition to firearms charges.

According to a rep for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York ... the 31-year-old rap star faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. Officials are estimating he’ll serve anywhere between 87-108 months … but he can't get less than the 5-year minimum. We're told Fetty is currently in custody.

TMZ broke the story … Fetty was traveling for Rolling Loud New York when feds apprehended him and his co-defendants and accused them of using USPS trucks to smuggle drugs. Over the course of their investigation, feds say they uncovered $1.5 million in cash, 16 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl pills and several guns.

Fetty also has another case pending ... for allegedly making death threats during a December 2021 Facetime call.

Leon Edwards' crazy upset win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 made Drake's pockets a bit lighter this weekend -- 'cause the rapper lost out on a $200k bet!!

"The Nigerian Nightmare" was handed just his second professional loss after a head-kick knockout in the fifth round ... a result that had the fighting world absolutely shocked.

Drizzy was so confident the fight would end up in Usman's favor, he actually put up nearly a quarter million on an Usman knockout.

Of course, that didn't happen ... so all that dough went down the drain.

Edwards got wind of Champagne Papi's bet ... and made sure to clap back at the rapper in his post-fight interview, telling him to make the right decision next time.

As it turns out, Drake was taking Ls left and right on Saturday ... because he also lost $230k after Jose Aldo lost to Merab Dvalishvili.

It's become a trend for Drake to place massive sports bets ... but it hasn't gone too well for him over the years -- he's lost close to a million bucks on UFC fights alone.

Blueface's girlfriend is in police custody after punching him square in the face -- the second time in less than a month -- but he's begging cops to let her go free.

Chrisean Rock unloaded on the rapper Sunday night while they were in Whiskey Row bar in Scottsdale, AZ. Blueface was standing in front of Chrisean when she hauled back and struck him twice in the face.

She landed both shots, sending Blueface backward and he made no attempt to go back at her. Instead, security took her down ... pinning Chrisean to the ground until Scottsdale PD arrived to haul her off in handcuffs.

So, Blueface's reaction to the violent incident? "Free Rock!!!"

He posted a video saying, "We don't ever make the same mistake twice" ... clearly referring to their very public fight earlier this month.

TMZ broke the story when they both went at each other on the streets of Hollywood -- Chrisean threw the first punch, but Blueface, who's slated to box Nick Young in a celeb event next month, fought back, pinning her to the ground. Cops didn't witness the fight, but after seeing video said they'd opened an investigation.

Nothing's come of that incident yet, and the couple never broke up over it, but now -- with Chrisean in jail -- Blueface says he wants her freed, we think. He was kinda laughing during the video.

One thing he didn't laugh about was the punch, as he put it ... "She hit me with a banger. I was like, oooh!!!"

If you were at the Encore in Vegas Saturday, it looked like the TMZ Celebrity Tour, because The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Swedish House Mafia and Tyga all showed up in the same lobby!!!

Travis was the first to show at around 4 PM ... the father of Kylie Jenner's 2 kids was hangin' alone. He kept his head down to avoid the crowds and then disappeared.

A short time later, Tyga showed up in the same lobby with bodyguards and beelined it for the valet. He caused a little commotion as several women lasered in for his attention. Kylie's ex then drove off.

And then just a few minutes later ... The Weeknd got out of the elevator and walked over to the guys from SHM, hugging them and shaking their hands and then chit-chatting for a few minutes. He left with model Simi Khadra.

The Weeknd had a job to do that night ... he headlined at the Allegiant Stadium for his After Hours Til Dawn Tour.

Travis showed up for The Weeknd's show in Vegas, he was also there the night before in Denver. Tyga was also at the concert and watched from the Wynn field club in Allegiant stadium.

Swedish House Mafia also had a big night, kicking off their residency at XS nightclub at The Wynn -- one of the best selling shows in venue history. The Weeknd was in attendance after his concert.

The Weeknd's Saturday night concert was not without incident ... a fire erupted outside the venue at around 11 PM as fans were leaving.