TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

New York Fashion Week is one for the record books, especially for rappers ... including Saucy Santana and Coi Leray.

The 2 blossoming rap stars were recruited for the first-ever NYC show put together by LA-based outfit The Model Experience, and they went big for their debut.

We're told more than 800 models walked the runway on Sept. 11 before Coi and Saucy took the stage -- and the "Booty" rapper made sure to throw it back when his signature hit that samples Beyoncé came on, giving the audience plenty of cake action!

Coi wasn't afraid to shake her tailfeather on stage either, although she was a lot more covered than she was while hanging out with Saucy earlier in the day.

The "Trendsetter" rapper was spotted rocking a dazzling platinum bra that barely covered her chest and caused quite the scene ... on the scene.

Kanye West's ugly divorce from Gap is no shock to folks at the company -- turns out the handwriting was on the electronic wall, several of them ... right in the heart of Times Square.

While Kanye went public Thursday morning about pulling the plug on Gap, his now-former partners started packing up his stuff, metaphorically speaking, the day before. The first part of this video outside Gap's flagship NYC store was shot in late July, back when it was smooth sailing with Ye.

Ads for his Gap Yeezy Balenciaga "Dove Hoodie" were all over video billboards at street level AND on giant screens above the store entrance.

The "after" footage, though, was shot Wednesday at 1 PM, and all visual evidence of Ye had already been scrubbed -- more than 12 hours before Mr. West announced the partnership was dead.

The reality is even before he ripped Gap publicly -- banging its stock down 3.64%, a 7-week low -- Ye's lawyers had fired off a letter to Gap ... claiming it fed him empty promises about releasing clothing and opening brick and mortar Yeezy Gap stores to specifically hawk his designs.

The Times Square footage makes it clear both sides had walked away from negotiations long before we all found out it was over. It also makes it seem Gap isn't losing much sleep over it.

Of course, neither is Ye ... who, in his unique way, explained why he's done talking to Gap.

Hip hop's most unpredictable couple, Blueface and Chrisean Rock, claim they're on the sunny side of their relationship now -- after 2 public fights -- and proved it on a NY Fashion Week runway!!!

The couple grabbed the spotlight Wednesday night at Natalie Nunn, Daniel's Leather and Zeus Network's NYFW party and fashion show. They even hit the catwalk together, and ended it on a lovely note ... with tongues down each others' throats!!!

The glitzy event didn't go down without a hiccup, however ... but this time, no one could point the finger at Blue and Chrisean.

Instead, it was rapper Maino who got into a bit of an altercation with Natalie after he snatched the mic when people were heading towards the door.

According to Natalie's recollection, Maino got on the mic only to get disrespectful, ripping Zeus Network while watching the company's pockets.

Kanye West has pulled the plug on his partnership with Gap, claiming the company double-crossed him with empty promises.

Ye's lawyers fired off a letter, obtained by the Wall Street Journal, to the struggling retail company saying Gap violated their deal by not releasing his clothing as promised, and not opening retail stores specifically designed to promote Kanye's merch.

Kanye's been grousing on social media for weeks, claiming Gap has cut him out of meetings, the creative process and has fallen way short in promotion.

He gave Gap honchos an ultimatum last month, saying, "You have to really give me the position to be Ye and let me do what I'm thinking, or I have to do the thinking somewhere else."

Apparently, the remaining Kanye inventory will still be sold at Gap, but that's it.

Kanye's also beefing with Adidas ... accusing the company of ripping off his Yeezy designs and violating their deal in various ways.

Ye has strongly insinuated he might just chuck all the partnerships and open his own retail stores.

Never a dull moment.

Just as Kanye West finds a new muse ... a previous one, Julia Fox, is speaking out about their breakup, and says she pulled the plug over his issues.

The "Uncut Gems" actress has clearly been doing some reflecting about their whirlwind romance, and says she's proud of herself for leaving Kanye as soon as she saw the first red flag.

She tells ES Magazine ... Kanye had a lot of unresolved issues he had been dealing with at the time -- “It just seems like he had a lot to work on, and I just don’t have time for it or energy ... I don’t have the bandwidth or emotional capacity for it. I’m proud of myself for that."

On top of that, Julia says she couldn't keep up with the rapper's fast lifestyle once "real life set in." Flying around the world at the drop of the hat does require a pretty open schedule.

Julia added ... had she been the same person she was before having her 1-year-old son, she probably would've held on a lot longer to the Ye relationship.

You'll recall Julia and Kanye called it quits back in February after less than 2 months of dating. Around the same time, Kanye had been firing shots on social media and hoping to get back with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

Kanye West is going the model route again ... getting cozy with Candice Swanepoel at an event in NYC, before heading back to his hotel.

Ye and the South African supermodel were super flirty this week at a NY Fashion Week event for his new Yeezy GAP sunglasses -- they were laughing and taking tons of pictures, including one with Chris Rock, before leaving together in the mogul's SUV.

Kanye and Candice, who is also starring in ads for the futuristic sunglasses, went straight from the Yeezy Gap Shdz party to his hotel ... more evidence they're getting close.

It's interesting ... Kanye looked to be in great spirits at the GAP party Tuesday night, but as we reported, he's now pulled the plug on his partnership with the company.

Kanye's seen several different women since his divorce from Kim Kardashian ... including another supermodel, Irina Shayk, and also Julia Fox, Chaney Jones and OnlyFans model Monica Corgan. Dude's got a type.

Cardi B said "okurrrr" to a plea deal in her strip club beatdown case ... and it's a pretty sweet one that keeps her outta jail.

Cardi agreed to plead guilty to 3rd-degree assault and reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors, and her punishment is 15 days of community service.

She showed up to court Thursday -- all decked out in white -- to accept the 11th hour plea deal. Jury selection was set to begin Friday and the trial would have started on Monday, but that's off the table now.

As we reported, Cardi was accused of ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders -- Jade and Baddie Gi -- in August 2018. She allegedly thought Jade had slept with her man, Offset.

Cardi was arrested and booked a few months later for her alleged role in the strip club fight.

As part of the plea, there's also an order of protection that requires Cardi to stay away from the women for 3 years.

After her taking the plea deal, Cardi told us ... "Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions. As a mother, it's a practice that I am trying to instill in my children, but the example starts with me. I've made some bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to."

Ex-NBA hooper Stephen Jackson is speaking out in the aftermath of Philly rap star PnB Rock's murder in South Los Angeles ... saying he "checks in" whenever traveling to another city or state.

By checking in, Stak means if you're visiting a city that you're not from or familiar with, it's best to call someone who is and make sure you're good while there, alert you to any possible danger ... and it's a sign of respect.

"I check in everywhere I go," Jackson said in a social media post on Wednesday.

"Everywhere I go I call somebody from the place I'm going that I know and check in. I wanna come home to my family and I love my life. I'm checking in with my people out of respect."

Stak's message comes on the heels of PnB Rock's murder, whom many believe was the target of a robbery while eating at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles with his girlfriend, in an area of L.A. that's seen an increase in robberies.

Jackson hopes PnB Rock's tragic murder serves as a cautionary tale for people visiting unfamiliar places.

"It's nothing wrong with showing respect when you in somebody's city or state," Jackson said.

"I always check in 'cause I know real ones everywhere. I care about my life and I'm coming home to my kids and my family. Bet that."

Former NBA player Marquis Daniels agreed with Stak -- saying in the comments, "When you outta town you gotta play by the rules or at least know what's going on."

Bhad Bhabie has already proven she's all about her business ... and now she's been invited to drop some wisdom at Oxford University!

Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, has been invited to speak to students at "Oxford Union" -- arguably the most prestigious debating society on planet Earth.

So, check this out ... BB will follow in the footsteps of some pretty important people who have stood at that podium, including Presidents Reagan, Nixon, Carter, and Clinton ... Queen Elizabeth II, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Malcolm X, Albert Einstein, Sir Elton John, Shakira, Billy Joel ... and now, Bhad Bhabie.

The Oxford Union Prez said in the invite to BB ... "It would be an honour to welcome you to continue this fine tradition."

As you know, BB rose to fame after going viral on a Dr. Phil episode about troubled teens. Since then she's done a complete 180 ... turning her dubious fame into fortune with a rap career, brand deals and a VERY successful OnlyFans career -- $50M successful!!!

BTW, last month she teamed up with the Educapital Foundation to create a $1.7M scholarship to help 1,000 students enroll in technical and trade schools.

The target date for BB to speak is sometime in November, and it'll be on YouTube for all to see.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is going out with one last bang … so says the entire group with the announcement of their final tour as a five-man unit together.

TMZ Hip Hop has learned Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy, Wish and Flesh are reuniting for Bobby Dee and Snoop Dogg's "High Hopes Concert" series … which is loaded with hip hop legends.

Following the concert series, the group will still tour as a quartet minus Bizzy's involvement ... making this particular tour a must-see for hip hop fans.

Ice Cube, Method Man & Redman, Warren G, Xzibit, Cypress Hill and Tha Dogg Pound will all be in the mix -- and we're told this will certainly be the last ride for the Bone Thugs boys as a full group.

Bone Thugs' affairs have been wobbly for decades, with various members rotating in and out of the touring lineup but Bizzy's rep August Keen assures us everyone is on board to reunite time around.

Bizzy stands as the biggest deflector and he recently called out the other 4 members on a tune called "Bizzy Get's Busy," where he spits ... "Why the f*** is Bone Thugs doing a show without Bizzy?/ I'll say it again, you should be able to say what you want if they really your friends!!!"

Krayzie wondered the same thing when the group hit the road following their Verzuz battle with Three 6 Mafia -- which turned into a boxing battle when Bizzy and Juicy J squared off on stage -- but all appears to be good in the hood, for now.

Nick Cannon is gonna have a "Game of Thrones" situation in about 50 years -- he's just welcomed a surprise (to the world, anyway) birth of a daughter, his 9th child, with model LaNisha Cole.

It feels like it was just yesterday -- it was actually a couple months ago -- we were congratulating Nick on baby #8, but he proudly announced Wednesday night he and LaNisha welcomed Onyx Ice Cole Cannon's arrival ... and the little girl's really got daddy thinking.

Nick's clearly getting fed up with jokes about his rapidly-growing brood because he said, "As we all know I am not easily triggered and have quite tough skin and have always been an open book but not everyone in my family has that same level of strength. So I pray and ask others to please project all criticism and cynicism towards ME and not the loving and precious Mothers of my children."

Nick and LaNisha were, at least publicly, linked in early 2017, but broke up shortly after that. While the model -- who'd been on "The Price Is Right" for 8 seasons -- hasn't been hiding her pregnancy, she didn't reveal Nick was the father.

Anyway, Papa C is overjoyed, and says "I vow to protect, provide, guide and love this child to the best of my abilities."

Ok, grab your scorecards: We're already expecting 2 more announcements from Nick before we hit 2023! We know Brittany Bell -- with whom he already has 2 kids -- is expecting their third, because she and Nick did a pregnancy photo shoot together last month.

Also, Abby De La Rosa, is due next month and that will also be her third child with Nick.

As a quick refresher ... Nick and Bre Tiesi had their first in July.

"Flex" rapper Rich Homie Quan is fired up these days as he's plotting a comeback to the top spot ... but he realizes things are much different in the game today than they were in 2013 when he got rich rapping.

TMZ Hip Hop spotted RHQ Wednesday in NYC, and gauged his wisdom regarding hip hop's lack of fun ... with the murder of PnB Rock being the latest dark cloud hovering over the culture.

RHQ thinks the genre's gone too soft, but also too hard in some regards, claiming hip hop needs to do away with both "bubblegum" and "shoot 'em up, bang bang" rappers.

He even bigged up Benny The Butcher as the best MC in the Empire State and urged rappers to splurge their money on property as opposed to buying expensive jewelry.

That might be a hard sell considering the messenger is iced out himself ... but RHQ is taking a veteran approach to his career these days.

The Atlanta native recently aligned his Rich Homie Entertainment imprint with industry mavens Troy Carter and Suzy Ryoo's Venice Music for his next album ... "Family & Mula," which comes out in October.

And his latest single "Krazy" features all the energy RHQ fans are accustomed to, but also ups the ante on raising awareness of the gun violence plaguing his hometown.

R. Kelly is guilty of 6 of the 13 charges he faced in his Illinois federal case ... the jury just came back with its verdict.

The jury convicted him Wednesday on the child pornography counts he faced, but acquitted him on 7 others -- including charges of conspiracy and enticement.

Remember, Kelly was facing child pornography charges and prosecutors also accused him of concealing video evidence from his infamous 2008 case and threatening witnesses.

The trial just got underway last month, with prosecutors accusing Kelly of videotaping sexual encounters with minors.

As we reported, Kelly's trial included explosive testimony ... with his former goddaughter claiming the singer had sex with her hundreds of times before she turned 18 years old, with their first sexual intercourse happening when she was only 15.

Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, told the jury the singer was "imperfect" but insisted he was innocent.

A juror suffered a panic attack Monday, but the trial pressed forward as the judge immediately put the alternate juror in her place.

The hip-hop community is reeling in the wake of PnB Rock's heinous murder ... and it has some people referencing a 2007 song from The Game which seems to mirror the Philly rapper's tragic end.

The unreleased track is called "Murda," and it's resurfaced online because fans noticed some now-eerie lyrics you could say include a warning that could've saved PnB's life.

On the song's 3rd verse, Game raps, "When you eat at Roscoe's watch out for the chain snatchers/Take it off slow, or you might get killed/If the Grape Streets [Crips] don't catch you, the [Rollin] 60's will/Police don't give a fuck cuz they all RenPark/And what happens on Crenshaw stays on Crenshaw."

The 'Killafornia' anthem was originally slated for Game's sophomore album "Doctor's Advocate" and outlines various L.A. gang territories and habits ... which might explain why it got cut.

Speaking of Game, his fellow West Coast OG Ice-T cited him, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar as living Los Angeles legends who don't hit the town drenched in jewelry.

Ice, who lyrically chronicled the mean streets of L.A. all the way back in the '80s has been lecturing his Twitter followers on the dangers of the area, whether or not you're a rapper, and says going without the jewels doesn't mean your pockets are empty.

LAPD is currently on the hunt for PnB's killers after the 30-year-old rapper was murdered September 12 inside a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles while eating with his girlfriend.

Tory Lanez doesn't appear to have a worry gene in his DNA -- his trial for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion was supposed to start Wednesday, but there was no concern on his face outside court.

We got him on camera Wednesday, entering and exiting the courthouse, and when we asked about his current mental state, Tory coolly replied he was "chilling."

That level-headed response might've been due to the fact nothing really went down in court. The trial was postponed, yet again, partly because Tory's lawyer is in the middle of another case.

The new trial date will be between November 28 and December 8.

Megan's ex-best friend, Kelsey Harris, was also present at court and is scheduled to testify for the prosecution about what she saw that night. Remember, Kelsey was inside the SUV with Tory and Megan.

An LAPD officer testified in December 2021 that Megan initially reported her injury to be caused by broken glass, before later claiming the injuries in her feet came from Tory shooting her while yelling "dance, bitch dance."

She's explained that, in the moment, she was protecting Tory ... fearing that if she told cops he had a gun -- this was just a few weeks after George Floyd's murder -- the situation could get worse.

Tory's facing one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a concealed, unregistered weapon.

Bobby Shmurda popularized his own 'Shmoney' dance but it's not rap's greatest rug-cutter as far as the "Hot N***a" rapper is concerned.

While sitting down with Complex for its "Bracket" series, Bobby named the "Chickenhead," famously shown in Chingy's "Right Thurr" video as hip hop's GOAT dance move!!!

None of the other entries had much of a shot ... once Bobby pictured women gyrating and jiggling in "Chickenhead" form, he wasn't able to keep his composure and all but crowned it on the spot during the early voting.

His explanation was clear: he's a gangsta and the most entertaining stuff grabs his attention the best, which would be the "Chickenhead" in this case.

Bobby's choice is still a bit surprising ... he picked the "Chickenhead," which originated in St. Louis, over New York-born trends like "Harlem Shake" and the "Milly Rock."

In fact, Bobby says he used to win cash money on the street doing the "Harlem Shake" in dance contests. As for his 'Shmoney' dance, Bobby yielded to Pop Smoke's "Woo Walk" ... giving the late Brooklyn artist his shine for impacting the culture.

Another interesting thing Bobby clarified in the interview ... he doesn't fancy himself as a "drill artist," especially since the movement sprung up while he was incarcerated.

Bobby says he doesn't dance much these days ... he just "swerves," which fits the vibe of his latest project "Bodboy" to the tee.