TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

UCLA hoops star Amari Bailey signed a lucrative 'NIL' deal with Ethika and will receive a percentage of revenue from his products ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The exact details of the deal remain unknown, but the California-based apparel company tells us the plan is for Amari to create/design underwear with the company.

"The NIL deal with Amari couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve followed Amari’s career since he was a youngster," Ethika exec Darius Burton tells us.

"I’ve always been impressed how he handles himself on and off the court. When I heard he was making the move to Southern California, I wanted to figure out a way to work with him."

Most of Ethika's deals are with professional athletes, but Burton says his belief in Bailey as a person, and not just a basketball player, is one of the reasons he chose to work with Amari.

"I have no doubt that we will do amazing things as a team, and I couldn’t be happier to have him be a part of our families," Burton said.

Bailey -- one of the top-ranked high school players from the 2022 class -- will be joining Rick Ross and Lil Wayne ... who also have deals with the brand.

Long before he was associated with Rozay and Weezy, or signed a big money endorsement deal, Bailey was still accustomed to the finer things ... he bought his mom Johanna Leia, Drake's ex-girlfriend, a '22 Porsche Cayenne worth about $70K!

Bailey, a 5-star recruit ranked in the top 15 in his high school class, signed with the Bruins in November and is expected to be an integral part of their team next season.

And, he's gonna look good while doin' it!

The Fall Back In Love Comedy & Music Jam tour creator Rip Micheals says Tory Lanez flat-out assaulted August Alsina ... and now Tory has been booted from the rest of the tour.

Rip spoke to us about the alleged beatdown that took place Saturday night during their stop in Chicago -- and he says he personally saw Tory sucker punch August in the face.

He's also confirming what August initially said, and what a backstage video also showed ... that Tory was simply pissed off because AA didn't dap him up.

He tells us, August didn't want to pretend to be friendly with Tory given all the online trash-talking and that upset TL, who followed AA outside with his security. Rip says August tried squashing the beef by talking it out, but when he turned around Tory hit him in the face.

As we reported ... August accused Tory of rolling up on him and attacking him outside the venue -- and he posted some bloody shots of his face. Tory has denied any wrongdoing.

Rip says the concert is all about artists coming together and creating good vibes, and anyone disturbing that peace will be getting the boot ... which is why Tory will no longer be performing.

Although Tory denied the attack, Rip says he was apologetic about the whole thing when they talked.

Tekashi 6ix9ine holds no ill will toward the man who sucker punched him a few months back -- which is easier to say on the heels of that guy getting attacked .. in a much more brutal manner.

A recently surfaced video shows Miami producer/songwriter ItzMrBHN catching a pair of unsuspected sucker punches while standing at a urinal.

Naturally, fans immediately theorized the haymakers were retaliation for the 6ix9ine incident ... but Tekashi tells TMZ Hip Hop, ItzMrBHN's got no one to blame but himself for the bathroom beatdown.

Tekashi says ... "He went on TMZ and he basically admitted to assaulting me. He said 'I did it, I did it, I did it. I never pressed charges on him, but he made himself a target by going on TMZ. I think it's a sad case."

The rainbow-haired rapper added, most likely with tongue-in-cheek ... "I wish him the best and a speedy recovery."

ItzMrBHN did indeed speak to TMZ back in May when he was captured on video giving 6ix9ine a glancing shot to the face. He claimed 6ix9ine was disrespectful in the past, and a security guard had assaulted him earlier that night.

"Moonwalking in Calabasas" rapper DDG is now facing 2 counts of firearm possession and one for reckless driving ... both related to his June 2022 arrest while joyriding his Lambo.

According to new court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... DDG was hit with one count of carrying a loaded weapon, one count of carrying a concealed weapon, and one count of reckless driving -- all misdemeanors.

If he's convicted, each of the firearm charges could get him a year in jail, and reckless driving has a max penalty of 90 days.

As we previously reported, DDG was arrested back in June ... police say they observed him driving his Lambo erratically, and when they pulled him over he copped to having a 9MM handgun.

Interestingly, DDG's team claimed the L.A. County District Attorney initially declined to move forward with a case against the rapper -- who's dating "Little Mermaid" star Halle Bailey.

August Alsina isn't denying he left Tory Lanez hanging during an attempted handshake -- but this new video shows the diss happening, and Tory's immediate and angry reaction.

You can see August strolling through a backstage hallway in the Chicago venue ... when Tory extends his hand out for a shake, AA hit him with a fierce side step to avoid all contact.

A perplexed Tory was left standing in the hallway with his hand out ... until an onlooking fan dapped him up. After shaking off the embarrassment, Tory and his security team regrouped before squaring up with August again where the alleged assault took place.

As he's prancing through the hall, you can hear a woman pleading for Tory not to "do it" because of his pending case against Megan Thee Stallion.

According to August, Tory "did it" anyway ... as the video shows his security rushing him from the area and later on, giving high fives as the cameraman talks about him knocking out AA.

As we reported, August later hit social media to post pics of his bloody mouth and scraped skin, accusing Tory and his team of the brutal beatdown while also daring them to release footage he says they have of the whole thing.

Charlamagne Tha God is highlighting what he sees as hip hop hypocrisy in the wake of PnB Rock's murder last week.

As The Breakfast Club crew was discussing the home invasion/robbery of Tee Grizzley, Charlamagne spoke on how rappers tend to get sad when their fellow artists get killed and flood social media with 'RIP' messages -- but then continue supporting the same lifestyle and culture that got their homie killed in the first place.

Charlamagne says the unfortunate trend of murdered rappers should have made artists smarten up by now, and he's confused why that's not more apparent by now.

TMZ broke the story ... Tee's Los Angeles suburban home was broken into a couple of weeks ago and suspects made off with more than $1 million in jewelry -- in addition to the cash they stole.

Following the report, the Detroit-born rapper took to Instagram to reassure fans he was safe but urged rappers to be careful of the content of their music ... noting how bad juju could be spoken into existence on wax. He also advised rappers to speak in third-person or from the arc of a storyteller instead of making their lyrics direct with dirt.

Tee's recently released single "Robbery Part 4" plays out just like that ... it's a fictional tale that's more cinematic than reality.

He also asked the fans to pray for King Von and PnB's families ... the latter of who say they're having a hard time getting PnB's body back to Philly due to the open homicide investigation.

Von died in 2020 after being shot and killed in Atlanta and PnB was gunned down last week while eating with his girlfriend inside a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles restaurant.

Lil Baby caused a riot during Vancouver's Breakout Festival which isn't unusual as festivals go, except for the fact the headlining rapper was nowhere to be found onstage ... or anywhere at the venue!!!

Video shows fans utterly destroying sections of the PNE Amphitheater on Sunday after learning Baby had canceled his set last minute.

The scene began to resemble a war zone in some places ... with angry fans lighting tents on fire while others toppled food stands and garbage dumpsters.

At one point, the mob even infiltrated a tent, leaving no TV monitor standing ... with no regard for the shattered glass that was flung everywhere.

Baby was the top act for Sunday's show ... with fellow rappers Polo G, Cordae, Coi Leray, Babyface Ray and others as the backup and as you can see, was promoted heavily by the fest as being a big draw.

On Monday, Lil Baby let out a lengthy apology on IG ... saying his body gave out on him following his summer tour with Chris Brown, and begged the forgiveness of Vancouver, Breakout Fest and all the fans in attendance.

He should've added the cleanup crew to that list.

August Alsina claims Tory Lanez and a bunch of goons rolled up on him and attacked -- showing off a photo of himself as proof ... although, Tory's calling BS.

The singer took to IG Sunday with a pic that shows himself leaning up against an elevator wall with blood running down his mouth and appearing dazed. According to August, it's evidence that he was beaten up on Saturday ... by who he claims was none other than Tory.

The way things allegedly went ... August claims Tory and a bunch of his security guards approached him as he was leaving a show, encircling him and pressing him. August says Tory wanted to know why he hadn't dapped him up in the past.

August says it all had to do with Tory taking shots at him a couple years back when he spoke on his situation with Jada Pinkett Smith -- so he figured TL simply didn't like him, and didn't feel it necessary to pretend they were on friendly terms.

Then, according to AA, Tory sucker punched him as August was trying to get himself out of the situation ... this after he claims the dude took a hit from a blunt and got all hyped up. August insists it wasn't a fight, but simply an assault -- and that Tory and co. scrammed.

He also alleges Tory's crew got the whole thing on camera, asking they release the footage. August says he posted this because he'd seen/heard Tory running his mouths to blogs ... and wants to get the true story out there. For his part, Tory's saying the whole thing's a lie.

Ludacris' manager Chaka Zulu has been booked for murder after a fatal triple shooting in Atlanta ... but he has maintained since the incident it was justified.

Zulu turned himself in earlier this week at the Fulton County Jail. In addition to the murder charge, he was booked for aggravated assault, simple battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Zulu says he used self-defense after being confronted by several guys outside a restaurant back in June. He claims they became aggressive, shoving him to the ground and then pummeling him with their fists and feet.

He says one of the assailants then shot him in the chest and he reacted by pulling out a gun and fatally shooting him. He was critically wounded at the time, but has recovered. At least one other man was shot during the incident.

Vic Mensa's giving the people what they need and what they want -- helping folks in Chicago deal with the high price of gas ... and also get a little high. Just a little.

Ever the savvy businessman, the Chi-town rapper put a lot of smiles on faces when he recently donated $10,000 to pump petrol into 200 cars! The giveaway went down at a BP station in Vic's old Southside neighborhood over Labor Day weekend, and couldn't have been better timed.

Check out how emotional one woman got explaining she'd shown up at the gas station with only $5 to her name ... not knowing if it would be enough to get her granddaughter to work that day.

Heart of gold type stuff there -- but as we said, Vic's no dummy when it comes to handling his biz. He recently launched Chicago's first Black-owned cannabis company -- 93 Boyz -- so, while folks were lined up for the pump, he did some promotion too, passing out pre-roll joints.

Vic tells TMZ Hip Hop he feels good doing service for his community ... especially because gas prices have been a big pain in the ass for many struggling Americans.

As for the high-end of his business -- well, cannabis has been legal in Illinois since January 2020 and Vic says part of the 93 Boyz brand's mission will always be performing acts of charity for inner city minorities.

Vic wants to give those from criminally affected inner cities, such as Chicago, a chance to create wealth from weed ... in an effort to help bridge the wealth gap in the country.

Superstar hip hop producer Honorable C.N.O.T.E. isn't bowing down amid the surging crime wave in the U.S. -- he's literally fighting back when it comes to his own belongings!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with the veteran soundman following his viral moment this week ... where he was filmed in Los Angeles catching a carjacker breaking his window, with his luggage still inside the whip.

C.N.O.T.E. says he hopped off the plane, fresh from LAX, and hit up a grocery store ... but noticed a suspicious BMW near his rental car.

Soon after, he heard the car alarm buzzing and spotted the thief -- who had busted a rear door window -- trying to yank stuff outta his ride. C.N.O.T.E. ran up on him and proceeded to lay the smackdown!!!

It might not look like it from the beating -- which someone in the neighborhood recorded -- but C.N.O.T.E. tells us he actually dialed back his 350 lb-frame punches after realizing the thief was just a kid, and showed him mercy.

He says they even exchanged words, which he wants to keep between them. Now, here's the plot twist -- C.N.O.T.E. wants to reconnect with the kid in order to mentor him. He's also thankful the issue didn't result in gunplay.

C.N.O.T.E. slammed social media commenters who said he should've taken fatal action ... explaining how everyone is a victim of the same struggle.

The altercation happened a couple of days before the tragic PnB Rock murder, and the Georgia-based artist says hip-hop culture's been steered down the wrong path for too long.

Moving forward, C.N.O.T.E. is gearing up for his "Signs 3" project ... which he's really excited about, thanks to a mix of old and new school flavor from artists such as current XXL Freshman Cochise and No Limit Records soldier Fiend.

The album drops October 7 and C.N.O.T.E. thinks hip hop is the best way to get through to the youth in today's climate.

PnB Rock's body is ready to be released to his family, but the process behind the scenes has been drama-filled between them and officials ... and actually required police intervention.

Sources tell TMZ ... PnB Rock's mother wanted her son's body right away because of religious reasons, but the medical examiner wouldn't give it up because his death's part of a larger homicide investigation. PnB's brother, PnB Meen, alluded to this online -- saying the family was having issues with the M.E. -- making him question how PnB's Janazah would go.

Janazah is a Muslim funeral ceremony ... and there are certain rules that come with conducting one -- including getting a burial started within 72 hours.

We're told PnB Rock's mom flew from Philadelphia to Los Angeles after being notified her son had been shot and killed Monday, and she went straight to the medical examiner's office to ID the body and try to get it released to the fam.

Our sources say Rock's mom was adamant the body needed to be released ASAP because their customs. We're told things got heated when the family was informed their request for immediate release could not be met and that LAPD was called to the L.A. County Coroner's office to help calm things down.

Our sources say PnB's mom also didn't want an autopsy performed, because it goes against their religion ... but we're told the M.E.'s office told her they had to conduct an autopsy by law.

TMZ broke the story ... PnB Rock was shot and killed Monday while dining at a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant in South Los Angeles.

The M.E. released the autopsy findings Friday, saying PnB Rock died from a gunshot wound to his back/chest, classifying his death as a homicide.

With PnB Rock's body finally getting the green light to be released into his family's possession -- after tons of back-and-forth between his loved ones, legal team, LAPD and the M.E. -- we're told the plan is for his family to take the body back to his Philly hometown for a funeral.

Blueface attacked his girlfriend's father this week -- but it wasn't out of nowhere ... the guy literally swung at his daughter's boyfriend first, and seems to have connected.

TMZ has obtained the video that everyone's been wanting to see as it relates to this scuffle -- actual surveillance footage from Friday evening in Baltimore, which shows Blueface actually deliver the knockdown blow to her Chrisean Rock's dad ... whose name is unknown.

This is an entirely new angle than what's been floating around on the internet -- terrible shaky shots of the aftermath that don't really capture or show anything clearly whatsoever.

Now, it's unclear what exactly was going on here or what might've precipitated this -- but it seems the rapper was meeting Chrisean's larger family, with a film crew on hand, at the Four Seasons at around 6:30 PM ... this following their lovey-dovey display at NYFW.

In the clip, you can see the couple facing off with a group of people -- presumably Chrisean's brood -- in a tense convo ... and eventually, a man in black approaches Blueface, only to swing on him unexpectedly in what can only be described as a sucker punch.

He appears to graze Blueface, who stumbled back, and a would-be fight breaks out -- with Blueface attempting to swing back on the man but missing. He wasn't done yet though ... in the second half of our video, you see Blueface charge that same man (who's reported to be Chrisean's father) and finally get his licks in ... punching the dude and toppling him over.

Chrisean has since admitted the guy who Blueface retaliated against was, in fact, her pops -- but it sounds like she's on her boo's side with this one ... 'cause she was crapping on her old man in since-deleted tweets, saying he was an absentee dad/claiming he was abusive.

Blueface, meanwhile, took to his IG to say he was Chrisean's daddy now ... and seemed to be laughing off the entire episode. We're told cops were called to the scene, but folks had scattered by the time they arrived -- we've reached out to Baltimore PD for comment.

This isn't the first time Blueface and Chrisean have been involved in violence -- although lately, they've been in mutual combat against each other. Now, it's leaking out elsewhere.

Good luck, you two! 😬

Kanye West has tipped his hand in his divorce case -- how custody is going to work.

Ye jumped on the 'Alo Mind' podcast Friday and said, "Even to this day, I'll still give Kim advice on things that can help, because that's gonna go to the kids. She's still got [them] 80% of the time -- raise those children."

The reason that's significant ... sources connected to the former couple tell TMZ, Kanye hasn't engaged with his lawyer -- whoever that is now, because he's gone through 5 already -- about the remaining issues in the divorce ... custody and property settlement.

There's a trial set for December if Kanye stays radio silent, and so far his side hasn't engaged Kim Kardashian's team about all this. But, saying Kim gets 80% is the first time we've heard any sort of structure, which is the first step in hashing out an agreement.

Kanye West is ready to expand his Donda Sports brand -- now signaling he wants to sell athletic gear ... not to mention an apparent side biz that he's hoping will take flight.

His company, Mascotte Holdings, just filed for a few new trademarks -- including one that'll significantly grow his Donda Academy in the retail space ... and a couple others that seem to suggest he's got another label in mind that's for the birds -- in this case, literally.

According to the paperwork, seen by TMZ, Ye's aiming to lock up the rights to Donda Sports ... specifically for the purpose of slapping it on a ton of products that run the gamut of sportswear and accessories he wants to hawk to potential customers.

Some of the items that could bear the Donda Sports name, if the application is approved, include ... bags of all varieties, fanny packs, luggage, wallets, umbrellas and blankets.

He's also looking to get some ol'-fashioned Donda Sports apparel ... applying for trademarks for shirts, jackets, hats, shoes and other clothes. In other words, if you can wear it ... it looks like Kanye wants to sell it to you with his new signature line plastered on top.

There's more ... in addition to wanting to trademark Donda Sports merch, it looks like Ye's got something else cookin' in the background -- something he calls "Donda Doves" (the team name) and "Dove Sports," which sounds like an offshoot to his larger 'Donda' endeavor.

For "Dove Sports," Kanye wants the exclusive right to use this label for athletic services such as training sessions, competitions, tournaments, camps, seminars, field trips and even traditional educational frameworks ... like classes, workshops and seminars.

"Donda Doves," meanwhile, seems to be more geared toward game-day equipment -- the docs indicate he wants this on baseball bats, basketballs, hockey pucks and more. He also wants to use this brand for things like posters, mugs, sporting goods and online retail stores.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky hit the studio Friday night ... adding more fuel to the rumor mill she's gonna drop another album!

She's been seen at the L.A. studio several times recently, so the seemingly endless wait for more music may be coming to an end.

RiRi was there with BF A$AP, who is mounting an aggressive defense to weapons charges. He's been hit with felony firearms charges for allegedly shooting A$AP Relli. Relli has filed a civil suit against Rocky as well.

Rocky's new lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told TMZ Friday, "Rocky didn't commit a crime. It was an extortion attempt by a former associate, who threatened to make false criminal accusations if Rocky didn't pay him."

Tacopina tells us he has 2 eyewitnesses who back Rocky's story ... not only that Relli wasn't hit by bullet fragments, but that no shot was even fired. In other words, Tacopina says Relli has made up the story in a "get rich quick scheme."