TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Singers, rappers ... Aljamain Sterling will walk to the Octagon to your music -- blasting in the arena, on TV -- at his next UFC title fight, if your song's good enough.

The bantamweight champ is teaming up with 2x Grammy nominee Joyner Lucas ... and they're launching a contest aimed at putting a spotlight on independent artists.

The way it goes ... artists submit a song on Tully, and if Aljo and Joyner like it, you might hear it on the UFC 280 broadcast next month.

Aljamain is fighting T.J. Dillashaw on October 22 in Abu Dhabi ... and the winner's song will be the last thing Aljo hears before he scraps.

Sterling and Lucas' friendship began in April earlier this year ... after Aljamain walked out to Joyner's "I Love" at UFC 273 before his bout with Petr Yan.

Aljamain became UFC champion that night ... and the men later came up with the contest.

Joyner, who pushes independent musicians like him, has also worked with some of the industry's biggest names ... Will Smith on "Will (Remix)" and Lil Baby on "Ramen & OJ."

It's not the first time Joyner's been part of a big-time sporting event. He's a huge Boston Celtics fan ... and performed at halftime of Game 6 during the 2022 NBA Finals.

Larsa Pippen looks like she's super into the son of her ex-husband's famous teammate -- the 'Real Housewives' star and Marcus Jordan were all over each other at a music festival.

Larsa and Marcus were spotted together again Sunday ... this time at Rolling Loud in NYC, and video shows them dancing on each other, getting handsy and snuggling.

TMZ obtained this footage of Scottie Pippen's ex with Michael Jordan's son at Citi Field in Queens, and they certainly look like a couple now ... they're clearly more comfortable with one another since we first saw them hanging out in Miami.

Larsa and Marcus are face-to-face, slow dancing and grinding ... with Larsa nuzzling Marcus' neck and even appearing to kiss him.

At one point, Larsa grabs Marcus by the waist and she later turns around and leans back on him ... and Marcus leans in close and appears to whisper in her ear.

Folks who were there tell us Larsa and Marcus were dancing together all night, hugging and kissing and engaging in a bunch of PDA. We're told Larsa was kissing Marcus' neck, laying her head on his chest and trying to make it clear to all they were there together.

It's interesting to see Larsa and Marcus spending more time together ... as we first told you, they hung out in Miami earlier this month, but both of their camps quickly put to bed rumors of a relationship.

The new video doesn't lie though ... and it's gonna be hard to deny the sparks are flying.

Ya gotta wonder how Michael and Scottie feel about all this -- the 'Last Dance' documentary made it clear there's still some hard feelings between the Hall of Fame Chicago Bulls teammates.

Rihanna's already gearing up for her Super Sunday comeback ... at least that's what fans are hoping as she hits a studio with A$AP Rocky right on the heels of her big NFL news.

Rihanna and her BF were on the move Monday night, heading into a NYC studio session together -- and the timing is just fueling anticipation for her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance.

RiRi hasn't spoken out about the big gig yet, and the big question is whether she'll finally drop some new music before she takes the stage at Super Bowl LVII. So, every time she gets near a studio between now and February 12 it's gonna be news.

She's been teasing new music for quite some time now. We know she's been really busy lately with all of her business ventures, and welcoming a baby with A$AP ... but if she's diving into new music, this would be the time.

You'll recall, Rih turned down an offer to headline at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show because of her opposition to the way Colin Kaepernick was treated by the NFL ... but this time she's all in.

Akademiks is addressing the “broke and dusty” slander head-on after making himself hip hop public enemy No. 1 last week -- mostly due to LL Cool J giving him a tongue-lashing on the subject.

The embattled rap journalist visited The Breakfast Club to plead his case, and said he would’ve agreed with LL Cool J … if his “broke and dusty” remarks weren’t clipped and taken outta context.

Ak says he was actually speaking on the larger issue of legendary rappers who refuse to pass their education down to the next generation.

Ak openly admitted he has no problem taking his lumps for his content, but says when it’s time for the culture to attack important issues like rapper murders and the music that’s fueling them, conversations go silent.

There was another elephant in the room to confront … Ak’s comments against Reginae Carter’s dating life and her new relationship.

Reginae is the daughter of Lil Wayne and entrepreneur Toya Carter ... and had been dating YFN Lucci before his incarceration. She now makes YouTube food videos with her current BF … and Ak basically scolded her for switching up when things got tough.

Toya lashed out at Ak for almost calling her daughter a “bitch” on live stream … to which Ak retracted and apologized and has a sit-down scheduled for next week with T.I. ... who says he's Reginae's godfather.

Working relationships are key to locking down guest features ... so says superproducer Hitmaka, who thinks Desiigner blew his top when reacting to EST Gee's $75k asking price for a collab.

We got Hitmaka at LAX and picked his industry brain about Desiigner's recent outburst over EST's steep quote.

He notes artists typically do business off the internet, which could allow for a lower negotiated price. But, ultimately without the established connection, Hitmaka says the price is the price ... whether it's 75 cents or $75k!!!

Desiigner lost it on EST Gee last week ... calling him "garbage" after getting the verse quoted. The Brooklyn-born rapper is now independent after leaving Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music ... which means more DIY opportunities.

Shortly after the viral IG diss, Desiigner seemingly had a change of heart and accepted EST's five-figure fee ... walking back the attacks on the CMG rapper's character -- a humble gesture, but doubtful it'll get him that feature!!!

We also couldn't help but notice Hitmaka was rocking his drippy umbrella chain from NYC Mazza ... and picked his brain on rapper travel protocol with jewelry in the aftermath of PnB Rock's murder.

Hitmaka doubled down on DJ Envy's instructions about artists protecting their valuables ... a clear sign of the times in hip hop culture.

Lil Wayne got an early start to his 40th birthday celebration ... with a star-studded birthday party fit for the legendary rapper!!!

Sources close to Weezy tell TMZ Hip Hop ... the shindig went down at popular L.A. hot spot, The Nice Guy -- and several close friends and family members -- including all 4 of his children, flew in from New Orleans for the event.

Special guests ranged from YG and Yella Beezy to Mack Maine and Cortez Bryant on the hip hop side ... and Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe and Marcus Wiley repped for the sports culture.

NBA YoungBoy understandably couldn't be there on an account of his highly publicized house arrest, but sent a video message addressing Wayne as "his son" ... as they're both branches from the Louisiana rap family tree.

The biggest shocker of the night came courtesy of R&B legend Keith Sweat ... who surprised Wayne with a special performance of his classic track "Don't Stop Your Love."

Wayne's actual birthday is Tuesday, when he'll be getting the royal birthday treatment from the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. We've learned they're unveiling a special exhibit in his honor.

NMAAM and Vanderbilt professors will host an event for the exhibit, which features personally donated antiques from Wayne -- including his Best Rap Album Grammy for "Tha Carter III," his first handwritten letter during his stint on Rikers Island and much more.

Snoop Dogg is ready to roll out another full-length project ... and once again, he's tapping DJ Drama to connect the dots and deliver a gift to mark his latest trip around the sun.

Tha Doggfather announced Monday morning ... he and the Gangsta Grillz founder had a mixtape in the works, slated for an October 20 release date -- his big B-Day!

Snoop will be turning 51 on that day, but still wants the young whippersnappers to know his pen has plenty of ink left to document his raps.

Snoop and Drama have several GG collaborations under their designer belts, including his "That's My Work" series installments 1-5, 2008's "The City Is In Good Hands" LP and his Locke High series alongside producer Terrace Martin.

He's also having a stellar year ... having kicked off 2022 with his Emmy Award-winning Super Bowl halftime show performance, and teasing in-studio collaborations with fellow headliners Dr. Dre and Eminem along the way.

Not to be excluded, Drama's been putting in overtime stamping his Gangsta Grillz seal of approval on plenty of projects.

Kanye West added a little bling to his wardrobe, rocking bedazzled flip-flops to one of London Fashion Week's biggest events.

Ye -- dressed in black leather pants with a black leather jacket and hoodie -- made his way into The Burberry Spring/Summer 2023 show in Bermondsey Monday. It's the first time in a while we've seen Kanye with anything other than black boots or Yeezys on his feet.

Instead, he wore a pair of black flip-flops with socks ... and a diamond trim.

Ye doesn't usually wear anything flashy, even jewelry, so the diamonds are certainly a new look ... whether real or not.

As for Kim Kardashian, she's been with the kids in Milan after starring as Dolce and Gabbana's leading lady at their show over the weekend.

Kanye recently sat down with 'GMA' where he apologized to Kim and for causing stress in her life through his various attacks on social media.

Akon says he and Michael Jackson were discussing plans to open a number of music-focused schools across Africa ...  which got tragically derailed with the death of the King of Pop.

We got Akon in New York City and he told us about a concept he and MJ came up with back in the day ... a series of music universities in Akon's home continent.

Akon says he and Michael wanted to supply students with instruments, infrastructure and industry advice to hone their skills ... because as he and MJ discussed, there was -- and still is -- a lot of undiscovered talent in Africa.

Sadly, Michael died in 2009 before he and Akon could break ground on any schools ... but Akon says it's something he still wants to make happen in the future.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show could be lit beyond words, because TMZ has learned the NFL and Roc Nation have been in talks with Rihanna to headline.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... there have been multiple discussions with Rihanna and her team. We do not know if she's a firm go, but our sources say the NFL may reveal who they've locked up as early as Sunday afternoon via tweet.

Rihanna makes a lot of sense, because she's a Roc Nation artist, so it's an easy call for Jay-Z. BTW, Rihanna has been teasing her new music for more than a year, and if she's ready to release it there's no better platform than the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

We're told there have also been discussions with another performer, but it's not either/or -- in other words, there would be at least 2 performers on stage.

It's interesting ... Rihanna turned down an offer to headline at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show because of her opposition to the way Colin Kaepernick was treated by the NFL.

TMZ broke the story ... the NFL asked Taylor Swift months ago to headline the Halftime Show, but she took a pass.

We're told she'd like to do the Super Bowl, but only after she rerecords all 6 of her early albums, and she's only rerecorded 2 so far.

Actor Kadeem Hardison is a little hesitant about the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... but speaking as one of the stars from the OG flick, he sees some potential -- and even has his eyes set on who could play him in this new-gen version.

We got Kadeem in NYC Tuesday ... and he's got a reason to be timid about the new 'WMCJ" -- it's missin' Ron Shelton, the original film's writer and director, who's arguably the reason the movie's still big today.

But, there might still be hope ... the actor's been hearing good things about Jack Harlow, who's playing Billy Hoyle -- Woody Harrelson's role from 1992.

Kadeem puts it plainly -- the "First Class" rapper could be bringin' some serious flair to the new project.

He also knows who should be playing his role for the reboot -- RJ Cyler, or as Kadeem calls him, the "lightning with the blam blams" dude from Netflix's "The Harder They Fall."

A$AP Rocky is apologizing for his truncated Rolling Loud set -- but the reasons for the short performance are getting under some people's skin ... particularly, clock management.

The rapper was on duty Saturday night in NYC, where he hit the Fashion Nova stage pretty late into the evening ... around 9:45 PM, we're told. He was able to do just two songs, this in between what people are saying was a lot of chatter about moshing with the crowd.

In the end, his show came to an abrupt halt right around 10 PM ... something A$AP was visibly upset about in the moment, with his DJ issuing a mea culpa right on the spot.

Not only was Rocky mad, but some folks on the ground were pissed too ... saying he was quite late, and that he should've just stuck to pure performing instead of all the side speeches he was giving. A handful of people also feel like it wasn't Rocky's greatest outing.

Sources connected to the event tell TMZ ... yeah, AR was very tardy here. We're told he was supposed to be up there at 8:55 PM, but didn't go on until a good 45 minutes later. Our sources say the reason festival organizers hit the kill switch is because of a noise ordinance that was in place before things got underway ... and they were clearly aiming to respect it.

Rocky himself is owning up to it, taking to social media to say he's sorry for the way things unfolded ... and takes full responsibility. He didn't really acknowledge timing at all, but it seems he's absorbing most of the blame and promising to deliver next time.

Jamie Foxx is ready to perform on the drop of a dime -- proven in his impromptu singing of one of his most famous songs ... which had an assist from Diplo.

The comedian hit XS Nightclub in Vegas Friday, rolling in around 3 AM with a large crew and joining Diplo -- who was DJ'ing -- onstage. Seems he was in the mood for a classic ... diving into his and Kanye's smash hit, "Gold Digger," as if it was 2005 all over again.

It's pretty cool to see Jamie belting out his old ditty ... dude hasn't lost a step, and people definitely haven't forgotten it either. They were singing along word for word. We're told Jamie stuck around a bit longer to help sing "Rack City."

JF wasn't the only celeb to pop in either ... Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds also made a cameo at XS. He showed up almost at 4 AM, and he too waved to the crowd from Diplo's elevated position. Dan also got on the mic a bit, but didn't sing or anything.

Speaking of Diplo ... he's on a bit of a high right now. The guy recently won a lawsuit against a woman who was allegedly harassing him, scoring a massive judgment in arbitration.

Trippie Redd is currently spreading his sounds and touching his fans down under, and his Australian supporters are getting treated to new music before anyone else!!!

The "Love Scars" rapper/rocker packed out Melbourne streetwear boutique Culture Kings this week for a meet-and-greet -- finally getting a chance to connect with the people post-pandemic.

Fans in attendance got to see Trippie's multi-layered cool side ... he hosted a 3-point shooting contest, where the winner laid claim to precious store credit.

He even took time out to listen to aspiring rappers and treated the crowd to an unreleased track ... which we're told had everyone in attendance in a frenzy once they were getting exclusive stuff!!!

Trippie's in town for the Listen Out Festival ... with appearances in both Melbourne and Perth set for this weekend.

Tekashi 6ix9ine knows he's on thin ice, legally, here in the States -- but it seems when he's overseas ... he lets it rip, just like he did on this poor guy here in the club.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, that shows the rapper in Soho Garden in Dubai ... where he approaches what appears to be the DJ for the night -- only to start swinging on the dude in what appears to be an unprovoked attack.

The DJ starts to scuffle with 69, that is ... before Tekashi's security swooped in and started separating the two, pulling their boss away -- but by then, even more people started flocking.

It actually looks like Tekashi gets wailed on by a few bystanders on the perimeter, and it also seems he was getting his chain yanked, his hair grabbed and his shirt pulled off toward the end as the fight evolved into an all-out mini brawl.

Now, as for what exactly might've caused this ... well, eyewitnesses tell us T69 was supposedly upset that the DJ wasn't playing any of his jams, and apparently felt the need to confront him about it. We've reached out to Tekashi ... so far, no word back.

Waka Flocka Flame and DJ Whoo Kid are teaming up ... challenging AEW stars Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee to a match -- with a twist -- loser has to donate $100K to donate to a charity!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Whoo Kid, who attended AEW Dynamite at Arthur Ashe Stadium in NYC on Wednesday ... and he broke down the beef between him and Swerve.

The famous DJ said he was supposed to walk out with Strickland and his partner, Lee, but he switched places with NY-born rapper Fabolous at the last minute, leaving the tag team duo pissed off.

Whoo Kid told us he didn't want to be booed by the fans, so he decided to walk out with Strickland's opponents, "The Acclaimed," made up of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens.

During the interview, Wacka Flocka (who happened to be with WK at the time) crashed the party and threw down the gauntlet ... telling Strickland and Lee, if they're looking for a fight, he's down to make it happen, no matter the time or place.

"We'll have a match right in the parking lot," Flocka said. "Wherever I see 'em, it's a match. Get the refs. It's going down."

As for what entrance music Whoo Kid and Flocka will use if/when they fight Strickland and Lee .. you guessed it, the 2010 hit song "Hard in da Paint."