TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Tory Lanez allegedly ran into a woman's car -- and the driver was pregnant -- and then took off ... that is, if you believe a lawsuit she's now filed against him.

The rapper is being sued by a couple named Krisha and Jesse Grullon, who claim he sideswiped them with his luxury vehicle in Miami during New Year's Day 2021 ... only to then allegedly flee the scene without even checking on them.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the Grullons allege they exited a highway and stopped at a red light at the end of the off-ramp. Moments later, they claim, Tory came out of nowhere and struck their car from the rear left side with a green Bentley SUV.

The Grullons insist Tory never exited his ride, but instead ... claim he took off without a second thought. The worst part, they say Krisha was 4 months pregnant at the time.

The couple is gunning to have him sit for a deposition, which they're requesting be conducted early in 2023. They're also denying Tory responded to their claims in 45 days' time ... either admitting or denying each specific part of their claim.

As you know ... Tory's already embroiled in a legal case here in California over allegations he used a firearm to cause bodily injury to Megan Thee Stallion -- something that's going to trial next month. He was also recently accused of beating up August Alsina in Chicago ... but it doesn't appear the cops are involved in that one just yet.

We've reached out to Tory's camp ... so far, no word back.

Lizzo playing James Madison's flute might have conservative pundits up in arms, but the folks repping the 4th president's home couldn't be happier and they're urging her to make a house call ASAP.

A rep for James Madison's Montpelier estate tells TMZ ... Lizzo now has an open invitation to take a private tour of Madison's well-preserved estate after she made history with the crystal instrument formerly owned by the prez.

They're even hoping she'll put on a performance during her visit -- whether it be a planned concert or a simple jam session on the fly!!!

They hope something can be worked out with the Library of Congress to get the crystal flute -- which dates back to 1813 -- brought there for Lizzo's set. The estate notes there's no evidence JM ever played the instrument, so Lizzo could be the first to play Madison's flute at Madison's home. Iconic.

FYI -- the historic Montpelier, located in Virginia, is a 2,650-acre estate ... acting not only as a monument to the former president, but also as a museum of American history and a center for constitutional education.

It's unclear if Lizzo will accept the gig -- she is currently in the middle of a tour -- but, it should be noted close to 100 slaves worked at Montpelier back when Madison lived there.

As we reported, Lizzo made history by playing some notes with the 200-year-old instrument Tuesday ... and we're told Montpelier doesn't think anyone else is more deserving -- calling it "a flute for royalty," with the singer fitting the bill.

The moment rubbed some people the wrong way (what else is new?) ... as they claimed she degraded American history by using such a unique relic as part of her performance.

Kanye West engaged in some high-fashion mudslinging this weekend in the City of Light.

Ye and a gaggle of models walked the runway in getups slathered in mud. Yeah, it's a look and, we're guessing, an acquired taste.

Kanye's ex, Kim Kardashian, did not join, but all four of their kids were there. Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were also in attendance ... plus other stars including Offset, Naomi Campbell and Salma Hayek.

West opened the show ... aptly titled, Balenciaga's Apocalyptic, Mud-Filled SS23.

The creative director for Balenciaga, Demna, said the mud is "a metaphor for digging for truth and being down to earth."

Kanye has never walked the runway before, and actually, he didn't this time ... he stomped down it, wearing leather pans, a security jacket, a baseball cap and a hood.

Demna went on to say, "Let us let everyone be anyone and make love not war." The timing is interesting, given Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

BTW ... Bella Hadid also hit the runway. Her face was made to look bruised and beaten as she walked with a baby carrier strapped to her body ... again, covered in mud.

Vanilla Ice got pretty emotional, recalling the last time he had a heart-to-heart with Coolio about being a parent ... adding he's put a brief hold on his tour following the rapper's death.

Ice tried keeping it together while talking about their last convo ... and it sounds like Coolio's kids were on his mind the last time they hung out. He says family was a big topic during their chats.

He tells us Coolio was all about positivity ... and was a good friend all this time -- adding he'll be missed.

Ice also says he's taking the weekend off from performing after learning about his bud's death ... because he doesn't think he's in the right mindset to put on a show.

As we reported, Coolio's last performance was with Ice ... coming out onstage with him last week to freestyle during his set. V.I. says he had no clue this performance would be his last -- he was more focused on how honored he was to have such a legend up there with him.

Coolio fans flocked to his website after his death to grab some merch ... and the response was so overwhelming, people were met with a big ol' "404 error."

The rapper's merch store was out of service as of Friday morning ... folks were unable to grab Coolio swag online -- instead seeing the message, "Page not found -- Somehow you have come to a page that does not exist."

Normally, a response like this would come up if the page were deleted, or because of heavy traffic. It looks like the latter is the culprit.

FYI -- the site normally has lots of great finds for Coolio fans ... stuff like fanny packs, mugs, hoodies and face masks.

You can count Ski Mask the Slump God among the rappers who won't stop wearing iced-out chains and jewelry after PnB Rock's murder, but he's taking some precautions and relying on good energy!!!

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Ski Mask Thursday at LAX and asked about his massive chain inspired by the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! manga card game ... which he shamelessly wears while being searched by TSA.

The piece is modeled after a Millenium Puzzle and opens up to reveal his name engraved on a diamond-encrusted globe -- it's nothing short of insane, and totally conspicuous.

Ski Mask says he leaves on all his bling and rings through TSA searches, simply because it'll take too long to put them back on!!!

That being said, the Florida rapper definitely has thoughts on this week's arrests in the PnB case, he and echoes the recent remarks of Roddy Ricch and DJ Drama that L.A. is a dangerous place.

While he's aware of the violence, Ski Mask says keeping good energy typically prevents altercations in his circle ... and he also avoids most trouble by simply not going out at all!

TMZ broke the story earlier this week ... a father and son duo were arrested and charged with PnB's Sept. 12 murder at a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles.

Of course, Ski Mask went through a similar tragedy when his close friend XXXTENTACION was shot and killed in 2018.

Remy Ma was in early talks to become the first rapper-turned-'Real Housewife,' but she ran into a major problem -- because as any realtor would tell her, it's all about location, location, location.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... 'RHONY' star Eboni K. Williams brought up Remy's name to casting several months ago for the Bravo reality series ... suggesting Remy would be a great addition to the show.

We're told the casting team had a virtual chat with Remy and the conversation went really well ... but they hit a huge roadblock when they found out the Bronx-born MC now lives in New Jersey full-time.

Our sources say the rapper used to have an apartment in midtown Manhattan, but she doesn't anymore. At the time she was recommended to casting it was still believed she had ties to NYC.

While the Bravo series is historically loose about the cast's "wife" status, they're pretty strict when it comes to geography -- so all convos with Remy about "Real Housewives of New York City" ended.

We're told well-known NYC newscaster, Tamsen Fadal, from the CW affiliate PIX11 was also being considered, but ultimately that didn't work out, either.

Bravo hasn't officially announced the new cast for season 14. As we reported in April, housewives honcho Andy Cohen announced the network is completely rebooting and recasting 'RHONY' after 13 seasons.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is making Cali the first state to block prosecutors from freely using rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases -- and the move has some high-profile supporters.

Newsom looked like he was hosting a hip hop award show Friday as he put his John Hancock on Assembly Bill 2799. The signing went down in an online forum that included Too $hort, Meek Mill, Killer Mike, Tyga, YG, E-40, Ty Dolla $ign. and some other industry heavyweights.

The new CA law prevents prosecutors from using rappers' lyrics in court as circumstantial evidence ... unless a judge first reviews and approves it. Before the Gov. signed, several of the rappers talked about why the bill was so important.

Cali homegrown MCs E-40 and Too $hort, in particular, stressed the need for artists to have the freedom to creatively express themselves ... and said they hoped the Golden State would start a trend.

A similar bill in New York faltered earlier this year in that state's legislature.

Veteran rapper and former convict X-Raided told TMZ Hip Hop he always believed Newsom’s progressive politics would make the difference in California.

The Strange Music artist spent 26 years in prison for his role in a 1992 murder, but said he believes he would have been acquitted if prosecutors had been barred from referencing his lyrics.

Coolio was busy working up until he died, but there was one opportunity he was super excited about that unfortunately never happened ... he was supposed to appear on one of Nick Cannon's most popular shows.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Coolio was scheduled to be in Atlanta to film an episode of "Wild 'N Out" on Tuesday, Sept. 20 ... but the rapper was forced to cancel at the last minute.

We're told Coolio really wanted to be on the show, and producers had been working for a long time to make it happen before they were finally able to find a date that worked.

However, a source close to Coolio tells us his travel plans changed at the last minute and he couldn't get a flight to Atlanta that would work for the show's taping.

We're told Coolio was a huge fan of the show and was bummed he couldn't participate. What's more, Valentina Nicolette, who booked Coolio for the gig tells us he was also planning to perform "Gangsta's Paradise" during his time on the show.

As we first told you ... Coolio appeared happy and in good health later that same week, taking pics with fans in a Texas airport ahead of a concert in the Houston area with Vanilla Ice.

Fat Joe is suing his Chicago-based accounting firm, claiming it was running a Ponzi scheme that misappropriated his funds and those of some MLB players, too.

According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Joe claims tax hub BDO, its longtime CPA Andre N. Chammas and his assistant Vanessa Rodriguez defrauded him in several ways.

According to the docs, Joe noticed some accounting irregularities after Rodriguez was fired in July ... and he says things really didn't add up when he started taking a closer look.

For starters, Joe says his wife Lorena's name was used to open AMEX accounts and make huge unauthorized purchases, including $40K in charges for Uber rides and UberEats deliveries, as well as tuition payments for Rodriguez's daughter.

Joe also claims he discovered one of his entities, Sneaker Addict Touring, was missing large deposits -- to the tune of more than $300K. He says there were similar irregularities with other entities.

As for the Ponzi part of the alleged scheme -- Joe claims the firm also defrauded Jose Iglesias of Colorado Rockies, Luis Garcia of the Houston Astros and former Chicago White Sox player Dayan Viciedo.

In the suit, he says AMEX accounts were opened under their names as well, and the money flowed between all of their accounts to keep the Ponzi going. The players are not plaintiffs in the suit, and Joe makes it clear he feels they were victims ... just like himself.

Coolio's sudden death comes as a total shock to fans who interacted with him less than a week before he passed, and they say he gave no indication he was having health issues.

TMZ obtained these photos and videos of the "Gangsta's Paradise" rapper traveling last Friday through the Houston airport, and he was happy and in good spirits as he greeted some giddy fans.

Mika, the woman who stopped Coolio in the airport, tells TMZ ... she ran up to him to get a photo and he was friendly and very happy to take some pics, laughing and being very engaging.

We're told he even invited Mika and her girl pals to come to his show that night in Cypress, TX and they exchanged numbers and text messages -- and Coolio got the women on the VIP guest list.

Mika says she and her friends didn't end up going to the show because it was about an hour from where they were staying in Houston, and now they're devastated they missed that chance to see what turned out to be his last live performance.

TMZ broke the story ... Coolio died Wednesday afternoon at a friend's house in L.A., and his Friday concert with Vanilla Ice in Texas ended up being his last gig.

Coolio went to the bathroom at his friend's place and never came out ... his friend called 911 and paramedics gave him CPR for 45 minutes in an effort to revive the rapper.

Law enforcement sources say no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death. An autopsy and toxicology test will be used to determine the official cause of death.

Coolio's death has the likes of Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, LL Cool J and Vanilla Ice sadly memorializing their longtime partner in rhyme -- and now a fellow West Coast O.G.'s delivering his own eulogy.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Ras Kass, who -- like so many in hip hop -- is sharing memories of Coolio, but he's also saluting his mic skills.

Ras and Coolio have several records together ... including one on the late rapper's magnum opus "Gangsta's Paradise," but their relationship dates back before Ras was even old enough to drive.

He admits being a local knucklehead growing up in Watts when he befriended Coolio's longtime partner Bryan "Wino" Dobbs ... who eventually passed his early work to Coolio while Ras was locked away in juvenile detention.

After a stern lecturing to get his act right, Ras obliged and was soon on tour and rocking Lollapalooza while still a teenager!

Ras notes Coolio's hip hop legacy is extra special, considering his brand of West Coast boogie was selling multi-platinum ... at the same time as gangsta rap's popularity peak when folks like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube reigned supreme on the rap charts.

He also remembers the good times -- such as Coolio's Grammy Award win for his mega-hit "Gangsta's Paradise" back in 1996.

Rap music hadn't solidified its respect or revenue streams just yet and Ras says he, Coolio and crew celebrated like they had never been there before ... because they hadn't!!!

Ras sends his condolences to Coolio's fam and looks forward to his upcoming project with Havoc and Philly MC RJ Payne ... which he describes as N.W.A meets Mobb Deep.

Gunna is currently making another play at coming home while his criminal case is pending … a move fully supported by Kevin Liles, head of Gunna's label ... 300 Elektra Entertainment.

We caught up with Kevin Thursday in D.C. during the “Rap and the Rules of Evidence” panel … and he doubled down on arguments made to the court when Young Thug was attempting to get placed on house arrest ahead of his trial.

Kevin tells us his longtime allegiance with Young Thug extends down the YSL family tree and he considers him, Gunna and everyone else at the label his “sons.”

Gunna’s attorneys are actively arguing for his freedom in Atlanta for the third time, and Kevin insists Gunna is not a violent offender and shouldn't be locked up!

During the panel discussion, which was powered by The Recording Academy, RIAA and Industry Blackout ... Kevin seemed touched by the earlier convo and got emotional explaining the hardships of YSL's Rico case.

The concert Coolio would've headlined in Germany this weekend will go on, and Haddaway says all of their fellow '90s hitmakers are doing everything they can to turn the night into a tribute for the rapper.

The "What Is Love" singer tells TMZ ... work's already underway to make the show in Germany this weekend a full homage to Coolio. He says they plan on showing some throwback pics and playing some hits they collaborated on over the years.

The singer still remembers being blown away by Coolio's live shows back in the day, too ... and he wants to make sure this concert goes down just as the rapper would've wanted it.

Even though it's a last-minute call, Haddaway says singers Robin S. and Crystal Walters already have an open invitation to join him on stage Saturday -- they all were part of the same friend group in the '90s.

These '90s live shows have been going down with Coolio and Haddaway all summer by the way -- they'd already put on more than 14 concerts throughout Europe.

"Futurama" fans will still be able to hear Coolio featured on their favorite show -- the late rapper recorded segments for the animated series before his death -- giving show creatives a chance to give Coolio, and his character, a proper send-off.

David X. Cohen, Executive Producer of "Futurama," tells TMZ he was shocked to hear about Coolio's passing, especially because he recorded lines for their upcoming season just weeks before.

For those unaware, Coolio's appeared in a few episodes of the show in the past, playing Kwanzaa-bot -- a counterpart to Chanukah Zombie and Santa Claus Robot. His first appearance was way back in 2001.

David says the rapper looked and sounded great as always when laying down his lines ... even taking over the recording session by producing tracks on the fly for the episode.

The "Futurama" team is going to dedicate his episode to him and feature Coolio rapping over the closing credits so they can give him "the best send-off we can."

David adds, "Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot." David says Coolio also shared he had picked up a new hobby during the pandemic ... sewing!

A father and son have both been charged with murder in the shooting death of rapper PnB Rock.

L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón made the announcement Thursday, saying Freddie Lee Trone and his 17-year-old son were both charged with one count of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery as well as two counts of second-degree robbery.

Freddie Lee Trone is still on the run from authorities.

Shauntel Trone, the 17-year-old's stepmother was also charged in connection to the murder with one count of accessory after the fact.

TMZ broke the story, PnB was killed inside a Los Angeles Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant earlier this month as he sat and ate with his girlfriend.

Law enforcement sources tell us Freddie Lee Trone and his son were already in the parking lot when PnB arrived at the restaurant. We're told the 17-year-old is the alleged shooter, and Freddie was the getaway driver. Our sources say they burned the vehicle after the murder.

PnB was only 30.