TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Fat Joe says he's never been robbed at gunpoint, but people in business suits have been robbing him blind for years!!!

Joe Crack hopped on "The Breakfast Club" Tuesday ahead of the BET Hip Hop Awards ... and started venting about the alleged Ponzi scheme he claims his longtime accounting firm, BDO, cooked up.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Joey's suing BDO, alleging the firm ripped off millions from him, as well as several professional baseball players

Joe says he was embarrassed finding out about the caper -- the mortgage company called him to inform him he had missed several payments, alerting his suspicions to the scheme.

The lawsuit accuses Joe's CPA Andre N. Chammas and his assistant Vanessa Rodriguez of going to town on his dime ... allegedly pulling cash out of ATMs for personal use such as children's school tuition and swiping his AMEX without a care in the world.

Joe's advice to his fellow money-makers ... don't trust anyone with your wealth!!! The Terror Squad rapper thinks simply having someone overseeing your money isn't good enough ... that person needs an overseer as well.

Jay-Z is eyeing a new blueprint these days -- the evolution of pizza making and delivery ... all carried out by robots!!!

The hip-hop entrepreneur's venture capital firm Marcy Venture Partners recently invested $16.5 million into California-based Stellar Pizza ... a mobile-truck company with a unique twist on flipping pies.

Started by a trio of former SpaceX engineers, Stellar Pizza boasts the ability to make ready-to-eat pizzas in less than 5 minutes, and one truck has the capacity to produce 420 pizzas before needing a re-up.

In light of the new funding, Stellar Pizza truck is set to test its product on the best subjects available: college students.

The first truck is scheduled to appear on the USC campus this fall.

Kanye West's "White Lives Matter" T-shirt is the can of worms he just can't close ... and one of his former collaborators is gutting him over one of the rants that followed his fashion statement.

The fiery response comes from Tremaine Emory ... the creative director over at Supreme, who took great exception to Ye using the late Virgil Abloh as a metaphor for his latest plight.

Ye accused LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault of "killing" Virgil ... doubling down on his belief Virgil was overworked while he battled terminal cancer in his final days, but Tremaine just isn't having it.

Tremaine accused Ye of knowing about Virgil's cancer before he died, yet still opting to rip his career choices -- specifically, he claims Ye called Virgil’s designs "a disgrace to the Black community."

That would stand in stark contradiction to the special Sunday Service Ye held the day after Virgil's death.

Virgil was mourned at a star-studded funeral in December 2021 ... with the likes of Drake, Rihanna, Tyler, The Creator, A$AP Rocky and more in attendance, but Ye left an unhappy camper.

Ye had complained he wasn't able to speak at Virgil's funeral but Tremaine says Ye's behavior was to blame ... that it prevented him from being invited to the private gathering beforehand.

Tremaine also defended Vogue fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson from Ye's recent attacks, who was doxxed after she stepped up to criticize the "White Lives Matter" shirt.

He finished his post by painting Ye as a narcissist still seeking props from the fashion world ... which sounds like something Sway said like 10 years ago!!!

The Black Lives Matter movement is going after Kanye West for the controversial "White Lives Matter" shirt he wore to his YZY Show, saying it's nothing but a stunt to hurt folks fighting for justice.

In a statement to TMZ, BLM says ... "While some may see Kanye and Candace's stunt as a distraction, we recognize that it harms thousands of families fighting for justice for their loved ones killed by state-sanctioned violence."

BLM's also ripping Candace Owens -- who also wore the shirt -- for what they view as spreading "toxic confusion" ... claiming the shirts, and phrasing, can be "used to legitimize violent assaults on Black people."

Kanye should know better, BLM says, telling us ... "Kanye knows very well that 'white lives' have never been targeted for oppression. Black folks, in contrast, are at the bottom of virtually every economic, social, and political measure because of centuries of individual and institutional racism."

For his part, Kanye says he wore the "White Lives Matter" shirt at his fashion show because he thinks BLM "was a scam."

Naturally, BLM disagrees ... they say the movement will benefit everyone in the long run because "when Black people get free, everybody gets free."

Lil Kim is reaffirming her allegiance with Cardi B ... and probably at the perfect time too, because her BFF just might be heading into a full-scale rap war.

The legendary rapper is set to kick off BET's "Rap City" reboot, and in an upcoming interview with host Big Tigger ... Kim gushed over her friendship with Cardi, and even admitted to taking her advice when it comes to navigating life and career.

We're told the early episodes will feature appearances from DJ Drama, Remy Ma, Rapsody, G Herbo, Ice Spice and more ... with the premiere coming tonight at 8 PM ET/PT.

Kim's allegiance to Cardi is just the latest development in the female rap battle -- things are getting extremely feisty in the wake of Cardi and City Girl rapper JT's recent spat online.

On Monday, JT congratulated GloRilla for her first entry into the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 ... her "Tomorrow 2" single co-starring Cardi B -- only JT didn't name Cardi, prompting fans to instigate.

JT recently appeared on Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl (Remix)" ... so saluting Cardi B would be considered a slap in the face in the Barbz' eyes.

However, the Twitter chatter alerted Cardi ... and she proceeded to lay into JT for needing her help to pad City Girls' video stats. JT didn't let the criticism slide and then chastised Cardi for using writers to help with her songs.

The pettiness didn't end there ... Nicki entered the fray by changing her Twitter avatar to a photo of JT -- to which Cardi countered by changing her avatar to Nicki's longtime nemesis Remy Ma.

Travis Scott knows how to put a smile on his daughter's face ... taking her to Universal Studios Hollywood and sitting front row on some rides.

Travis and Stormi Webster hit up the theme park Monday, enjoying all there was to offer at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Stormi has a need for speed it seems, she and her dad took 3 rides around the Flight of the Hippogriff ... she was sitting in the front seat, flashing a huge grin and raising her arms as the car raced around the track.

Travis bought 4-year-old Stormi a stuffed toy to carry around all day, and they also enjoyed a Minions ride and one of the park's new attractions, the Secret Life of Pets ride. Sounds like a pretty good way to start a week.

Kanye West seems to be saying he wore a "White Lives Matter" shirt because, in his mind, Black Lives Matter is nothing but a racket.

Ye took to IG to respond to all the blowback he's been getting -- and it's been A LOT -- over a shirt he and his Yeezy models were rocking during his fashion show Monday ... which had the controversial message plastered across the back.

Ye says, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME."

What he's referring to, it seems, is the fact that a small handful of BLM executives who've been caught in alleged scandals over the past couple years -- including one honcho accused last month of siphoning $10 million from donors, and another who's been accused of using BLM funds to buy a house.

Candace Owens -- who was also on hand Monday for Ye's show, wearing the shirt too -- has been one of many critics on the right who've latched onto this, despite denials from the BLM execs ... and it would appear Kanye's skeptical too.

There's more ... KW also went after one specific person who criticized him because of his fashion choice/political statement -- a contributing editor for Vogue named Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who called his shirt "dangerous" and "irresponsible" in a well-thought-out analysis.

His response was more simple, and quite frankly childish ... making fun of her wardrobe. He posted a photo of her, roasting her shoewear, saying -- "I KNOOOOOOW ANNA [Wintour] HAAAATES THESE BOOTS."

Kanye went on to say ... "This is not a fashion person. You speak on Ye. Ima speak on you. Ask Trevor Noah."

Gabriella doesn't seem to have responded to Ye's barbs just yet ... but she was far from the only blue checkmark to have blasted him for his stunt. Kanye was trending all day because of it -- with many recalling other controversial statements, including his infamous suggestion, while on "TMZ Live," that slavery was a choice ... not to mention all the MAGA stuff from over the past few years.

At any rate, it looks like Kanye is sticking to his guns. Not only was he wearing the shirt, but there are photos online from the Yeezy show that depict other people -- including models of his -- who were rocking it on the runway.

Just another day in the life of Kanye West. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Coolio had a lot of things in the works before his sudden passing last week -- including the fact he was about to headline his first ever Vegas residency this month ... TMZ has learned.

Shortly before he died, Coolio was actually in talks with a production company called Fan Rebellion -- which produces an ongoing Vegas residency show called Boombox!, held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino ... this according to FB's Chief Creative Officer, Jimmy Maynes.

Boombox! tends to specialize in old-school hip hop acts from the '80s and '90s -- and have booked big names like CeeLo Green, Tone Loc, and others -- so it's right up Coolio's alley .. and exactly why Maynes and co. were negotiating to get him onstage.

Maynes tells us the plan was to have Coolio come in and head the show starting at the end of October and running through the second week of November ... for a total of 10 days, with one performance per day at 5 days a week. In other words, ten concerts.

We're told Coolio would've been one of a handful of MCs -- he'd be the headliner -- and Maynes says he would've only done 3 songs when he was up. The tracks that were being considered ... "Gangsta's Paradise," '1, 2, 3, 4,' and "C U When U Get There."

As for the specifics of what Coolio had in mind ... it's pretty interesting. Maynes tells us Coolio made some requests for the stage for his set -- including a variety of props, upwards of 10 dancers, a 2-story background screen for visuals and two to three outfit changes.

We're told Coolio wanted his headlining set to be a look back on his story, and was excited for this next chapter of his career.

Of course, his death put an abrupt halt to things -- with Maynes telling us they're now scrapping that late October window and hoping to pick it back up in December with a whole new lineup. Indeed, Coolio passing away threw 'em for a loop.

New Orleans native and rapper Lawrence Cennett AKA Baby Boy Da Prince was just 23 years old when his hit song "The Way I Live" transcended into the ears of millions and became an instant banger back in 2006.

The popular track was first played on a popular radio station in New Orleans, and within three weeks ... the song hit the number one spot.

"Lil Boy still pushin' big wheels, I stack my money, lay low, and chill. Don't need to work hard that's the way I feel, I feel, I This is the way I live."

DaBaby and Tory Lanez are both under the impression their music is blackballed on streaming services -- but Russ says his expertise tells him it's highly unlikely artists are truly getting blackballed.

On Monday, the proud independent rapper posted a message related to the ongoing debate ... prompted by Akademiks and Apple Music's Ebro Darden's claims DaBaby and Tory are being silenced.

Both Tory and DaBaby recently released albums ... with DB pulling in dismal 16K units sales, down from the 120k his 2020 solo project sold in its first.

Tory's project was noticeably absent from all the top playlists but reached the top of Apple's album chart after being released last Friday ... which pretty much proves Russ' point.

Russ argues that unless an artist has all internet access cut from their fan's visibility, there's no blackball in place, noting how fans have the personal choice to push play or skip the music altogether.

The Diemon Records founder also tackled the notion that famous artists who need the editorial playlists to thrive don't have real fans as those listeners are only loyal to the platform -- which clashes with Tory's recent claim -- made on Ak's 'Off The Record' podcast -- that 80 percent of top artists' streams come from playlist support.

Akademiks and Ebro traded shots last week over claims DB was blackballed after Ak accused him of using his chief global editorial position at Apple to bury artists dripped in controversy ... namely DaBaby.

Boosie Badazz is making it VERY clear, Kanye West's "White Lives Matter" shirt has taken it way too far ... and the Louisiana rapper is calling for someone to pull Ye's Black card!!!

The ever-outspoken Boosie laid into Ye after the WLM shirt made its rounds on the internet ... accusing the YZY brainchild of abandoning his race in spite of all the opposition African Americans have historically faced.

Ye has yet to explain the true meaning behind his latest racial stance, but Boosie says Ye blatantly doesn't care about any Black deaths at the hands of White people.

Boosie then went for the jugular ... dismissing Ye's infamous 2005 Hurricane Katrina moment when he said then-President George Bush didn't care about Black people during a live telethon.

Political pundit Candace Owens also joined Kanye in wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt during the presentation ... which angered people even further.

Former Cash Money Records rapper Turk is looking for answers from both Drake and Master P ... after the hip hop icons allegedly left him hanging over the years.

Turk was a recent guest on the 'B High ATL' podcast where he shared his experience guesting for Drake's 2013 "Worst Behavior" video ... or so he thought!!!

The Director X visual was ripe with cameos from Drake's dad as well as Memphis rap legends Juicy J, Project Pat, 8Ball & MJG ... but Turk says his scenes got cut in post-production, and he still wants to know why!!!

The ex-Hot Boy says he initially got a personal call from Drake, inviting him to the 'WB' set and even later that evening to party after filming wrapped.

Turk says he signed paperwork to solidify his cameo but was embarrassed after telling everyone he knew to look out for the clip!!!

The ex-Hot Boy clarified he wasn't clout-chasing or looking for a handout and challenged his internet critics to compare bank accounts if they didn't believe him.

Turk also directed some ire toward Master P ... claiming they had a conversation about his Rap Snacks brand, only for the No Limit Records boss to unveil the very same "Honey BBQ" details he says they discussed.

Master P's team tells TMZ Hip Hop that Turk's allegations are unconditionally false, so that's that.

Kodak Black is attempting to right at least one wrong ... blaming PnB Rock's girlfriend, and her Instagram post, for his murder -- something he now regrets doing.

A clearheaded Kodak hopped on IG Live over the weekend to apologize to Stephanie Sibounheuang, the mother of PnB's children, after learning her post was not responsible for spurring the fatal armed robbery.

Kodak explained he had woken up with a migraine headache when he learned the PnB news on September 12, and says he made the immediate mistake of following the social media groupthink.

Kodak even went as low as to tell Stephanie to "kill herself" at the time, but he's now directly apologizing and wishing her peace going forward.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD arrested a man named Freddie Lee Trone, his 17-year-old son and his wife -- and slapped them all with murder-related charges ... with the teen being named as the shooter.

The Florida rapper wasn't the only artist who jumped out the gate targeting Stephanie. Following the shooting, Nicki Minaj went on the attack -- but Cardi B screamed the complete opposite, and she's still calling for all offenders to apologize!!!

Coolio appeared to be both happy and healthy in his final day of life, but friends say the rapper had severe asthma ... a condition they believe contributed to his death.

We've spoken with several sources close to the late rapper who each told us about his asthma, and how it was something he struggled with over the years. What's more, we know Coolio's family also told investigators looking into his death about his history with asthma.

We're told Coolio would always travel with several inhalers to keep his condition in check -- even using them on stage during some of his performances.

A recent study by the American Heart Association found people diagnosed with asthma have a higher risk of heart attack. Additionally, people who use a daily asthma medication were 60% more susceptible to heart attacks, strokes or other cardiac events.

TMZ broke the story -- Coolio died in the bathroom of a friend's Los Angeles home last week.

We're told before his death, he entered the bathroom, locked the door and apparently collapsed. Coolio's friend had to break down the door to get to him.

Kanye West is stirring the pot again ... this time wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at his Yeezy fashion show.

The Yeezy head honcho was on hand Monday in Paris for a showcasing of his Season 9 collection, and during the show -- Ye was seen rocking a black T with a very clear "White Lives Matter" message on the back. The lettering is bold and in white without context.

The front of the shirt features images of Pope John Paul II and the message, "We shall follow your example."

The show started about an hour late, and featured a kids chorus, including his daughter North that sang while the models walked.

Kanye described the new collection as something you can "pull on and pull over" ... dubbing it the future of clothing. He also ranted a bit -- musing about how Elvis would fare in 2022 if he was alive, and saying "You cannot manage me" for good measure.

Before the show came to an end, a new song with Kanye and James Blake played through the speakers ... and everyone cheered.

Remember, Kanye wore a red MAGA hat for a while back in 2018 ... even sporting it at The White House when he met with Donald Trump.

A Russian rapper who was opposed to his country's invasion of Ukraine jumped from a high-rise building to his death ... after being drafted to fight in the war.

27-year-old rapper Walkie posted a video in which he said, "If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive. I can't take the sin of murder on my soul and I don't want to. I am not ready to kill for any ideals."

Walkie went on ... "I choose to remain in history forever. As a man who did not support what was happening I am not ready to take up arms and kill my own kind."

He had already served in the Russian Army, and despised the experience. This time around he tried to get a deferment because of mental illness, but that did not fly with the Russian military.

Walkie was 27.

RIP