TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Grammy Award-winning rapper Saint Jhn and his manager Kareem "Biggs" Burke are accusing HitCo founders L.A. Reid and Charles Goldstuck of shady business practices after they say they were misled about the sale of their catalog!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Biggs ... who is fuming in the aftermath of L.A. and Charles' sale of HitCo to Concord Music for a reported $75 million this past August.

Biggs says he and Saint learned of the deal beforehand and attempted to negotiate to buy back their masters before the sale closed -- but he claims they were assured the label sale was just a rumor.

Biggs says he also offered to buy HitCo in a joint purchase with another group but was turned down shortly before Concord officially acquired it.

Afterward, Biggs says he still attempted to buy Saint's masters from both HitCo and Concord for $25 million, an offer that was once again rejected.

Concord eventually let Saint Jhn out of his deal with one big condition -- the label kept ownership of his entire catalog. Saint tells us "freedom is priceless" and is loving the newfound independence ... but he and his team would still like to get back his IP.

Saint Jhn’s “Roses" single was HitCo's biggest record ... winning a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording and amassing more than 4 billion streams.

Biggs says he isn't sure why they got screwed, but he just wants Concord to do the right thing with the Sain't's masters.

R&B singer Lyfe Jennings is fending off critics after revealing he once serenaded former cellmate, Jeffrey Dahmer ... but he's got a pretty odd defense.

Lyfe responded to the backlash Thursday with a declaration he must have borrowed from his pal, Captain Obvious ... he pointed out drugs have taken more Black lives than Dahmer -- who, for the record, killed 17 people -- that police know of, anyway.

Lyfe had previously posted, rather glowingly, about his time in an Ohio jail with Dahmer. He referred to the serial killer/cannibal as "the homie" and admitted singing Mint Condition's jam 'Pretty Brown Eyes' at Dahmer's request.

The trip down memory lane angered many of Lyfe's fans -- most of them Black -- who felt like he was capitalizing off the moment created by the immensely popular new Netflix series ... not to mention romanticizing his brush with evil.

Lyfe says he isn't backing down from cancel culture and nonstop trolling on his IG page and is exercising his right to think outside the norm.

His words sound similar to Kanye's BFF Candace Owens ... who recently argued Black people should be more upset about obesity and gun violence than the "White Lives Matter" shirts she and Kanye wore this week.

Lyfe's comments probably aren't sitting well with Boosie Badazz ... who angrily called for all Black people to boycott the Netflix series.

The show's been criticized for being sympathetic to Dahmer, who preyed upon young men of color, and -- according to the show, at least -- got several passes from police who were allegedly racist and/or homophobic.

Kanye West is letting the world know exactly he feels after a recent report his partnership with Adidas is "under review" on the heels of his controversial "White Lives Matter" fashion statement.

A statement apparently released from the clothing giant popped up Thursday that makes it clear its honchos are pissed about the T-shirts Ye unveiled in Paris. Adidas says, "All successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values."

The alleged statement says Adidas made repeated efforts to resolve issues with Kanye, privately, but eventually came to the conclusion -- "We have taken the decision to place the partnership under review."

They will, however, continue to work together on their current product during the review process. The statement notes, "The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry's history."

Kanye, obviously, was pissed at the news ... and blasted them on Insta -- claiming the company "RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS."

Adidas is pushing this partnership to the brink in response to Ye, and his pal Candace Owen, wearing the controversial T-shirts in Paris.

Probably didn't help that he doubled down on his fashion choice online soon after -- saying, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME."

Kodak Black is screaming conspiracy against BET after his hit record "Super Gremlin" lost to Latto's "Big Energy" for "Song of the Year."

An upset Kodak went the distance in airing out his grievances ... targeting BET exec Connie Orlando, who's instrumental in all the network's music programming.

According to Big Yak, Connie was in cahoots with the female empowerment movement beforehand, and only invited artists like himself and EST Gee to generate bigger public interest.

The Hip Hop Awards ratings reportedly skyrocketed 34% from last year's tally, but Kodak wants J Prince to restart his award show talks after many rappers shared similar issues with last year's Grammys.

Kodak says GloRilla's "FNF" anthem should have taken the crown, and threw plenty of slander toward Latto ... calling her a "hating ass mutt" and "Frappucino."

Despite Kodak's opinions, Latto's "Big Energy" recently made history as the longest-running female rap song on the Billboard Hot 100 -- a whopping 49 weeks and counting!!!

The 2 rap stars have been at odds since Latto featured Kodak on her "777" album last spring ... when she suggested he was being difficult over clearing the song after his advances were rebuffed -- setting off a war between camps.

He may have turned his back on Tom Brady, but Antonio Brown is sticking by Kanye West's side ... channeling his buddy's controversial campaign and saying, "All Lives Matter."

Ye is facing a ton of criticism over the "White Lives Matter" shirt he wore during his YZY Fashion Show on Monday ... but despite the negative reception, he's dug his heels in even more throughout the week.

AB -- who recently trolled TB12 over his marriage issues with Gisele Bündchen -- isn't breaking ties with the artist ... reposting an old clip from August showing the two bouncing music ideas off each other, and including an interesting caption.

"All Lives Matter 🔔 🛎 #CallGod #Boomin," AB said on Instagram ... adding, "#Donda #Always"

AB and Ye have gotten pretty close recently -- they've worked on music together, and the Super Bowl winner even took the reins as president of Donda Sports in February.

Brown has also had his fair share of controversy recently -- video was released this week showing the ex-NFL star appearing to expose himself to a woman in Dubai.

Kanye West's "White Lives Matter" shirt is generating tons of attention -- mostly negative -- but now it's spawning fakes ... meaning the controversial shirts will pop up in public, even if Ye doesn't decide to sell 'em.

We've discovered several eBay listings where the long-sleeve shirts are found under listings like "Lives Matter-Kanye West-Candace Owens" and "Kanye Style All Lives Matter."

Interestingly, the listing descriptions don't include the word "White" ... but the actual shirts certainly have it in bold letters.

Our Kanye sources say the final decision will be up to him as to whether or not he'll decide to sell the actual design he wore at the Paris Yeezy show ... but at this time, it doesn't appear they'll be sold in any official capacity.

Regardless, some will say the damage is done ... while others clearly see potential profits. The fake eBay listings are going from anywhere between about $20-$25 ... a bargain considering Ye's usual merch sells for well over $100.

One more big difference between what Kanye wore at the Yeezy show Monday and the eBay gear -- Kanye's shirt had a photo of Pope John Paul II on the front -- the eBay gear only includes the "White Lives Matter" slogan.

As we reported, Kanye attacked Kim Kardashian and the Kardashian family Wednesday on Instagram -- accusing them of "kidnapping" his daughter, Chicago on her birthday and not letting him know where her birthday party was being held.

"Drink Champs" is, no doubt, one of the best hip hop platforms around ... but N.O.R.E. says Issa Rae is making him rethink how wild the show gets!!!

N.O.R.E. was at last weekend's BET Hip Hop Awards when Hot 107.9’s Lore’l asked him about Issa giving him the nickname "Messy-eaga," and it's clear he's not looking to own the title of media's new gossip king.

During the award show, the veteran MC ended up sharing the Best Hip Hop Platform Award with City Girls rapper Yung Miami.

And, while N.O.R.E. tipped his hat to Miami's new "Caresha Please" -- where guests also drink and spill their thoughts -- he's also promising to ease up on the drama on his show.

The infamous 'DC' episode featuring Irv Gotti's unsolicited Ashanti confession also came up -- N.O.R.E. admitted Gotti still has hard feelings over it, but says what's done is done.

BET's Best Hip Hop Platform award was centered on controversy, but not related to N.O.R.E.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's recent dustup with his girlfriend, Jade, is officially behind them ... at least legally speaking, because we've learned she's off the hook in her criminal case.

According to court records, the case against 69's boo -- which included a domestic violence battery charge -- has now been dismissed.

Sources with knowledge tell us Tekashi didn't have any plans to cooperate with law enforcement -- ironic, we know -- and that's likely why the whole thing was dropped.

Jade's attorney, Steven Bell, confirmed to TMZ that Tekashi's lack of cooperation was certainly one of the factors in the case being dropped. Bell also said prosecutors did a thorough review and felt they couldn't move forward.

You'll recall ... there was some sort of a scuffle at a club where they were partying, and 6ix9ine ended up facing off against Jade and a group of her friends in the street. Some of that was caught on video -- and you can see one of the women attempt to swing on him.

Cops eventually arrived on the scene, and Jade ended up getting cuffed and taken to jail.

He later told us he believed the girls Jade was hanging out with were having a bad influence on her ... and that he didn't hold the altercation against her whatsoever.

Tekashi bailed her out, STAT ... and even when a court order was issued saying she had to stay away from him, he stuck by her side -- telling us it would all blow over soon enough.

Kanye West is doubling down on his "White Lives Matter" stance ... and explaining his thought process behind the controversial clothing.

Ye took to IG Wednesday to respond to the latest round of backlash surrounding the 'WLM' shirt he debuted earlier this week at his fashion show ... and it's clear he's digging in his heels on this issue.

For Kanye, the meaning behind the shirt is pretty cut and dry ... white lives do matter.

Of course, Kanye's catching heat from all angles ... including a scathing response from Black Lives Matter, who feel Ye is pulling a stunt and hurting folks fighting for justice.

Still, Ye's latest statement is way more subdued than his initial defense ... when he labeled BLM a "scam."

Joey Bada$$ made a powerful statement at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards ... urging rappers to stop delivering messages that lead to their demise, or the death of others.

During his performance of his "2000" album cut “Head High," Joey lined up 12 backup dancers ... each with a slain rapper's name embroidered on their hoodie.

In chronological order of their deaths, Joey honored Scott La Rock, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, Soulja Slim, XXXTENTACION, Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, King Von, Young Dolph, Trouble and PnB Rock -- all who fell victim to gun violence between 1987 and last month ... when PnB was killed. 😕

Joey went on to argue rappers are spurring their own genocide, and preached the culture needs to take accountability for the message it's delivering to kids.

He also slammed the popular slang term "op" a.k.a. enemy ... contending that war is being fought within rappers' own circles.

The New York rapper isn't the only one from his rap generation to decry the rap murder rate -- just a few weeks ago, Rich Homie Quan told us the "shoot 'em up, bang-bang music" is a problem for everyone who hears it.

Rick Ross says his "Boss" brand is being copied, threatening to sue the woman behind an upcoming kid's event unless she changes the name to something that doesn't give off that Maybach Music glow.

Rozay's team sent out a warning shot to Tiffany McIntosh of "I’m the Biggest Boss Conference" ... after accusing her of using a couple of his biggest hits -- singles "The Boss" and "Push It" -- to promote her conference designed to shape children into entrepreneurs.

The legendary rapper also notes he has his own "Boss Up Conference" that went down this past September, and Ross insists her conference is likely to cause confusion that he's sponsoring her event.

According to the letter, Rozay says he wants to solve the matter amicably -- and spare Tiffany the litigation hassle, but only if she takes "Boss" out of her conference title and stops using his music to promote it.

Tiffany's event also has a celebrity connotation -- with scheduled appearances from Master P, Romeo Miller and Vivica Fox ... but Rozay wants his name, brand, and music kept out of it.

Ross said he wants his demands met by October 5th ... but we're told Tiffany does not intend to make the changes and plans to go forward with the event as is. Ross' legal counsel tells us they'll evaluate the situation accordingly if there's a failure to comply.

Diddy's had enough of the narrative he's a greedy, self-centered label boss who steals from his artists ... and he says he's now fighting for his reputation!!!

The newly minted Love Records CEO hit "The Breakfast Club" Wednesday to tackle a bunch of topics ... including Kanye West's "White Lives Matter" controversy, and his former artist Ma$e's contract dispute with Fivio Foreign.

Diddy praised Kanye for being a "free thinker" and said he wouldn't condemn him as a person. For his part, Charlamagne said that excuses Ye's behavior ... but Diddy did call Ye's controversial T-shirt "unnecessary noise" and "tone deaf."

He also dubbed Ye's sidekick, Candace Owens ... "Karen Owens," because her real name is too Black.

Diddy says now is the time for Black lives to matter more than ever, and promised to poach high-profile executives from every business imaginable to get his people in good standing.

Elsewhere in the convo, Diddy was far less forgiving towards Ma$e ... alleging the former Bad Boy rapper owes him $3 million, and boldly declared all thieves should have their hands sliced off!

Nonetheless, Diddy says Ma$e abandoned the label -- only to become a "fake" pastor who ran to Atlanta to scam people following the success of his debut album.

Diddy says he's been scapegoated all these years for his ex-artists' failed careers, and people like Ma$e tend to push something he calls a "tap-out button" ... a convenient exit when the going gets tough.

The 'BC' crew also interrogated Diddy about his girlfriend Yung Miami's brand new series "Caresha Please" tying for Best Hip Hop Platform with "Drink Champs" at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Charlamagne jokingly accused Diddy of paying off the judges ... which Diddy naturally denied but still basked in the fact both shows were owned by his REVOLT TV hub.

Mo money, mo problems still ring true in Diddy's world after all these years!!!

Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB sent out some alarming tweets last week, hinting he's navigating some troubled waters -- but now he's seeking treatment and opening up to TMZ Hip Hop about it.

We caught the Shoot Dance creator at LAX and picked his brain a bit regarding his soul-baring post. The Memphis rapper made it clear he was in dire straits ... flat out saying he wasn't going to "make it" if he couldn't get his mind right.

BlocBoy says his label, Interscope, hasn't reached out, aside from an A&R -- but he was forthcoming with us in revealing his music career isn't the cause of the pain.

He admits feeling the pressure of being the top provider in his circle, and having so many close friends die at a young age has been tough for him.

On the bright side, BlocBoy says his closest kin reached out following the tweet, which is great, especially since he really seems to gravitate toward loyalty.

It's been an amazing past few years for BlocBoy ... beginning in 2018 when he hit it big with his Drake-assisted "Look Alive" single.

The song would go on to sell 5x platinum ... predating the current Memphis rap boom highlighted by NLE Choppa, Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla and many more.

He also tells us there are plans for him to release a new project this winter ... but we need ya healthy first, BlocBoy!!!

Rihanna is finally breaking her silence on her hugely anticipated Super Bowl halftime performance ... telling us exactly how she feels leading up to the big day and even offering a tiny hint at who might join her onstage.

RiRi was shopping at Bristol Farms Tuesday in L.A., and of course we had to ask about the big game. At first, Rihanna says she feels "nervous" for the performance, but says she's excited to hit the stage.

We then shifted the convo to who might join her for a song or two. TMZ broke the story, we were told there's a roster of close to 50 names of possibilities ... basically almost anyone she's collabed with in the past.

While Rihanna wasn't offering up any info, we pressed about the possibility of her longtime bf and baby daddy, A$AP Rocky hitting the stage -- RiRi shrugged and finally did say something.

Rihanna's halftime show will mark her big comeback to music, it's been 6 years since she last released an album, when she dropped "Anti" in 2016.

Miguel's marriage is no longer a sure thing ... because his model wife just filed for divorce.

The "Sure Thing" singer's high school sweetheart, Nazanin Mandi, beelined it to court Tuesday and filed to divorce Miguel after nearly 3 years of marriage.

According to the documents, obtained by TMZ, Miguel's wife is citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split and she says there is a prenup.

Miguel and Nazanin reportedly announced in September 2021 they were separating after 17 years together ... but he seemed to hint they were back together in February, when he posted a photo dump of them on Instagram with the caption, "Love heals. Proud of us."

The couple was photographed together as recently as July and in the docs, Nazanin does not list a date of separation ... that section of the paperwork says "TBD."

Miguel met Nazanin when he was 18 and they got engaged in 2016, before tying the knot in November 2018. They did not have any children together.

Post Malone is showin' some love to his new baby girl in a totally fitting way -- it appears he's inked his daughter's initials on some prime real estate.

Sources close to Post tell TMZ ... he got the new piece backstage after his Indianapolis show Sunday night by tattoo artist Chad Rowe.

Now, Post has yet to reveal his daughter's full name ... but we're told this new tat was definitely in her honor, so we're assuming the bold "DDP" on his forehead are her initials. Let the guessing begin!

FYI, Chad's no stranger to PM ... he's the same artist who did his "Always Tired" face tattoos back in 2018.

We broke the story that Posty was expecting his first child with his girlfriend in May. He then announced the birth of his daughter by subtly dropping the news while on Howard Stern in June.