TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Freddie Gibbs is putting his side hustle skills on display -- while chilling courtside for a Brooklyn Nets preseason game, he made it clear he's ready to check in to the game at a moment's notice!

The "Too Much" rapper showed off his quick reflexes when a loose ball bounced out of bounds and into his lap. Freddie flashed his ball-handling skills on an unsuspecting cameraman ... but was probably wearing too much jewelry for real PT.

Just ask Kurtis Blow ... rappers have always coveted playing on the NBA hardwood, and Gibbs is no exception, telling his manager Lambo he had to show off his handles in the moment.

Gibbs also found time to connect with Nets' All-Star guard Kevin Durant ... who actually appears on Gibbs' new album '$$$' ... and the two had a nice exchange on the sidelines en route to BK getting smacked by the Heat 109-80.

KD isn't the only star Gibbs reunited with through his latest project. The Grammy nominee recently detailed how he reconciled with former label boss Jeezy ... on the song "Rabbit Vision" -- as well in a new interview.

Speaking to Bootleg Kev, Gibbs says he ran into Jeezy at the airport and they hugged it out after falling out nearly a decade ago over artistic disputes.

Gibbs admits he dragged the beef too far, and chalks it up to a learning experience.

Ray J uploaded a slew of worrying posts to his social media Thursday night ... ones where he heavily contemplated taking his own life, and causing serious alarm.

Fans briefly saw his concerning messages on his Instagram page ... with video of what looks to be him sitting high above the ground.

One caption reads, "If it wasn't 4 my Kidz I would jump off and die tonight."

Another upload shows his feet dangling off the side of a ledge, showing the ground below -- that caption says, "SHOULD I JUST JUMP off and end it rit. Now!!! ????"

He took to his IG story, too ... writing, "trying to figure it out -- maybe this life was a illusion--" He continued, "-- maybe the next life was my real reality." His concerning posts have since been taken down, but fans online have been sharing their love and support for Ray ever since.

There is good news ... we spoke to a source close to Ray who told us he's been with Princess Love. We're told he was drinking and put the posts up ... the source says Ray was not hospitalized and was "messing around."

Coolio will remain near and dear to his children's hearts -- and not just figuratively -- because they're designing jewelry to keep his ashes close.

According to the rapper's death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Coolio's body will be cremated ... and, we're told that's prompting his 7 kids to come up with the idea for some special bling.

Coolio's rep tells TMZ ... each of his children will get a pendant to hold the ashes, along with a necklace.

A few other close family members will get them as well.

We're told each of his sons and daughters will get to pick customized inscriptions for their jewelry.

The rest of Coolio's ashes will go into an urn once all the necklaces are distributed.

Coolio's always loved being a dad, according to Vanilla Ice -- who got pretty emotional when he told us how much Coolio always had family on his mind ... even in his final days.

Kanye West says he was told his life and career would be in jeopardy for supporting Donald Trump ... and says it's happening all over again with his "White Lives Matter" shirt.

Ye sat down with FNC's Tucker Carlson, claiming he faced death threats over wearing a red MAGA hat to a 2018 meeting with Trump at the White House.

Kanye says his "so-called friends slash handlers" told him his career would be over if he supported Trump ... and warned, "I would be killed for wearing the hat."

Ye says the "White Lives Matter" shirt he debuted this week at his YZY fashion show has triggered similar threats.

Kanye claims someone called him recently and said anyone wearing a 'WLM' shirt will be "greenlit" to get beat up ... but Ye says he has no problem wearing a literal target on his back.

Ye's full interview with Tucker is airing now on Fox News ... and we'll keep you posted on what else he says.

Sharon Osbourne doesn't totally understand the controversy with Kanye West and his "White Lives Matter" shirt ... but she agrees with his view on BLM being a "scam."

We got Sharon shopping at YSL on Rodeo Drive in Bev Hills and asked her about Kanye's controversial shirt ... and she told our photog all lives matter.

While Sharon admits she's not completely up to speed on all the intricacies of the debate around Kanye's fashion statement, she does have a strong opinion on BLM.

Sharon perked right up when we told her Kanye ripped BLM for being "a scam."

Ozzy's wife says the couple gave $900,000 to BLM -- presumably in 2020 -- and told us she would like her money back and wishes Kanye spoke out before they cut the check.

Sharon says Kanye shouldn't be canceled over the "White Lives Matter" shirt ... telling folks to simply ignore Ye if they don't like what he's doing.

Antonio Brown is being dragged to court yet again ... this time, a man in Florida claims the wideout sold him a bogus Richard Mille watch for $160K, fully knowing it was a phony worth far less.

Ryan Kane filed a lawsuit against Brown over it all in Broward County earlier this week ... alleging the NFL star ripped him off on the sale back on July 27.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Kane says Brown assured him the watch -- allegedly an RM 011 model -- was real ... and said it had a value "in excess of $400,000."

Kane says he bought it based on Brown's claims -- wiring the $160,000 to Brown's company -- but he learned a few weeks later the thing was a fake.

Kane says in the suit that he took it to a watch appraiser to have it authenticated and appraised for insurance purposes -- but claims the guy delivered him some bad news while he was there ... it was worth only a couple hundred bucks.

Kane says after he asked around, he learned that Brown had bought the fake watch -- and three others like it -- from a dealer in Dubai earlier this year for less than $500 apiece.

Kane is suing Brown for fraud and more ... seeking to get his money back plus interest.

Of course, this couldn't be further from the first time that Brown has been hauled into court ... over the last few years, a personal trainer, a chef and others have filed lawsuits against him.

Kanye West thinks there's an evil plan behind the attacks on Lizzo's weight ... he says it's a way to kill Black people.

Ye says he notices whenever Lizzo, who works with his trainer, posts on social media about losing weight she is immediately attacked by bot accounts.

The reasoning ... Kanye says it's because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal for Black people, when it's actually unhealthy.

Kanye made the claims in his interview with FNC's Tucker Carlson, saying it's clinically unhealthy to promote an overweight lifestyle and going a step further by calling anyone who does so "demonic."

Tucker asked Kanye why he thinks the media wants to promote unhealthiness among Black people ... and Ye didn't hold back.

Kanye West has done plenty to air his grievances on social media, and now he'll be doing it in interview form with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Ye landed in L.A. from Paris Thursday and almost immediately went to meet up with Carlson and team at his office in L.A. We're told the two had a lengthy chat, which mostly focused on the recent attention Kanye's generated through wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at his Yeezy fashion show.

Among some of Kanye's talking points -- he says he feels he's been perceived as a bully, and doesn't think that's true. He also says people believe he's bullying black women, another point he refutes ... and talks about how Hollywood "bullies" him.

We're told Kanye also took some time to show Tucker some of his clothing designs around the office.

Of course, Kanye took a lot of heat for attacking Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson after she posted her thoughts on the Yeezy show and Kanye's choice of wardrobe.

Kanye took to Instagram to slam Gabriella and her own clothing -- but celebs like Gigi Hadid came to the Vogue editor's side ... defending her against Ye.

For what it's worth ... Kanye and Gabby sat down for 2 hours after the nasty back-and-forth to talk about their disagreements.

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.