TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kim Kardashian has been through the ups and downs of Kanye West's mental health episodes over the years, and while she's stepped in to help in the past ... this time is different.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us Kim has totally removed herself from the situation with Kanye ... and hasn't spoken directly to him in weeks. We're told in times past, even when Kim and her family were the targets of his attacks -- she'd be there to help him until he was mentally sound again.

We've spoken to sources close to Kanye who tell us they wish Kim was still in the picture to step in, but it just ain't happening. Our sources say there's concern Kanye could lose a lot of money while everything seems to fall around him, but there's no safety net.

Sources connected to the estranged couple tell us Kanye has made attempts to reach out, but Kim won't answer ... instead focusing her attention on their kids.

As we reported, Kanye showed up to North's basketball game last week wearing a 'White Lives Matter' shirt. Eyewitnesses tell us not only did Kim not speak to Kanye, she refused to look in his direction, and had her car moved in the parking lot in order to avoid any communication.

Akon is officially copping to using his brothers to stand in for him on stage at the height of his ascension in music ... and laughing about it now, due to the fact he never got caught!!!

TMZ Hip Hop met up with the real Akon walking into DASH Radio, and he told us the underlying reason for pulling those switcheroos back in the day was not wanting to disappoint all the fans worldwide. Put simply, he says he couldn't be in more than one place, and some days he needed to be.

All of this predated social media, and Akon says he was still fairly new on the scene -- shortly after his hit single "Locked Up" -- and raging fans couldn't tell the difference. Remember, he and his brothers are not triplets!

This wouldn't work today, seeing as how his brother Bu Thiam's become a big-time exec in the music industry.

As for his brother Omar, Akon says he would go rogue and do shows on his own, and never offered up a cut of his pay.

Neither brother has the ability to sing and Akon says the DJ gave them the royal Milli Vanilli treatment by pushing play on his songs so they could lip sync!!! 😂

Akon is more tycoon than musician these days ... but fans will easily remember when he was hot as fish grease ... dropping platinum singles left and right, and collaborating with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Styles P.

Nicki Minaj and Latto are at each other’s throats ... arguing about which Grammy categories their songs belong in and there's nothing sacred in this war, as they're both putting private convos on front street.

Both rappers had been subtweeting each other for weeks about the Grammy's decision to move Nicki’s smash hit “Super Freaky Girl” from the Rap category to Pop, and Thursday night the feud erupted like a volcano.

As Nicki sees it, Latto should have spoken up in her defense ... seeing as how the Grammys left her record, “Big Energy,” in the Rap category, despite having the same bubbly pop sound.

Nicki then began to retweet Barbz who were dissing Latto's silence on the subject ... prompting Latto to tweet, she "can't win for losing." That's when Nicki posted a DM convo where Latto agreed with Nicki's viewpoints, but said she didn't like the fact Nicki put her in the beef.

Then the gloves really came off.

Nicki called Latto a "Karen" and "Scratch-Off" ... posted more DMs, including one where she turned down Latto's attempt to collaborate on the "Big Energy" remix.

Latto fired back, calling Nicki a 40-year-old bully, and uploaded a recorded phone conversation they had on the Grammy topic ... and you hear both women going at it!!!

Latto accused Nicki of having "only child syndrome" because, at one time, she was the only female rap star in the game -- to which, Nicki scolded her with, "You didn't do your research!"

As of now, there's no resolution, and fans don't expect one.

XXXTentacion's legacy and image will live on very proudly on his mother's neck ... thanks to a custom pendant that uncannily captures the late rap star's likeness with a boatload of diamonds!!!

Eric the Jeweler tells TMZ Hip Hop ... popular Atlanta restaurant owner Mr. Rugs purchased the pendant for XXX's mom, Cleopatra Bernard, as a token of his love -- they're currently dating.

We're told Cleo had longed for a pendant to keep the "Moonlight" rapper close in spirit ... and her BF made it happen through Mavani Jewelry in NYC.

Eric wouldn't disclose the price but did reveal the piece consists of 200 grams of gold, white diamonds and boasts more than 50 carats of blue sapphires used to recreate XXX's trademarked blue locks!!!

To nail the specifics of XXX's face -- right down to his face tattoos -- Eric used enamel paint to detail the 3D pendant.

The matriarch has been riding for her son all year, helping promote XXX's Hulu-powered film "Look At Me" in March.

The last time we spoke to Cleo, she was confident the film would be a worthy addition to XXX's legacy.

Started from the bottom, now we're on soccer jerseys.

FC Barcelona will pay homage to Drake on Sunday ... by wearing the rap superstar's OVO owl logo on their kits for their big match against Real Madrid, the team announced Friday.

Barca -- whose main partner is Spotify -- explained the idea to honor the 6 God came after Drizzy became the first artist to reach over 50 billion streams on the platform.

"For the first time in our history, we are replacing the name of our main partner on the front of the jersey with an internationally acclaimed artist in Drake," Barca exec. Juli Guiu said.

"This initiative shows our potential to become a unique platform to offer experiences that help bring us closer to our fans while reaching out to new audiences around the world.”

The club will also wear a special version of the customized Drake-themed jersey during pre-game warmups -- which will feature his name on the back, and #50 to honor his stream record.

"We were really excited to celebrate one of the biggest games of the year and mark Drake’s milestone as the first artist to reach 50 billion streams," Spotify exec Marc Hazan said.

"We’ve always said that we want this partnership to be a celebration of fans, players, and artist’s on a global stage -- and there’s no bigger stage than El Clásico.”

Drake spoke about the gesture on Instagram ... saying, "this doesn’t feel real but it is."

50 Cent is crushing his son Marquise Jackson's hopes at a reconciliation ... and what makes his latest diss even more cold-blooded is the fact it comes on his son's 26th birthday!!!

The legendary rapper responded to Marquise's on-camera olive branch Thursday with a very personalized dig buried in a promo for his ongoing European tour.

In the clip, we find Fiddy in da tub of his exquisite hotel, flipping through TV channels ... only to see Marquise's infamous interview where he claimed the $6,700-a-month child support wasn't enough for him while growing up.

50 reacted with the facts ... Marquise was once the beneficiary of $25k monthly support before the courts lowered it. The video ends with G-Unit members Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda teasing 50 ... begging him for their own $6,700 payments.

Marquise saw the post as a glass-half-full situation, claiming his father has never given him a birthday shoutout until today ... and even though it came with a diss, he reveled in the moment.

The birthday boy let a few jokes fly of his own -- ribbing both Yayo and Murda for essentially being 50's "yes men."

He also returned fire at 50 Cent's previous "Power" diss by posting a different scene -- this one shows Michael Rainey Jr.'s character murder his dad, Ghost. Remember, 50 had posted the scene where his character kills his son. So, no warm family ties going here!!!

TMZ Hip Hop recently spoke to Marquise ... who says he's willing to put up any amount of money to make good with his dad after all these years.

While many people assumed JPMorgan Chase Bank cut ties with Kanye West after his recent antisemitic attacks, the decision was actually made weeks ago after Ye voiced his displeasure with the bank.

In a letter circulated by Candace Owens Wednesday night -- which had the date cropped out -- Chase announced it was ending the relationship with Yeezy Inc. A source familiar with the correspondence tells us the letter was actually sent back on September 20 ... well before Kanye wore his 'White Lives Matter' shirt or before he made the antisemitic remarks.

It was early September when Kanye aired out his grievances with Chase, writing, "I went to JP Morgan but of course they won't give me no deal flow cause Jin Ulrich is on the board of both adidas and JP Morgan."

Obviously, it was clear -- Ye had beef with his bank -- and the fact the letter was dated shortly after that rant seemingly indicates his beef led to the end of the working relationship.

PnB Rock's girlfriend's world was turned upside down the day he was murdered ... but she says his actions saved her life, putting her under a table and out of harm's way.

Stephanie Sibounheuang posted a lengthy caption on Instagram Thursday, her first time speaking since PnB was gunned down inside a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant a month ago.

Steph says, "I am 100% not ok. If I wasn’t spiritual I could kill my self (but then I’ll go to hell and my man not there)." She then reveals PnB pushed her under a table while shots rang out, "I'm not supposed to be here but bc of him. I am."

In her post, Steph also reveals a heartbreaking detail from the tragic day, saying, "My last day with u. I told you "I know you my husband. I know you my soulmate" Even it was for a little bit. At least we got to experience what having a soul mate is… and for that…I am grateful."

As we reported, 3 people have been arrested and charged in connection to PnB's murder.

Cops say Freddie Lee Trone and his 17-year-old son spotted PnB enter the restaurant before the son followed him inside, shooting Pnb during a robbery to get the rapper's jewelry.

Shauntel Trone, the 17-year-old's stepmother was arrested for accessory to murder for the crime.

Trinidad James has been styling and profiling in the rap game for years ... and that's because he thinks of his body as an art canvas -- always ready to be filled with color!!!

We caught the "All Gold Everything" rapper Wednesday outside LAX, and we couldn't help but notice his latest manicure ... and had to get a gauge on where he was taking this trend.

Plenty of rappers paint their nails these days, but Trinidad says he's the top innovator -- and all his nail techs across the globe know it.

He says one perk of being a pioneer is never having to pay top price, but admits he sometimes spends upwards of $2,500 to make his fingertips bling!!!

On the music scene, Trinidad tells us he just laid down a joint with T-Pain and is putting the finishing touches on "Don't Be S.A.F.E. 2" -- the sequel to his debut project from 2012.

We also spoke about his friendship with Rich Homie Quan ... which dates back 10 years, both being native ATLiens who blew up the local rap scene during their respective come-ups.

RHQ recently expressed to TMZ Hip Hop how the "shoot 'em up/bang-bang" music needs to be put on a cease-fire. Well, Trinidad says he can easily fix that issue ... and he has the all-gold solution right around his neck.

Kanye West defies logic ... he says he doesn't wish harm on Jewish people -- despite saying he's "going death con 3" on Jews -- as he seems to be saying Jews in high places in Hollywood have screwed over Black entertainers.

Kanye was leaving the screening of Candace Owens' new doc Wednesday ... the photog asked about the film, and Kanye seemed stunned he wasn't asked about his antisemitic remarks right out of the box.

Ye makes it clear ... his comments in the last week were thought out and intentional. He seems to have personal grievances with Jews who run entertainment companies that he says have wronged him and other Black entertainers. What he doesn't explain ... is he raising the issue because he thinks the execs who did him wrong did so because they're Jewish?

Turns out Kanye West and Candace Owens didn't just decide to wear their "White Lives Matter" shirts on a whim -- the two have been planning it for weeks -- with some of Kanye's former friends telling us she's acting as his chief advisor in his day-to-day life.

Sources close to Kanye tell us ... Candace has been reaching out to people on Kanye's behalf, working to set up calls, meetings and appearances.

We're told folks who were close to Kanye (many have distanced themselves after his recent attacks) believe he's in a bad space mentally, and anyone working to persuade him to do anything other than get help doesn't have his best interests at heart.

What's more ... Ye showed up to Candace's film premiere in Nashville Wednesday. Ray J was also in attendance, a reunion sources told us was coordinated by Owens in spite of Kim Kardashian.

Our sources say it's unclear if Candace is getting paid by Ye as an advisor, but one source says, "Anyone taking money from him is taking advantage of him." As far as Candace's involvement in Kanye's life, the same source said, "She's gonna run him into the ground."

Earlier this week, Candace leaked an old voicemail from Kim to Ray J in which Kim called Whitney Houston -- whom Ray was dating at the time -- an "Old hag."

Our Kanye sources say they believe Candace leaked the vm to show her allegiance to Kanye, especially against Kim, whom Kanye has accused of "kidnapping" the couple's kids.

One of the reasons Kanye's former allies believe Candace is in his ear ... until recently he was conciliatory with Kim, seemingly agreeing she would have the kids around 80% of the time, and he would have ongoing involvement in their lives.

As for his recent rants, a source tells us, "Kanye cannot get out of his own damn way, which is the root of every issue personally and professionally." The question ... is he getting advice?

We reached out to Candace ... so far, no word back.

50 Cent's son Marquise Jackson is ready and willing to mend their relationship -- yes, even if it means paying -- but he's clarifying ... it's not dear old Dad's money he wants.

Marquise tells TMZ Hip Hop he meant what he said, in a now-viral post, about putting up $6,700 -- Fiddy's monthly child support payment -- for the one-on-one, and says he'll actually pay more than that if necessary.

He says that's where the money talk ends, though. Now in his 20s, Marquise says he's matured and feels he and 50 should be able to agree or disagree about issues without going at each other's throats.

Marquise believes the biggest hurdle between them is the fact 50 Cent thinks his eldest son has grown up entitled ... after receiving $80k/year in child support.

Marquise says he doesn't know what to expect if and when they do have a sit-down, but hopes it would lead to better understanding for both of them -- as he told us ... not having his father in his life has left him with many unanswered questions.

To say he's got an uphill battle on his hands would be an understatement. So far, 50 Cent's only response has been to post the "Power" scene where his character kills his son.

A bizarre reunion just happened in Nashville, as Kanye West and Ray J came face-to-face at Candace Owens' film premiere.

Both men were in attendance Wednesday night for the premiere of "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM." The event was held at the Woolworth Theater, and while arrivals were supposed to start around 6:30 PM local time, Ye didn't show for more than 2 hours after the scheduled slot ... posing for pics on the carpet with Ray and Kid Rock.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us it was Candace who worked to get both Kanye and Ray J there in an attempt to scorn Kim Kardashian.

It was earlier this week when Candace leaked an old voicemail from Kim to Ray J -- who was dating Whitney Houston at the time -- in which Kim called Whitney an "Old hag."

Kim has remained silent for weeks, even as Kanye wore his "White Lives Matter" shirt to both his Yeezy Show and North's basketball game. He's also had his social media accounts suspended for antisemitic remarks -- and JP Morgan Chase Bank has also allegedly cut ties with Ye's multi-billion-dollar Yeezy brand.

Kanye West is gonna need to find a new bank to house his multi-billion Yeezy brand 'cause he got the boot from the bank that stored all his cash.

Candace Owens — the controversial conservative figure who sported a "White Lives Matter" shirt with Ye — took to Twitter Wednesday to share what she calls an official notice from JPMorgan Chase Bank ... saying they’re cutting ties with Ye.

She wrote, "I was told there was no official reason given, but they sent this letter as well to confirm that he has until late November to find another place for the Yeezy empire to bank."

The letter itself suggests the decision was a done deal, and that Kanye would have until exactly November 21 to transfer his business to another bank.

Of course, this all comes as Kanye is in some pretty hot water. You'll recall, he's come under fire for recent antisemitic remarks ... amongst other comments he's said in interviews and on social media.

As you know, he's also gotten a ton of backlash for the "White Lives Matter" shirt he's worn to both his Yeezy Show and his daughter’s basketball game. Despite that, Candace Owens seems to be one of the few people to jump on that train and defend Kanye.

Roddy Ricch found the perfect way to fill his downtime ahead of his performance for Post Malone's Twelve Carat Tour stop at Madison Square Garden tonight ... bringing inspiration to kids through a surprise appearance at their school!!!

Roddy made a notable detour Wednesday to the Middle School of Marketing and Legal Studies, and got a very loud and warm welcome from the students.

We're told Roddy spoke to the kids about staying in school, and assured them no dream is too big to accomplish if they put in the work.

New York State Assemblywoman Monique Chandler-Waterman also presented Roddy with a citation for his work in the community -- creating more positive imagery to inspire the kids.

The superstar rapper also took photos, and signed plenty of autographs ... setting off plenty of fanfare, judging from the group of kids who began to rap his diamond-selling hit "The Box" on the spot!!!

Some big rappers are starting to rail against the very social media platforms that boosted their celebrity -- a move that comes as Kanye West is flaming out on Instagram and Twitter.

"Drink Champs" has been teasing their Boosie Badazz episode for days, and the latest clip finds the Lousiana rapper clearly blaming IG for wrecking marriages and relationships.

Boosie says before social media, men and women had limited access to other people's lifestyles and arrangements, but now they're more tempted than ever to cheat ... given the number of opportunities at their fingertips.

Not to be outdone, Freddie Gibbs tackled social media's impact while on "The Breakfast Club," and said he doesn't believe in monogamy, so his polyamorous relationships are in good order.

On the other hand, he says social media culture makes people abandon their true character for clout. The Gary, Indiana-born rapper compares social media addiction to crack.

In fact, Freddie's new album, "$$$" has a track called "CIA" -- an acronym for "Crack, Instagram and AIDS" -- and says he aimed to showcase detrimental things in the Black community with this record.

Freddie also rivals Boosie for the title of rapper with the most Instagram accounts being banned ... so it's understandable they're calling for a changing of the guard.

Interesting that they're dropping these warnings amid Kanye getting restricted on social media for posting anti-Semitic remarks ... which included accusing Diddy of being controlled by Jewish people.

As we reported, LeBron James' just axed an episode of "The Shop" he shot with Ye due to the rapper allegedly spewing "dangerous stereotypes" during their convo.

No telling if he thinks he has a social media addiction or not ... but in response to IG and Twitter putting the clamps on him, Ye's revved up his Facebook account.