TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rihanna is officially back in the music scene ... releasing 'Lift Me Up' for the latest 'Black Panther' movie -- her first solo drop in about 6 years.

While it's not a dance track like many fans had expected, RiRi harmonizes over a slow beat ... before singing "Lift me up, hold me down, keep me close, safe and sound” in the chorus.

As we've told you, the tune will be featured in the upcoming Marvel sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever". What's more, it was written as a tribute to late 'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman, who died back in 2020.

Rihanna, Afrobeats star Tems, Oscar-Grammy Award-winning producer Ludwig Göransson, and 'BP' director Ryan Coogler all came together to write the song.

The last time RiRi released music on her own was the "Anti" album, which came out back in 2016.

The singer has had a lot on her plate during her time away from music, like her fashion line, Savage X Fenty, which launched in 2018 and her beauty line Fenty Beauty which debuted the year before.

Of course, she recently entered the mommy club, after welcoming a baby boy with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

Kanye West and his company, Yeezy, are getting hauled into court by his former business manager, who claims the rapper flagrantly violated their deal ... a deal Kanye says he was never going to honor.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Thomas St. John claims he was hired as Ye's senior financial advisor and Chief Financial Officer for a guaranteed term of 18 months ... and was to be paid a monthly, $300,000 retainer fee.

St. John says after getting the first three payments, Ye got "heated and aggressive" during a meeting at Nobu ... proclaiming he didn't want to work with St. John anymore.

St. John says he brought up the 18-month term, and Kanye responded, “The 18-month term was bulls***” and “You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to it.”

St. John is seeking $4.5M in damages -- $900K for the months missed so far, and another $3.6M for the remainder of the contract. He's gunning for punitive damages as well.

Halloween is just around the corner and Memphis rapper Duke Deuce is bringing the carnage ... with his new horror-themed mixtape "Memphis Massacre 3."

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Quality Control Music rapper on the hallowed eve ahead of his release -- one he's extremely proud of, considering he only used collaborators from his hometown Grind City.

Drumma Boy recently tripled down on the notion Memphis has surpassed Atlanta's long-running grip on hip hop ... and Duke agrees. He says there are plenty of superstars on the move -- Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla, Key Glock, Big Moochie Grape just to name a few -- and he adds ... social media has those artists and himself shining more than ever.

He does admit Memphis still has a little work to do in terms of infrastructure and popularity, but he's confident his crunk sound will create a ripple effect.

For this album, Duke is summoning power from his alter ego -- he says a doll he's dubbed "Deucifer" supplies all the dark energy used for the project. He's betting Deucifer will stir a little controversy in the space ... so, we'll just have to wait for the grand disruption.

Duke's been down with QC for several years now, and is starting to get recognition for his musical labor.

Earlier this week, he was honored by his Memphis alma mater high school ... where he received the Key to the School, was inducted into its Hall of Fame and got his own day. October 26 is now Duke Deuce Day on campus!!!

Kanye West's school may be shut down for good ... because we've learned educators there have been quitting in protest.

Sources connected to Donda Academy tell TMZ ... the main issue preventing the school from running as usual is a recent wave of staffers quitting due to Kanye's antisemitic rants.

We're told Kanye's hateful comments, his musings on George Floyd's death and his 'White Lives Matter' clothing have pissed off educators at Donda Academy, and that has triggered the departure of a growing number of teachers and staff.

As we reported ... Kanye made his return to social media Wednesday night, saying, "My school is being shut down." He later deleted the post.

Also Wednesday night, the school's principal, Jason Angell, blasted out an email to students' parents, informing them "at the discretion of our founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately."

TMZ broke the story ... in a bizarre twist, a parent sent out another email around midnight Wednesday to parents and students, reading, "Join us tomorrow morning in worship for the return of Donda Academy. With the help of our parents and community, we are back and returning with a vengeance!"

So, some parents are already finding new schools for their kids, and others want to stay at Donda. Those parents are trying to rally and get students to gather at the school Friday morning ... but the fate of the school is up in the air.

Kanye West is back to inspiring his fellow rappers, who are trolling him over his empire imploding due to Adidas, Balenciaga, TJ Maxx and others leaving him in the dust.

Everywhere you look on social media, Ye's the butt of endless jokes and memes ... and rappers like 50 Cent, N.O.R.E., Jadakiss and Young Thug (from jail, even) are jumping on the sarcastic "cutting ties" trend.

Lil Duval even dropped his tiny moniker after GloRilla reversed a joke on him earlier this week.

Ye also partook in the trend … although it may not be as humorous to him, considering Forbes says his net worth plummeted from $1.3 billion to $400 million. Ye says he lost even more than that ... $2 BILLION!

He responded to 50 Cent’s "cutting ties" post by pleading for him to help build Donda schools in Houston. 50 took him up on the offer but agrees with the majority that he needs time on the sidelines to clear his head.

About the only good news Ye’s had this week is that, somehow, the parents of his Donda Academy students are rallying to keep the school open after he told the staff he was closing it.

One rapper not amused by Kanye memes is Boosie Badazz … who’s currently fuming over Ye’s apology to the Jewish community and lack of regret towards Black people for his 'White Lives Matter' tirades.

"Power" will no longer be played before AFC Bournemouth games this season ... the Premier League team is pulling the plug on the pregame song -- after Kanye West's recent antisemitic remarks.

The Athletic reported Tuesday that the team made this decision this week ... following in the footsteps of multiple huge organizations that have cut ties with the artist over his recent, highly offensive comments.

The Cherries had played the hit before games for YEARS -- running onto English soccer fields to the tune as fans in stadiums roared.

So far, no word yet on what song will replace the Ye beat.

The futbol team's decision comes after Adidas, T.J. Maxx and Balenciaga severed their relationships with West -- and just two days after superstar athletes Jaylen Brown and Aaron Donald dropped from his Donda Sports agency.

Texas rapper MO3's manager Brian Rainwater is dispelling persistent rumors his late client was murdered in 2020 due to yet another rap beef.

According to Rainwater, MO3's killer was jealous of the rapper's relationship with the man's own children. MO3 was dating the mother, and her kids had proudly posted the slain rapper on social media.

He also says MO3 upgrading the woman's lifestyle and taking her on lavish trips was enough to push the killer over the edge.

Rainwater was a recent guest on "Say Cheese!" where he also ripped into the downpour of social media clout chasers who circulated false info ... and dismissed the string of local rap songs that claimed involvement after the shooting.

Rainwater says MO3's celebrity status made him a target for the killer, suggesting the relationship was beneath the "Shottaz" rapper altogether ... comparing it to Atlanta rapper Trouble's murder, who was killed inside the home of a woman he was seeing.

TMZ originally broke the story ... MO3 was shot and killed in his hometown of Dallas on November 11, 2020, after being tailed during an intense car chase on the highway.

He attempted to run for his life after fleeing his vehicle but was gunned down shortly after.

Police arrested a man named Kewon Dontrell White a month later ... who has been charged with MO3's murder, but has yet to stand trial.

L.A. rapper Saviii 3rd won't be getting tricks or treats on Halloween, instead, he'll be in court for an arrest -- cops say he bolted out of a studio session with over $3,000 worth of equipment.

Burbank police sources tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Saviii was recording inside Royal Rehearsal studio Wednesday night before he allegedly stole a speaker, mic, mac hard drive and a monitor ... and a few other pieces of equipment.

We're told officers detained the ex-Cash Money Records artist and his entourage in the back of the studio's parking lot. Saviii, whose government name is Tyrus Washington, identified himself as Johnnie Lee Brown ... according to cops.

The fake name didn't help ... police searched Saviii and say they found what they believe to be methamphetamine on him. They also allegedly found codeine cough syrup, evidence of identity theft and the studio equipment.

Saviii was arrested and booked into Burbank jail. They didn't discover the fake name until they fingerprinted the rapper, and they also found an active warrant for a probation violation under his real name.

Before his arrest, Saviii's final Instagram story shows a bottle of Wockhardt promethazine codeine and several bottles of Faygo soda. It's unclear if these are the bottles cops allegedly found in his car.

In a bizarre twist, Kanye West's Donda Academy has opened it's doors again -- only hours after announcing the school had closed -- and this time it's back "with a vengeance."

Parents and students of Donda received an email -- obtained by TMZ -- around midnight Wednesday reading, "Join us tomorrow morning in worship for the return of Donda Academy. With the help of our parents and community, we are back and returning with a vengeance!"

The email continues, "The children of Donda are going to change the world. Apologies for the late email! See you bright and early!"

This, of course, must've come as a surprise considering it was about 4 hours earlier when an email was sent to Donda students announcing a shutdown. That email read, "At the discretion of our Founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately ... THERE IS NO SCHOOL TOMORROW."

At this point, it's unclear if it was Kanye who changed his mind -- or if parents of the students are taking it upon themselves to educate the kids -- but it's certainly messy.

Kanye West has lost his shirt over his hateful antisemitic rants, but we've learned he still has his divorce lawyer, and that attorney is working with Kim Kardashian's lawyer to hammer out a settlement so the case doesn't end up in a trial.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... although New York attorney Bob Cohen withdrew as divorce counsel amid Kanye's despicable comments about Jews, he still has attorney Nick Salick repping him. Salick is a Beverly Hills lawyer who Ye hired at the same time as Cohen.

We're told Salick is trying to work out both a custody and property settlement agreement with Kim's longtime divorce lawyer, "disso queen" Laura Wasser. The goal is to avert a trial that is scheduled for December.

It's interesting ... one of the sticking points in the case was that Kanye wanted their 4 kids to attend the Donda Academy, but Kim said no way -- especially since the children were all rooted in an accredited school. If Kanye got his way, the kids would have no place to go since he just shut down Donda.

As for custody ... our sources say although Kanye has been present at several sporting events with the kids, he has not exercised any custodial rights in months. He said last month Kim has 80% custody, but it sounds like she has more.

Kanye West's Donda Academy is officially toast ... the rapper just shuttered the doors to his school ... at least for now, as his troubles mount following his antisemitic remarks.

The school's principal, Jason Angell, fired off an email to the parents of students, informing them that "at the discretion of our founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately."

Kanye himself weighed in on social media in a since-deleted Instagram post ... "Here's the clout you're looking for. My school is being shut down." Hollywood Unlocked was first to report the closure.

In his email to parents, Angell insisted the school plans to reopen in September 2023, adding ... "we are confident that our scholars will continue to advance as the creative innovators, influencers and academic leaders of the next generation."

An unaccredited Christian institution, Donda Academy required parents to sign non-disclosure agreements before their children could become students. There were only about 100 students in total, with half on scholarships from Kanye and friends of the rapper.

Parents whose kids didn't get scholarships had to cough up $15,000 per year for their kids to attend. Students wore designer uniforms by Balenciaga and Ye's own clothing line, Yeezy.

Kanye West is back on Instagram, and taking the opportunity to get his followers up to speed on his side of all his drama ... including confirmation he just lost a massive amount of wealth in a single day.

The rapper put up some posts Wednesday night and early Thursday morning after IG lifted restrictions ... one being a meme about "Ye cutting ties with Kanye West," and the other about the specifics of his designs for Adidas and Gap. Perhaps trying to add some humor, he included the caption, "I haven't got super model p**** in over a month."

Ye was pretty defiant, though, about the Adidas divorce shaving $900 million off his net worth -- according to Forbes -- and he's pinning the loss on Endeavour CEO Ari Emanuel.

He directed one post at the talent agency powerhouse that reads ... "I LOST 2 BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE DAY AND I’M STILL ALIVE THIS IS LOVE SPEECH I STILL LOVE YOU GOD STILL LOVES YOU THE MONEY IS NOT WHO I AM THE PEOPLE IS WHO I AM."

Remember, Ari publicly urged companies and individuals to cut ties with Kanye following his antisemitic comments.

After almost all of his biz partners ran for the hills, Forbes now puts Ye's net worth around $400 million.

As we reported, he's hustling to try to make new deals ... Ye hit up Skechers HQ Wednesday -- uninvited, mind you -- with the possible goal of finding a new manufacturing and distribution partner for Yeezy.

Kanye West is making a quick move to find a new home for his Yeezy shoes ... hitting Skechers headquarters to talk with the company's honchos, but immediately got turned away.

Sources familiar with Ye's visit tell us he was at the company's main office Wednesday morning in Manhattan Beach, CA ... but this was not a scheduled meeting with management.

Skechers says, Ye "arrived unannounced and without invitation at one of Skechers’ corporate offices in Los Angeles. Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation."

Now, we don't know if Kanye did his research or not, but Skechers is owned and operated by a Jewish family -- Robert Greenberg founded it, and his son Michael is currently the President. Considering his rampant anti-Semitism, you could say he barked up the wrong tree.

A spokesperson tells us, "Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West. We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech. Again, West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices."

We're guessing Kanye's goal was for Skechers to be his new partner for the Yeezy shoe brand -- working both as a manufacturer and distributor, as Adidas did before it dropped him this week. Well, he struck out.

Still, Kanye was also spotted in good spirits at a local bagel shop before his meeting -- his smile certainly doesn't look like that of a man out $900 million -- a figure reported by Forbes.

As we reported, Kanye's anti-Semitic comments were the final straw for several business and professional relationships for Kanye -- including Balenciaga, his legal team and of course, Adidas who have all dropped him in the last few weeks.

Drake and 21 Savage are pushing back the release date for their highly anticipated joint album ... because the producer is battling coronavirus.

Champagne Papi announced the delay Wednesday, revealing on his Instagram story that his longtime producer, Noah "40" Shebib, became infected with COVID while mixing and mastering the album.

Drake and 21 Savage's project is called "Her Loss" and it was due out this Friday ... but it's going to be the fan's loss, because Drizzy says the collab is being delayed at least a week, with the new release date moved to next Friday, Nov. 4.

Drake and Noah have worked together for years ... but based on Drake's post, it seems like the COVID diagnosis is only a minor bump in the road.

"Her Loss" was only announced a couple days ago ... Drake revealed the album's title and original release date in his new music video for "Jimmy Cooks," a song featuring 21 Savage off Drake's last album, "Honestly, Nevermind."

Kanye West is persona non grata for Peloton -- the exercise company is banning his music from any new future classes.

Peloton took a stance Wednesday in a statement to Pelobuddy ... "We take this issue very seriously and can confirm Peloton indefinitely paused the use of Kanye West’s music on our platform. This means our instructors are no longer using his music in any newly produced classes and we are not suggesting any class that includes his music in our proactive recommendations to Members."

They add, "You should know this was a decision we made immediately following his remarks. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns and thank you for being a Member of our Peloton community."

The statement comes on the heels of Peloton's Alex Toussaint -- a popular cycling instructor -- declaring he would not be playing Ye's tunes during any of his classes. He said this on Monday during his Hip Hop Ride at 7 PM ET ... without ever naming the guy.

Toussaint said he doesn't tolerate hate speech and that he stands with the Jewish community -- going on to promise he would foster a safe space and not play "that artist." It seems his bosses felt that policy should apply across the board ... and it's a big deal.

There's been a lot of folks wondering what might happen to Kanye's music as he continues to fall from grace. Until now, there hadn't been many rumblings about censoring//muting his catalog -- but at this point, it appears the door's starting to be opened a bit.

Chingy's feeling some type of way about being included on a "50 Worst Rapper List" ... and he's letting out his emotions about it in a new interview.

The St. Louis-bred rap star ... famously known for his hits "Right Thurr" and "Holidae In" on Ludacris' label in the early '00s ... was grouped with the likes of Master P, Diddy, French Montana and Coi Leray on a Twitter ranking that holds no actual weight.

Still, the rankings got under his skin, evidenced by his latest conversation with VladTV.

Chingy says the 50 million records he sold throughout his career are more than enough votes to keep his name off any "worst rapper" list, and social media reactions mainly fueled its traction.

He went on to call the list invalid, and demand it be deleted ... mainly because the entire world's 7-billion-strong population wasn't polled.

Not that he's biased, but ... Chingy said he listened to one of his old songs the other day and was floored at how anyone could think he was one of the worst because he thought the lyrics were so good.

His career might be light on flowers these days, but he literally made Bobby Shmurda LOL ... as he named the "Chickenhead" hip hop's #1 dance, which was made popular from the "Right Thurr" video.