TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

If you thought his recent slump in music was gonna make Lil Pump stop smiling, think again, because the guy just got a new set of chompers he's gonna be showing off for a long time.

5 Star Smiles CEO Danielle Noguera tells TMZ Hip Hop Pump came in earlier this year to get a new pair of porcelain veneers.

The set Pump opted for has tons of longevity -- 30 years in fact -- and we're told the procedure cost Pump a cool $25k, done in Pump's hometown of Miami.

Dentists had been reaching out to Pump for years offering to do his teeth, but Pump opted for 5 Star Smiles, a company with plenty of experience with celebs including Lil Meech, Erica Mena, and the Clermont Twins, to name a few, in the past.

As expected, Pump won't just stop with the veneers, we're told he's upping his game even more -- with a pair of custom grills currently in production.

Louisiana rapper Rob49 is back on his feet after being shot last month … and is doubling down on his murder rap career with his new single.

The up-and-coming Louisiana rapper thanked fans for their well wishes before dropping off the video to “4God II” on Friday … and stepped into The Shade Room to assure fans he wasn’t hiding any injuries and urged them to check out the track.

Directed by music video vet Gerard Victor, the “4God II” video features the 24-year-old rapper spitting lyrics about being the #1 target for opps and riding around in bulletproof vehicles.

He also flashes his ice inside a Rolls-Royce … but also an arm sling, as a result of his injuries sustained on the night of January 5.

Rob49 and French Montana were filming a music video when gunmen arrived on the scene and opened fire, striking Rob49 and several others including French’s bodyguard.

No fatalities occurred but Miami police blamed French for the shooting ... citing his lack of permits to film the clip.

French barked back at the cops' accusations, claiming to have been celebrating a mixtape release as opposed to filming a music video but at any rate, Rob49 is back on the prowl.

Kylie Jenner seems to have no problem adjusting to life post-Travis Scott ... living it up and looking smokin' hot while on a recent vacation.

Check out the pics ... the 25-year-old was down in Turks and Caicos with some friends and made good use of a hose while she sprayed the sand off her feet after a day of relaxing in the sun.

Kylie's looking as good as ever, dressed in a pink bikini as she laid out on a reclining beach chair, sipping some sort of drink in the process.

Remember, Kylie and Travis recently split -- though it appears the two are still cordial -- coming together this past week to celebrate their kids' birthdays. The former couple's daughter, Stormi, turned 5 and their son, Aire, celebrated turning 1.

The separate birthday parties came with some controversy though, some fans thought the massive blow-up heads used as decoration were insulting to the victims from Astroworld -- as Travis used the blow-up head imagery to promote his album of the same name.

Lil Baby's 4PF artist Rylo Rodriguez is bound to his double cup by his own admission ... admitting to shelling out nearly $4K a week to feed his lean habit.

The Atlanta rapper left Awaiz Dawave speechless when he made the shocking revelation during their chat inside Lenox Square last year, and the footage has slowly been shocking fans across the internet.

Rylo says it takes him about 3 days to finish a pint of lean ... hence the swift re-up that runs his bank account over $200K annually!!!

Rappers getting it out of the mud has become a common practice, but maybe Rylo should take a page out of Sada Baby's book of sobriety and reroute the course to save his finances ... and his liver.

TMZ Hip Hop recently spoke to the Detroit rapper who once had an even bigger budget for his lean excursions ... dropping $20K per week just to go codeine crazy.

Jay-Z is set to deliver his internet-breaking "God Did" verse live at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards ... as part of DJ Khaled's big stage blowout on Sunday night, TMZ Hip Hop can confirm.

"God Did" is up for Song of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance ... potentially extending Jay-Z's rapper-leading tally, which currently sits at 24.

The live performance of the viral hit will also feature the song's guests Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, John Legend and Fridayy, and will also mark a return to the Grammy spotlight for Hov ... after he was infamously shut out in 2018 on his 8 nominations — immediately after receiving their Industry Icon Award.

Details are mum on the performance theatrics but we're told to expect big things from Khaled and Co.

E-40 was doing it “too big” like his Mount Westmore anthem at his alma mater Grambling State University on Friday … donating a massive $100K check to the HBCU’s music department for invaluable upgrades for generations of students to come.

The legendary rapper was flanked by his wife, GSU President Rick Gallot and Dr. Nikole Roebuck … Grambling’s Music Department Chair and Director of Bands and graciously addressed the crowd during his coronation.

The GSU Tigers flipped the script and surprised E-40 with the unveiling of The Earl “E-40” Stevens Sound Recording studio … a commemorative installation to inspire students’ music hustle just like the Bay Area OG!!!

40 attended GSU all the way back in 1986 which paved the road he walked to become a hip hop icon — and told onlookers it was an honor to stand at the university for the full-circle moment.

He explained growing up in his impoverished Vallejo, CA neighborhood led him to look for an escape and hopped on the first train smokin’ when the Grambling opportunity came — and never looked back but jumped forward into a career of platinum plaques, millions of streams and mounds of classic songs!!!

Lil Keed's family has released a new song from the YSL rapper ... nearly one year after his tragic passing from a rare blood cell disorder.

Keed's mother, Tonnie "HoodMama" Woods-Reed, lead the charge for the rollout with a heartfelt message of bereavement, but still wanted his fans to have music to attach to their own sorrow.

"On May 13, 2022, I lost my son Raqhid Render—who many of you knew as the artist Lil Keed. While this journey through the different phases of grief has been indescribably hard, a way that I have found to cope is through his music."

She continued, "Right before his passing, Keed was hard at work on what would’ve been his highly anticipated next album, Keed Talk to ’Em 2. As much as he was a great father, son, and friend—he was also an artist who (thanks to many of you) lived and continues to live through his music. With that being said, the time has come to share some of our last pieces of Keed with you all starting with the release of his first single, “Long Way to Go.” This song holds a special place in my heart and as you guys will see it will reflect on many aspects of Keed’s journey here on Earth."

His mother concluded, "I hope you all appreciate it as we take the first step in cementing Keed’s legacy. Long Live Keed!"

Latto seemingly wasn't phased by the fact she can't sell her panties ... she got back into her MC bag performing for Spotify's Best New Artist on Thursday!!!

The "Big Energy" rapper was among several performers at the event inside Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood ... and blitzed through a melody of hits dropped by her own DJ Von.

She and her backup dancers also put on a twerking display right before wooing the crowd with her signature "Big Energy" banger, which is up for Best Melodic Rap Performance at this year's Grammys!!!

Latto is also up for Best New Artist at the upcoming awards ... and we can safely say she's capping off a crazy week after nearly becoming $100K richer after attempting to pawn her used underwear on eBay.

As we told you, eBay removed the sale of the cheetah-print panties just as it was hitting the six-figure mark, -- potentially giving her manager Cortez Bryant a goldmine idea to begin selling them to the highest bidder at tour stops.

Anderson .Paak wasn't about to let a whole group of people stand still while he DJ'd some of his best music ... jokingly issuing a threat to play some R. Kelly if they didn't start moving.

AP played a barrage of new wave and funk records during Spotify's Best New Artist party Thursday in L.A. The playlist didn't appear to get the reaction .Paak had hoped for, and he repeatedly instructed the crowd to get their groove on ... even after his trusty trumpet player Maurice "Mobetta" Brown arrived on the scene to spruce things up.

At one point, AP singled out a particular stick in the mud who was killing his vibe on the turntables, but eventually powered through and even rocked out on the drums to close his set.

Finally, he threatens the crowd he'd turn on some R. Kelly if they didn't get their act right.

Of course, R. Kelly's music is a point of controversy over the last few years ... he's got decades of prison time ahead of him after his federal sex crimes case. Apparently, AP knew the right buttons to push to get the people going ... cuz they started dancing!

It's Grammy weekend once again in Los Angeles, and some of the industry's biggest stars aren't wasting any time in celebrating music's biggest honor.

Tons of parties popped up across the city Thursday ... events dedicated to the rookies of the biz and even some dedicated to the veterans.

For starters -- there was the Warner Music Party at The Hollywood Athletic Club -- which brought out Anderson .Paak, Nile Rodgers, Missy Elliott, Wiz Khalifa, Saweetie and Bebe Rexha ... just to name a few.

Some of the biggest names turned out at the Black Music Collective Party at The Hollywood Palladium. While there was plenty of celebrating, Lil Wayne was honored with the Global Impact Award at the event. Drake presented him with the awards, cracking jokes about The Grammys in the process.

Lil Kim, DJ Khaled, Dr. Dre, Ciara and Swizz Beatz were also all in the house to watch Wayne get his props.

The Spotify party kicked off at The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood -- Ice Spice, Latto and Yung Gravy were some of the newcomers there -- but vets like Jared Leto, Machine Gun Kelly, Drew Taggart from The Chainsmokers and Diplo also went.

There was also Dj Drama's Grammy Weekend Release Party for his new project “I’m Really Like That” at Classic Cat which brought out names like Tyler, the Creator, Blac Chyna, G Herbo and Don Cannon.

The Etsy designer behind Beyoncé's fabulous disco-style cowboy hat now has firsthand experience with the Bey effect ... after the Renaissance tour announcement forced her to shut down her shop.

Abby Misbin AKA "Trending by Abby" on Etsy, tells TMZ ... a stylist for Beyoncé hit her up way back last June, saying she wanted a mirrored cowboy hat for Beyoncé and would need it in 5 days. Abby says she was thrilled to handmake the hat for her and sold it to her for $215. Talk about a bargain for the likes of Queen B.

Well, about 2 months later Abby's creation showed up in a Beyoncé video teaser ... but even that promotion didn't compare to what was to come.

Abby was pleasantly surprised to see Bey rocking the 10,000 to 15,000 mirror-tile hat once again this week when she dropped her "Renaissance" tour dates.

Abby says that was the tipping point ... she's been absolutely bombarded with orders from folks trying to get their hands on the same hat. She usually gets about 5-6 orders per week, but in just one day she got 60 orders!!! The BeyHive wants what it wants.

Normally she can only make about 2 of the hats in a day -- there's a ton of detail because they're handmade -- so, Abby's had to shut down her shop for now.

This is certainly on brand for the BeyHive ... ICYMI, fans went crazy after she released the dates for her highly anticipated tour.

Going forward, Abby says she's working on fulfilling orders with her sister's help before re-opening her Etsy shop.

Ticketmaster is firmly under the U.S. Senate's microscope as the ticket giant prepares to sell tickets to the upcoming Beyoncé tour ... and it's all because of the Taylor Swift disaster.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which just got finished grilling Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation, issued a thinly-veiled warning Thursday, the day after Bey announced her "Renaissance" world tour.

The committee's official Twitter account tagged Ticketmaster in a quote tweet for a CNN story about Beyoncé fans preparing for another potential Ticketmaster fiasco, saying ... "We're watching, @Ticketmaster."

Ticketmaster says they're making changes -- staggering sales and using Verified Fan technology -- for the Beyoncé tour after running into major issues with last year's rollout for the Taylor Swift tour, which pissed off Taylor and her fans and led to lawsuits and Senate hearings. Still, the Senate will be keeping a close eye on the process.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who grilled Live Nation execs during the recent hearings, told us on "TMZ Live" the Senate expects Ticketmaster to do better in the future.

T.I. and Tiny's little girl, Heiress Harris, is launching her music career with a bang-up cover of Rihanna's 'Black Panther' anthem "Lift Me Up" ... and Mom and Dad gotta be proud!!!

Heiress -- who's only 6 years old, btw -- dropped her rendition Thursday on IG ... and instantly earned some rave reviews from fans in the comment section.

Director J. from No Degree Productions shot the video on a beach similar to Riri's original vision ... and Tiny pitched in on the co-production.

The young starlet has also been working hard with her vocal coach Annie Tracy to perfect her sound ... and it sounds like the hard work is paying off.

No doubt this will reignite the whole nepo baby debate -- but Heiress clearly has real talent and unmistakable musical genes. Her mother is 1/4 of award-winning R&B quartet Xscape, and her dad's earned his rep as one of the GOAT rappers.

Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa are re-sparking their synergy -- the 420 warriors are feeling good about their finished product after a long night in the studio.

Both rappers posted pics inside Snoop's compound ... J's were blazing, naturally, and their IG captions also hinted they were working on a sequel to their 2012 stoner flick "Mac & Devin Go to High School."

The film not only helped jumpstart Snoop and Wiz's budding friendship, but also birthed their smash hit "Young, Wild & Free" ... which also featured Bruno Mars.

We hear there are no official plans for a new project, but in his post, Snoop says something will be dropping in summer. No shock, when these 2 get together there's always a good buzz.

Wiz actually pulled an all-nighter at Snoop's studio, causing him to shuffle his gym schedule a bit ... but he appears to be getting back to his regularly scheduled program as we speak!!!

Wiz is currently finishing up his next solo album, "Wizzlemania" but recently complained about collaborators taking too long sending their verses.

Latto's skivvy side hustle got derailed by eBay, but all hope is not lost ... her manager Cortez Bryant is considering -- perhaps jokingly -- a very unique merch idea.

We caught up with Tez at LAX, and he says Latto and the rest of the team were taken aback, just like everyone else, when bids for her used cheetah print panties nearly reached $100K!!!

The bidding war got hot with more than 100 entries, but before Latto could cash in, eBay shut down the auction.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Latto's underwear auction violated the company's "health and hygiene" standards and Tez doesn't disagree they made right the decision -- but he doesn't seem opposed to our idea of making additions to the "Big Energy" rapper's merch store!!!

Immediately after eBay's takedown, Latto got back to work in the studio to finish her newest record ... which Tez tells us is officially named "Lottery" and is dropping soon.

Tez says Latto made the eBay post in jest to fire back at the trolls but also isn't passing judgment on the highest bidder of her used bloomers!!!

Master P's son, Mercy Miller, is proving yet again he's a baller on the hardwood ... this time throwing down an insane dunk in a game -- against Bronny James' much-touted high school team no less!

Miller's epic flight happened on Wednesday night when his Notre Dame squad was taking on James' Sierra Canyon team in a highly anticipated game in L.A.

In the fourth quarter of the contest -- which ended up being an 88-61 blowout win for Notre Dame -- Miller drove into the lane, took off on one foot and then hammered home the basketball while blowing through a defender.

The dunk nearly took the roof off of the arena -- as the hundreds of spectators in attendance went wild when the junior guard finished at the rim.

Miller's pops was pleased with the 2-pointer to say the least, sharing a vid of the poster on his IG page -- while writing, "Hard work pays off. The beast came out and showed 'NO MERCY.'"

Matt Barnes and 2 Chainz threw praise on Mercy in the comment section as well.

Of course, this ain't the first time Miller has raised eyebrows on the court ... back in his sophomore season, the Univ. of Houston commit dropped an eye-popping 40 points in one game!!