TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Both Tech N9ne and Gillie Da Kid repped for their Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at the Super Bowl ... but only Tech left the arena smiling after his squad emerged as world champs!!!

The Strange Music rapper was full of energy when he stormed the State Farm Stadium field after the Chiefs took SBLVII 38-35 ... and later when we caught him exiting the venue with SM co-founder Travis O'Guin en route to dap up SB MVP Patrick Mahomes at the team's postgame celebration!!!

Tech tells us he cannot wait for both Gillie and Wallo to land in K.C. to film the "Red Kingdom" music video as they wear Chiefs' colors ... a deal the "Million Dollarz Worth of Game" host agreed to after Tech made the initial challenge on TMZ Hip Hop!!!

A dejected Gillie sang quite the opposite tune on Monday ... posting a good sport video from his Airbnb congratulating real Chiefs fans for the latest SB victory.

That said, Gillie had absolutely no love for supporters of notorious losers ... such as the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, who were calling his phone just to tease him!!!

Rick Ross threw a Super Bowl party fit for a king -- with enough room for both his close family members and tons of his famous pals!!!

There were no signs of Rod Wave ... who Rozay invited to his suite ahead of the Big Game but the Bawse managed to attract the likes of Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, Yo Gotti, GloRilla, Johnny Dang, Ryan Clark and an iced-out Floyd Mayweather ... who bragged about sipping on alkaline water ahead of his fight with Aaron Chalmers.

Jay's Roc Nation produced Rihanna's halftime show but he was just one of the guys cheering on the pregnant megastar.

Kodak Black and French Montana have an album dropping soon and they also checked in with Rozay ... and bragged to IG followers about the money they were putting up for the game.

Not every cameo appearance resulted in a bang, though. Chrisean Rock also flicked it up with Ross ... angering Blueface in the process all because he thought she was being a groupie for the MMG boss.

Kodak Black says he didn't have much luck betting on this year's Super Bowl, but he already has a plan to make up for it next year ... he's gonna need some help, though!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught Big Yak in AZ getting swarmed by adoring fans after the game, and he humbly admitted his pockets were feeling anything BUT victorious following the game. He didn't give us details but sounds like he laid a lot on the Eagles.

That said, Kodak didn't seem to mind that much. He got so much love exiting State Farm Stadium, you'd think he was one of the players.

Of course, a year ago Kodak's Super Bowl weekend activities ended in violence -- he and Justin Bieber are currently facing a lawsuit related to the 2022 shooting that went down in L.A. just ahead of Super Sunday.

We asked Kodak about the case, but his mind was already on 2024. The "Super Gremlin" rapper said he plans to bet several million on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to appear in next year's big game.

Drake is trying to put the kibosh on getting deposed in the XXXTENTACION murder trial — and he's making some legal moves to try to get out of it.

The rapper filed a motion, through his attorney Bradford Cohen, asking the judge to set aside the subpoena requiring him to sit for a private deposition in late February.

As we reported, the judge was persuaded by arguments made by defense attorney Mauricio Padilla to call Drake as a witness in the case. Padilla represents Dedrick Williams, one of three defendants charged with killing XXX. The murder trial for the 3 men began last week.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Padilla sent Drake a ZOOM link for the deposition without putting it under seal, which could have compromised Drake's security given that he’s an international star.

Several days later, the docs say Padilla filed a notice with the court but failed to include details on how the ZOOM interview with Drake would be conducted. As a result, Drake says the subpoena was procedurally defective.

Per the motion, Drake also claims his name never appeared in the investigative files and there's nothing to suggest he has any relevant knowledge about the case ... he believes it's unreasonable to ask him to sit for a deposition and says doing so is just an attempt to "add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event."

Rihanna shocked the world Sunday by announcing her pregnancy during her Super Bowl performance -- but it was a well-kept secret even among people who were part of the show.

Super Bowl sources tell TMZ ... most of her backup dancers -- upwards of 280, as we came to find out -- had no idea RiRi was preggo before she hit the stage this weekend, and that's due in part to the baggy clothing she'd been rocking during all the rehearsals.

Our sources tell us Rihanna was wearing very loose-fitting outfits both on Saturday and on Sunday as she was practicing her set. It wasn't until showtime that anyone involved saw her final costume, which seemed designed to show off her belly.

In other words ... Rihanna covered her bases here, not letting anyone involved with the halftime production get a whiff of her pregnancy before she could show it off to all.

Remember, Rihanna was also seen publicly a couple days before the Super Bowl, when she did an interview talking about the different setlists she'd created ... and there, too, RiRi seemed to be trying to hide her bump -- wearing a big furry jacket and other fluffy garb.

Of course, you could even trace this cover-up back to the Golden Globes in January ... where Rihanna and A$AP Rocky showed up in person, with RiRi again wearing a loose-fitting outfit and keeping her purse in front of her stomach throughout much of the broadcast.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce turned all the way up after winning the Super Bowl, hitting the stage with The Chainsmokers ... and partying with the group until the wee hours of the morning.

The Kansas City Chiefs stars joined the "Closer" crooners at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa on Sunday night just after beating the Eagles 38-35 in SB LVII in Arizona ... and by the looks of things -- they had an absolute blast.

In front of hundreds of Kansas City supporters, the guys danced their faces off ... while the musical group played tune after tune after tune.

At one point, the quarterback and tight end were joined by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, as well as team honcho Clark Hunt, who grabbed the mic to recognize the guys ... and rile up the crowd.

Just before that, DJ Khaled, Jason Derulo and Tech N9ne also performed.

Of course, all of the guys had every reason to party ... they played a hell of a game against Philadelphia, with Kelce logging six catches for 81 yards and a TD -- and Mahomes completing 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 182 yards and 3 TDs of his own.

Pat was ultimately named MVP of the game -- and you can see in the vids of their postgame bash, he rocked a WWE-style championship belt to let everyone know he had just won the second title of his career.

Swae Lee isn't validating Billboard's Top 50 rapper list for obvious reasons -- it's missing his and Rae Sremmurd's names, and that makes him suspect of the whole damn thing!!!

We caught Swae out in Glendale, AZ during the Super Bowl party blitz and he was hot at Billboard's omission, although he agreed with Jay-Z's spot at No. 1.

He explains his success as a rap star should've qualified him for a spot ... and he makes a decent point.

Swae Lee has 2 Diamond (sales of 10 million) tracks to his name ... "Unforgettable" with French Montana and "Sunflower" with Post Malone, and seeing as Billboard's whole deal is compiling stats and numbers, that should've counted for something, eh?

While Swae and Slim Jxmmi rank high amongst Gen-Z legends, their opinions don't differ much from one of rap's true pioneers Ice Cube ... who also unloaded on the list to TMZ Hip Hop last week.

As Cube sees things, Billboard doesn't have enough credentials to speak on hip hop culture, and couldn't be reasoned with once he realized his Mt. Westmore co-star Too $hort was left off the list!!!

Rihanna got lots of compliments for her Super Bowl halftime performance, but there was one glaring, predictable exception ... the man who famously holds grudges -- Donald Trump.

The ex-Prez went on his social media platform, Truth Social, and had nothing but bad things to say ... "EPIC FAIL: Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history — This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language. Also, so much for her 'Stylist!'”

As for why the grudge ... well, in August 2020, in the heat of the election Trump ultimately lost, Rihanna posted a photo on Instagram, featuring a car littered with graffiti, with the words "F*** Trump" spray-painted on it.

A$AP Rocky must've been on cloud 9 after Rihanna's Super Bowl performance AND her pregnancy reveal ... because he took to the club to party it up after the big game.

The rapper hit up E11EVEN Miami's Big Game Weekend Pop-Up at Maya Nightclub in Scottsdale Sunday night, after the Chiefs took down the Eagles ... clearly in great spirits as the night went on.

Rihanna wasn't with A$AP ... but he was still in good company, spending time with French Montana, Kevin Gates and YG.

FYI -- it seemed like A.R. was on daddy duty during the game, because he left the State Farm Stadium with his baby in tow. And no, A$AP didn't pull up to the club with the kiddo ... sounds like that job was passed to someone else.

As you know, A$AP's boo RiRi stepped back into the music game in AZ ... bringin' some of her classics to the field -- and of course revealing she's pregnant once again.

David Jolicoeur -- also known as Dave and Trugoy the Dove, who was one of the three founding members of De La Soul -- has died.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ the rapper passed away Sunday at a hospital in Maryland. No other details, including a potential cause, have been released ... but we're told his death appears to be from natural causes, and that he was battling an undisclosed illness.

De La Soul's official social accounts have yet to say anything about Dave -- ditto for the other two members and their own pages ... Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and Vincent Mason (Maseo).

Dave was with DLS since the beginning, getting together in '87 and going on to crank out some of the most famous rap songs of all time. The group went on an incredible three-album run through the '90s -- with two of those being certified platinum and gold, respectively.

Some of their best-known tracks include ... "Me, Myself and I," "Eye Know," "The Magic Number," "Stakes Is High," "Ring Ring Ring," "Say No Go," "Breakadawn," "Oooh," "Buddy," "All Good," "Ghetto Thang," "I Am I Be," "Ego Trippin (Part 2)" and countless others.

De La Soul was unique in that they emerged in one decade, but seamlessly transitioned into another ... all while adapting their style and production to keep up with the times.

Three of their songs have been nominated for Grammys over the years, with one of those -- a smash hit collab with the Gorillaz in "Feel Good Inc." -- actually winning Best Pop Collaboration in 2006.

Their music has been hard to listen to in recent years ... for one reason or another, nobody has been able to stream their stuff on major platforms, but a deal was recently inked that'll finally allow their classic tunes to be played en masse starting next month.

Dave was 54.

Ryan Shepard, who acted as Eminem's stunt double in the early 2000s, has died ... tragically losing his life after getting hit while attempting to cross the street.

Ryan's brother Kyle tells TMZ ... Ryan died in Washington at the end of January after getting hit by an oncoming pickup truck. Emergency responders rushed him to a hospital, but it was too late.

Ryan worked not only as Eminem's stunt double but also as his photo double and stand-in ... appearing at the MTV Movie Awards as Eminem's superhero character, Rap Boy.

He took the stage again with the rapper for his 2002 Anger Management Tour, and on his Japan and Europe tour the following year -- he also appeared in D12's "Purple Hills" music video as Eminem's double.

Kyle tells us Ryan was incredibly intelligent ... going on to work at Disney as a ride mechanical engineer, and eventually moving to Elon Musk's SpaceX as a test automation engineer.

Ryan leaves behind his 2 children, a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old.

He was 40 years old.

Bill Bellamy thinks the Grammys have a diversity problem in their voting ranks, and that's why -- as he sees it -- their final ballots on the major categories rarely match up with public opinion.

The "Top Billin'" podcast host and comedian was out in West Hollywood when we polled him on the recent Grammy controversy over Song of the Year.

Bonnie Raitt's "Just Like That" beat out some pretty hefty competition such as Beyoncé’s  "Break My Soul," Harry Styles' "As It Was," Kendrick Lamar’s "The Heart Part 5" ... and surprised even the veteran blues-rock singer herself!!!

The song was indisputably the least-known song on the list, and Bill says it should be a no-brainer for one of the more well-known tracks to take home the award.

He brings up how a band like Journey can unite all people with their great song -- and we're assuming he's referring to their iconic track "Don't Stop Believin'" ... which, BTW, was not nominated for a Grammy back in 1981.

Bill was also displeased with the Grammys' 50th-anniversary hip hop tribute ... noting the lack of West Coast artists, in addition to missing many female rap greats such as MC Lyte, Da Brat, Foxy Brown and Lil Kim -- a sentiment Lola Brooke literally just shared with us.

Despite Questlove's best efforts, Bill says hip hop history cannot be condensed or covered in 2 minutes and they should've made room for a Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre set, T.I., 8Ball & MJG ... or nixed the idea altogether!!!

Fat Joe feels similar to Bill, having gone on yet another rant earlier this week about losing his 2018 Grammy to Chance the Rapper.

Joe and Remy Ma's "All The Way Up" was the more popular record on the Billboard Charts, but still lost out to Chance's "No Problem" -- a song Joe maintains the world doesn't remember to this day.

Rihanna has A LOT of songs to consider as she finalizes her 13-minute Super Bowl set -- but if she's curious what her peers think she should sing ... she might wanna watch this.

We got Christina Aguilera and Winnie Harlow heading into Drake's SB party Friday in Scottsdale -- and, of course, we asked them about RiRi's many options in terms of tracks she could perform Sunday ... and what exactly they'd like to hear during the Halftime Show.

Check it out ... each of them gives us a response, and they're quite different. CA says she wants to see Rihanna's take on an ODB classic -- while going on to tell us she thinks Ri's gonna kill it.

Winnie had her own pick for a Rihanna song she'd like to see performed -- a fan fave, no doubt -- but she also had a lot to say about the fact that Rihanna is one of the first Afro-Caribbean women to take the big stage. Winnie is of Jamaican descent, BTW.

Drake hit the stage for a pretty spectacular pre-Super Bowl bash, with a little help from Cardi B.

Drake performed at Hanger 1 in Scottsdale Friday night, recreating his show at the Apollo last month in NYC.

Several tons of stars were there to watch, including Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Fox, Cher and BF Alexander Edwards, Lil Baby, Tyga, H.E.R., Serena Williams, Meek Mill, Devin Booker, Odell Beckham Jr., Sauce Gardner, Kyler Murray, Davante Adams, Winnie Harlow, Rich the Kid, Christina Aguilera, George Kittle and Druski.

Drakes got skin in the game for sure ... he's betting nearly a million bucks total on the game and prop bets. That includes $700k on the Chiefs, $50k that Mahomes and Smith-Schuster would score the first Chiefs TD, and $50k the Chiefs would score in both halves of the game.

Meek Mill doesn't agree with DJ Drama's hot take that "Dreams & Nightmares" has been replaced by Lil Uzi Vert's "Just Wanna Rock" as the Eagles anthem -- instead, he's taking a more inclusive approach.

We got Meek out in Arizona amid the Super Bowl LVII festivities, and he laid out a plan for Philly to use both tracks. He suggests the birds come out amped to Uzi's stadium rocker ...  and then blare "Dreams & Nightmares" when they hoist up the Lombardi Trophy in victory!!!

Meek's hit has been synonymous inside Lincoln Financial Field for over a decade, but sadly, Meek was incarcerated during the Eagles' 2017 championship run -- so, he tells us he's eager to see that kinda moment in-person.

It's a great fix to the dust Drama kicked up when he lived up to his name earlier this month ... proclaiming Uzi's 'Rock' as the new sound of the Eagles.

Uzi's record is currently sitting in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, but still needs a bit of time before it carves out the same history as Meek's track.

Both songs would definitely extend the celebration in Philly, but Kansas City Chiefs ambassador Tech N9ne is 100% positive his squad will come out on top ... and even challenged Eagles fans Gillie and Wallo to put their dignity on the line with a jersey swap bet!!!

Justin Bieber and Kodak Black are being dragged to court over a shooting that occurred following Justin's concert after-party during last year's Super Bowl weekend ... two men who claim they were struck by bullets are suing.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Mark Schaefer and Adam Rahman say they were shot and severely injured in the February 2022 shooting outside The Nice Guy in L.A. ... and they're blaming Justin, Kodak and the venue.

TMZ broke the story ... three people, including Kodak, were shot outside the party... and Kodak's camp says when he was leaving the venue someone in his crew got jumped by an unidentified assailant, with the rapper throwing himself into the mix to help his pal out before shots rang out.

In the docs, the alleged victims claim Kodak was a major catalyst in the shooting ... they say he was trying to cause harm and escalate the situation and they're laying the blame for the shooting squarely on his shoulders.

What's more, the alleged victims claim security at the venue was lax ... they say the security guards who were hired couldn't handle the job, and the venue, promoters and performers, therefore, bear some responsibility, too.

The alleged victims are going after Kodak, Justin, The Nice Guy, The Hwood Group and Revolve Group, plus the City of Los Angeles, the City of West Hollywood and Los Angeles County for damages ... and they're being repped by Gloria Allred.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... "I have seen a lot of bad complaints in my day. This is the most poorly drafted complaint I have seen in 26 years. I expect Kodak to be dismissed from this suit fairly quickly."

Cohen continues ... "There is zero specificity in the complaint and Ms. Allred groups the defendants all together instead of making specific allegations against each. It's law school 101. I am embarrassed for Ms. Allred that she actually signed her name to that complaint."