TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Megan Thee Stallion had no regrets admitting she pinged Beyoncé for the favor of all favors in 2023 ... tickets to the highly anticipated Renaissance Tour, which had fans debating taking out bank loans when they saw the prices.

A gushing Meg relayed to ET at Sunday's Vanity Fair party that she actually dialed up Beyoncé directly for access to the hot-ticketed event but didn't want to reveal why she was actually going to the show.

She later quipped how Beyoncé was her "auntie" and looked forward to seeing her later at the megastar's after-party at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood.

Meg and Bey may not share blood, but the Houston-bred stars won Grammy gold together with 2020's "Savage" collab, and Meg is a key component of Jay-Z's Roc Nation music arm.

Beyonce finally answered her loyal fans' prayers after finally revealing her Renaissance Tour dates back in February ... but not without stipulations like signing up for her Verified Fan service and ticket prices, which Billboard says you'll need around $300 just to get a "decent" seat!!!

Sunday's festivities marked Meg's first public appearance since the draining Tory Lanez shooting trial ... but she appears to be back in full force.

Polo G and Lil Xan both deserve gymnastics medals for blazing the stage under "slippery when wet" conditions, and yes ... they both hydroplaned while performing!!!

The rappers recently co-headlined the Springfest Kickoff Concert in Fargo, ND ... but they had to do so on a fairly soaked stage.

Xan was actually captured taking a tumble after he stepped smack dab in a puddle on stage ... with Polo later coming out to wipe the ground, attempting to ensure his own safety. It didn't work out.

The Chicago rap star was in full crunk mode as he performed "Flex" when he nearly took a tumble himself ... before finding his balance while still firing off his lyrics.

Furious Five rapper Melle Mel isn't backing down from his condemnation of today's hip hop -- in fact, he tripled down when asked if he's feeling the burn from all the backlash.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the pioneering MC and he made it crystal clear he still feels he's better than the likes of Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. Then he went deeper, saying the music industry has pushed destructive tropes that pollute everyone's ability to know what good music actually sounds like.

Put in less PC terms ... Melle says today's rappers can barely rap, and they're just street guys with a sensational message!!!

In contrast, he points to his group's iconic record, "The Message," which spoke out against the guns and drugs that have buried so many hip hop artists over the last 20 years.

The 61-year-old vet says he can easily make a terrible song that glorifies negativity, but he wants to make music he can "stand behind." Melle added he's serious about making a comeback to show and prove himself.

Rap music fans let Melle have it all last week following his viral interview clips, but he gave a special shoutout to Public Enemy and Busta Rhymes, who all gave him props for shaking the table.

Ice Spice recently checked a huge mark on her bucket list -- gaining a Twitter follow by Nicki Minaj, who appears to be digging her career progression!!!

The trailblazing rookie rapper is featured on the new cover of "Dazed" magazine, where she discussed being a Barb, having a birthday on New Year's Day and posed for a photo spread where she hunches over a chair while grabbing her crotch.

Nicki shared the mag cover on Twitter and validated the article's "People's Princess" title while urging people to get the issue from newsstands.

Ice's head was definitely spinning from being recognized by the Queen Barbie. Just a day before, Nicki followed IS on Twitter, fulfilling Ice's November 2020 wish of being noticed online.

Nicki's warming orientation is sharp 180° from her interaction with Latto last year when the "Big Energy" rapper was basking in her freshman buzz — the two engaged in a terse phone call and acidic tweets that spilled onto the internet ... but all signs point to an actual collaboration beween Ice and Nicki that will have all fans munchin'.

Blueface is coming to the realization he might be expecting a kid with his on-and-off again girlfriend Chrisean Rock ... and the thought of new fatherhood is keeping him up way past bedtime!!!

The "Thotiana" rapper dropped off what he framed as a PSA after a night of performing and partying in Dubai. He focused on the never-ending debate around double standards between men and women, but he was clearly just wringing his hands over Chrisean's pregnancy.

Seems his rant was prompted by Chrisean posting a shot of her growing baby bump ... something he's definitely not celebrating. Instead, BF went on about women benefitting more than men from double standards ... claiming the power of their 'P' goes much further than men's.

What's not debatable is that Blue and Chrisean's relationship is as rocky as ever -- they exchanged disses on Twitter, but he remained firm in doubting he's the father of her child.

Blueface also praised Jaidyn Alexis, the mother of his 2 children, for the classy way she presented her last pregnancy, and for not having weird men around his kids.

On the other hand, he's labeling Chrisean a "MeToo Bitch" who runs the streets.

He eventually signed off and decided to live his best life this morning on a yacht, surrounded by a new crop of women to tickle his fancies.

South African rapper Costa Titch is dead after collapsing twice onstage, in quick succession, during a weekend performance.

Check out this footage showing Costa, in a white shirt, running on the stage Saturday night with mic in hand at the Ultra South Africa concert near Johannesburg -- he went right into one of his songs and seemed totally fine.

Then the video cuts to Costa belting out another tune later in the concert -- he seems to reach for one of his backup singers before tumbling to the ground. He got back up and finished the song, but soon fell down again.

His team and emergency responders attempted to resuscitate him, but they were unable to save him. His cause of death was not disclosed.

Costa's family released a statement thanking first responders ... while a rep for the Ultra South Africa venue says they're “devastated” by Costa's death and will remember him as a "talented rapper, dancer, singer, songwriter, collaborator and friend to the festival."

Costa was best known for his hit "Big Flexa," which has 45 million views on YouTube and featured Akon on the remix.

Akon, who signed Costa to his Konvict Muzik imprint, paid an emotional to his artist on IG ... praising him for being "hardworking" and noting he died doing what he loved the most.

"Costa Titch had a vision that I knew for sure would take over the music industry globally and was on his way to doing just that when god’s plan intervened, Akon wrote. "It’s been a sad day but what makes me feel better is that I know he died doing what he loved doing the most in this world. God bless you COSTA!!!!!"

Costa was 28.

Lil Uzi Vert is telling everyone concerned about his “I make a City Girl believe in Satan" lyrics to take a chill pill ... he's deep into his music craft, and not cozying up to the devil.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Uzi out in Bev Hills, where he confirmed the track he previewed at Rolling Loud California -- making it go viral -- will be on his upcoming album, "Pink Tape" ... which he promises will drop in a couple of months.

According to Uzi, he was just metaphorically speaking when he mentioned Satan, and his girlfriend JT didn't blink at the line -- he says she was in the studio when he recorded the track.

His overall point ... they're just lyrics, not real-life beliefs!!!

The song still managed to ruffle feathers in the music community ... 50 Cent's G-Unit soldier Tony Yayo rebuked Uzi's lyrics due to his religious upbringing when we spoke to him last week ... and Summer Walker sent out a stern warning as well.

Uzi says he too has a religious background, but now that he's a grown-up, he doesn't bite his tongue when it comes to delivering his own bars.

Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny are still going strong ... rolling their now-confirmed romance into one of the biggest nights in Hollywood, and once again telegraphing they're a legit couple.

The supermodel and Latin pop star were on the list for Jay-Z and Beyonce's Oscars after-party Sunday in L.A., and while it's unclear if they showed up as a unit ... they certainly left as one, getting into the same car at the end of the night.

Check it out for yourself ... the new couple slipped into the same waiting town car. They still managed to dodge photogs trying to get them in the same frame. Clearly, they're still trying to keep it on the DL, but failing more with each date night.

Kendall was covering her face as they drove off ... BB seemed a little more casual about it all. Fact is, we've seen them together already, and everyone knows what's going on.

Remember, we just saw Kendall and Bunny on a group date last week ... where they hit up a celeb hot spot in West Hollywood. They were caught on camera embracing each other as everyone parted ways.

Anyway, just further proof these 2 are the real deal and currently seeing each other ... on a somewhat serious level, at the very least.

Oh, and take a gander at all the other celebs who were at Bey and Jay's blowout. We'd say it's a who's-who -- but, frankly, the pie was split pretty evenly throughout the weekend. With that said, there was some talent on hand ... Bieber, RiRi, Tyler, just to name a few.

Drake and 21 Savage are taking their hit-filled "Her Loss" album on the road -- the newly minted duo unveiled their 29-city "It’s All A Blur" tour, appeasing fans' wishes to hear the songs live.

Drake dropped off a montage Monday on his IG that chronicled his extensive touring career ... from his fresh-face days on the initial "Away From Home" tour to his "Aubrey & the Three Migos" campaign and all the glitzy highlights in between.

The 'Blur' tour will undoubtedly feature "Her Loss" tunes heavy ... the album is already platinum following its November 2022 release, when all 16 of its songs debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 list right out of the gate.

Avril Lavigne and Tyga aren't gallivanting around Paris to grab headlines ... they're actually interested in dating and getting to know each other without pressure or expectations.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ … Avril and Tyga are still in the early stages of figuring one another out, but they're not putting any labels -- ala girlfriend/boyfriend -- on anything just yet.

There's been speculation the two are only hanging out as a publicity stunt in order to generate some buzz around a possible music collab. Our sources say that's not true, and the two don't have any music in the works -- they're just really enjoying hanging out.

It's easy to tell they're more than enjoying each other's company -- packing on the PDA during a recent trip to Paris, including a make out sesh at a fashion week party and strolling hand-in-hand through the streets.

TMZ broke the story, Avril called off her engagement to Mod Sun only a few weeks ago, after our Avril sources told us the whole thing had been unraveling for a few months.

Mod Sun was surprised by the news, but has powered through his concert tour to promote his "God Save The Teen" album ... a project with several songs dedicated to Lavigne herself.

GloRilla and Finesse2tymes appear destined for a legal battle over that tragic stampede at their New York concert -- the family of one of the three people who died says they're lawyering up.

Brandy Miller was trampled to death in the chaos that followed the rappers' ill-fated Rochester show earlier this month ... and her sister, Michelle, tells us the family plans to sue Glo and Finesse2tymes, plus the promoters and Main Street Armory.

Michelle says her fam is in the process of retaining an attorney -- they've spoken to several since Brandy was pronounced dead on Monday, and aim to retain someone who's high profile  ... because the family "has no plans to back down."

Finesse and GloRilla had reportedly left the venue before the stampede. They've both expressed how devastated they are about the tragedy, and it doesn't appear either artist is under criminal investigation for the incident at this time.

When TMZ Hip Hop got Finesse in NYC this week, he scoffed at the idea he might be blamed, and flat-out told us he wasn't worried about potential lawsuits.

DJ Calvin Harris has been able to pocket a handful of hot stars on his tracks, but now it's your turn to hit the turntables with the music maven and find the switch-ups in the two images. After all, 'this is what you came for!'

The 6'6" star usually towers over his audience, but he may have been upstaged by a pedestrian as he recently stopped by Capital Radio Studios in London, England. Calvin definitely knows how to drop a beat, but can you pick up the changes in these two shots?

Gangsta Boo’s estate is making sure her upcoming posthumous album is airtight with slaps … with Latto, Skepta, La Chat, Crunchy Black and Run The Jewels all pitching in for the late Three 6 Mafia rapstress!!!

Sources close to the project’s creation also tell TMZ Hip Hop they’ve locked in beat contributions from Drumma Boy, Nick Hook and RTJ's El-P … and are planning for an August 7 release date, which would have been GB's 44th birthday.

While DJ Paul and Juicy J are still in mourning, we're hearing they're in talks to provide some production heat, as are Metro Boomin and BeatKing.

GB’s mother, Veronica Mitchell, tells us she can still smile knowing her daughter touched millions of listeners -- which started when she was just performing at home for her parents.

Veronica says, “My daughter Lola was my only baby girl. I was so proud when she would rap as a little girl. She became the Queen of Memphis and God brought her home to be with her daddy Cedric and her brother Derron. I miss her but I know she’s happy with them."

Mom added, "I’ll always remember telling her GO GET THEM DOLLAS, but I had no idea how many people would love my baby girl. I’m grateful all y’all support my daughter. Thank you.”

Earlier this week, GB’s estate launched a new merch website with 10 percent of the proceeds going to Stax Music Academy in her hometown of Memphis.

The veteran rapper was laid to rest back in January after a purported drug overdose.

Hit-Boy isn't backing down from claiming the rap producer throne after calling out a few of the other top guys in the game.

On Friday, HB and The Alchemist unveiled their new collaboration "Slipping Into Darkness," with HB expanding on his previous shots aimed at Hitmaka, Metro Boomin, Southside and Mustard with acidic bars,

"I'm like Deebo on his cruiser, how you got no credits without co-producers?/Time to give these n***** the royal flush, no Roto-Rooter/It's Hit-Boy buckin', just so you n***** know the shooter."

The Third Eye Raz-directed visual cleverly features HB rapping on Alchemist's beat and vice versa and ends with HB telling The Game via FaceTme the trend of having multiple high-profile producers loaded onto just one track ... is simply wack.

In his defense, it was Hitmaka who drew first blood when he was disrespectfully adamant on Hot 97 there's no comparison between HB and him ... in any statistical category.

And, the typically reserved Metro Boomin sent a subliminal shot using Kendrick Lamar's "Rich Spirit" lyrics, threatening HB to chill ... or suffer embarrassing consequences.

N.O.R.E.'s attempt to squash the beef between Fat Joe and ex-Terror Squad rapper Cuban Link resulted in Remy Ma laughing so hard, they had to scrub the entire scene from a "Drink Champs" episode!!!

The DC crew huddled up on a recent interview to discuss their decisions not to interview Cuban, Jae Hood and Reek Da Villain due to their long-running conflicts with Joe, The LOX and Busta Rhymes, respectively ... and Remy, being the 1st Lady of TS herself, confirmed that the beef was forever up!!!

In 2021, Cuban Link falsely accused Joe of snitching, which reignited their beef that's been festering since the mid-'00s, causing N.O.R.E. to speak out and admit he had no intentions of interviewing any artist who's against his friends.

N.O.R.E. also addressed his former Def Jam labelmate Keith Murray's recent claims that he was snubbed in person at the last Rock The Bells Festival.

According to N.O.R.E.'s recollection, he was running about 30 deep (thanks to Capone and Tragedy Khadafi's entourages) and didn't want to add to any confusion.

Russell Wilson and Ciara spent time inside a prison last week -- singing and dancing with over 300 inmates -- and the trip was so emotional ... Ciara actually appeared to be moved to tears.

The Denver Broncos star and the "Level Up" singer headed out to Everglades Correctional Institution in Florida to help lead a prayer with incarcerated men ... and you can see in video of their visit, the couple immersed themselves fully with the inmates right away.

Wilson read the group a bible verse ... before Ciara sang to the crowd. God Behind Bars, the org. that helped facilitate the trip, said it was all very powerful.

"The voices of the incarcerated were so loud, it felt like it could be heard by the entire prison," org. officials said in a social media post. "In a place so easily filled with so much division, there was a moment where Incarcerated men put their arms around each other and prayed for those struggling with anxiety and depression."

Wilson also shared his own video from the visit, showing him singing along loudly with inmates -- some of whom are serving life sentences -- to a popular gospel song.