TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Suge Knight says he has no hard feelings about his ex-protégé, Snoop Dogg, swooping in to buy Death Row Records -- the label he co-founded -- but he's skeptical about the legality of that transaction.

The incarcerated ex-music mogul tells TMZ Hip Hop ... personally, he doesn't feel like it's really Death Row without his name attached. That being said, Suge's also floating a theory --  that his ex-business partner Michael "Harry-O" Harris committed bankruptcy fraud to get the company out from under Suge.

Speaking to us from the CA State Penitentiary -- where he's doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter -- Suge claims the label was only forfeited after a lawyer failed to attend court. So, he lost it in a 2013 default judgment to MNRK Music Group.

He considers the whole bankruptcy proceeding -- which screwed almost all of Death Row's artists -- a sham and, in his eyes, a direct violation of the law.

One problem with his theory is Snoop had nothing to do with the bankruptcy case, and only purchased Death Row from MNRK in 2022 ... and Harry-O had no involvement, at least publicly, in that transaction.

Per his upcoming TV series on BLK Prime, Suge says all truths will be revealed from his lens ... and also shared his favorite releases from the label, with the "Murder Was the Case" soundtrack ranking exceptionally high in his book.

After seeing the 1994 film "Natural Born Killers," Suge says he was approached by the studio to contribute a song but had to relinquish creative control.

Khalid is not a fan of AI infiltrating the music world ... and while he thinks the tech could be a helpful tool, he draws the line when it comes to mimicking artists.

The R&B hitmaker gave us his 2 cents on AI and the future of his industry, especially now that new AI-generated songs are popping up on the Internet almost daily.

Khalid says AI programming, in general, seems to be inevitable, but he made it clear he's not necessarily hopping on that train. On one hand, he understands how AI software can be a beneficial tool, but he's more concerned it could eliminate the need for human performers, like himself!

As you know, Drake has been experiencing this firsthand. You'll recall, some AI-generated Drizzy tunes -- meaning computer-produced vocals -- went viral and sounded just like Champagne Papi IRL.

And, this happened shortly after an AI song featuring Drake and The Weeknd became an internet sensation ... until Universal Music Group got it removed from music streamers.

Of course, Drake's label and other big artists have made it clear they aren't here for the humanless music, and Khalid agrees. He says he appreciates music as it is, and AI takes away the authenticity of artists.

Nelly and Ashanti were an item once upon a time -- and now, fans think they're going through déjà vu all over again ... based on videos of them together last night.

The two music stars -- who have history dating back to the 2000s, figuratively and literally -- showed up shoulder to shoulder Saturday night to watch the Garcia/Davis boxing match ... where they had ringside seats right next to each other.

People noticed them almost instantly, and the cameras started to roll ... as seeing the two of them out in public like this is a pretty rare sighting -- and certainly could have implications.

It's not like Ashanti or Nelly were trying to hide, but they did seem to be laying low a little bit. Of course, Twitter lost its s*** when another video of them leaving the main floor surfaced ... which shows them holding hands. Nelly, specifically, grabs a hold of Ashanti.

Later, they were spotted in the tunnel with their entourage and were pretty close to one another in this instance as well ... and even got asked some questions on camera.

After they both answer, the two of them appear to head off in the same direction ... again looking to be holding hands. It could just be friendly, with Nelly playing the gentleman and leading Ashanti out of a crowd by taking the lead. But, that's not how a lot of people see it.

Considering they used to be together back in the day -- something that just came to light not too long ago via stories shared by Irv Gotti, etc. -- folks are thinking they're a couple again.

They well may be ... time will tell, we suppose. If we see 'em out in public again, it could be the final nail in the coffin to confirm they're back on all these years later. Their last public reunion appeared to be nothing but a stunt/troll, but now ... this could be the real deal.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West live very separate lives these days, but that doesn't mean they can't come together to support their kids ... doing just that this weekend.

Kanye and his wife Bianca Censori showed face at Kim and Kanye's daughter North's basketball game -- though it was only for a brief moment -- before the two took off in Kanye's SUV.

Kim was also at the game, walking into a bunch of photogs before taking in the action inside. On her way out, Kim was joined by North and some of her friends, Kim stayed quiet, but North joked about the photo flashes before they piled into a waiting car.

We haven't seen a whole lot of Kim and Kanye together as of late ... and it appears they showed to the game at separate times as well. However, they've maintained for a long time that they'd co-parent their 4 kids, and it appears they've been able to keep that promise.

Frank Ocean's Coachella performance was originally set to feature an ice rink ... and while those plans were ultimately scrapped, TMZ has the first look at what could have been.

We obtained photos and videos of Frank's ice rink, which was set up about 50 yards from the main stage before he pulled the plug on the elaborate performance.

The images are from ice rink rehearsals on the Tuesday before Coachella Weekend 1 ... and folks who were there say security around the rink was very tight, with Frank not wanting anything about the frozen set to be spoiled beforehand.

It looks pretty cool ... and it may turn out to be one of the biggest "what ifs" in Coachella history ... because the ice rink didn't get worked into Frank's Sunday headlining set.

TMZ broke the story ... Frank hurt his ankle on festival grounds leading up to his show, causing some last-minute set changes, including putting the ice rink on ice.

Sources close to production tell TMZ ... ice skaters who had rehearsed for Frank's performance found out 3 hours before he was set to take the stage Sunday the rink plans were being scrapped.

Frank ended up performing without the ice rink, showing up an hour late and delivering what many festivalgoers felt was a lackluster performance.

TMZ broke the story ... Frank dropped out as a Weekend 2 headliner Wednesday, citing a fractured leg and sprained ankle.

We're told the ice skaters got an email Thursday informing them they would not be performing Weekend 2. They will only be paid for a month's worth of rehearsals, plus the Weekend 1 rehearsal and performance.

It's interesting ... sources say Frank was super nice, hands on and amazing to work with during the first half of the monthlong rehearsals leading up to Coachella, but about halfway through everything changed and Frank became very reserved and would just sit in the corner and not interact with the performers.

NBA YoungBoy and his team got super creative so the rapper could enjoy his album release with fans while still on house arrest ... but there was one big problem ... YoungBoy didn't hold up his end of the deal.

Elevate Lounge in Los Angeles was packed with friends and fans Thursday night who were all eager to not only hear the rapper's new album, but to also get a live stream video appearance from the man himself.

If you didn't know, YoungBoy's been on house arrest in Utah for a gun possession charge ... so the live stream seemed like a perfect idea.

The plan was for the album to play at midnight and YB to join in once it dropped ... however, that didn't happen, and a source with direct knowledge tells us it's because he fell asleep.

A statement from YB's team refutes that claim, saying, "There was a technical difficulty and they couldn't get NBA YoungBoy on the live stream. They tried Zoom and FaceTime without any success and unfortunately, NBA YoungBoy was unable to connect with his friends and fans."

Quavo's latest IG caption angered fans who jumped to the conclusion he was taking shots at Offset's new tattoo honoring Takeoff ... but his mother is setting the record straight.

On Thursday, Quavo amassed thousands of comments with a photo shoot atop a giant military aircraft and wrote, "Rocket Power It’s In You Not On You! 👑 #RocketPower🚀."

Many fans took the "not on you" quip as a slight towards the full-back portrait ink Offset debuted last week -- but Quavo's mother/Takeoff's grandmother is assuring fans the line is a quote taken from the late rapper's legacy.

That said, it's not like the remaining Migos members have given fans a ton of reasons to believe they're going to be cool with each other going forward.

Tory Lanez is still pining for his freedom despite his looming sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- calling on the D.A. to give him a fair shake this time around.

Tory released a bombshell open letter on Instagram Friday addressed to L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón pleading for the laws and God to work in his favor.

The letter accused Deputy D.A.'s Kathy Ta and Alex Bott of suppressing evidence that could've cleared his name, and painted himself as a martyr for the cause of minority justice worldwide.

Tory and his legal counsel have an upcoming motion hearing for a new trial on May 8 and the Canadian rapper says he owes it to his family, friends and fans to fight for his freedom.

You'll remember, Tory's family caused quite a scene outside the courthouse after he was found guilty in December.

Megan also broke her silence on the case this week ... expressing her wishes to put the trial and Tory in the past for good.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with DaBaby this week, who was kind of entangled in a love triangle between Tory and Meg ... but told us he's down to record with her again, and also revealed jail has made it difficult to speak to Tory.

Jim Jones paid a trip to The Breakfast Club Friday to offer clarification behind his super viral Pusha T remarks ... but he didn't bend to social media pressure and switch up his stance.

Jim was a recent guest on Spotify's RapCaviar podcast with TMZ Hip Hop's Trent Clark -- and they both agreed Pusha didn't belong on Billboard's Top 50 list ... with Jim going so far as to suggest Pusha's coke rhymes were essentially fairy tales.

Proud Pusha fan Charlamagne Tha God grilled Jim about his opinion -- and the Dipset rapper reiterated he meant no malice behind his comments but doubled down that Pusha's music never influenced or swayed him.

Jim then quizzed everyone's ability to rap along to either Pusha or his top songs when put on the spot, with the majority siding in Jim's favor. It might have been a skewed case study -- TBC's filmed in NYC, giving Jim a clear home court advantage.

DJ Envy spent considerable time in Virginia for college but openly admitted he hasn't memorized Pusha's tracks all that well, so there's that.

Coi Leray isn't cool with Latto using her name in a punchline attack in her supposed Nicki Minaj war -- and defended her honor in an onslaught of tweets.

On Friday, Latto dropped her new track "Put It On Da Floor" -- the same song she premiered at Coachella last weekend where fans assumed she was dissing Nicki.

Latto put Coi in the crosshairs with the lyrics, "Smokin' on that gas, blunt big as Coi Leray/Bitches like to run their mouths but I'm the type to run the fade" ... a low-blow according to Coi, as she's constantly fending off body-shamers online.

Coi thinks Latto truly used her name because she's secretly jealous of Coi's body, and remarked the "Big Energy" rapper has no place to be a body judge towards anybody, for whatever reason.

She also shed light on the ongoing narrative that female rappers have taken on masculine roles, including their lust for rap beef. Coi says she doesn't know the rap chicks in real life and they should keep their negativity out of her general direction.

No candidate for U.S. President will burn up the campaign trail like this one ... Afroman is throwing his hat in the ring, and he picked an appropriate week to make it official.

The rapper just filed the paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission required to run for our nation's highest elected office in the 2024 election.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Afroman's presidential committee is named "Joseph Afroman Foreman for President," and he's running as an Independent. We know you were thinking Green Party, but no dice.

TMZ broke the story ... Afroman announced his intention to run back in December during a concert in Missouri, where he told the crowd about his POTUS dreams -- and while others are focused on 2024, he's dubbed it the 20-20-FRO election. 😉

Afroman's platform will unsurprisingly place an emphasis on the national legalization of marijuana ... but it's still unclear where he falls on other international and domestic issues.

Afroman didn't get high and forget to file his paperwork ... the docs are dated April 18 ... so he got his official business out of the way before 4/20. 😂

Afroman's campaign manager Jason Savage tells TMZ... "Afroman’s ongoing persecution by the overtly corrupt Adams County Sheriff’s Department perfectly highlights that this corruption of leadership has trickled down to law enforcement all across the country. Criminal Justice Reform and Federal Marijuana Legalization remain two of the primary planks in his campaign platform. We are asking for your support as Afroman takes on this great and worthy cause as our Cannabis Commander in Chief."

It will be interesting to see if any other celebs run for president this election cycle -- so far, Afroman's the first to make it official.

Kanye West made noise about trying again, but that was before, y'know ... all his antisemitism.

Desiigner is having problems with his mental health, a struggle he says has been made abundantly clear after we're told he exposed himself on an international flight.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the "Panda" rapper was on an international flight over the weekend coming back to the United States after a trip with stops in Thailand and Tokyo. We're told during the flight he exposed himself, and was scolded by a flight attendant.

Once Desiigner's plane landed Monday in Minneapolis, he was met by cops, questioned and eventually released.

As for what led to the incident ... our sources say while he was on his trip, Desiigner got ill and was prescribed meds, he believes the medication caused some sort of chemical imbalance.

In a statement to TMZ, Desiigner tells us, "For the past few months i have not been ok, and i have been struggling to come to terms with what is going on. While overseas for a concert i performed at, i had to be admitted in to a hospital, i was not thinking clearly."

Twitter's looking really different right now, as some huge celebs are getting stripped of their precious blue checkmarks ... but despite Elon Musk cutting their verifications, some A-listers are handing the bird the monthly fee.

Taylor Swift, Khloe Kardashian, and Ryan Reynolds are among the bunch putting up cash to keep the badge ... as well as Soulja Boy and The Weeknd.

It doesn't stop there -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Carter, LL Cool J, O.J. Simpson, Sia, and John Cena seem to be shelling out the dough, too.

If you click on their checkmarks, you'll now see the following response -- "This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

Worth noting, there are a couple reasons why their usernames still come with a side of blue. For starters, they could be paying to keep Twitter Blue's features -- uploading longer vids, making longer tweets and editing tweets.

Of course, these folks could have been paying the $11/month, and made the decision to unsubscribe within the past month ... so, the checkmark is just there until it expires.

You also might have noticed some celebs who have the check, but say they aren't paying -- well, Elon says he's covering the cost for a chosen few ... his Inner Blue Circle, if you will.

As we reported, celebs like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop group Blackpink all had their verification revoked when the change rolled out Thursday ... but it looks like there are a decent amount doing their part to keep the lights on at Twitter HQ.

Snoop Dogg and Buju Banton are 2 of music's biggest chieftains when it comes to cannabis, so it's only proper they connect to celebrate the "High Life" -- the name of their new single together.

On Thursday, Snoop and Buju hopped on IG Live to premiere their track to their followers ahead of its release tomorrow, and sparked on humongous blunts at the same time!!!

Snoop told Buju the collab was a dream and admitted he regretted not getting Buju on his 2013 "Snoop Lion" reggae project, which still found time for authentic collabs from the likes of Collie Buddz, Mr. Vegas and Mavado.

Buju's not the only music wiz getting lifted with Snoop this 4/20 -- Bebe Rexha just dropped her new joint, "Satellite," with Tha Doggfather ... and she claims his Death Row prerolls had her seeing stars at the video shoot!!!

Freddie Gibbs isn't feeling the holiday spirit as far as 4/20's concerned ... mainly because the "Alfredo" rapper says he smokes every day!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Gangsta Gibbs Thursday at LAX, and he admitted he doesn't see what the big deal is about "Cannabis Christmas," if you will. That being said, he does have a vote for rap's best weed anthem.

According to Fred, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's 1995 burner, "Buddah Lovaz" from the album "E. 1999 Eternal" takes the highest honors in his book.

The Cleveland-bred rap legends specialized in rapping about weed on plenty of tracks for decades, and have helped keep fans' ashtrays filled over the years.

It's anyone's guess when Freddie will make more marijuana music himself. He tells us his acting has picked up to the point where he doesn't feel like hitting the studio!!!

Jim Jones is stoked for New York City's first legal 4/20 holiday ... especially since the Dipset rapper stopped caring about the marijuana laws eons ago!!!

Capo linked with TMZ Hip Hop Thursday, which marks a big day for smokers in the Big Apple.

The state's first-ever cannabis dispensary opened today, but Jim recalls what daily life was like before the hoopla and admits he's gotten arrested for marijuana so many times, he lost count!!!

Jim tells us he and his crew used to sneak around to smoke anywhere they could — but still managed to get shaken down by cops, even when hiding in stairwells.

After a while, Jim says he stop giving a f-- until the city changed the laws. A stall tactic that clearly worked out for him and his fellow tokers.

The Dipset rapper and his High Tolerance connects have a big 4/20 event co-hosted by Gillie Da Kid planned later today.