TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rakim Allah's perfectly OK with Outkast being considered the best rap group that ever lived ... he's the type of legend perfectly comfortable in his own skin.

Hip Hop's original G.O.A.T. chopped it up with TMZ Hip Hop on the streets of NYC Friday ... and we got his thoughts on his placement in Billboard's latest argument starter, their greatest rap group list.

Eric B. and Rakim came in at a solid #7 while Outkast ranked as the top dogs, and he's not tripping.

Rakim tells us while he could always make an argument for a higher ranking, he acknowledges Big Boi and Andre 3000 wooed fans by thinking outside of the box and their placement is well-deserved.

The Long Island-bred MC lyrically dominated the 1980s with forward-thinking punchlines and is currently an important part of virtually every 50th-anniversary hip hop celebration taking place this year.

He just shot a hip hop tribute with Sprite where they lined up him up next to new school stars in Latto and GloRilla, and the veteran Nas!!!

Outkast producer Sleepy Brown recently named the best album from the "best group" to be "Aquemini" the last time we spoke to him.

A$AP Rocky is currently out in Barbados, connecting with the locals on the same land where both his dad and his girlfriend Rihanna call home.

On Friday, Rocky was filmed shooting a music video, presumably for his long-awaited 4th studio album ... while also spreading joy with the local community amid the endless tropical backdrops.

The Harlem-born rapper used dozens of natives for the music video in the daytime and rewarded them for their efforts in the evening by passing out cold, hard cash and taking flicks for the 'gram.

Rihanna is currently expecting the couple's 2nd child and wasn't on location ... but it was probably time for some R&R, anyway.

Lil Baby seemingly has no problem paying his share to Uncle Sam ...  the Atlanta superstar dropped insightful bars about his A1 tax standing on both his features that dropped Friday.

On "False Idols," the newest entry in The Weeknd's playlist from his HBO series "The Idol," Baby flexes his number-crunching skills ..."The money keeps comin', the feelin' is great I pay eight-figure taxes/No more section eight/I was workin' my wrist tryna see what it take."

Baby's wealth of knowledge bled over to his artist Rylo Rodriguez's new "Been One" album via the track "Real Type" and he warned the streets about the IRS' wrath ... "Penny pinchin' peons, hope you n***** paid your taxes/You the type to never have it with you, really catfish!!!"

Nicki Minaj had a bit of wordplay for Natalie Nunn in her verse on Lil Uzi Vert's new album that many considered offensive ... but she's not taking it that way.

On the track "Endless Fashion" from Uzi's long-awaited "Pink Tape" which dropped on Friday, Nicki opens her verse rapping, "Ayo, even if my name was Natalie, none these bitches still couldn't chin-check me."

The sentiment could be taken either way and Natalie's been embracing digs at her facial features for some time now and deemed the lyrics to be more of a shout-out than a slight.

Natalie says if the song ends up needing a music video, she'd like to stand by Nicki's side ... which could be a good look for all parties involved.

Young Thug supporters have been clamoring for his freedom for over a year, but the incarcerated rap star's priorities apparently lie elsewhere.

Instead of campaigning for his own release from prison or his new album, Thug took to IG to insist T.I. and Boosie Badazz drop their joint album.

"Y'all go ahead and drop that album together ... that's all a n**** want," Thug wrote. Seems sincere, no?

If you remember, Tip and Boosie had a fallout earlier this year after Boosie claimed he had knowledge of T.I. being a snitch, only to walk the comments back with a slice of humble pie.

When we spoke to T.I., he agreed everything was water under the bridge ... but it's been months without so much as an official album name.

Patti LaBelle's a music legend, but she's still gonna show some love for her modern R&B contemporaries, as evidenced during Usher's concert in Las Vegas where she got down!!!

Multiple fans inside the Park MGM captured the legendary songstress moving and grooving Thursday night during an intermission as Ginuwine's classic grind anthem "Pony" blared through the speakers.

Ms. Patti was definitely in a mood ... a complete 180° from her BET Awards blunder this week — where she flubbed the lyrics during her tribute to the late Tina Turner ... and asked the audience for help. 😁

Kanye West seems to have found his happy place, roaming the streets of Tokyo with his wife by his side ... and allegedly checking out some adult toys in the process.

Ye and Bianca Censori were spotted in the Ginza shopping district Thursday, sans security, while they browsed the Don Quijote discount store. Ye, dressed in all black with his signature socks/shoes, did his best to cover his face from the public ... while Bianca went a little less traditional in what appears to be a leotard and heels.

An eyewitness tells us no one really seemed to pay attention to the two, mostly leaving them alone while they shopped.

Interestingly enough, our witness says at one point Ye and Bianca checked out an adult toy section ... though it was unclear if they purchased anything off the rack.

From there, Kanye and Bianca took off, hopping in an awaiting car and hitting the road.

Kanye's spent a ton of time in Japan over the years, but most recently it seems he's over there more than in the United States. It was just earlier this month when we saw him with North, and he and Bianca have attended a few events in the country as of late.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye and Bianca got hitched earlier this year in some sort of commitment ceremony. It's still unclear if there's any legal binding to their marriage, but they certainly move around the globe like the real deal.

Kodak Black didn't let a quick stint in the slammer jack his groove ... the "Super Gremlin" rapper made bail and quickly hit up a charity event where he raised thousands of bucks!!!

Bradford Cohen, Kodak's lawyer, tells TMZ Hip Hop, his client was released from the Broward County jail only 40 minutes after being booked. He was arrested for failing to check in for a mandatory drug test.

Kodak almost immediately put the short jail stint in his rearview... jamming out to his classic, "No Flockin'" record ... as G Herbo looked on. He drew a big crowd and everyone was celebrating.

The money raised went to the Innocence Project, which works to free people wrongfully convicted of a crime.

The concert went down inside the Pompano Beach Amphitheater ... with performances by Herbo, Rico Cartel, iCandy and Sniper Gang.

Travis Scott is in the crosshairs of a Texas grand jury ... facing possible criminal prosecution for the deadly Astroworld tragedy.

The rapper's lawyer, Kent Schaffer, tells TMZ ... the Harris County Grand Jury is meeting now, to decide whether his client should be prosecuted for continuing to perform at the 2021 festival as thousands of people in the crowd stampeded ... causing 10 people to die and an untold number injured.

Travis' attorney tells us the rapper will NOT be testifying and his team remains hopeful the jurors will agree Travis did not commit any crime.

Travis has maintained from the beginning he had no idea there was a stampede and points to the fact many police officers in the crowd who were responsible for the safety of the fans were clueless as well. In fact, you see in the videos some cops dancing as Travis performs.

The deadly concert sparked a number of civil lawsuits against Travis and the festival's organizers ... but he has never been criminally charged.

We reached out to the Harris County District Attorney's Office ... and they declined to comment.

Kanye West's behavior, both publicly and behind the scenes clearly tore his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, and their family apart ... as evidenced in scenes recorded right around the time of his antisemitic attacks.

In a preview for next week's episode of "The Kardashians" Kim sobs in Khloe Kardashian's arms -- explaining the Kanye of today is not the one she married back in 2014 -- and she'd do anything to try and get the old version of Kanye back.

While the preview doesn't specify exactly which Kanye incident led to Kim's breakdown, the timing of other events in the episode line up with when Kanye launched his online attacks, including a tweet where he claimed he was going "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE."

It was also in the middle of Kanye's attack on Jewish people that their divorce, which she filed in February 2021, was finalized ... so there's also a chance she's sobbing over the weight of the entire situation.

Remember, Kanye faced a TON of hate after his comments about the Jewish community -- after his shocking tweet, he tried clarifying, telling Piers Morgan he only wished harm on Jewish people that did him dirty in the music industry ... which really didn't help.

He went on to deny parts of the Holocaust on Alex Jones' "Infowars," bizarrely claiming to love Hitler -- digging the hole even deeper.

What was most frightening about the whole thing was the minority of people who supported Ye in the wake of his comments, including a group of people over an L.A. freeway performing a Nazi salute and hanging a banner reading, "Kanye is right about the Jews."

Ye was dropped from brands left and right -- including millions in losses from Adidas -- and was even named "Antisemite of the Year" by watchdog group StopAntisemitism ... so it's easy to see the pain and frustration Kim was facing during the downfall.

DC Young Fly is staying strong with the support of God and his children following the sudden death of his partner Jacky Oh! ... telling us it's important to stay positive, even when things get tough behind the scenes.

DC was back to work in NYC Wednesday, sharing he's understandably broken up over Jacky's death. DC admits his wounds are still raw, and he still cries over her loss ... but he's not someone who will post his emotional heartache online.

Overall, DC says his new mission is to continue to inspire people who may also be down after a significant loss.

DC and Jacky have three beautiful kids -- ages 6, 2 and 10 months -- and admits the conversations with his young ones have been tough. Admittedly, DC says you really truly understand what those emotions are like until you experience a personal tragedy.

Jacky died on May 31 after undergoing some sort of medical procedure, shedding light on a larger conversation about cosmetic surgery.

Nicki Minaj is pushing back the release date of her next album ... but as consolation for the fans, she officially revealed the project to be a sequel to her debut "Pink Friday."

The megastar rapper addressed her Barbz fanbase Thursday, assuring them the "Pink Friday 2" date switch from October 20 to November 17 won't be so bad, and thanked them for the years of undying devotion.

Nicki also promised a tour sometime in the first quarter of 2024 and promised to make another announcement where she'll unveil the "Pink Friday 2" album cover art.

There's no telling what songs will appear on the album Nicki's been dropping singles for the better part of the year. She's also got the lead single on the upcoming "Barbie" film with Ice Spice.

The first "Pink Friday" dropped in 2010 on Lil Wayne's Young Money Records ... instantly making her a household name, and going 3x Platinum.

50 Cent rarely misses the chance to have a laugh at Ja Rule's expense ... and laugh he did at Ja's recent performance stunt that involved paramedics and a stretcher.

On Thursday, 50 called the Murder Inc. rapper a "stupid ninja" after Ja entered his performance on a stretcher before rising up and rocking the mic.

Fans apparently weren't fooled by the charade, and 50 piling on the "😂" emojis only added insult to the non-injury.

Ja was one of the featured acts at Nelly's 'Hot in Herre' music festival in Toronto last Saturday, and many fans online pointed out his bit was possibly bitten from one of Ginuwine's famous performances.

Tiffany Haddish's rap career appears to be back in full swing -- evidenced by a pair of new songs she previewed last night ... one featuring E-40 and the other with Lil Jon.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of the superstar comedian showcasing her new jams at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards over the weekend from inside The Beverly Hilton ... make no mistake, there's nothing funny about her music, it's the real deal.

Lil Jon opens his track, urging everyone to drink and party until the club closes. Yeahhhh!!!

The E-40 track kept the same energy, sounding like an ode to big butts as the legendary rapper instructs listeners to look over their shoulder to peep both right and left cheeks.

We must admit that Tiffany holds her own on the track with her playful lyrics.

The HU awards brought out the likes of Babyface, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Law Roach, Muni Long, and Eric Bellinger. The outlet's founder, Jason Lee, tells us the turnout was nothing short of opulent ... as he thinks the culture is in critical condition.

Well by the sounds of her latest venture, Tiffany is doing everything she can for a cultural revival.

Jason Derulo wants everyone to follow their dreams and not be bogged down by following the silly rules drummed into their heads by their parents!!!

The "Swalla" singer checked in with "TMZ Live" as his new book “Sing Your Name Out Loud: 15 Rules for Living Your Dream" is flying hot off the presses.

Jason thinks the key to success is not to be afraid of failure. He says failed at the majority of the risks he's taken ... but still, the failures don't define him -- the successes do.

Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are his inspirations — for the sheer volume of shots they missed to achieve greatness.

Jason says he's living proof being fearless in life works, and his book is the blueprint.

Nicki Minaj channeling a Barbie doll throughout her career worked to perfection, so thinks Issa Rae, who says she always associates the doll with the megastar rapper.

Issa plays President Barbie in the upcoming "Barbie" movie, and she and the rest of the cast did a full spread for TIME mag where she revealed, "My Barbie association is Nicki Minaj ... so it’s dope that she is a part of this movie in some way."

Nicki scored the lead-off single for the film with the track "Barbie World," a collaboration between her and Ice Spice where they pulled out all the stops for the colorful visual.

The song has been lighting up the iTunes chart in typical Nicki fashion ... but one person who may not feel the collab is so "dope" is Jason Martin.