TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Popular rapper Superstar Pride has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, after police say he's the triggerman in a shooting death.

The Panola County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says deputies were called to a residence Wednesday afternoon, where they found a 40-year-old man dead from gunshot wounds ... cops say the ensuing investigation led them to believe Superstar Pride was the suspect.

The "Painting Pictures" rapper surrendered to authorities a few hours later, and deputies say he was booked at the Panola County Detention Center. Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder.

The home Las Vegas cops raided in connection with the Tupac Shakur murder case was lit up with police lights in the dead of night, creating a chaotic scene ... seen in this new video.

TMZ obtained dramatic footage from Monday night's SWAT operation when Vegas Metro PD descended on the quiet Henderson, NV neighborhood around 10 PM ... honing in on one house and shouting for the people inside to come out with their hands up.

Watch for yourself ... you hear an officer talking through a megaphone, telling a woman to drop her cigarettes and comply with his demands.

Eventually, he starts to bark orders at a man as well ... telling him to turn around, put his hands in the air, and walk backward. It's unclear if these 2 people were the only ones inside, or if they were detained or arrested.

As we reported ... cops were executing a search warrant, but we still don't know what their probable cause was to obtain that warrant. Once inside, though, they seized hard drives and photos of possible suspects in Tupac's murder ... according to an ABC News report.

TMZ broke the story ... the house is owned by Paula Clemons, who's married to a former Crip named Keefe D. For years, he's claimed his nephew, Orlando Anderson, fired the fatal shots at Pac just off the Vegas Strip in 1996, and that he was in the car with him at the time.

We don't know for certain Paula or Keefe are currently living at Henderson home. Neighbors in the area tell TMZ the couple they've seen in the house moved there in 2016.

We're told they've always been nice, saying hi to folks ... with no suspicious behavior.

TMZ also knows cops were here at this address for about 2 hours conducting the search. The big unanswered question is whether they found anything that could close the Tupac murder case.

Rolling Loud Miami kicks off this weekend with plenty of side projects to accompany the main adventure, just like the youth basketball clinic the organizers slam-dunked Wednesday.

Festival founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, teamed up with the Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem & Haywood Highsmith and 50 kids from the Miami Gardens Life Skills & Summer Thrill camp ... as the official tip-off for the Rolling Loud Miami Week.

Udonis, being a Miami native and a 20-year vet of the Heat says the Rolling Loud clinic was especially personal for him, as he sees his former self in so many youth today.

Tariq assisted with both the DJing duty and skills training and we're told all the kids at the event had a blast.

Rolling Loud Miami Week will be booming with local community initiatives with familiar sponsors designed to inspire and inform the kids ... great time-fillers for their current school-free days.

On Thursday, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America will team with DGK Skateboards for a skate park clinic, that'll provide the 50 youth participants with skateboards and safety equipment to instill the basics.

Then on Friday, the Black Music Action Coalition will host a rally with NY Congressman Jamall Bowman and Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson to discuss the ongoing controversy of targeting rapper's lyrics.

Of course, the 3-day music fest will bring things home ... with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky serving as the headliners this go around.

Eminem famously went from performing in hole-in-the-wall clubs to emerging as the best-selling rapper EVER -- but he's admitting a couple of icons who came before him almost made him trash his old rhymes!!!

Slim Shady revisited his humble hip hop beginnings for The New York Times' 50-year celebration of the genre ... which also features testimonies from marquee rap stars like 50 Cent, Krayzie Bone, Bun B and Trina.

Em credited his Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Edna for fostering his rap stan-dom and remembered being enamored by LL Cool J, Run-DMC and Kool G Rap ... all of whom eventually inspired him to rap.

But, when Nas and Naughty By Nature hit the scene in the early '90s, Em says he became unsure of himself ... and almost quit the dream that made him a legend.

Em says he bumped NBN's self-titled debut album all summer, so much so, Treach's rhyme skills gave him a serious case of writer's block.

When Nas' debut, "Illmatic," dropped a year later, Em memorized it front to back -- but, again, he says the Source's "5-mic" rating gave him anxiety ... he worried he'd never measure up.

Em recalls being jaded about rapping for several years before he started crushing local open mic nights in Detroit ... and obviously went on to sell a bazillion records.

There's no shame in "Illmatic" giving any young MC nerves -- it's widely considered one of the greatest albums ever, and is even being preserved in the Library of Congress!!!

We actually just spoke to Treach, and he basically alluded to NBN powering through a bit of infighting, but says he's still rapping with the same intensity Em loved back in the day.

A former detective who worked on The Notorious B.I.G. murder case -- which overlapped with Tupac's murder -- says Vegas PD might finally be able to close the infamous case ... especially in light of whose home they raided.

Greg Kading gained extensive knowledge of both Pac and B.I.G.'s murders while he was with LAPD, and joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to offer insight into the Henderson, NV raid. We broke the story ... Vegas cops searched the home of Paula Clemons Monday night, and they say it was in connection with the still-open Tupac murder case.

Paula's husband is a guy named Keefe D, and Kading says Keefe has spoken openly about his involvement with Tupac's murder for years now -- alleging his nephew and fellow Crip Orlando Anderson was the trigger man that fateful night in 1996.

Kading says Keefe first confessed to this way back in 2009, during a police interview conducted by Kading. He says they struck a deal with Keefe, so they couldn't use the info he provided to prosecute him -- but he says that deal went out the window the moment Keefe started telling his story in public.

Kading suspects Keefe still thinks he's safe from prosecution, but the fact cops now appear to be zeroing in on him -- or at least, his loved ones -- will probably make him realize he's mistaken.

As for why Vegas cops are jumping on this now -- Kading tells us they might have been working on this in recent years, and only now have all the pieces lined up to prosecute someone.

Ice Spice says she and Taylor Swift immediately hit it off when recording their hit record "Karma" ... and they still keep in contact via text to this day!!!

The "Munch" rapper relived her experience working with the pop powerhouse with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 ... openly admitting she was having a crummy day until her manager told her TS was requesting her for a collab.

Ice says Taylor wasn't acting Hollywood once they pulled up to the studio either ... the "Midnights" singer was actually waiting for her outside, eager to collaborate.

The song immediately became a hit when it dropped in May, and is one of the reasons Ice is tied with Morgan Wallen for most Top 10 hits in 2023.

According to Ice, Taylor keeps her LOLing at all times, dubbing her "the funniest person ever" as they still keep in frequent contact via text.

Collaborations aren't always guaranteed to create friendships, but Ice also counts her newfound partner-in-rhyme Nicki Minaj as well as Drake as mentors — and soaks up all the advice they give her!!!

Next up for Ice, is the deluxe follow-up to her debut EP "Like..?" which arrives on Friday.

The home cops raided in Vegas this week in connection with the unsolved Tupac murder belongs to the wife of a guy who says he was in the car with a man who shot and killed the late rapper.

TMZ has confirmed the address where Vegas Metro executed a search warrant Monday night ... it's owned by a woman named Paula Clemons -- who's married, we've learned, to Keefe D.

Folks familiar with Tupac lore know exactly who Keefe D is -- he's a former Crip, and for years now he's been doing interviews claiming to be the uncle of the late Orlando Anderson ... who's been suspected, at least on the streets, to have been the shooter.

Orlando and his crew -- including Keefe -- were in Vegas that night ... and Orlando was actually jumped by Tupac, Suge Knight and other Death Row affiliates at the MGM Grand. It's an altercation that was caught on surveillance video ... and many thought Orlando might have orchestrated a revenge shooting after the Mike Tyson fight that night. FWIW, Orlando himself had denied any involvement before he was killed in a shootout himself.

As for Paula, she also owned a home in Compton in the '90s ... what's interesting, in 1998, the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. recovered a gun in the backyard of a Compton home ... a home the Sheriff's Dept. said belonged to the girlfriend of known Crip who was in Vegas the night of the murder.

As we reported, cops raided Paula's Henderson, Nevada home Monday. The reason the raid is significant is because, to obtain that warrant, police had to show a judge there was probable cause to believe there was evidence in the home connected to Tupac's murder.

Cops are not saying what they recovered from Paula's Henderson home.

We covered it all on the latest of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Yo Gotti's co-ownership of MLS soccer team D.C. United has opened new doors for the "Rake It Up" rapper ... making a trip to the White House to hang with the First Lady!!!

The CMG boss kicked off his MLS All-Star Week on the South Lawn of the White House Monday as an invited guest. Gotti was part of a youth soccer clinic designed to raise awareness for the sport with future generations.

Sources tell TMZ Hip Hop that Gotti and Jill Biden had a great chitchat on the South Lawn about his own children's growing love for soccer ... and he connected with officials from the Biden-Harris Administration throughout the day.

Gotti joined D.C. United in 2021 and has been proactive in ingraining himself in the soccer community.

We're told he'll be joining the TV booth for the MLS All-Star Game later this evening, as 2 D.C. United players and their coach Wayne Rooney are on the roster.

Post Malone is a man of his word, fulfilling a promise made to a huge fan who'd gone through a life-altering medical episode, and we've got the pics from the super sweet face-to-face.

The whole thing started last year when Garrett Belanger's sister Taylor made a Tik Tok detailing his story and Post responded. Garrett, a longtime Post Malone supporter, suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2022 -- and he's been slowly (but surely) recovering following a coma.

Post actually sent Garrett a bunch of merch and a video last August -- not long after he came out of the coma -- telling him to hit him up whenever he was ready to come to a show and rock out ... and on Monday, he finally got that chance at Post's concert in Buffalo, NY.

On Monday, Garrett, his sister Taylor, family and friends took Post up on his offer -- getting to enjoy the singer's show. We're told not only did PM get them regular tickets ... but he and his camp rolled out the red carpet for Garrett and his loved ones with VIP tickets and a backstage meet and greet.

The photos are pretty awesome -- you can see Posty and Garrett hugging it out, and Garrett looks absolutely stoked. While he can't talk or walk just yet ... Taylor says Garrett can communicate by blinking now, and he was more than aware he was meeting his idol.

In addition to the meet-and-greet ... the family brought Post a Garrett's Army shirt that he put on while posing for the pictures. Considering how long this has been in the works ... it's truly full circle.

Garrett's family has started a GoFundMe to help with his care and recovery.

YG is ready to get his show back on the road -- bringing his BFF, Tyga, and his GF, Saweetie, to get in on the action.

The trio of West Coasters popped the lid off their joint "Str8 To The Klub" Tour revealing dates across California, Arizona and Canada and additional support from their fellow Golden State MCs Kamiyah and Wallie The Sensei.

Rap show tour dates have been getting slashed left and right this summer and these guys know where to roam where they're most wanted.

Sources close to the tour also tell TMZ Hip Hop that YG and Saweetie are actively working on new music together, possibly even an EP, and will even be dropping a new video soon.

YG and Tyga also have a joint album that's been in the making for years and just birthed a new single called "Platinum" in June.

Saweetie and YG have also been dating for months ... having been spotted hand-in-hand at several Los Angeles restaurants and even a Mexican getaway vacation.

Kissin' collaborators can often make incredible music, you know.

Miranda Lambert's shaming of front-row photo-taking fans is getting mixed reactions on the internet, but Charlamagne Tha God isn't straddling the fence -- he says Miranda reacted like a lame ball when she should've embraced the attention!!!

"The Breakfast Club" cohost pinned the tail on Miranda with his Tuesday "Donkey of the Day" ... questioning how the country superstar could be so oblivious to fan behavior in 2023.

As we previously reported, Miranda paused her recent Vegas set to call out a group of fans attempting to snap the perfect pic of them with the stage in the background.

CTG thinks Miranda used the moment to adjust her singing, which he says was off-key ... but also pointed out that social media rules the world in 2023, which means you're guaranteed to see phones everywhere.

CTG says he'd expect such behavior from the much older Dolly Parton over Miranda ... which is about the depth of the Breakfast Club's knowledge of country music. They couldn't name one ML song, let alone tell her apart musically from Carrie Underwood!!! 😂

Lil Durk's health issues appear to run deeper than what his team has stated publicly ... as the rapper's now been forced to pull the plug on several tour dates as well as his appearance at Rolling Loud.

The Chicago rap star was scheduled to hit the stage Saturday right before Travis Scott's comeback performance ... but has to sit on the sidelines for now.

Durk's also set to hit the stage August 11-12 in Chicago for some homecoming dates ... but as it stands, the matter seems to be a day-by-day situation.

As we told you in the story we broke last week ... Durk claimed he fell victim to dehydration and checked himself into an Ohio hospital after becoming exhausted. Durk spent nearly a week getting treatment.

Durk's planned tour dates with Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, and DD Osama for his "Sorry For The Drought" Tour, have also been canceled.

There's apparently some new life in the investigation into who killed legendary rapper Tupac Shakur ... as Las Vegas cops descended on a home in connection to the murder.

Detectives from the Las Vegas Metro PD served a search warrant Tuesday at a home in Henderson, Nevada ... about 20 miles away from the LV city limits. Cops were brief in the details surrounding the search, only adding it was, "part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation."

Law enforcement sources confirm to us the home was in the area of Interstate 11 and Wagon Wheel Drive but, as of now, no arrests have been made.

Pac died on September 13, 1996, after being shot multiple times just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The "All Eyez On Me" rapper's afterlife spawned one of the biggest-selling music careers, not to mention one of the biggest fandoms ... but his family just wants closure.

DJ Khaled had the best reaction to Michael Block's incredible shot on the golf course on Tuesday ... celebrating like a madman right after the PGA Championship star holed out from a distance!!

The two guys were getting in a warmup round to prep for the musician's inaugural "We the Best Foundation Golf Classic" later this week ... when on the first hole, Block found himself in the rough some 100-yards-or-so away from the green.

The 47-year-old club pro, though, calmly stepped to his ball with a wedge ... launched it high in the air -- before it hit the dance floor and then spun back into the hole.

Khaled couldn't believe his eyes ... and then he lost his mind celebrating with the golfer!!

The "I'm The One" producer jumped into Block's arms -- before screaming "Let's go" over and over again.

When Block wished he had saved the shot for the charity tourney later on Thursday ... Khaled guaranteed there'd be "another one" in his future!!

"It's gonna happen again!" he said.

As for Block -- the golf hero who finished tied for 15th in the PGA Championship back in May -- while he played it all cool on the course Tuesday ... he was pretty thrilled afterward.

"Blessed! by @DJKhaled," he wrote on a clip of the shot on his Instagram page. "Did this really just happen on the first hole?"

Snoop Dogg and E-40 are cooking up something together again ... but it won't be studio tracks this time around.

The legends of Mt. Westmore announced Tuesday they're going halfsies on a cookbook fashioned around 40's "Goon With the Spoon" brand.

Snoop and 40 say the book will come out November 14 ... featuring over 65 recipes with some inspiration taken from both their classic music.

According to People, Snoop penned the book's foreword which reads ... “E-40 is my big homie, my brother, my mentor ... Watching him expand his love for food and cooking over the years to his many successful businesses is some boss-level shit. Which is why Snoop Dogg Presents Goon with the Spoon had to be the next cookbook, ya dig?”

Both rap stars' cooking expertise has been established at this point ... Snoop is renowned for his long-running partnership with Martha Stewart and also published his own independent cookbook in 2018.

40's GWTS specializes in ice cream and sausage meats and has been notable on the festival circuit as of late.

Drake is severely neglecting his responsibilities to the hip hop community while also being the biggest rapper in the game ... at least, that's what several of the top gatekeepers in rap would have you believe.

Rap Radar's Elliott Wilson couldn't stomach seeing Drake interviewed on TikTok star Bobbi Althoff's "The Really Good Podcast" ... and ripped him for being too comfortable with talking to hip hop outsiders -- his beachside chat with Lil Yachty notwithstanding.

Drake interviewed with RR back in 2019 and Elliott thinks he should continue to talk to hip hop podcasters, even if his outlet isn't the one getting the exclusive.

Dishing the tea is one thing but Hot 97's Ebro Darden took Drake to task even further, on Apple Music's "Rap Life Review," for never addressing Black social issues.

Ebro discredited Drake's diss of Childish Gambino's "This Is America" ... noting how CG chose to speak out when the country was in turmoil while Drake played the background where it's safe!!!

The pile-up came to a head Tuesday when DJ Akademiks had plenty of "told-you-so's" for his Rumble audience ... after having a rant similar to Elliott and Ebro's go viral back in March.

Ak thinks Drake's silly interviews are just measures to expand his youth reach but says it's criminal he hasn't even been interviewed by rap media's leading platform ... "The Joe Budden Podcast!!!"