TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Stephen Curry's not ashamed to say he's gone fishing this offseason ... the NBA legend grabbed his boat and pole to star in Grammy-nominated lyricist Tobe Nwigwe's new video -- which is the theme song for his new documentary!!!

On Tuesday, Steph starred in the "Lil Fish, Big Pond" music vid, which Tobe directed to exclusively accompany the soundtrack of "Stephen Curry: Underrated" ... the documentary about Steph's life and career.

The two-time MVP is cool, calm and collected in his bucket hat while lip-syncing the song's lyrics that define his greatness on the court -- "They know I'm the one/Daddy taught me how to flick my wrist, I'm my father's son/Think I'm pistol-packing, how that ratchet on me like a gun/They should put the basket in a casket after I am done."

Tobe has built a reputation for having colorful visuals and 'Lil Fish' is no exception. It also really allows Steph to revel in his offseason ... he doesn't touch a single basketball in the whole clip!!!

Steph's downtime without b-ball has literally been par for his course this summer ... the sports world is still reeling from the hole-in-one he sank a few weeks back.

Lizzo isn't sitting at Beyoncé's table right now in the wake of claims made against her by a few former backup dancers -- at least that's how it seems after this apparent Bey sting.

The singer was doing a show in Boston Tuesday -- as part of her "Renaissance" tour -- and during her performance of "Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)" ... Beyoncé noticeably failed to mention Lizzo's name in the lyrics, despite having done so repeatedly in the past.

If you're unfamiliar, Lizzo is actually written into the remix -- meaning her name is supposed to appear in the song naturally, so the fact Bey switched it up live is telling.

The name-drop happens in verse 3, where Beyoncé is listing a bunch of trailblazing women -- which normally includes Lizzo as well -- but on this particular outing ... Bey omitted her and instead chose to mention Erykah Badu 4 different times (more on this later).

Of course, to some ... it felt like, perhaps, Beyoncé had caught wind of the lawsuit filed against Lizzo Tuesday -- which had some pretty scandalous accusations in it, like the notion that she allegedly coerced her backup dancers to participate in nude cabaret shows ... not to mention allegedly badgering/body-shaming one of the dancers over a weight issue.

The internet certainly chatted about it yesterday, and now with this ... some are assuming Beyoncé did as well, and possibly made a decision to leave her off her 'BMS' list.

Now, there's another explanation for this would-be snub. As we reported ... there's bad blood between Erykah and Beyoncé right now. The former called out the latter for ripping off her fashion sense ... this 'cause Bey's worn similar 'fits onstage that echo EB's style.

It was a pretty public call-out ... and you could interpret Beyoncé's move as a response to Erykah stirring the pot. Eye of the beholder, we suppose ... but a choice was certainly made.

Angus Cloud may have been struggling ahead of his surprising death, but it didn't affect his mood while with his closest friends ... and he was actually offering them support before he passed.

The "Euphoria" star was outwardly celebratory and uplifting to his pals at the MacArthur Maze album release party 3 days before his death, according to group members D.Bledsoe and Champ Green.

As we reported, Angus seemed to be in great spirits at the event, and the rappers tell us he was congratulating everyone involved in the album. We're told Angus was getting a lot of attention from partygoers ... but he wasn't there for attention, he just wanted to show love.

D.Bledose says Angus had to soothe his lips with lip balm mid-conversation that night at the party, and Angus laughed and apologized for making things awkward. It was a funny interaction, and one D is remembering fondly today.

A few weeks ago, Angus gave the rap group a big endorsement by sharing one of their music videos on his IG page. We're told Angus slid into the group's DMs and offered to shoot a music video for them -- alongside MacArthur Maze's videographer, who was close friends with Angus.

Of course, everyone involved with the group is now just in complete shock about his death.

Beyoncé is honoring a man who was stabbed to death -- allegedly because he was dancing to her music in public -- and she's doing it a heartfelt message on one of her biggest platforms.

The singer paid tribute to 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley on her website, with a message that reads ... "Rest In Power O'Shae Sibley." It's the first thing you see when you go to beyonce.com, where it's prominently displayed on the homepage.

Sibley was fatally stabbed over the weekend at a Brooklyn gas station after getting into a scuffle with another man ... and cops are reportedly investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

Sibley was gay and leading up to the confrontation, witnesses say he was voguing in the parking lot to Beyoncé's tracks. Authorities think the altercation might have started because the suspect was reacting to Sibley dancing, according to the NY Post.

Part of the face-off was actually captured by a surveillance camera outside ... and you can see quite a few people arguing.

The actual stabbing happens off-camera, but you can see Sibley (who's shirtless and wearing a hat) and a friend getting heated with an opposing group. Eventually, Sibley goes around a corner ... and moments later you see him come back into frame.

One of his pals who was there on the scene that night posted bloody photos of the aftermath, claiming the attacker was Muslim and let them know he didn't like gay people.

Post Malone's Magic: The Gathering collection just got a whole lot "better now" ... 'cause the musician scooped up one of the game's rarest cards this week -- a piece that some believe is worth more than $2 MILLION!!

The card -- a 1-of-1 called "The One Ring" -- was put out by MTG back in June as part of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set ... and when it got pulled by an anonymous collector just days later, everyone wondered what would end up happening to it.

Turns out, Post Malone -- a lifelong fan of MTG -- hunted it down ... and finally bought it off the owner on Tuesday.

Unclear what he ultimately paid for it -- though some collectors had reportedly made $2 million offers on it already. Regardless, check out the video of when he decided to make the purchase, he was clearly stoked for it despite the high price tag.

The guy who sold it, meanwhile, said he couldn't have been more thrilled to pass it on to a true MTG collector like Post.

"When I found the One Ring," Brook Trafton wrote in the caption of the video of him selling it to the rapper, "the first person who came to mind was @postmalone."

"I have played MTG since I was a kid and obviously it would be amazing to keep this card. But for a guy like me, being able to sell it is life changing. I just really hoped it would go to someone who would appreciate it as much as I do. This is my dream come true, meeting @postmalone and him buying the One Ring card from me is literally a moment straight out of a fairytale."

In addition to being the only one of its kind, the Lord of the Rings tribute card has some other sweet features -- it's got gold foil accents all over it, and "001/001" is emblazoned on the front.

It'll now join Post's Magic collection that already includes an $800,000 Black Lotus ... and a bunch of other rare pieces.

Method Man won't be walking anyone's runway anytime soon, but his "Power Book II: Ghost" castmate LaToya Tonodeo thinks the rap legend should embrace his newfound status as a Hollywood heartthrob!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with LaToya at LAX on Tuesday who told us she's happy Meth is getting looked at in a different light, but understands as a woman what it's like to be treated like a piece of meat and wanting to shy away from being propped up in the public eye.

The Wu-Tang Clan rapper was recently profiled for "Men's Health" magazine and he totally railed against being called a sex symbol. His reasons were pretty simple: he doesn't think he's doing anything special to provoke such a title ... save for working out 500-lb dumbbells on occasion.

He also shared how his nutrition routines, something LaToya credits him for sharing with her on the 'Power' set ... educating her about proper dieting and protein shakes in her own fitness journey.

LaToya says as long as fans and admirers respect Meth's boundaries, all should end well.

Lil Meech is trying to save face after Summer Walker called him out, accusing him of flushing their relationship down the toilet -- he says the video of him allegedly visiting a sneaky link isn't what it seems.

A Houston-area DJ put Meech on blast Tuesday by posting the door cam vid of the "BMF" star visiting a woman NOT named Summer Walker, and it appears he stayed a while and got kinda comfy.

Well, Meech hopped on IG after the damning video began to spread to claim the woman was his cousin, and he was merely helping her with some grocery bags. We're gonna keep it a buck -- Meech seemed to be holding back laughter while offering his "groceries" explanation. Take that however you want.

For her part Summer was anything but amused after seeing the video and vented about the fizzled relationship, and her confusion over Meech's behavior.

She says Meech pursued her for years, and even played stepdaddy ... only to "embarrass" her.

Gunna's likely come to terms with the fact he's gonna have to deal with trolls ... but one brazen rap fan attempted to push the YSL rapper's limits by calling him a rat to his face.

The fan shamelessly posted footage of himself catching Gunna and his entourage exiting a building and loudly referring to Gunna as a "rat." Gunna's security guard clearly overheard the man's trolling and stepped to him, asking him to repeat the phrase.

Apparently intimidated, the troll left "rat" out of his next statement.

Gunna, who's on probation after accepting a plea deal chose to walk on by the spectacle and the video ended ... presumably without bashing the guy's face in.

Jennifer Hudson is sending some love Common's way ... saying he's quite the looker and, at least, strongly hinting all the speculation about them being an item is true.

We got Jennifer leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills Monday, and when we let her know the 2 of them make a damn cute couple, she didn't deny the love connection.

Here's the thing ... sources tell TMZ they've been together for months, but when we ask her to confirm, she's mostly mum about their relationship -- but check out the glowing compliment she gives the guy.

As we reported, Jennifer and Common first sparked dating rumors in February when they went to Nobu in Malibu together ... and they were spotted hanging out here and there in the months before.

We also got pics of them taking a stroll in a Chicago suburb in May -- total relationship vibes.

You'll recall, Common was dating Tiffany Haddish before Jennifer, but they split in 2021. While Common called the breakup "a mutual thing," Tiffany says that's BS -- saying he was drifting away before it ended.

Method Man is perfectly comfortable hanging up his microphone in exchange for acting these days, and loves the newfound attention he's getting from the ladies for his work on-screen.

What the Wu-Tang Clan legend doesn't love, however, is being referred to as a sex symbol ... as the inner MC in him says the words just don't make a bit of sense!!!

The 52-year-old railed against the term in his "Men's Health" cover story, where he declared, "I’m not a sex symbol. That’s the whole f**king point, man. Put the words together. Sex and symbol. What’s the symbol? I’m not doing anything. So what’s the symbol?"

Meth has been going viral on social media for his role as Davis MacLean on 50 Cent's "Power II" TV series.

M-E-T-H-O-D Man joined 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Common, Ludacris, and Busta Rhymes on the health mag's special edition cover to celebrate Hip Hop's 50th anniversary ... a vital turning point as Meth says he's no longer in the business of selling records.

Drake and 21 Savage will no longer be hitting Memphis as part of their "It's All a Blur" Tour ... the date has been officially canceled after being postponed.

Ticketmaster delivered the unfortunate news for Memphis residents who had been patiently waiting to see Drake on Tuesday ... incensing several on social media as word spread around town.

A statement posted by the venue reads ... "Due to the magnitude of the production of the Drake concert, it is logistically impossible to bring the show as designed to the FedExForum on August 6th."

The tour has featured a dazzling array of gigantic stage props including huge sperm cells and a giant-sized Virgil Abloh while the FedExForum can seat around 19k people ... but the marriage wasn't meant to be this time around.

To add insult to fans' injuries, Drake received the key to the city of Memphis back in June amid the first concert's delay -- and many feel he should return the thing if he's not gonna perform.

Blueface's competence as a parent is being questioned once again ... the "Thotiana" rapper went on IG Live with his son Javaughn, and befuddled the poor kid by quizzing him about his sexuality.

While holding his daughter in his lap, Blueface was fielding questions from fans and decided to rehash the subject and, without warning, asked Javaughn if he was gay.

The kid quickly replied no, but also admitted he had no idea what his dad was yapping about.

When Javaughn tried to move on to a discussion that interested him more, Blueface refused to let it go ... in spite of his GF Jaidyn Alexis yelling for him to stop off-screen.

Blueface bluntly told his son if he ended up being gay he'd be disappointed but would still love him.

Blueface just grilled his son on this topic a few weeks ago ... while his house was full of strippers, at that.

Cardi B ain't sweatin' the Vegas cops ... 'cause she was dancing her butt off poolside the same day she was named a suspect in her microphone-tossing case.

Cardi posted a video Monday, which shows her and hubby, Offset, havin' a grand ol' time on the rooftop of what appears to be a Vegas hotel.

Both rappers are in bathing suits going absolutely bonkers -- Cardi is twerking like crazy in the pool as Offset wildly dances around her.

The two could not seem happier ... her police troubles seem to be the last thing on their minds.

Cardi was named as the suspect in a battery case after she hurled a mic into the crowd at her Vegas concert Saturday, hitting two people.

Video captured the moment someone splashed Cardi with a drink while she was onstage at Drai's Nightclub ... after she encouraged the audience to cool her off with water in the extreme heat.

Cardi clearly didn't approve of the way the liquid drenched her body, prompting her to throw the mic, which first struck the drink thrower and then ricocheted and hit a woman standing nearby.

The lawyer for the family of the 10-year-old boy who died at Travis Scott's Astroworld concert is blasting the rapper's team for accusing cops of trying to sabotage his new album with the release of their investigation.

Bob Hilliard, the lawyer representing the family of the late Ezra Blount, tells TMZ ... "For an artist making his living with music, these are stunningly tone-deaf comments about this preventable tragedy that took so many lives and injured so many."

Ezra was trampled to death at the concert and his family's lawyer is not taking kindly to the spin coming from Travis' camp.

As we first reported, one of Travis' attorneys said the release of the Houston Police Department's 1,266-page investigation was intentionally timed to hurt "Utopia" ... a stance one of Travis' reps later doubled down on.

The Blount family's attorney feels quite the opposite, telling us ... "Of course they would only focus on how the report's release date hurts their album sales instead of the facts contained inside of the report."

One of the notes tucked inside the report catching the attention of the Blounts' attorney are text messages from a contract worker, warning an event organizer that, "Someone's going to end up dead," after seeing people get crushed in the crowd.

While Travis was not charged with a crime, Ezra's family is among those who are suing the Houston rapper ... and their attorney says the police investigation is "damning" and shows Travis is among those at fault for their child's death.

Hilliard adds ... "For Mr. Scott to allow his lawyers and spokespeople to make the reckless and untrue statement that just because he was not indicted means he's blame-free is arrogant and insulting to the memory of 10-year-old Ezra as well as the other victims of this terrible night."

Offset is fessing up that his part in the recent public spat with Cardi B might have been the result of too much booze ... and he wants fans to know he's a member of the "happy wife, happy life" club.

If you remember, Offset insinuated Cardi cheated on him -- with someone famous at that -- but walked back those comments Monday as he discussed the public blow-up with Angela Yee.

Offset blamed Cardi's NYC upbringing for sparking his anger with her "pitbull mouth," but admits he was inebriated on tequila, and alluded to lying in the heat of the moment.

He claims deleting the social media post signified he wasn't telling the truth.

Cardi also denied Offset's claims in a fiery response, and the two eventually reconciled, most recently, dropping their latest duet ... a track aptly titled "Jealously."

Offset explained he and Cardi are still husband and wife even when the cameras aren't rolling, and social media trolls do have an effect on their marriage whether he likes it or not.

He says had Cardi actually cheated, not only would he be unable to overcome the betrayal ... he'd go after her side dude!!!

As for his own cheating, Offset blamed immaturity, and lean, for that bad decision in the past.

Ludacris believes the children are our future, and he's doing his part to help them lead the way ... by making a huge donation toward the renovation of a children's theater.

Back in July, Luda performed at the Hard Rock Casino in Cincinnati and pledged $50,000 to the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati to help support its $48 million restoration campaign for the Emery Theater building.

Luda's lawyer, Darrell D. Miller, has ties to both the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati and Emery Theater as a board member -- so, the "Fast & The Furious" star showed excellent southern hospitality by joining his cause.

Ludacris told Cincy's Local 12, "I'm drawn to the Children's Theatre's project in Cincinnati because of the plans to develop new works that hit on the topics that matter to kids today.”

He added, “The Emery project signals an incredible opportunity for more children to access the arts and see themselves in what happens on stage. As a father of four daughters and a philanthropist who's constantly investing in the next generation, I'm honored to be a part of this."

The theater is currently sitting at $30M of its $48M goal.

Music philanthropy definitely pulls at Luda's heartstrings.