TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Tekashi 6ix9ine had deep concerns about COVID when he was in prison, which is why he got out early ... but those concerns have evaporated in a big way, 'cause dude hit a packed strip club ... and didn't seem too concerned anymore about catching the 'rona.

The New York rapper celebrated his girlfriend Jade's birthday Sunday by walking into a gentleman's club with two human-size sacks full of cash ... which he and the crew dragged over to a VIP section and started unloading singles on dancers.

Based on what we can see ... it looks like they might've rolled in there with upwards of $200k on hand -- at least that's what Jade's claiming.

Speaking of her, 69's GF documented much of their good time on IG -- where she was seen wearing a body-hugging, green bodysuit ... while Tekashi was decked out in all black with a ton of bling and a new mustache. One thing they weren't seen wearing at all ... face masks. Nobody in the video seems to be rockin' one.

We should note that it looks like they were somewhere in Florida here -- just the night prior, there were reports that 6ix9ine and co. had been spotted in Miami.

It's perfectly legal there to be up in the club right now -- even without face coverings, although it'd be wise to wear one. That said ... it's funny how Tekashi's urgent fears of catching COVID-19 just earlier this year have vanished.

You'll recall ... part of the reason why Tekashi was even allowed to finish his sentence from home was because he cited asthma and other underlying conditions he claimed made him susceptible to contracting the disease from inside prison walls -- and a judge believed it and let him out early.

Lil Wayne will NOT be performing at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight after all -- even though he signed a contract saying he would ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... organizers for the mega event this weekend had a flight booked for Weezy so he could take the stage Saturday ahead of the fight set to go down at Staples Center in L.A. in just a few hours. We're told LW simply never got on the plane.

Sounds like it was a last-minute cancelation -- we're working on getting more info about why that happened, but in any case ... it's a no-show for Wayne, and our sources say folks at Triller are working on adding another big name to the lineup.

So far, rapper SAINt JHN has stepped in and signed on to perform at the fight. We're told there's a real possibility Snoop Dogg could get on the mic, too. He's an investor at Triller, so it's feasible he'd do that.

Even with Weezy out, there's a stellar entertainment lineup -- featuring performances from stars like Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana and YG.

Plus, THE FIGHTS! Both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have said they're gunning for knockouts -- and they looked in incredible shape during Friday's weigh-in.

Plus, the undercard features Jake Paul vs. ex-NBA star Nate Robinson -- and those dudes HATE each other. Should be a good scrap.

As for Wayne, it's strange that he wouldn't follow through if it wasn't an emergency -- the dude was literally plugging his involvement in the fight just on Friday night (on the heels of him dropping his 'No Ceilings 3' mixtape, to much fanfare).

We've reached out to Wayne's camp as well for an explanation and to make sure everything's okay ... so far, no word back.

Drake is in love ... and it shows.

Drizzy posted this super sweet pic of him, asleep on the shoulder of his son, 3-year-old Adonis, and it kinda melts your heart.

Adonis lives with his mom, Sophie Brussaux, but Drake definitely spends time with his son. When Adonis turned 3 last month, Drake celebrated with him at his Toronto estate. He and Adonis are partying hard, around a swarm of white, black and silver balloons.

Drake was initially coy about his parental status with Adonis, but he officially disclosed their relationship on his 2018 album, "Scorpion."

Megan Thee Stallion has inspired untold numbers of people, so add a turkey to the list.

This little gizzard -- posted on TikTok by one Joel Erkkinen -- couldn't stay still for Megan's "Body" challenge as it shook its rump and slightly spread its wings. Pretty hilarious, don't ya think?

The challenge is officially a thing. We knew that earlier in the week, when a Starbucks employee got down with it. MTS posted a video Tuesday of Hunter Gallagher doing the "Body" dance moves from behind the counter. Megan liked it so much she reposted it.

Drake almost finds humor in the Grammys which inexplicably snubbed The Weeknd, essentially saying those little trophies really don't mean crap.

Drake said Wednesday night, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after."

And, then the zinger ... "It's like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can't change their ways."

A$AP Rocky's not one to forget where he came from ... which is why he personally delivered 120 meals to families at a homeless shelter where he and his mom once used to live.

The rapper personally turned himself into a Postmates delivery guy on the eve of Thanksgiving Day to deliver 120 hot meals from one of his favorite joints in Harlem ... Amy Ruth's Restaurant.

The two-time Grammy-nominated rapper delivered the grub to the Regent Family Residence ... a homeless shelter on the upper west side serving 83 families, including 111 kids. The org's part of the Volunteers of America - Greater New York ... which has provided affordable housing assistance since 1896.

Don't worry ... Rocky adhered to all COVID-19 safety protocols to contactlessly deliver the meals. This selfless act for this shelter, no doubt, tugged at the rapper's heartstrings ... he and his mother, Renee Black, stayed at the shelter back in the early 2000s.

Chris Brown is the proud new owner of a massive tank-like vehicle that could probably survive an apocalypse -- and it's all thanks to a generous Kanye West.

Sources tell us Ye had a special delivery for CB Tuesday ... sending over his manager, Bu Thiam, and other personnel to drop off a YEEZY Truck at Chris' Tarzana home. The gift made a grand entrance as it rolled through Chris' gates.

We're told there was no other reason for the gift other than Kanye wanting to honor Chris' career and talent while he was still here -- so he penned a hand-written letter to that effect, saying ... "Congratulations to Chris brown, 20 years in the game you have overcome many hurdles and obstacles, you deserve the recognition for all the hard work you have put in." Kanye himself wasn't there for the handoff.

Chris seemed pretty stoked about the gesture -- he thanked Ye on camera, and then later posed with the YEEZY Truck on his driveway.

Now, for the record ... this beast of a machine you're seeing here is actually a SHERP ATV. Kanye's been using a lot of them at his properties lately and seems to have piggybacked on Teslas' Cybertruck hype with a nickname of his own.

These things are used for extreme travel -- it can maneuver through mud, ice, snow, mountainous terrain ... you name it. A new one can retail anywhere in the ballpark of $120k too -- so they don't come cheap at all.

The Grammys are going to look very different next year, and not just because of the pandemic ... Kanye's making a big move and Alex Trebek's in the fold.

Nominations for the 2021 Grammys are out, and there's lots of interesting changes to digest. Trevor Noah's hosting and he might have some fun with this -- Kanye is now officially considered a Christian artist.

Yeezy's "Jesus Is King" is up for best contemporary Christian music album ... it's the next stage in Kanye's transformation, which traces roots back to his Sunday Service.

Trebek's also got a shot at posthumous glory ... the late "Jeopardy!" host and TV icon's audiobook is nominated for best spoken word album. Ken Jennings helped Alex narrate the memoir, and would accept the award if the 'Jeopardy' duo wins.

One celeb who won't be taking home any hardware -- The Weeknd. He's shockingly snubbed even though his single, "Blinding Lights," topped the charts and his album, "After Hours," rose to #1.

Guess The Weeknd will have to settle for performing the Super Bowl halftime show a week after the Grammys.

Megan Thee Stallion's "Body" challenge is taking the Internet by storm, but one take on her viral dance stood out above the rest ... a Starbucks employee getting down!

MTS posted a video Tuesday of a guy named Hunter Gallagher doing her "Body" dance moves from her latest music video ... and he did it from a Starbucks drive-thru window while he was on the clock and interacting with customers 😆.

Don't worry, there's no unprofessionalism here -- the two women he was twerking it for were actually more than eager to see him put on a show. Apparently, as he was handing them their coffee (for free) -- he told them to stream "Body" ... and they one-upped him by having him do the #bodyodychallenge right then and there.

Hunter didn't hesitate -- he sprung right into action and showed off what he was working with, and it looks like he was well-prepared for this moment.

A few days ago, he posted his own vid of him doing the dance side-by-side with Meg from her video ... and, as you can see, he's been practicing. Meg and her choreographer, Jaquel Knight, caught wind of his Starbucks performance when it blew up online and reposted it.

French Montana is guaranteeing hundreds of families on his home turf have their main dish covered this Thanksgiving.

The rapper teamed up with members of City Harvest on Monday to give back to his Bronx community ... by funding and participating in the giveaway of more than 500 birds to those in need.

French is the latest hip-hop artist to hop on the grocery-giving train as the holidays approach. This past weekend, celebs like Dr. Dre and Nick Cannon took part in the nationwide Feed Your City Challenge in Compton.

Likewise, Tyler Perry fed thousands who flocked to his Georgia studio for a huge giveaway of nonperishable items -- and Kodak Black bought 1,000 turkeys earlier this month to distribute in Florida

Bad Bunny fans now know why he didn't perform at the American Music Awards ... he's got the 'Rona.

The reggaeton superstar was originally scheduled to perform Sunday night at the AMAs, but he was MIA ... and fans started speculating COVID-19 may have been the reason why. Their suspicions were confirmed Monday by Bad Bunny's people.

There's never a good time to catch the coronavirus, but this was particularly bad for Bad Bunny -- he was supposed to perform "Dakiti" -- his #1 hit with Jhay Cortez -- for the first time.

It wasn't all bad news for Bad Bunny. He still did part of the show virtually from his L.A. crib -- as he announced the winner for Favorite Female Artist in the Latin category, which went to Becky G.

Folks struggling with the pandemic and all of its fallout got a big break Saturday, with celebs and others pitching in to help feed those in need.

The Feed Your City Event is 10-events strong, and it was held in numerous U.S. cities.  Among them ... Compton, where Dr. Dre, music industry icon Tony Draper and retired NBA star Ricky Davis sponsored the event in Compton.

The event is timed around Thanksgiving, where people could get free groceries including, of course, turkeys. This year the giveaway includes PP supplies.

The event was COVID-safe, with a one-lane drive-thru and another line for walk-ups.  Everyone socially distanced and masks were plentiful.

Also involved in organizing the event ... Compton Mayor Aja Brown, Power 106 and 93.5 KDAY.

Jeezy's had enough of his culture being linked to guns, feuds, violence and death -- and he says his highly-viewed Verzuz episode was a chance to address those issues.

The rapper told us what the real takeaway should be from Thursday night's showdown with Gucci Mane ... which set a Verzuz record with nearly 2 million viewers. Jeezy tells us more than anything ... the unprecedented event presented an opportunity to reflect on what's been going on in Black culture.

Sadly, some of what's been going on has been shooting deaths of young artists, like King Von, Mo3, Pop Smoke and so many more ... not to mention Nipsey Hussle's murder last year.

Jeezy says THIS is the issue his people should be focusing on, and it's so much bigger and more important than his beef with Gucci. However, he's happy their battle allowed them to set an example.

As we reported ... this led to a peaceful resolution between Jeezy and Gucci over a 15-year beef sparked by the killing of Jeezy's friend Pookie Loc. It's pretty clear ... Jeezy wants what happened Thursday night to become the norm for young people -- in and out of the music industry.

Jeezy says the messaging on his new album, "The Recession 2," goes hand in hand with his powerful speech during Verzuz -- evolving and getting better.

He also hopes his album helps remind everyone what people have been fighting for in recent months following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others.

There's also a more literal meaning to the album's title, and Jeezy talked to Big Boy about how business partners taught him what a recession is ... and why he was inspired to share that knowledge with his fans.

The setting for Gucci Mane and Jeezy's highly-anticipated Verzuz battle is fit for a king ... and strippers, 'cause it's going down at a famous ATL strip club.

TMZ's obtained behind-the-scene video and pics inside Thursday's face-off going down at the world-famous club, Magic City. It's unclear if a red carpet will be rolled out for the MCs but they're definitely getting the royal treatment ... with 2 thrones for them to sit and spit lyrics.

The crew worked hard to turn the strip joint into an awesome set for the season 2 kickoff of Verzuz ... which streams live Thursday at 8 PM ET on Apple Music and on Apple Music's official Instagram account on Instagram Live.

We're told the guest list is pretty star-studded ... with T.I., Rick Ross, Migos, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys among the celebs expected to attend.

There's always concern for security and our production sources tell us that base is definitely covered. We're told the Nation of Islam will be there for protection. As for Atlanta PD ... we're told the dept. is aware of the event ... adding that Magic City's an area where it commonly has additional patrols.

As we reported ... Gucci already drew first blood when he openly touted the fact he killed one of Jeezy's best friends. Remember, Gucci posted a meme earlier this week mocking the shooting of Jeezy's former labelmate, Pookie Loc in the 2000s. Pookie allegedly attempted to break into Gucci's home, and Gucci fired in self-defense.

Gucci's joked about the fatal shooting before. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out when they finally face off on camera together. It's gonna be 🔥.

Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B have more in common than 'WAP' ... they can now both boast massively successful clothing lines with Fashion Nova.

Meg's new 106-piece collection -- which goes heavy on the denim -- raked in $1.2 million in sales in the first 24 hours ... according to sources connected to the retail company.

This is slightly more than Cardi hauled in with her Spring 2019 collection, but we're told it's because Fashion Nova anticipated high demand after Cardi's styles sold out so quickly ... so it had more product on hand for Meg's line.

MTS announced the launch of her collection -- which she says is for "all the hotties out there" and fits bodies of all shapes and sizes -- with a series of fire photos of herself and other women modeling the various styles of jeans available.

Along with premium denim, Meg's collection includes luxe corset bodysuits and tops with matching dresses and plush outerwear ... with prices of the items ranging from $24.99 to $199.99.

Jay-Z is getting into the fitness equipment game just like his wife ... he's investing in a startup that aims to rival Beyonce's partner, Peloton.

The entertainment mogul is pumping some of his billion-dollar fortune into CLMBR, which is about to launch its 2 flagship products ... a pair of vertical climbing machines.

Jay-Z's not the only celeb who sees an opportunity to make a buck with CLMBR ... Novak Djokovic, the top men's tennis player in the world, is also investing. Jay and Bey's longtime fitness consultant, Marco Borges, is on board too, plus YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley.

CLMBR sounds a lot like Peloton, only instead of riding a bike it simulates vertical climbing. It's supposed to be good for the back, and CLMBR's machines are the first featuring touch displays and on-demand classes with instructors.

At-home fitness equipment is all the rage with most gyms and fitness centers across the globe shuttered due to the pandemic. Bey recently teamed up with Peloton ... which boosted its stock.