TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Lil Baby is looking out for George Floyd's family ... by hosting a huge bash for George's daughter, Gianna.

Her 7th birthday party is going down right now in Atlanta. Our sources tell us the rapper is covering all the expenses, and it looks like he pulled out all the stops. We're told the party idea was conceived by restaurant owners Ericka and William Platt of Restaurant Ten and Rosie's Cafe.

Video from the bash shows a huge playroom at The Pink Hotel decked out with tons of colorful balloons, birthday signs and a bunch of food.

The venue looks pretty big, it's at least 2 stories, and there are other areas where Gianna and the girls are getting their hair done, plus manicures and foot spas.

Sure seems like the balling-est 7-year-old turn-up we've ever seen -- which means lots of dollhouses.

Lil Baby and Shaq stopped to take a couple pictures with the birthday girl ... and Gianna says she was totally surprised.

Dionne Warwick's musings on Chance The Rapper and The Weeknd are turning into tangible benefits -- they're getting together to help feed the hungry.

Here's the deal ... Dionne and Chance are working together on an initiative to feed homeless people, after starting a friendship on Twitter. Chance announced Tuesday on Windy City LIVE in Chicago they'll be raising money with a new song -- and TMZ's learned The Weeknd will be joining them for the collab.

Dionne's son, Dionne Damon Elliott, tells TMZ ... he's writing and producing the track, which is called "Nothing's Impossible." DDE says The Weeknd decided to get in on the action after a phone call with Dionne, where he expressed how food insecurity is personal for him. The Weeknd was once homeless himself.

We're told money from song streams will benefit Hunger Not Impossible ... an org connecting folks in need with prepaid, nutritious to-go meals from local restaurants all over the country.

DDE says the track will drop early next year ... they haven't nailed down a release date because production is in the early stages. We're told Dionne's sent some of her vocals over to Chance and The Weeknd.

J Lo claims love don't cost a thing, but Cardi B's proving otherwise by handing Offset keys to a very rare Lamborghini for his 29th birthday.

The "WAP" rapper blindfolded her hubby Monday night and slowly walked him over to his birthday gift ... a Lambo Aventador SVJ 63 Roadster. The sticker price is a whopping $600k. Keep in mind, Offset just gifted Cardi a new Rolls-Royce for her bday -- so, sorry J Lo.

One look at the bronze-ish Lambo and Offset was stunned -- and even speechless for a sec -- but it didn't take long for him to erupt in celebration once he got a closer look at the SVJ.

The initials stand for Super Veloce Jota -- Italian for super-fast, and the 63 is for the number of them Lambo made. Cool car facts that Offset definitely knew.

Anyway ... the birthday celebration continued in what appears to be a nightclub, presumably in the Atlanta area, and the joint was packed. There seemed to be very few people wearing masks, and social distancing was non-existent.

A source close to the couple tells us COVID tests were taken and the party followed CDC guidelines in place for Atlanta.

Prior to kicking off the festivities ... Cardi B took to Instagram to honor her hubby saying, "Happy birthday Hubs ❤️ I wish you many more."

She added, "Thank you soo much for helping me these past months getting my business in line (somebbody gotta be the mean 1 😅 ) I ❤️ u. Let's turn it up tonight!!"

Well, that they did, as you can see in the video.

It's unclear if any testing went down prior to Offset's shindig, but it's interesting coming on the heels of the convo we had with him over the weekend about COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Offset says he is not planning to get vaccinated for coronavirus -- and his reasoning all boils down to trust and fairness.

We spoke to the Migos rapper Saturday in Bev Hills, and straight up asked if he'd take the COVID vaccine ... which is on the verge of being distributed to the first group in the coming days.  He's blunt and to the point -- he's planning on passing.

Offset mentions a viral photo that's been making the rounds ... showing a few people with their faces frozen in a distorted position, with their mouths slightly open.

The photos were supposedly taken of a few volunteers who were inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine.  The online chatter -- these were some of the side effects. The word from Scientists -- the side effects are generally mild, flu-like symptoms.

The FDA DID acknowledge 4 Pfizer volunteers were struck with a bout of Bell's Palsy -- but the government agency notes there was no way to conclusively link the vaccine to the development of their temporary facial paralysis. Still, people got freaked out.

Same goes for Offset -- who tells us that he simply doesn't trust the government (for the most part) and that even Barack Obama being willing to get vaccinated on video isn't enough to sway him. Offset then pivoted to a different train of thought.

Check it out ... he starts talking about how celebs and politicians get special treatment when it comes COVID therapeutics and medical treatment -- and he wouldn't feel right getting vaccinated ASAP knowing there are others just as deserving who get lesser treatment.

He also talks about the fact that the government at large hasn't done enough for the Black community to convince him they have his and his people's best interest at heart. What he touches on here is a huge problem too, BTW -- only 40% or so of the African-American community say they'll take the vaccine, and even less (14%) say they trust it.

That probably stems from several things, not the least of which includes the Tuskegee experiments, in which 600 Black men were shockingly deceived and mistreated.

It's a complex and pervasive issue in the community -- a view people in power are trying to reverse. It's also why Dr. Tony Fauci recently made a point to say the vaccine was developed, in part, by a Black woman.

Snoop Dogg thinks Cardi B needs to rein it in a little when it comes to talking about and showing off her lady parts -- which has a lot of people scratching their heads.

The legendary rapper -- who's no stranger to getting raunchy -- sat down for a virtual interview recently with Central Ave and gave his honest thoughts about Cardi's hit song 'WAP,' which he says is a bit much on the explicit front ... and not a good look.

He says Cardi should "slow down" when discussing her privates, because he feels like a woman's vagina is something that should be cherished and kept secret for whoever's fortunate enough to encounter it. He says he'd like to see more privacy and intimacy, and 'WAP' pretty much epitomizes the exact opposite of that ... in his eyes.

Of course, folks were quick to jump on Snoop and call him out for what seems like hypocrisy -- seeing how he's made a career rapping about women and sex, and sometimes in very explicit terms.

Not to worry, because that irony was not lost on Snoop in his chat -- he acknowledged that if he was a younger man, he'd probably be all about it ... and might even hop on the 'WAP' remix. With that said, he notes that he's just older and sees things differently now.

Snoop mentioned having a daughter changing his perspective on life, but in the same breath ... he says she's "of this generation," so he tries not to flex too much.

Oh, the times ... they are a-changin', Snoop.

Lil Wayne just pled guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet.

The feds say an anonymous tip led them to Wayne's PJ at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on December 23, 2019, and when they boarded to speak to the passengers ... Wayne told them he had a gun in his bag.

Police say they found a gold-plated Remington 1911, .45-caliber handgun loaded with 6 rounds of ammunition. They also claim they found a bag containing personal use amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone.

Lil Wayne pled guilty to the gun charge Friday in Miami, and his sentencing is scheduled for next month. Weezy, who was convicted of a felony gun charge in NY back in 2009, is now facing up to 10 years in prison.

However, he's likely to get leniency. Our sources say Wayne agreed to the guilty plea and in exchange, the government agreed to recommend a lighter sentence because he's accepting responsibility. Ultimately, his sentence will be up to a judge, but it's a good sign for Tunechi.

Dionne Warwick's calling on her A-list friends to help celebrate her 80th birthday ... which is doubling as a fundraiser for an important cause.

The legendary singer hopped on "TMZ Live" Friday to dish deets on her Holiday Musical Birthday Celebration ... a virtual party and concert, going down Saturday, her 80th birthday.

Dionne's using the occasion to lift spirits with her angelic voice while also raising money for Hunger Not Impossible ... an org connecting kids and families in need with prepaid, nutritious to-go meals from nearby restaurants.

Some of Dionne's pals joining the festivities include Aloe Blacc and country stars John Rich and the Oak Ridge Boys -- but anyone can join through her website, where fans can buy packages with cool perks. Aside from getting entry to the virtual event, you can get a private Zoom meet-and-greet with Dionne and a special shout out from her.

And, Dionne's still making new friends ... she told us all about the friendship she's formed with Chance the Rapper since she playfully checked him on his stage name.

Lil Wayne is deep in the hole with his ex-manager to the tune of more than $20 mil ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Ronald Sweeney claims Wayne hired him in 2005 to help renegotiate his deal with Cash Money. You'll recall Weezy beefed with Cash Money honcho Birdman over how much Cash Money paid out to Wayne's label, Young Money.

Long story short ... Lil Wayne settled that Cash Money lawsuit in May 2018, but Sweeney now claims he only got a few payments from that settlement ... and they were nowhere near what he says his full cut should be.

Then there's this ... in the suit, filed by attorney Ed McPherson,  Sweeney says back in May 2018, Lil Wayne asked him to fire Cortez Bryant -- Weezy's manager and childhood friend -- over a conflict of interest in a legal dispute involving Drake and Cash Money.

Sweeney says he did so, and took over Bryant's duties and got Wayne to give him a pay bump from 10% to 17% commission. But, Sweeney claims Bryant and Mack Maine then conspired to drive a wedge between Wayne and Sweeney, which allegedly worked. Sweeney says Wayne fired him in September 2018.

Then, this past June, Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for more than $100 million. Sweeney doesn't seem to be asking for any money from that deal ... but brings it up seemingly to point out Wayne has the cash to pay him what he claims he's owed.

Post Malone's got a new line of custom Crocs, and to test them out ... he put a new pair on the feet of every single kid at his old school FOR FREE.

The Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II hit the market for the first time Tuesday, and sold out within a few hours -- but one group that was for sure able to snag some before they were swept up was the entire academic body of Grapevine High School in Grapevine, TX.

Sources tell us Posty hooked up his alma mater with a new pair of PM Crocs of their own -- and we're talking every single student and every single faculty member. What does that mean numbers-wise??? Well, Grapevine HS has a student body of about 1,900 and with maybe 100 or so teachers ... we're talking somewhere in the 2,000 range.

Grapevine's principal, Alex Fingers, made the announcement to everyone this week ... saying Post had noticed all the good work they'd been doing for the community of late, so he decided to give back a little himself. Principal Fingers even flashed his own set of Crocs.

We're told a Google spreadsheet was distributed throughout the entire school last week, where everyone was told to put down their shoe size ... and then the Principal dropped the news.

He also posted photos of kids on campus opening their bags of PM Crocs -- and as you can see, people seemed pretty pleased. BTW, we're told these were distributed as safely as possible ... clearly, Grapevine's one of the schools in this country that's open right now.

Rick Ross says he's been exactly where millions of Americans are today -- avoiding doctor visits due to lack of healthcare -- which is why he's backing an affordable new option.

Da Boss and healthcare vet/entrepreneur Tommy Duncan joined us on "TMZ Live" to discuss their telehealth app, Jetdoc ... and reveal why the music mogul jumped into healthcare. Rick told us part of it is personal, and part of is addressing what's become an obvious need.

As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic forced clinics/hospitals to pivot and rethink how doctors can treat and diagnose patients during lockdowns. As a result, nearly 25 million people used a telehealth service between March and October, and the vast majority of them were satisfied with the service.

Enter Rick Ross and Tommy, who've both coped with serious health issues -- Rick's battled seizures, and Tommy suffered a stroke at just 30 years old. Still, the rapper says he knows all too well that people who don't have access to health insurance avoid getting medical care ... and he wants to change that.

The duo told us Jetdoc, available for download on Google Play and the App Store, is incredibly reasonable at just $20 for the first virtual urgent care visit or $10 a month for an unlimited membership.

Chance the Rapper is a study in redundancy ... this according to none other than Dionne Warwick, and her words sent Chance into orbit!!!

Dionne tweeted Saturday night, "If you are very obviously a rapper why did you put it in your stage name? I cannot stop thinking about this."

Solid point, Dionne. Chance flipped out, but not because of Dionne's note. He fired back, "Sorry I'm still freaking out that u know who I am. This is amazing!"

Dionne, who's a big fan of Chance and loves "Holy," responded, "Of course I know you.  You're THE rapper. Let's rap together." Our take ... THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!

But, Dionne wasn't done ... after calling herself "Dionne the Singer," she wondered, "The Weeknd is next. Why?  It's not even spelled correctly?"

He then responded ... "I got roasted by Dionne Warwick and I feel honored! You just made my day."

Rihanna really does have love on the brain ... and A$AP Rocky close by her side points to all signs they're an item.

The singer was out for a chilly stroll with the rapper Wednesday night in NYC ... both were bundled up in huge winter jackets. They also covered their faces with masks ... but that's more about the pandemic and NYC's mask mandate than the temperature. They probably thought it would help keep them concealed from photogs ... but to no avail.

Anyway ... it seems RiRi and Rocky -- friends since at least 2013 when he opened for her Diamonds World Tour -- started fueling dating rumors after they were seen having dinner together with friends at the Beatrice Inn in NYC over the Thanksgiving weekend.

That they've spent time together's nothing new. Again, they're longtime friends. In fact ... she included him in her Fenty Skin campaign earlier this summer and conducted several interviews together promoting the collab.

But, now that we've seen them out together -- just the two of 'em -- it's certainly all but confirming what they've yet set out to do ... announce they're a new couple.

Post Malone's easing the pain of a brutal season for his Dallas Cowboys with lots and lots of diamonds -- which won't bring back Dak Prescott, but man do they shine!!!

The rapper added to his 'boys bling collection after hitting up Angel City Jewelers in L.A. for a new pendant. This one's 14-karat gold, weighs 207 grams and, most importantly, features a whopping 29 carats of diamonds.

You can see the pendant's a tribute to America's Team and its NFL birth year ... 1960. The pendant also features an American flag, in case anyone forgets their nickname. The pendant's value is over $50k, which falls way short of the $250k he dropped for his other Cowboys chain ... but still, it's insane.

There's a nice custom touch on the back ... the words "A Star is Born July 4th" -- PM's birthday -- and the oh-so-humble title of "#1 Fan."

Tough to argue with that, though, when Post's still dropping 5-figures to celebrate a team that's struggling hard.

Forget Brad Pitt, there's a new "Fight Club" in town -- and this time, it's Snoop Dogg calling the shots!

The rapper has teamed up with Triller co-owner Ryan Kavanaugh to launch a brand new pro boxing league called "The Fight Club" ... and we're told there's already a blockbuster event in the works!

TMZ Sports was talking with Kavanaugh about Snoop's wildly entertaining performance as a commentator at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight ... when Ryan dropped the bombshell on us.

"This was the first event of a league that we have called 'The Fight Club,'" Kavanaugh said.

"It's a league owned by Proxima, which is the parent company to Triller and Snoop, and this was the first of many, many events."

Kavanaugh says Snoop is a co-owner of the league -- plus, he'll be doing fight commentary and helping book the fights and musical acts!

"This is gonna be big," Kavanaugh says ... "The whole idea is we want to change up the way that boxing is done."

The plan is for "The Fight Club" to put on both sanctioned fights and non-sanctioned fights ... basically, like the Mike Tyson card.

Kavanaugh says he's already got a MAJOR sanctioned fight in the works involving some huge stars.

"I can tell you that the main fight — I can't say it yet — but it’s gonna be something that everybody wants to see. If you thought [Tyson vs. Jones Jr.] is big, I think that this would be even larger from a worldwide-appetite perspective and something that people want to see."

Kavanaugh says the undercard will be stacked too -- they're currently looking at social media stars, actors, musicians, athletes and pro boxers to get in on the action.

Cardi B's getting inspiration today from a little girl named Lyric ... whose story, Cardi says, should remind all of us to be kind and appreciate everything we have.

As Cardi says ... Lyric is a "very strong girl" from Houston who is fighting brain cancer and has undergone 4 surgeries, but she's still smiling and spreading joy.

That's evident by the fact the rapper says so many people have DM'd her about Lyric ... and obviously, love her and want her to get better.

Funny thing is, Lyric seems to be making other people better by being such a shining light despite her ordeal, and putting a smile on their faces. Cardi's so moved, she poured out her heart about Lyric ... saying she feels like she has it tough sometimes, but now realizes it's nothing compared to what Lyric is going through, and that's truly inspiring.

Lil Wayne is blaming an "unrelated 3rd party" for screwing up his plans to perform at the Mike Tyson fight -- telling TMZ Sports there's no bad blood between himself and Triller.

Our Weezy sources tell us the rapper cut short his Thanksgiving weekend celebration with his family in Louisiana so he could be in L.A. to perform at the fight -- and he DID actually make the trip out.

But, something went wrong on the day of the fight leading Wayne to bail on the entire event.

So, what happened?

"Unfortunately there was an unrelated 3rd party who attempted to insert themselves in the production process between Triller and Lil Wayne the night before the event and the morning of and it unfortunately caused enough of an issue that Wayne couldn’t perform," Triller said in a statement co-issued by Wayne.

The details behind the scenes are unclear -- but one source put it this way ... one of the event's producers "interfered with Triller and Lil Wayne at the last minute trying to insert themselves and ended up creating a mess and all around confusion. At a certain point, Wayne got frustrated and decided it was best to pull out of the performance. By the time Triller learned about the mess it was too late."

Wayne -- who is actually a co-owner of Triller -- said he's proud of the way the event turned out, "but was truly disappointed I was precluded from performing by the 3rd party."