TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Black Rob -- a rapper who was once part of Diddy's Bad Boy roster -- has died ... this according to his former labelmates.

Rob reportedly passed away Saturday while hospitalized in Atlanta -- this after he was apparently battling kidney failure for quite some time ... so says NYC radio personality DJ Self, who posted a video of Rob from his hospital bed speaking on DMX's death.

Of BR's passing, Self says ... "Lord knows i tried to get help ...... I’m sad to say RIP to Black Rob." Self had been with Rob in his final days, posting different clips of the former MC as his health was clearly deteriorating. In one such video, Rob himself explained that he'd been battling health issues for five years ... including several strokes and other ailments. It also sounds like Rob might have been homeless too ... going on to say he needed "rest."

It's pretty heartbreaking to watch ... especially since Rob didn't appear to have reps of his own toward the end. DJ Self made clear he wasn't representing Rob either, but simply getting his message out.

Another former Bad Boy MC, Mark Curry, also confirmed the sad news of Rob's passing ... posting a teary-eyed video Saturday saying he'd just gotten word, thanking everyone who donated to a GFM campaign in Rob's name -- while publicly asking Rob's children to get in touch with him ... presumably to make funeral arrangements.

Both Mark and Rob were featured on Diddy's famous track "Bad Boy 4 Life" ... with each contributing verses in the memorable music video, which showed Diddy and co. moving into a suburban neighborhood and drawing the ire of Ben Stiller. Rob had performed with several other Bad Boy affiliated acts ... like 112, Faith Evans, Mase and even Biggie himself.

Of course, Rob broke through with his own hit in 2000 ... the critically-acclaimed "Whoa!" which ended up making it on several music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and others ... and ended up getting remixed several times over.

"Whoa!" stands as Rob's biggest hit to date -- but the man went on to churn out several albums ... even after leaving Bad Boy in the mid-2000s. He was reunited with his Bad Boy counterparts in 2016 when Diddy put together the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour.

Diddy doesn't appear to have commented on Rob's passing just yet. He was 51.

RIP

Lil Durk's concert was cut short Saturday night after gunshots rang out concert in Phoenix at the Celebrity Theatre.

Durk was performing at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix when the crowd of 10,000 heard gunfire erupt. The crowd scrambled as people fought to flee the venue.

The Phoenix PD says they couldn't locate anyone who was directly hit by bullets, and reports that one woman was grazed in the leg by a bullet are not true. Phoenix Police say It was reported to their team that the injury was not from gunfire. A few people suffered non-life-threatening injuries from attempting to fleeing the area. This is an ongoing investigation.

Durk seemed upset about something when he posted, "10k people sold out and no drama stop tryna stop us." He posted this before the gunfire but during the concert. It's unclear the drama to which he was referring.

The event was tagged, "Smurkchella," as Lil Durk and other rappers hit the stage.

Various videos were posted showing the mad dash to the exits as the crowd tried to get out of harm's way. Chairs were knocked over, people screaming ... the works.

The show abruptly stopped and that was the end of it.

So far, no suspects are in custody.

Kanye West is cementing the logo for his company's collab with Gap ... and it looks exactly like what Yeezus envisioned when this deal came together.

Kanye's company filed legal docs locking up the rights to the new logo design for his Yeezy Gap fashion line ... and as you can see, the branding is pretty much the same logo Ye first tweeted out last summer, when he announced his 10-year deal with the retailer.

It's clearly a play on the original Gap logo ... only instead of "GAP" in white block lettering inside a blue square, the letters spell out "YZY" and the blue square has rounded edges.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, also shed some light on what we might expect to see from Yeezy Gap -- all types of clothing, of course ... but also footwear, headwear, accessories and bags.

Here's WWE superstar The Miz breaking character to heap some well-deserved praise on Bad Bunny -- admitting the music superstar's performance at WrestleMania was legitimately incredible.

Miz and Bad Bunny have been beefing for months as part of the storyline leading up to WM37 this past weekend -- and when they stepped in the ring to throw down, Bunny was spectacular.

He pulled off everything from a vertical suplex to a Canadian Destroyer (look it up!) ... and even frog splashed off the top rope! It was awesome!

Eventually, Bunny pinned Miz for the win -- but the former WWE champ says he ain't bitter -- it was a true honor just to share the ring with BB.

"Not only did he earn my respect, I think he earned the WWE Universe's respect. I think he earned backstage's respect. I think he earned everybody's respect in what some are calling 'The Best Celebrity Match at WrestleMania in History!'"

Miz says what he's most impressed by is Bunny's work ethic -- BB busted his ass for months at the WWE Performance Center to get ready for 'Mania ... and the hard work clearly paid off.

Sadly, Bunny's run with the WWE is probably over ... at least for now (he's got the whole music thing to get back to) -- but Miz isn't ruling out a future appearance.

"Ya never know when he'll come back! I think he had a great experience, I think everyone had a great experience with him."

Kanye West filed his answer to Kim Kardashian's divorce petition, and it's basically a mirror image of his estranged wife's legal docs.

Kanye is also asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4 kids, just like Kim. FYI ... joint custody doesn't automatically mean a 50/50 split, and it's likely Kim will have the kids the lion's share of the time. They will almost certainly work out an arrangement between themselves and have it approved by the court. They have both committed to co-parenting.

Kanye -- as well as Kim -- wants to shut the door on spousal support. Well, they can afford to fend on their own.

He also says they should also pay their own legal fees.

As we already reported, Kim and Kanye have a prenup, so there shouldn't be a big issue with dividing assets. It's interesting ... Ye's answer comes on the heels of Forbes reporting Kim has now reached billionaire status.

Kim filed for divorce on February 19 ... so Kanye's a little late in filing his answer, although it doesn't really matter because it won't trigger any sort of problem.

Kim did not list a date of separation on her divorce docs. As for Kanye ... he also did not list a date of separation.

Our sources say Kim and Kanye hardly spoke in the months preceding the divorce petition, but it seems things are calmer now.

Bad Bunny proved he's more than just an international music superstar, he's got a spot as one of the best celebs to fight in the WWE too ... shocking fans at his WrestleMania debut.

Night one of the wrestling world's Super Bowl kicked off Saturday in Tampa, FL. Nasty weather delayed the event for about 30 minutes, which eventually kicked off in front of 25,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium.

Among the matches were a tag-team bout with Bad Bunny and Damian Priest facing off against The Miz -- who Bunny's been feuding with over the last couple weeks -- and John Morrison.

Bunny stunned the crowd, pulling off some impressive high-flying and acrobatic moves before eventually getting the win.

Bad Bunny is ready to shut up all of his wrestling critics -- he's been busting his ass to get ready for WrestleMania ... and Drew McIntyre admits he's seriously impressed.

The WWE superstar says he's aware of some wrestlers in the company who aren't happy with Bad Bunny getting a prime match against The Miz during the biggest event of the year ... but those people need to get over it.

"Realistically, this is going to draw a lot of new eyes," McIntyre said on "TMZ Live" ... "He's not somebody that's just showing up for a paycheck. He doesn't have to. He's done pretty well in his chosen field of music, [he] won a Grammy."

Bad Bunny -- one of the biggest music stars in the world -- is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who's now in a major storyline with The Miz, which will come to a head this weekend at WrestleMania 37.

Some people have criticized Bunny's athletic ability. Others say he needs to work on his mic game.

But, Drew says he's been working out like a maniac at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando ... and insists Bunny will "shock a lot of people" when he steps in the ring.

"He's there week in, week out. I've been observing him from afar, he has a genuine passion for this. He's putting the work in, he's training almost every single day."

The other major storyline for WrestleMania 37 has to do with WWE allowing 25,000 fans to attend the event at Raymond James Stadium in person each night.

McIntyre says Vince McMahon and his team have spared no expense to keep the venue safe.

"It's gonna be a phenomenal event. For the fans watching at home, this is really cool not just in the sense that it's WrestleMania, it's such a spectacle."

Things are getting back to normal -- look no further than celeb hotspot The Nice Guy as Kendall, Kylie, Drake, Justin Bieber and more were all together under the same roof again.

It looked like a scene straight out of 2019, with expensive cars on the curb, flashing camera bulbs and some of the most famous celebs on the planet gathering Thursday in West Hollywood.

Inside, Kendall -- who was joined by her NBA superstar bf Devin Booker -- poured shots of her new 818 tequila from behind the bar ... it appears the A-listers had the whole place rented out for themselves.

Chris Brown, Tyga, MGK, Megan Fox and Drake were there too, in fact, Drake had such a good time, he wanted to take it with him, leaving Nice Guy with a drink in hand.

Lil Nas X's Satan Shoes won't see the light of day, because although Nike settled its lawsuit against the manufacturer of the merch ... the shoe giant really won the battle to block the controversial kicks.

Nike tells TMZ ... it's reached an agreement with MSCHF, the company producing the custom shoes based on Nike's Air Max 97. The so-called Satan Shoes were inspired by Lil Nas' demonic-themed music video for his new song, "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)."

The footwear giant tells us the settlement calls for MSCHF to launch a voluntary recall to buy back all Satan Shoes it's sold for their original retail prices in order to remove them from circulation.

Remember ... MSCHF was hawking the limited-edition kicks for $1,018 a pop, an ode to the bible scripture emblazoned on the side, Luke 10:18, which references Satan's banishment from heaven. Buyers snatched up all 666 pairs within minutes after last month's release. The shoes feature an inverted cross, bronze pentagram and a drop of human blood.

As we reported ... Nike filed suit against MSCHF last week, claiming MSCHF was infringing on its trademarks by selling the altered Air Max 97 without Nike's authorization. A judge had already granted Nike an injunction to block all future sales of the shoes.

Diddy is calling out General Motors ... saying the company needs to step up and open its wallet for Black businesses, claiming GM's promise to shell out big bucks has fallen short.

Diddy penned a scathing letter Thursday, opening with, "The same feet these companies use to stand with us in solidarity are the same feet they use to stand on our necks." Diddy says that his REVOLT network was an example of Black-owned media GM promised to support through advertising, but he doesn't feel the company has done enough.

In his letter, Diddy claims GM spent $3 billion on advertising in 2019 and by his estimation, only $10 million of that was invested in Black-owned media.

As for what he thinks needs to happen, Diddy says, "If the Black community represents 15% of your revenue, Black-owned media should receive at least 15% of the advertising spend."

Dr. Dre is denying his estranged wife's abuse claims -- claiming she's making it all up as part of her strategy to try to get out of the prenup he insists is still in place.

The mogul just filed new legal docs in his nasty divorce case with Nicole Young, claiming her abuse allegations are false and they're making the split super stressful for him.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Dr. Dre also accuses Nicole of bringing up abuse claims to squeeze money out of him. He says she didn't even raise the allegations until after she filed for divorce and realized the prenup prevented her from staking claim to half his wealth.

According to the docs, Dre claims Nicole's allegations are "appalling" and false. Likewise, he shoots down her claims he abused her before they got married, including the night before their wedding

As for her claiming he "forced" her to sign the prenup -- Dre calls BS on that too.

Kodak Black was being targeted by hitmen when his security guard was shot in the leg ... at least according to cops, who are reviewing threats made against him before the shooting.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Monday morning's shooting down in Florida appears to be a hit and not just an armed robbery. We're told police are aware of a series of online threats to Kodak's life, and cops are looking into them.

We’re told cops are specifically reviewing threatening comments apparently made by music producer Southside during an Instagram Live Sunday, seemingly in response to Kodak's IG Live mention of Southside's girlfriend, City Girls rapper Yung Miami.

However, our law enforcement sources tell us they have no named suspects in the shooting right now ... and the investigation remains open and ongoing.

As we reported ... Kodak and his entourage were ambushed around 3 AM Monday outside a fast food joint in Tallahassee, resulting in a serious gunshot wound for one of his security guards, with law enforcement saying the shooter opened fire from a car that was tailing Kodak after he left a nightclub.

Travis Scott is joining the millions across the world in hoping the best for DMX as the rapper remains on life support in a New York hospital for what will be day 4.

We got Travis and a friend in his Bugatti Chiron Monday night, and he shared his favorite DMX song and left us with a parting, "Love DMX, X for life!!!" before peeling out in his ride.

As we reported, hundreds -- including X's fiancee, kids and ex-wife -- attended a prayer vigil outside White Plains Hospital Monday night ... it was an emotional event, with some attendees breaking down in tears during prayer.

The hospital has enforced a strict visiting policy because of COVID-19, and only X's fiancee, Desiree, mom, Arnett, and some of his kids -- who arrived Sunday and Monday -- have been able to see him on a limited basis.

As for DMX's condition, we're told not much has changed since Saturday. TMZ broke the story, the rapper was rushed to the hospital after suffering an overdose.

Kodak Black and his entourage were ambushed outside a fast food joint in Florida, and the shooting left one of his security guards in serious condition ... according to police.

Gunfire erupted around 3 AM Monday morning in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Tallahassee. Law enforcement tells us the shooter opened fire from a car that was tailing Kodak and co.

Law enforcement sources say the rapper's entourage was being followed by several cars attempting to cut them off as they left a nightclub, and Kodak's camp pulled into the McDonald's and blocked the entrance with a car while KB went inside to pick up an order.

We’re told one of the cars tailing Kodak went to the McDonald's, left and then came back ... and that's when people inside the vehicle started shooting.

Kodak's security guard was shot in the leg and rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries, police say, while Kodak was whisked away in an armored car and was unharmed.

Kodak was in town headlining a Sunday music festival, Cultur3 Fest, and the security guard is reportedly undergoing surgery after one of the shots apparently hit an artery.

Drake's little boy clearly takes after his old man ... because he loves to hoop.

The rapper shared a video of his 3-year-old son, Adonis, working on his jump shot on an indoor kid-hoop ... and he's got game!!

After sinking a jumper, Adonis points out that that bucket was actually 2 in a row ... then he casually hits another shot to make it 3. Silky smooth.

All the while, Drake's providing the hype music for his kid -- his new track, "What's Next" is playing in the background.

Lil Wayne's in luck if he ever needs to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor, because he just dropped a fortune on a mansion right by Kylie Jenner's crib.

The rapper dropped $15.4 mil for the home in Hidden Hills -- the high-profile gated community that's home to much of the Kardashian crew -- according to sources familiar with the deal.

The 12,135 sq. ft. home looks awesome -- it's a brand new custom estate with 7 beds, 7.5 baths, and a bright, open floor plan with panoramic views.

The interior comes with all the luxurious bells and whistles you can imagine -- chef's kitchen, breakfast room, refrigerated wine display, piano area, entertainer's lounge and a home theater.

Outside there's a pool, a basketball court, multiple patios with seating and a 1-bed guest house ... and it all sits on 3.26 acres.