TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Leslie Jordan says ignorant, uninformed comments about HIV/AIDS from people like DaBaby are exactly why some gay people aren't comfortable being themselves ... so Leslie's slamming the rapper's homophobic rant as stupid and clueless.

We got Leslie outside Kings Road Cafe in L.A. Wednesday and he laid into DaBaby ... grousing it's a shame he's using his enormous platform to spew bigotry.

ICYMI, DaBaby hit the stage at Rolling Loud Miami over the weekend, and went on a rant about HIV/AIDS. He later "apologized" twice but only made things worse.

Leslie says he's 66 years old and feels perfectly comfortable being a gay man. Problem is, he worries about those who are NOT yet comfortable in their own skin ... and DaBaby is doing great harm to those folks.

Leslie believes DaBaby will get his ... and repercussions are already coming his way. The rapper was in a collab with the clothing company Boohoo, but he's been unceremoniously dropped.

DaBaby's controversial Rolling Loud performance continues to stir up trouble -- not just for him, but also for his surprise special guest ... Tory Lanez.

ICYMI, DaBaby went out of his way to do a big reveal of Lanez Saturday night during his set at the hip hop festival in Miami, but a lot of fans weren't happy about it ... because Megan Thee Stallion performed on the same stage right before the duo.

Tory's accused of shooting Megan in the foot last summer, and Rolling Loud sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... she and her team at the festival were very upset about him appearing on stage with DaBaby less than an hour after she finished her set.

That's because a judge issued a protective order following the alleged shooting incident, requiring Tory to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan ... and we're told she was still backstage when he took the stage with DaBaby.

Even worse, our sources say Megan's camp is miffed DaBaby performed one of her songs on which he's featured -- "Cash Sh**" -- right before bringing out Lanez. We're told those close to MTS feel this was a giant "f you" to her ... mocking her and the ongoing criminal case with Tory and, in a way, menacing her.

Our sources say after the elaborate reveal of Lanez went down -- and of course, after DaBaby also went on a homophobic rant during his set -- Miami PD were contacted about the possible violation of Megan's protective order ... and the L.A. County D.A.'s office was also informed.

A source close to Tory tells us he never saw Meg at the festival nor do they believe he ever got physically close to her.

Kanye West might be a billionaire, but he certainly isn't living like one ... he just showed off his living situation inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium ... and it's pretty bare-bones.

Mr. West posted this picture of what we're guessing is his bedroom somewhere inside the stadium ... and it's just a bed, some clothes, workout equipment and a TV. Yeezy's also got a couple pairs of shoes and a bottle of water next to the bed ... and it seems he's living out of the suitcase on the floor.

As we first reported ... Kanye is living inside MBS while he finishes up his upcoming album, "Donda."

The stadium played host to Kanye's massive album party last week, and we're told he was so inspired by the crowd, he wanted to stay in the ATL and finish things up as he targets an August 6 release for the album.

Dua Lipa says she's "surprised and horrified" by DaBaby's anti-gay and sexist diatribe during his set at Rolling Loud ... she says it doesn't sound like the artist she thought she knew.

Dua Lipa, who worked on a song with DaBaby last year, just responded to his homophobic rant ... saying she can't believe he's spewing all that hate.

DL says "I don't really recognize this as the person I worked with" ... alluding to their 2020 collab on the song, "Levitating."

As we reported ... DaBaby told folks in the Rolling Loud crowd to put up their cell phone lights, encouraging them to do so in a very disturbing way by telling them ... "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot."

DaBaby tried clearing up the vile comments following tons of backlash, posting a video where he claims the words weren't directed at his gay fans because his gay fans aren't "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies." In other words, he only made things worse.

Dua Lupa makes a clear distinction between her values and DaBaby's rant ... saying she stands "100% with the LGBTQ community" and calling on folks to come together to fight the ignorance and stigma around HIV and AIDS.

DaBaby just attempted to explain why he went on an anti-gay and sexist diatribe during his set at Rolling Loud ... by now saying his gay fans don't have HIV/AIDS because they're not "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies."

ICYMI, the rapper performed at RL over the weekend, and at one point encouraged the crowd to put their cell phone lights up in a very disturbing way ... telling fans to put their phones up, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot."

The rapper attempted to clear up his vile comments Monday, posting a video and claiming his words weren't directed at his gay fans because they're not "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies" and they take care of themselves.

We reached out to festival organizers, but they've been radio silent.

Earlier in his set at RL ... DaBaby also pissed some fans off -- namely, Megan Thee Stallion fans -- when he revealed his surprise guest was Tory Lanez.

Meg had just performed before DaBaby, and in case you forgot ... Lanez is accused of shooting her in the foot after leaving a party last summer. Clearly, many folks think this was deliberate and abhorrent shade thrown at MTS.

Also getting involved in the controversy is T.I., who seemingly defended DaBaby's homophobic comments online, commenting ... "If Lil Nas X can kick his s**t in peace... so should dababy." He added the #equality hashtag as well.

Later, T.I. attempted to clarify his remark by saying he respects gay people, but doesn't believe homosexuals should have more rights than heterosexuals.

He also said he respects all gay people who are living their truth -- like Lil Nas X -- but added that X's performances and music videos "ain't for me" and said he doesn't want his kids watching them either.

Kanye West packed the house for his 'DONDA' listening party -- but he packed in a whole lot more than just that ... dude set a record on Apple that no artist has ever come near.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ye's album event this past week at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record ... with 3.3 million viewers who tuned in on their screens.

That's a heck of a lot more than the previous record, we're told, which was set by Gucci Mane and Jeezy in their highly-anticipated Verzuz battle earlier last year -- at a reported 1.8 million viewers. Kanye practically doubled the number as a solo act!

BTW, the 'DONDA' moment was a one-time deal -- meaning it aired live for people to stream, but hasn't gone back up on Apple for folks to watch again. So, that figure -- 3.3M unique sets of eyeballs -- is a one and done. It'd be a little harder to calculate if the thing was in circulation.

Our sources tell us once Kanye releases Donda -- it's projected to drop August 6 -- the Atlanta performance will be posted to Apple for fans to watch again.

Like we first told you ... even though the event is over, the party's still going for Kanye himself ... who's moved into MB Stadium (temporarily) to finish the album. Apparently, he was so inspired by the energy around him Thursday -- he just nestled in and got back to work.

Kanye West's listening party might be over and done with -- but the man hasn't left the venue where he held it ... he's made the stadium a home until he finishes his album.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Mr. West will miss his weekend performance at Rolling Loud in Miami because he has literally moved into Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

MBS was the location of Kanye's massive album party Thursday -- where scores of people came together to jam out to his new offering, "DONDA," and watch Ye perform.

We're told Ye is STILL IN THE BUIDLING ... and Kanye and team have created a studio space, living quarters and even have a chef to prepare his meals inside MBS.

Kanye was spotted at the Atlanta United soccer game Saturday wearing the exact same outfit he wore at the Donda event ... and had fans wondering -- what are you doing here, bro??? Well, we have the answer -- to put it simply, the guy is still working.

We're told Kanye was so inspired by the "Donda" crowd, he wanted to stay in Atlanta and finish things up ... with a new August 6 release date as the goal.

It's unclear if any totally new tracks will come from Kanye's stadium visit -- or if he's just mixing and mastering -- but it's certainly a unique way to get things done.

Word to the wise ... whenever Travis Scott gets behind the wheel expect a large crowd of devoted fans, and expect 'em to go wild.

The rapper had Miami in sicko mode Friday as he promoted his spiked seltzer, CACTI Agave. Travis is primarily in the 305 for his headlining performance at the Rolling Loud Music Festival, but clearly decided to put some beverage biz on his agenda too.

Travis handed out a bunch of adult beverages at a pop-up and cruised around downtown Miami in the CACTI truck doing what he does best ... struttin' his stuff.

Trav co-founded the drink brand, so he reps for it whenever possible ... but fans were still taken aback by his appearance. They should've seen it coming ... after all, CACTI is the official seltzer sponsor for Rolling Loud. Duh.

Cactus Jack's becoming as well known for his marketing skills as his music. You might recall, back in March, he pulled a similar stunt in La La land ... causing a chaotic scene at several grocery stores.

Kanye West treated his fans to a one-of-a-kind experience at his "Donda" listening event, but he also received a couple gifts after the show ... including one honoring his late mother.

According to our sources ... the City of Atlanta presented the rapper a plaque backstage after his performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kanye was born in ATL, and the city officially proclaimed July 22 Kanye West Day.

On top of that, and perhaps more importantly to Kanye ... Kevin James -- President of ATL's HBCU, Morris Brown College -- was also on hand to give Ye a token of appreciation on behalf of his mom, Donda West, who taught at the school for nearly 2 decades and was Chair of the English Department.

The award presented to Kanye is called the Dr. Donda West Meritorious Service to Morris Brown College. Donda started her career at Morris Brown, which was founded in 1881 and is the only HBCU in Georgia founded by Black people.

As we reported ... Kanye revealed his new album, named after his mother, Thursday night in front of a huge crowd that included Kim Kardashian and their kids, along with Khloe.

Our sources say his family was with him when he received the awards backstage, and he got super emotional about it.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are going through a divorce, but they're still celebrating each other's milestones as a family ... including the release of his 10th studio album.

Kim and all 4 of their kids -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm -- are part of the large crowd Thursday night at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium to enjoy a listening event for Kanye's highly anticipated "Donda" album ... named after his late mother.

One thing is very clear, even though they're not together anymore, the former couple believes it's important to continue supporting one another in their lives and careers.

Along with Kim and the kiddos, Khloe's also in tow to show her support for Ye ... who she recently called her "brother for life."

As we reported ... the first sample we got from "Donda" came via a Beats by Dre commercial this week, featuring his track "No Child Left Behind" and track star Sha'Carri Richardson.

Kanye's 10th album is his first since going gospel in 2019 with "Jesus Is King" ... but it's expected to continue to have a religious theme. For his listening party, he gifted 5,000 tickets to faculty, staff and students from some Atlanta HBCUs.

The seemingly impossible just happened at the end of Kanye's album release event in Atlanta ... Jay-Z hopped on a track, when many believed the two were still enemies.

Kanye played "DONDA" for tens of thousands of fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Thursday. West wore all red -- a look he made famous back in 2010 -- and danced, paced and at times stood totally still while the tracks blasted through stadium speakers.

The album had audio snippets from Kanye's late mother, Donda West, throughout and featured a ton of features -- including Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Don Toliver, Vory and Playboi Carti.

However, it wasn't until the final track where the biggest stunner of the night came ... a song with Jay-Z. What's more, Jay's producer and engineer, Young Guru, tweeted, "HOV did the verse today!!!! At 4pm" ... a possible reason the event's start was delayed almost 2 hours.

If you haven't followed along over the years, the feud between Kanye and HOV came to light in 2014 when Jay and Beyonce didn't attend Kim and Kanye's wedding. Things seemed to spiral after that, including public comments Kanye made during a show in 2016 when he lashed out at Jay-Z for not checking in on his family after Kim was robbed at gunpoint in Paris.

From there ... Jay-Z dissed Kanye on his "4:44" album and Kanye eventually split from Jay's streaming service, Tidal. The two hadn't collabed or been publicly cordial up until Thursday.

Jay-Z and Beyonce are going to be in the market for a cleaning crew ... after a mansion in New Orleans, they reportedly own, caught on fire.

TMZ has confirmed firefighters responded Wednesday night to a 1-alarm fire at the Spanish baroque mansion in the Garden District. We're told the fire department got the call around 6 PM and a little over 2 hours later the fire was fully extinguished.

At this point the extent of the damage is unclear ... but a 1-alarm fire's no joke. Apparently, it took 22 firefighters to knock down the blaze.

Luckily, there were no injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown. Thankfully, a properly working smoke alarm alerted the fire department about the blaze.

As to whether the Carters own the house ... Curbed New Orleans reported back in 2015 the listed owner, Sugarcane Park LLC, shows its mailing address is the one for Bey's management company, Parkwood Entertainment.

As for the house itself ... it was reportedly built in 1925 as a Presbyterian church before it was re-purposed as a ballet school. The 3-story house features a main residence, 3 separate apartments, 26-foot ceilings and a green roof.

UFC star Sean O'Malley and 6ix9ine made their bromance permanent this week ... 'cause Suga let the controversial rapper tattoo his '69' logo on him!!

The duo had a helluva weekend together in Miami ... clubbing, playing softball and eating expensive ass meals out in South Beach.

But, while the good times may fade away, there's one part of their bro-down that won't -- the wild new ink O'Malley got ... with Tekashi taking the matters into his own hands and doing the job himself!!

You can see shirtless O'Malley sitting while Tekashi, needle in hand ... is going to work on his right shoulder.

Granted, celebrity tattoo artist Tatu Panda was there to make sure Tekashi69 didn't screw up ... and eventually took over after the first few minutes.

O'Malley was pleased with his big and bold 69 tat ... saying "you da man!" in the comment section on the Instagram post.

But, Suga wasn't the only one to get tatted by Tekashi ... it looks like YouTuber SteveWillDoIt let him start a tat on his left hand, too!!

No word on if 6ix9ine got a tat as well ... but the dude's clearly running out of room on his body, so who knows?!

Suga recapped the whole weekend on his podcast ... saying Steve even gifted him a sick new Rolex in the process!!

Sha'Carri Richardson isn't competing in the Olympics -- but she's still making it onto millions of TV, phone and tablet screens across the world -- thanks to a new collab with Dr. Dre and Kanye West.

The Dre Beats commercial just aired during Game 6 of the NBA finals between The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.

The ad features Richardson donning a pair of the famous headphones while hitting the track and a never-before-heard Kanye song called, "No Child Left Behind" playing the background. West repeats the lyrics, "He's done miracles on Me" throughout the clip -- seemingly referring to God.

It's the first official listen the public-at-large has gotten of West's upcoming album, titled "DONDA" ... after his late mother. The Beats ad also worked as an announcement that the album will drop Friday.

Richardson has become the most talked about name in sports over the last few weeks after getting suspended and then disqualified from the 2021 Tokyo Game after a positive test for marijuana ... so it makes total sense why Kanye would want to collab for some album press.

Nicki Minaj is hooking up the mall cop who let one of her fans rap in a Zara, and it sounds like his 15 minutes of fame comes with an added bonus ... some social media clout with the Barbz!!!

We got the security guard, Michael, out Monday in NYC after he'd gone viral for letting one of Nicki's barbz, Zha Chanel, perform a cover of the new track, "Whole Lotta Money" ... on which Minaj features.

Michael was actually with Zha when he told us what went down when Nicki let her followers know she was looking for him to give him a gift for looking the other way during Zha's impromptu gig.

Sounds like Zha -- along with Michael's store manager -- went out of their way to get him connected to Nicki, and he says he couldn't believe it.

After Nicki got proof it was really him, she told Michael she was going to like one of his Instagram pics to get the likes rolling in ... and he says his phone's been blowing up ever since.

Even better -- she also tagged him in one of her IG stories ... so now his follower count's skyrocketing too!

Michael says he's enjoying the ride, and he's not sure if he's going to get in any trouble for letting Zha do her thing, but he doesn't care if he does -- he's just happy to support Black artists, and get some positive vibes in return.

Dr. Dre's son, Curtis Young, is ready to step out from his father's shadow and make a name for himself in Hollywood ... and he's doing it by landing a starring role in a feature film.

Curtis tells TMZ ... he's not only starring in the new film, "Charge It to the Game," but also composing original music for the movie.

The film is a coming-of-age story about 4 best friends finding their way through adolescence and navigating obstacles along the way ... and Curtis says he's playing the role of Kong, one of the friends' older brothers.

It's pretty cool ... Curtis says his character's younger brother is being played by Snoop Dogg's son, Julian Broadus ... and Swizz Beat's son, Nasir Dean, is playing one of the 4 best friends.

Curtis, who says he's always wanted to get into acting because art's in his blood, will score the film with Nasir.

His big break's been a long time coming ... Curtis had auditioned to play his father in "Straight Out of Compton," but didn't get the part, even though he felt he had a good shot.