TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Travis Scott is taking heat for apparently not reacting appropriately to scores of fans who were in distress, unlike other musicians who critics feel handled similar scenarios better.

A few different clips are making the rounds Sunday ... posted by folks who are pissed at TS for seemingly dragging his feet in shutting down his set as people in the crowd were dropping like flies all around him -- something Travis says he was not fully aware of.

However, many aren't buying that -- and feel he could've (and should've) done better, like Dave Grohl once did, or Billie Eilish once did ... or even like Playboi Carti did a few months ago.

The first video that's being compared to the Astroworld fiasco is a concert DG and the Foo Fighters put on in 2018 down in Minnesota ... where the frontman stopped the show to a dead halt to address a kid he saw near the front who didn't have a seat.

Dave moved mountains mid-performance to accommodate the boy and his parent -- something the child's folks appreciated after the fact. Not entirely the same as what went down at Astroworld, but it just shows ... Dave is aware of his audience even while playing.

Then, there's Billie ... who also paused her concert in 2018 over in Stockholm after fans in the crowd pointed out to her that someone had passed out, with BE handing down water from the stage and making sure the girl was alright. This didn't appear to be nearly as packed as Travis' concert was -- but still, people are making the comparison.

Finally, we have Playboi ... who paused his set over the summer at Lollapalooza after a stagehand rushed up to him as he was taking center stage to tell him folks were going unconscious -- something PC literally addressed to the crowd right on the spot.

To be fair to Travis ... there are countless instances of big concerts continuing on as people fell ill or unconscious or anything else out in the sea of bodies -- something the performing artist cannot always see or take notice of considering the circumstances, even if it's up close.

The most prominent example of this occurring -- namely, the show carrying on while chaos unfolds below -- is Michael Jackson ... who would often cause fans to pass out/faint/convulse just seeing him ... which would require them to be carried out and away.

We're not aware of too many times where Mike stopped everything to check on one fan -- and, frankly, that's not really realistic to expect either for a concert of that size.

Kylie Jenner echoed the sentiments of her partner, Travis Scott, saying they're heartbroken over the Astroworld tragedy that claimed 8 lives and injured hundreds -- insisting Travis was not aware of the severity of the situation when he was performing as the crowd surged.

Kylie said, "Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events."

She went on to address criticism that Travis stayed on stage performing for 40 minutes after the tragedy unfolded ... "And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community, I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing."

Kylie -- who's pregnant with her and Travis' second child -- along with 3-year-old Stormi were at the venue but far away from the crush of people. Kendall Jenner was also with them.

Earlier Travis posted, "I'm honestly just devastated ... We're actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.

As for Kylie, she ended with words of sympathy ... "I am sending my deepest condolences to all the families during this difficult time and will be praying for the healing of everyone who has been impacted."

Jenner was criticized online for leaving up Instagram stories of the crowd, which appeared to show an ambulance trying to make its way through.

The festival is getting severely criticized for not stopping the concert, despite emergency responders declaring the scene a "mass casualty" event as they tried resuscitating some of the victims.

Travis Scott was mostly oblivious to what was going on around him Friday night during his Astroworld set -- including the fact people were dying around him ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is utterly devastated over what transpired Friday, and he's beside himself over it. We're told he's been crying since it all happened, and he's an emotional wreck.

We're told he wasn't aware of the extent of what was happening around him -- people going into cardiac arrest, etc. -- and thought what few people he did see being attended to were folks who'd simply passed out from dehydration.

It's not uncommon for that type of thing to happen ... especially at a packed festival like this.

We're told Trav did, in fact, stop the show a few times to check on people who appeared to be unconscious or in distress, alerting security and other personnel over to them for assistance. But, our sources say he simply didn't realize how bad it actually was.

Not just that, but we're told neither he nor his camp were even informed about deaths or hospitalizations until after the show was done. As we reported ... a total of 8 people have died thus far, and dozens more were injured and hospitalized, including several minors.

As for Kylie ... our sources say she too is quite upset, and is trying to console Travis as best she can by being there for him.

Like we first told you, there were sightings of at least one person getting jabbed in the neck with a needle ... something Houston PD confirmed as accurate. It's unclear if that may have led to all of the cardiac arrests, or just one or a few -- but it'll certainly be looked at as part of the wider probe.

Justin Bieber is ready for winter early thanks to Kanye's new line of Yeezys -- only this time, they're boots ... and not too different from what a kid might wear for his first time in ice.

The Biebs grabbed a morning bite Saturday at the Bel-Air Hotel with his wife, Hailey, and his outfit screamed "Ma, it's snowing!" ... at least from his calves down. His upper half was pretty normal, but JB was wearing the just-released Yeezy NSTLD Boots, Khaki in color.

As you can see ... Justin wanted to show them off in full, so he wore them over his pant legs, tucking in the loose ends so the boots were prominently displayed. Indeed, they're pretty puffy ... and bulky. But ... are they, like, stylish???

Bieber sure seems to think so -- these things just went on sale to the public Friday, and they were retailing for over $300. So, clearly, Justin wanted to get his hands on a pair and rock them ASAP.

We'll say this ... they look part-UGG boot and part-space boot, and are obviously laced with Kanye's signature Yeezy design for the bottom portion. It's also very much so in line with the poofy aesthetic Ye's been running with lately -- specifically, from his Gap Round jacket.

Travis Scott's first night of his Astroworld concert in Houston turned into a horrific tragedy Friday night ... leaving 8 people dead and more than 300 injured, and there were signs of trouble even before the concert began.

50,000 people filled the sold-out venue, when, at around 9 PM people began surging toward the stage. People started getting crushed and panic ensued. According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, "People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic."

At least 8 people died in the stampede. 11 people went into cardiac arrest and were rushed to the hospital. More than 300 fans went to the field hospital near the venue.

Someone working the festival tells TMZ ... people were hopping on camera platforms, begging concert staff to end the show after the stampede erupted. They said, "Anything climbable was climbed." They also say there were several thousand pairs of shoes left behind as people fled. When the concert shut down, they said a stage manager said the venue was now "a crime scene."

The scene was chaotic ... medical personnel could not handle all the injured. There is video showing some of them performing CPR.

One concertgoer named Madeline, a nurse, tells TMZ, she was there with her boyfriend when Travis took the stage. During the first song, people started pushing toward the stage and she says she began to feel light-headed, telling us, "I passed out from the constant pressure on my chest and was one of the first people to be carried," adding, "They threw me on top of other people and crowd surfed me to other people, who lifted me over a fence where security was waiting." She says "security guards were bringing bodies from that area to the VIP area," as Travis kept performing, adding, "I see security carrying people who are not moving." She says once she regained her senses, she began administering first aid to others.

A slew of ambulances rushed to the scene ... which became direr every minute.

Before chaos erupted, Travis stopped the show several times during his 75-minute set ... after noticing some of the fans in the front seemed in distress. He told security to make sure they weren't hurt. At one point Travis asked for security to help a specific individual.

Shortly before the surge, Drake had performed with Travis ... and there was no indication the crowd would try to rush the stage.

However, there were some signs of trouble even before the show. A slew of fans knocked over barricades and rushed into the venue.

Kylie Jenner was on hand for the festival as the chaos erupted. She was there with her and Travis's daughter Stormi. As far as we know, they're fine. They were not sitting near the crush.

A reunification center was set up at a nearby hotel, so family members of concert-goers could reunite.

The Medical Examiner is in the process of determining the cause of death of the 8 fatalities.

This was the first night of what was supposed to be a 3-day festival. The second night has already been canceled.

Jay-Z was trying to walk a fine line while talking about Dave Chappelle's new comedy special -- but it's clear which side of the debate he lands on ... and that would be in DC's camp.

The rapper spoke on the controversy surrounding "The Closer" Friday on a Twitter Space audio conversation -- one that was being hosted by Netflix's Strong Black Lead account, no less. Somebody asked him point-blank about what he thought, and Jay shared.

Check it out ... Jay-Z says Dave is "super brave," going on to say if you spend time with him, you'll see he's "brilliant." Now, Jay does admit Dave pushed a lot of buttons -- ones that apparently made HOV squirm, as he describes -- but in the end, he considers it "true art."

He goes on to say we're in a time now where people can't have discussions with others who disagree with them -- emblematic in the reaction to Dave's stand-up -- and Jay thinks ... that kinda sucks.

Eventually, the person seemingly moderating the convo asks Jay if he thinks the special was divisive -- and Jay tries to dissociate Dave's special with what he considers great art, which he describes as oftentimes being divisive. While he tried to separate the two, it's clear he thinks Dave's show might fall into that "great art" category.

It's also obvious Jay has no real problem with Dave, evidenced in the fact that he invited him to be one of the keynote speakers at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a week ago ... and was more than happy to pose and smile with the guy.

Soulja Boy was almost, ALMOST, at a loss for words when he heard Kanye West trash a verse he recorded for "Donda" ... telling us Ye previously said he liked it.

The former Mr. West made headlines Thursday during his interview on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs," where he talked marriage, money, fashion and music. One of the more notable moments came when Ye opened up about his recent beef with Soulja Boy.

If you hadn't heard, Soulja was pissed after Kanye released "Donda" without a verse Soulja recorded for the project. When asked why he left Soulja off, Ye not so shyly said it was crap ... and that's why it didn't make the cut.

Well, Soulja tells us Ye's words on 'Champs' stunned him, because in person, Ye had praised his verse ... so to hear the opposite now really surprised him.

It wasn't, however, all bad -- Kanye did give SB some props during the interview, calling him one of the top 5 most influential rappers of all time for modern artists.

Talib Kweli is going all Jack Nicholson on Kanye West ... he says Yeezy doesn't like him because Ye can't handle the truth!!!

The rapper and activist is firing back at Kanye after Ye ripped him a new one, telling TMZ ... the beef is all over Talib's disapproval of Ye's support of Donald Trump and right-wing rhetoric.

Talib tells us Kanye doesn't like hearing from Kweli about how his support for Trump puts a target on the backs of minorities, at least in Talib's mind, but TK says he still loves Mr. West.

Kanye ignited this new back and forth when he went OFF on Talib this week on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs" ... saying Common's a better artist, declaring himself way more popular and clowning Talib for wearing baseball caps.

Talib says he has no bones to pick with Kanye on two of those subjects ... telling us he's honored just to be compared to Common, and explaining why he's not trying to beat Kanye in a popularity contest.

Sounds like the baseball hat diss might have struck a nerve ... Talib says his headwear is more diverse than Kanye wants folks to believe, and he takes a few shots at Kanye's taste in anything above the shoulders.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has plenty of money to spread around, and he recently did just that ... pouring millions into Ice Cube's growing Big3 basketball league.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ, Ye was brought in as a new league investor during the 2021 season. Our sources say Ye invested somewhere in the mid to high seven-figure mark, and league cofounders Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz also invested additional money into Big3.

As for what sparked the news ... Kanye let the cat out of the bag on his league involvement during a lengthy sit-down interview on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs." Ye mentioned his negotiations with Cube, saying he'll only sign a contract that's one page or less.

Big3 -- a league featuring former NBA superstars as well as international players -- was first announced in 2017 and has grown in popularity ever since. The league features 12 teams, playing throughout the United States, and a 3-on-3 competition style.

Kanye was actually spotted at a 3-on-3 game back in July in Vegas chatting Cube up courtside ... gotta imagine they were talking business.

As far as Kanye West is concerned, Kim Kardashian is still his wife ... and while that might still be true legally, it doesn't seem like a long-term possibility.

Ye sat down with the guys on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs" Thursday in an interview that, based on Kanye's haircut, was recorded several weeks ago. Ye talked music, money, fashion and family ... but the part about his relationship with Kim seemed to cause the most buzz.

The former Mr. West says Kim is still his wife because there "ain't no paperwork" to say otherwise. Of course, the two have been going through a divorce -- which has remained very amicable -- for several months now ... it hasn't yet been finalized, so technically Kim and Kanye still are married.

We've seen both support each other in recent career endeavors -- Kim at Ye's "Donda" listening events and Kanye joining Kim in NYC when she hosted 'SNL.'

However, through all of those things -- the divorce was still moving forward -- and most recently, Kim bought the couple's Hidden Hills estate from Kanye for $23 million ... a sure sign the divorce won't be called off.

Of course, Kim has also been hanging with Pete Davidson in the last week ... first hitting Knott's Berry Farm in CA before joining him twice in NYC for dinner.

DaBaby is going back on tour after his homophobic comments, and it's all backed by Rolling Loud -- the festival where he made those remarks -- which believes he's a changed man.

Here's the deal ... DaBaby just announced a 22-show tour presented by Rolling Loud called "Live Show Killa Tour." The rapper's touting it as "THE SHOW YOU THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER SEE AGAIN" ... clearly jabbing at people who wanted him canceled.

A rep for Rolling Loud tells TMZ ... RL supports second chances and believes DaBaby has grown and learned from his experience, and everyone will be welcome at the shows.

As you know ... there was a massive backlash against DaBaby after the homophobic rant at Rolling Loud in Miami -- he was dropped from the lineup of a few festivals.

But, he returned to a Rolling Loud stage last month in NYC, where he joined his buddy 50 Cent as a special guest.

Sources close to DaBaby tell TMZ ... he inked the tour deal with RL prior to his appearance with Fiddy, but no earlier than a month ago.

DaBaby is A-OK to hit live stages again, because he's come a long way since his homophobic rants ... so says one LGBTQ org which is OK with his performing, but NOT Dave Chappelle.

The CEO for Relationship Unleashed, Gwendolyn D. Clemons, tells TMZ ... she and her cohorts at the nonprofit approve of DB's appearance at Rolling Loud NY last week -- and any future concerts -- as they feel he's learned a lot over the past few months.

Clemons says DaBaby met with them as well as 100+ other orgs that advocate for the LGBTQ community -- and insists they got through to him on why his diatribe about AIDS was hurtful and harmful.

RU gave DB a history lesson of sorts and educated the guy ... including how HIV/AIDS affects people in his native Charlotte, NC -- something Clemons thinks resonated with DaBaby, whom she believes did not understand what he was saying.

Clemons says DaBaby was coming from a place of ignorance, but she says now he gets it ...  and that's why Relationship Unleashed can cosign his latest Rolling Loud cameo, and others to come.

As for Mr. Chappelle -- she's not forgiving, telling us the comedian has not shown any empathy or remorse ... adding Dave knows exactly what he's doing. BTW, Dave would agree he knows exactly what he's doing, which is not to apologize because he says he is in no way shape or form transphobic.

Quavo is hoping time away from the Falcons is what Calvin Ridley needs ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to see the Atlanta star receiver get better ASAP.

We got the rapper -- who's one of the biggest Falcons fans on the planet -- out in NYC on Monday ... and he made it clear he has no issues whatsoever with Ridley stepping away from his favorite team in order to focus on his mental health.

Quavo wished Ridley a speedy recovery ... telling our camera guy before heading into a secret show for NBA Top Shot, "I hope he get well."

Ridley missed the Falcons' game against the Jets earlier this season for a personal matter ... and after missing the team's loss to the Panthers for the same reason -- the 26-year-old explained he's been battling mental health issues the last few weeks and needs time away from the gridiron.

"I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental wellbeing," he said Sunday. "This will help me be the best version of myself now and in the future."

No timetable has been given for a potential return to the lineup ... but every one from his teammates to his former head coach, Dan Quinn, has supported his decision.

Kanye West is continuing his friendship with Marilyn Manson -- going so far as to invite the guy to his newest Sunday Service ... and even going in on a prayer together.

Ye kicked off a new round of worship and gospel singing Sunday -- and he invited the embattled rocker, who's been accused of sexual misconduct by several women, to join in on the gathering. Manson was standing front and center alongside the rest of the choir.

Everyone was wearing white ... and some even had hoods and face coverings over their heads. At one point, Ye and MM bowed toward each other ... touching foreheads and closing their eyes. Speaking of eyes ... looks like Mr. West has lost his brows, and his hair.

BTW, Manson wasn't the only famous person there ... one Justin Bieber was also on hand, and he too appeared to be joining them for the spiritual moment. He also got on the mic at one point ... and said a few words. He mostly kept his hood on, seemingly trying to lay low.

There's no question though ... he was there, and standing shoulder to shoulder wtih Ye and Manson.

So many reactions to this -- including a lot of indignation that Ye would actually invite somebody like Manson to something like this ... presumably, a sanctified meeting on Christians. Beyond Manson's mere public image as the exact opposite of that ... folks can't help but point to the allegations against him as a major reason he shouldn't be there.

Fact is ... Marilyn stands accused of sexually assaulting and/or abusing multiple women, dating back years -- all of which he had vehemently denied, and is fighting in court.

He has insisted that all of these liaisons were completely consensual, and a lot of them were straight-up relationships he was in ... but the women have characterized it in much different terms, especially Evan Rachel Wood ... who's been the most outspoken about this.

This probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone -- Kanye has already indicated he's cool with Manson ... evident in the fact that he featured him in his latest album.

He also invited the man to one of his "Donda" listening events ... ditto for DaBaby, who's been getting public heat of late. Unclear if his cozying up to Manson means he believes him (and not the women) ... or if he's bringing him in as a gesture of forgiveness or something.

Drake was feeling it Saturday night, with a little help from a beverage.

Drake hosted a rap battle Saturday night in Long Beach, and he may not have been 3 sheets, but surely at least 2!

He was at the "Til Death Do Us Part" show, and as he chit-chatted with Nunu Nellz, it doesn't take an alcohol expert to see ... Drake was under the influence and having a blast. He wasn't in costume, but Drake's famous enough to be himself. Yeah, that doesn't really make sense.

There were tons of parties Saturday night in Hollywood and parts surrounding .... including one hosted by Alessandra Ambrosia which attacked a gaggle of celebs, including Meagan Good, Doja Cat, Tyga, Ryan Phillippe, Victoria Justice and Jeff Ross.

After the rap battle, Drake left for parts or parties unknown, but it's clear ... he had a better time than most.

Happy Halloween!!!

All Yung Bleu wanted was a baby monkey ... instead, he mistakenly ended up with a baby baboon -- which grows quite a bit bigger -- but he's crossing his fingers and trying to make it work.

We got the "You're Mines Still" rapper at SIXTY LES Hotel in NYC and our guy asked him about his little monkey mix-up.

Bleu says the guy he got the pet from told him it was a monkey, but when he started showing the critter off on social media, folks turned him on to what was really going on ... and a quick Google search confirmed he'd been misled.

But, YB tells us he's not mad about what he considers false advertising ... and it's pretty clear in the video he's got a special connection with the baboon, which he's named Moon Vandross.

Sounds like he could have been in a worse spot -- Bleu tells us why this specific type of baboon won't grow up to be a big problem. He hopes.