TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

LaMelo Ball or high-flying Miles Bridges didn't make the most spectacular play of the Hornets game ... that honor belonged to hip-hop star DaBaby, who saved Gordon Hayward from taking a nasty spill!

The North Carolina native was on hand Monday night to take in some NBA action ... as his hometown Hornets battled the 76ers in an Eastern Conference showdown.

It's not uncommon for the "Baby on Baby" rapper to sit courtside at the Hornets game ... he's a big supporter and always puts on for the city of Charlotte.

But, last night he was way more than just a spectator in the crowd.

Hayward attempted to save a ball before it went out of bounds ... and his momentum carried him into the first row of the stands, sending Gordon tumbling into DaBaby's arms.

After helping the hooper get stead on his feet, DaBaby jumped back into fan mode, pumping up Hayward as he returned to the court.

That wasn't the only memorable moment from the Hornets-76ers game ... minutes after Hayward's spill, Kelly Oubre Jr. blew a wide-open layup with the game tied at 119 in overtime.

Despite the blunder, Oubre finished the game with 28 points ... shooting 6-10 from 3-point range.

Virgil Abloh was honored in a big way in his hometown -- with a memorial service full of big names ... including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, just to name a few.

The service went down Monday at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Chicago, with scores of people showing up ... including the above-mentioned names, and many more. Other stars who were there -- Tyler the Creator (who delivered an emotional eulogy), Drake, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean and A$AP Rocky.

Like we said ... TTC was one of the handful of folks who spoke, and he ended up breaking down in tears remembering Virgil.

It turned out to be more than just a somber affair -- there was a live performance put on by none other than Lauryn Hill, who was also wiping away tears throughout. All in all, the service made for a lot of waterworks, and a lot of tributes and stories in Virgil's name.

On the way out, paps caught Kim with some shades on ... and also snapped RiRi and A$AP arm in arm, with everyone looking pretty blue. Ye was spotted outside too -- but he actually stopped to sign a bunch of autographs for people.

As we reported ... Virgil recently passed away from cancer -- a private battle he didn't disclose publicly, but only his closest friends were aware of. He'd just been tapped to head up Louis Vuitton's men's line as their artistic director -- this after a successful run as CEO of Off-White, his own fashion house.

The news sent shockwaves across Hollywood and beyond -- with an untold number of stars coming out with condolences ... as Virgil had friends far and wide in the entertainment industry.

Drake won't be partaking in the upcoming Grammy Awards -- despite being nominated -- because the guy just pulled his submissions ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper has withdrawn his 2 Grammy nominations -- one for Best Rap Album in "Certified Lover Boy" and another for Best Rap Performance in "Way 2 Sexy" -- after having gotten nods about two weeks ago.

A source close to Drake tells us the decision was made by Drake and his management team,  and the Grammys board respected it. Variety was first to report Drake's withdraw.

He's obviously no stranger to the award ceremony -- having racked up multiple wins over the years, including one in 2019 -- but Drake has also publicly noted he isn't a fan of accolades like this ... saying they're virtually meaningless.

He was also one of the first to speak up after The Weeknd was snubbed by the ceremony, saying, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards."

Of course, this move might have more to do with his involvement in Astroworld Fest than his stance on awards -- the guy's been relatively low-key since the tragedy, especially since he's been named in a few of the lawsuits that have surfaced thus far.

Travis Scott doesn't believe he should be tied to litigation when it comes to the tragedy that happened at Astroworld ... which is why he's asking a judge to nix one of the lawsuits against him.

The rapper just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, denying the claims against him by a guy named Jessie Garcia, who's alleging he was in the crowd at the festival. Trav's asking that his suit be dismissed with prejudice ... specifically, as it pertains to TS himself, his company (Jack Enterprises) and his foundation/label (Cactus Jack).

Travis is issuing a "general denial," which is a legal term in civil suits that allows one to submit one blanket response to all the allegations against them.

In other words, Travis is making clear that the deaths and injuries are not his responsibility, and he's asking the judge to toss the suit against him and his entities.

BTW, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is planning to issue a similar response for every civil suit against him -- and trust us, there are many. He might be able to do it in one fell swoop though -- last week, there was a motion filed to combine all 275 cases that have been filed thus far into one "multi-district litigation," which would consolidate many of the suits.

The reason for the ask is because a lot of the claims are eerily similar ... so just for efficiency, they're asking one judge be assigned to the case. The court has yet to rule.

Lil Wayne allegedly pulled an assault rifle on one of his own bodyguards during a dispute at his home, and now police are looking into the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of the rapper's guards told cops he and Wayne got into a fight at Weezy's Hidden Hills, CA home, and cops say they were told the altercation escalated to physical violence and a brandished firearm.

We're told the guard claims Wayne told him to get outta the house after the initial dispute, but the guard went to the bathroom first and he claims that's when Wayne dramatically escalated things.

We've spoken with a source close to Wayne who strongly denies the incident even happened ... and tell us Wayne doesn't even have a gun.

That's not however, what the guard told cops ... our sources say the guard claimed Lil Wayne pulled out an AR-15 ... and that's when the guard booked it out of the house to the gated community's guard shack, where he called police.

We're told cops went to Weezy's place to get his side of the story, but he was already gone. The guard told police the fight started with Wayne accusing him of taking photos and leaking them to the media.

Other law enforcement sources involved in the case tell TMZ ... cops have issues with the guard's story, and they say he did not have any marks on his body or injuries from the alleged physical confrontation.

We're told the guard also does not want to press charges against Wayne -- and while police have doubts about some of the allegations, they will nevertheless investigate.

DaBaby is putting his Sin City battery case behind him -- we've learned the charges against him have been dismissed.

According to online court records, the misdemeanor battery charge was dismissed with prejudice ... meaning the case is over and done, and can't be refiled.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... the charges were dismissed because DaBaby satisfied everything prosecutors asked him to do in order to resolve the case, including paying the alleged victim $7,500 and staying out of trouble.

TMZ broke the story ... a driver in Las Vegas came forward with allegations against DaBaby back in February, claiming the rapper attacked him during a ride in November 2020. DaBaby's camp described the allegations at the time as a "money grab."

DaBaby's attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, tell TMZ ... the rapper denied the allegations and was prepared to fight the case in court.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are, indeed, legitimate love birds -- something that's called into question via a leaked magazine story, which suggests the exact opposite.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... KJ and TS are 100% together at the moment -- meaning they're romantically involved and, presumably, exclusive too. Not just that, but we're told they were a full-blown couple when this whole profile was coming together for W Mag.

The article/accompanying shoot seems to have been whipped up in early November.

Their relationship, as described to us now, is characterized quite differently in the latest issue of W -- for which Kylie and Travis were supposed to share the cover in a big feature story and photo spread ... but was scrapped in the wake of the Astroworld Fest tragedy.

W Mag scrambled to yank hard copy issues that had been mailed out -- but, clearly, some of them made their way to people's homes. TMZ obtained a copy, including the content inside -- and the author claims Kylie and Travis aren't actually together as a traditional couple.

The author writes, "Travis and Kylie seemed very comfortable under the sheets, but even though they will soon have two children together -- their daughter, Stormi, is 3 -- they are not a couple, and haven't been in two years. They're the modern family!"

W goes on to say Kylie seems to be following in the footsteps of her sisters, some of whom had kids with men ... without necessarily ever marrying them.

Like we said, the way W chronicles their relationship is pure speculation -- per our sources -- and you can tell as much because neither Kylie nor Travis is ever quoted directly about defining it or framing it. The writer just states it as fact, which is incorrect.

Cardi B partied at the Maxim Saturday night in Miami at Art Basel.

She started her night pouring Whipshots at the Good Time Hotel then hit up the SLS hotel in Miami Beach for the Maxim Art Basel Party. She showed off some serious Cardi moves ... as the crowd clapped and cheered.

She made the rounds ... several parties in town were rocked by CB. And here's the thing ... unlike so many celebs who tend to just hang with each other, Cardi loves interacting with everyone ... you see from the video, she just loves the company of everyone. A refreshing change.

At the Maxim party, she was there with Offset, just kinda hangin' with him and drinking Dano's Tequila. Teyana Taylor and Karrueche Tran were also there. Best part is when Cardi and Offset leave ... she just started busting a move as she headed for their car.

There is also a video of Cardi and Offset arriving at a club in Miami and Cardi appearing to tell the bouncers to let the black women in.

Cardi's had a big week ... Playboy just announced she'll be its first Creative Director in Residence ... which she calls "a dream come true."

Daymond John told us on "TMZ Live" Friday this was a super brilliant move for Playboy to become relevant again.

Lil Uzi Vert didn't skimp on his girlfriend's birthday -- the guy rented out a whole theme park for her ... which cost him a pretty penny and then some.

The rapper took over Nickelodeon Studios Park at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey -- with about 20 of his buddies tagging along for the festivities Friday ... all in honor of JT's 29th birthday. JT is one half of the City Girls, and has been dating Uzi for a while now.

Anyway, sources familiar with the excursion tell us it was about $50k or so to get the whole place to themselves. Even though it's inside a shopping center, the park is decked out with dozens of rides, including a roller coaster and a Drop Zone type of attraction.

Speaking of those ... Uzi and JT were front and center for a lot of those rides, posing for pics and looking like they were having a blast.

There were more than just thrills to be had, BTW ... Uzi gifted JT a new car as well -- a McLaren, no less -- among other things, which she seemed to appreciate.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott were put on ice by W Magazine -- they were supposed to appear on the cover but the mag pulled the plug after Astroworld -- but the cover photo has apparently leaked.

This video is now making the rounds ... it's actually just a video of the alleged cover photo, and you can see why W felt it was the wrong time wrong place. It shows a pregnant Kylie and Travis with Stormi in a sweet pose. Travis appears to be listening to their unborn child's heartbeat. We're told Travis, Kylie and W made the decision amicably to not run the cover.

Sources close to the two tell us they're still very much together as a couple. This after rumors swirled that Kylie split with Travis following the fallout.

The cover surely wouldn't sit well the families of the 10 people who died during the Astroworld fiasco and the hundreds who were injured, and that would explain why W would want to 86 the cover photo.

A W insider told Page Six, "W editors have cleared any planned coverage of Travis and Kylie from their website, but the magazine was already printed, and now they are trying to stop the delivery trucks," adding, "In light of what happened at Astroworld, the interview and cover lines seem inappropriate, to say the least."

It's clear many of the families are angry at Travis ... the family of Ezra Blount, the 9-year-old who died at the festival, rejected Travis' offer to cover funeral expenses, and they're not alone.

TMZ has spoken to attorneys repping the families of 14-year-old John Hilgert and 27-year-old Danish Baig -- both of whom perished during the event. In each of their cases ... the families have opted to snub TS, with one family suggesting it's a slap in the face.

Attorney Michael Lyons -- who's representing Baig's family in a civil lawsuit against Travis and others -- tells us ... "We received a written offer from Travis Scott's attorney Dan Petrocelli indicating that he would pay $7,500 in funeral burial costs and my clients are rejecting that."

Atlanta voters weren't swayed by T.I. and Isaac Hayes III spreading fake news about mayoral candidate Felicia Moore and strip clubs -- according to one of the city's former mayors, she just got drubbed.

We got Kasim Reed, who served as Atlanta's mayor from 2010 to 2018, at LAX and asked him about Moore's gripe that celebs spreading misinformation about her plans to shutter strip joints led to her defeat in the runoff election.

Kasim says Felicia needs to just move on, because the voters clearly said "bye Felicia" at the voting booth ... pointing out she lost with just 41% of the vote, compared to the winner, Andre Dickens, who got more than 60%.

TMZ broke the story ... Felicia claims T.I. and Isaac damaged her chances by spreading fake news from an article they screen-grabbed and reposted with the headline, "Woman Running for Atlanta Mayor Promises to CLOSE ALL STRIP CLUBS!!!"

While Kasim admits T.I. and other celebs carry some weight in Atlanta, he says their influence is just a drop in the bucket compared to the 20% losing margin for Moore.

Diddy is swooping in to try to save his namesake brand ... and he's got grand plans to breathe life back into Sean John.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the music and fashion mogul's company recently bid $3.3 million to buy the clothing line's assets out of bankruptcy.

Diddy founded the fashion and lifestyle brand way back in 1998, but as it stands now, the brand management firm, GBG USA Inc., which owns 90% of Sean John, is currently in bankruptcy.

The company has reportedly been looking for someone to come in and buy the brand since May ... and now Diddy is stepping up and looking to be the winning bidder.

Sources close to Diddy tell TMZ ... he is very excited about the prospect of reacquiring Sean John and if successful, he plans to reinvigorate the brand.

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know who Drake is?!?

The last two people who don't might've ended up courtside next to the megastar at the OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets game on Wednesday ... and the interaction is priceless!!!

The "Certified Lover Boy" was sitting in the front row as the Rockets were set to take the court in OKC ... and when cameras started showing Drizzy at his seat, the old guy sitting next to him seemed to ask if he was someone of importance.

Drake was clearly amused by whatever was said -- he starts cracking up and calls for the camera to focus on his new friend ... as Rumble, OKC's mascot, comes over to join in on the fun.

After the interaction, Drake and his new friends even posed for a selfie ... captioning it, "My new parents."

BTW -- Drake was at the game to support fellow Toronto guy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ... who chatted it up with him after scoring 39 points in the 114-110 loss.

T.I. and Isaac Hayes III might have helped to end Felicia Moore's shot at being Atlanta's next mayor by spreading fake news about her and strip clubs ... at least according to the candidate herself.

Moore, who just lost ATL's runoff race against Andre Dickens, tells TMZ ... T.I. and Hayes have been spreading "lies" about her and her proposed policies, which likely helped to tip the scales against her in the final days leading up to election day. Now, she's calling them out over it and thinks others should too.

The misinformation Moore thinks they spread is a made-up smear against her based on an article they screen-grabbed and reposted -- its headline read, "Woman Running for Atlanta Mayor Promises to CLOSE ALL STRIP CLUBS!!!"

Neither Tip nor Hayes -- son of late, great soul singer Isaac Hayes -- attached the OG source, but the story can be easily found with a search.

The article posted an out-of-context clip of Moore from years ago -- talking about special use permits for certain businesses -- which had nothing to do with strip clubs.

Instead, it was about recording studios -- Moore says she never mentioned strip clubs during the campaign, and thinks T.I. was well aware of that when he showcased the bogus headline. She says the rapper's been outspoken against her, so she sees this as just another attempt to make her look bad.

Travis Scott offered to pay for burial costs for the deceased of Astroworld Fest -- but more families of those who died are giving him the cold shoulder ... turning down his cash.

TMZ has spoken to attorneys repping the families of 14-year-old John Hilgert and 27-year-old Danish Baig -- both of whom perished during the event. In each of their cases ... the families have opted to snub TS, with one family suggesting it's a slap in the face.

Attorney Michael Lyons -- who's representing Baig's family in a civil lawsuit against Travis and others -- tells us ... "We received a written offer from Travis Scott's attorney Dan Petrocelli indicating that he would pay $7,500 in funeral burial costs and my clients are rejecting that."

As for why ... Lyons says the Baig family wants Travis nowhere near their son's burial, adding ... "[Y]ou can infer that when a parent has to bury their child that they're not really interested in people who may have contributed to that being involved."

Ditto for the Mithoff law firm, which is representing Hilgert's family in a similar lawsuit against Travis -- although, they didn't explain why they're rejecting the offer -- only saying they turned it down. No word on whether it was also in the amount of $7,500.

Speaking of these lawsuits, we asked Lyons what he and the family hope to gain going forward (besides damages) -- and he tells us his clients are hopeful for legislative reform so that this can never happen again.

As we reported ... the family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount also rejected Travis' offer for burial costs. While it's unclear if any family has taken him up on the offer -- we wouldn't be surprised if all of them forgo his dough.

Virgil Abloh was honored by some of his closest friends -- including Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Kid Cudi -- along with fashion industry titans during a beautiful show in Miami.

The Louis Vuitton runway show titled "Virgil Was Here" just wrapped, featuring all-new looks from the brand directly inspired by the late creative director. Ye, who was one of Virgil's closest friends, had a front-row seat next to North, followed by Kim ... and Kid Cudi, who was also close to Virgil, walked as a model in the show.

The show opened with words from Virgil, talking about how he'd encourage adults to create like they were children ... Quavo, Pharrell, Gunna, Lil Baby, 21 Savage and Joe Jonas were also in attendance.

Kim posted a touching tribute to Abloh Monday, saying, "God doesn’t make mistakes. I know that but I still can’t help but ask why. Why Virgil?! Why him so soon? it’s simply hard to understand why. I have a hard time understanding why so many pure souls were taken away so early."

The show wrapped with the LV design team, some in tears, getting a standing round of ovation from those in attendance followed by Virgil's voice saying, "Life is so short that you can't waste a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do vs. what you CAN do." and a beautiful firework show with the city of Miami as the backdrop.

"Virgil Was Here" comes less than a week after the 41-year-old's sudden and tragic death.