TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Drake and Ye wouldn't be getting ready for tonight's huge Larry Hoover benefit concert at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum if music mogul J. Prince hadn't stepped in to broker their peace treaty ... and he's telling TMZ how he pulled it off.

The Rap-A-Lot Records honcho says there was nothing easy about getting the 2 hip-hop giants to lay down their swords after years of sniping that got incredibly personal. When J. Prince joined us on "TMZ Live," he said his choice of words mattered more than ever.

You'll recall ... Prince was side by side with Ye when he recorded a video last month, extending an olive branch to Drake by asking him to join him for a concert that would raise awareness for Larry Hoover's case, in particular, and for criminal justice reform in general.

After that, he got both men face-to-face at Drizzy's Toronto mansion, and Prince says he had to use a "special lingo to reach these guys' hearts."

He says he stressed to Drake ... he had a chance to set an example for all of hip-hop about how to settle beefs peacefully. As he put it to us, "this is a situation that could save lives."

J. Prince was quick to give Hoover himself credit for suggesting the concert ... and Larry Hoover Jr. echoed that when we saw him Wednesday in Los Angeles. He says his father -- who's been locked up since 1995 for a murder, drug conspiracy and extortion -- didn't want to see Drake and Ye possibly lose their lives to violence.

Nicki Minaj is calling the woman accusing her and her husband of harassment a bold-faced liar -- claiming there are holes in her story that NM and co. believe totally discredit her.

The rapper's attorney filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, responding to Jennifer Hough's lawsuit from August -- where she claimed Nicki, Kenneth Petty and a gaggle of lawyers were on her case ... trying to get her to recant her attempted rape claim against Ken ... which she made in the '90s and for which KP was convicted.

Long story short ... Nicki's legal team is calling BS on Hough's allegations, going so far as to ask the court to sanction her for what they say are blatant falsehoods, which they think she hurled in an attempt to score a payday from Nicki.

The crux of their argument lies in a couple different inconsistencies they say lie within Hough's account of things -- namely, her claiming she had to change her phone number due to the alleged harassment she was receiving from Nicki, plus the claim Nicki's team had reached out to her brother with a $500k offer if she recanted in a written statement.

On the phone issue ..,. Nicki's attorney says Hough actually texted Nicki after claiming she needed to change her number and move back in June 2020 to block Nicki and her people from contacting her. Nicki says the text read "US Marshalls are asking questions!!!" The lawyer draws a conclusion from this -- Hough wasn't actually trying to hide her number from Nicki at all (contrary to what she alleges). Nicki's team thinks it makes it clear she wasn't scared and is just looking for a payday.

There's also the issue of an interview Hough gave earlier this year, which the attorney says differs from what she alleged in court docs. In the interview, NM's lawyer says Hough noted her brother told her somebody had reached out with a $500k offer if she talked to a lawyer repping Petty. NM's lawyer said the allegation in the lawsuit that Nicki was behind the offer is merely speculation that gave her a reason to try to sue Nicki.

The countdown is on -- with about 24 hours remaining until Drake and Kanye reunite as performers -- and crews for the spectacle are working 'round the clock to finish up the massive stage.

TMZ has obtained a series of photos taken Wednesday inside L.A. Memorial Coliseum where the Free Larry Hoover event is scheduled to go down. You can see a massive, elevated platform in the middle of what is usually a grass field.

Sources with direct knowledge say a crew of more than 200 workers has been going nonstop to get the stage finished. We're told the show's budget -- an estimated $10+ million -- counts for the stage construction/production, space rental, security, event staffers and more.

As for Thursday night's show, our sources say it'll be an "environmental experience," the largest ever created -- and feature incredible projections throughout. Construction crews have even been seen pouring concrete to build up the foundation.

Obviously, Drake and Kanye haven't rehearsed inside the stadium yet, but we're told they've been doing so off-site -- and a dress rehearsal will happen before the real deal Thursday.

Kim Kardashian took home the Fashion Award at the 2021 People's Choice Awards last night ... and she thanked her ex, Ye ... YAY!!!

Last year's winner, Tracee Ellis Ross, presented the award to KK, who wore a skin-tight black jumpsuit, gloves and sunglasses -- as she sauntered down a long runway to accept.

The Kardashian was full of gratitude and said she felt honored to receive the award from Tracee. But, the nod to her estranged husband, Kanye, was by far the most interesting moment.

Kim said she felt inspired by so many people. But, she made sure to give her ex all his flowers ... "To Kanye," she said, "for really introducing me to the fashion world"

Kim explained she started off as a closet organizer and a stylist, so getting the honor felt like a "pinch-me moment" ... "I fell in love with fashion and I'm so inspired by so many people but again, this is like a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things and take a risk."

It's pretty amazing ... Kim went from working behind the counter at the Dash store to launching her shapewear brand, Skims, which was valued at over $1 billion. And, of course, there's her beauty brands -- KKW BEAUTY and KKW Fragrance.

Balenciaga is clearly her thing ... you'll recall her all-black jumpsuit, gloves, and long pleated train that covered her from head to toe at the MET Gala -- yes, even her face.

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.