TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Eric Bellinger is one of R&B's leading traditionalists, but Akon's idea about reformatting the catalog to go country sounds mighty enticing!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with EB at LAX on Tuesday as the Grammy-winning singer was en route overseas for Mario's "Glad You Came" Tour ... and he called Akon a flat-out genius for genre-swapping.

Akon told us last week he's been strategizing the country switch-up for 5 years and plans on recruiting the hottest cowboys and girls in music to boost the tracks.

Three 6 Mafia legend Project Pat has a new purpose in life thanks to his newfound faith in God -- his once gangsta mentality has shifted to gospel!!!

The Memphis rapper and his pa'tna Mike Brown linked with TMZ Hip Hop at LAX this week and discussed his spiritual transition.

The year got off to a rough start for Pat -- his son, Patrick Houston Jr., was murdered in Memphis -- but Pat's been staying grounded, giving back.

Shannon Sharpe's media career is hanging in the balance in the wake of his explosive sexual assault lawsuit -- a totally avoidable scenario, had he taken Mo'Nique's advice!!!

The blunt comedienne was on Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast back in Feb. 2024, when she warned him about dating young girls and urged him to get an "ol' fat gal" who cooked him soul food and catered to his needs.

Fast-forward to the present day, and Sharpe is battling a $50 million lawsuit filed by a 20-year-old OnlyFans star.

Quavo just saw his second film starring opposite John Travolta released -- and feels his acting chops will go on to be among the legends!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Quavo at LAX and asked him how he plans on surpassing the works of Will Smith, Queen Latifah, Tupac Shakur ... you know, the rappers whose legacy lives in both music and movies.

Quavo boldly shoots down every name we throw at him ... he's been on a roll and is coming in hot for Hollywood.

Kanye West is firing off more than just disturbing, antisemitic rants online these days ... the rapper is also making a racket with his SUPER LOUD casting calls, and offending neighbors with a prominent racist hate symbol, in Los Angeles, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Kanye plastered L.A.'s Larchmont neighborhood with an "urgent" advertisement seeking "AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES" for his "hooligan choir," which has set up shop in a warehouse near an elementary school.

In the flyers, Kanye requires any prospects cannot be "fat" and must wear all black with the skin complexion of Sean "Diddy" Combs -- who is about to go on trial for alleged racketeering, sex trafficking and other federal crimes. The ad also requires anyone to be "COMFORTABLE WEARING SWASTIKAS," and, of course, there are other conditions.

Lizzo has been on a mission to live a healthier lifestyle ... and after shedding 16% of her body fat, she's pulling back the curtain on how she made it all happen.

The singer hopped on TikTok Live on Tuesday to open up about her weight loss journey, and credits much of her transformation to cutting certain foods from her diet.

For example. Lizzo says she was previously drinking 2-3 Starbucks beverages a day -- totaling around 1,200 calories. She's since dropped Starbucks entirely -- and coffee altogether -- focusing on "calories in versus calories out" approach.

The woman who accused Jay-Z and Diddy of raping her when she was 13 years old is now taking legal steps to try and dismiss a lawsuit Jay-Z filed against her.

Jay's accuser, who first sued him for rape as a Jane Doe, filed new legal docs Tuesday to dismiss the defamation suit the music mogul filed against her and her attorney, Tony Buzbee, in Alabama.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman claims Jay-Z can’t sue her over the claims because she made them in court documents and are therefore privileged ... adding that the interview she did with NBC was based on her claims in the court docs.

Wiz Khalifa says his time and value as an artist is very valuable -- and you won't see him onstage unless he's getting paid a 7-figure sum!!!

The megastar rapper recently paid the Joe Budden Podcast a visit out in NJ, where Wiz revealed his stock is still up from 10 years ago, when he and Charlie Puth released their mega-Diamond-certified single "See You Again."

Joe was in disbelief ... but Wiz maintained his guest feature price is a cool $250,000 a pop ... and upwards of $2 million per show!!!

Kanye West claims he hasn't been around his son Saint at all this year ... but we know that's not even remotely close to the truth.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Ye can see his kids whenever he wants and mostly chooses not to, but he has definitely seen Saint in 2025.

Kanye's kids mostly live with their mother, Kim Kardashian, in California ... but we're told Ye spent about 3 months in Los Angeles this year and didn't ask to see Saint or any of his kids, aside from North ... until a week before leaving town.

Beyoncé’s love story could’ve had a totally different soundtrack -- she was actually torn between Jay-Z and another guy back in the day, and had to bring in her mama for some decision-making.

It was the singer's mom, Tina Knowles, who spilled the tea in her new memoir "Matriarch," revealing that while Beyoncé was bonding with Jay-Z over the phone back in the day, she was also juggling another guy in the industry at the same time.

Tina elaborated ... saying Bey and Jay were giving each other solid advice about the industry in 2001, and as their phone chats kept going, their friendship started to run deeper.

Kanye West struck chords and nerves in abundance by revealing he and his convicted murderer male cousin used to hook up as young teens ... and many of his rapper peers feel it explains the root of his troubles.

Boosie Badazz, who's typically on the offensive on non-heterosexual relationships, cut Ye some slack ... but felt that energy would be channeled to fighting enemies down the line.

A$AP Ferg also sent Ye love from afar, as the situation hits close to home for him.

Lil Uzi Vert is currently getting medical treatment in NYC -- the "Eternal Atake" rapper was rushed to a hospital ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Paramedics responded to an EMS call Monday afternoon for a "sick person" in Lower Manhattan.

An eyewitness at the scene tells us Lil Uzi was wheeled out of the lobby of a luxury condominium building on a gurney around 2:30 PM and loaded into the ambulance.

50 Cent and Joe Budden have been going tit for tat for weeks on social media ... but it was all good when they came face-to-face at the Knicks heated playoff game last night!!!

A source close to 50 Cent’s floor seat act tells TMZ Hip Hop the G-Unit general -- along with Fat Joe -- were invited guests of Madison Square Garden and were supporting the NYK.

We’re told 50 had no idea Budden was even at the game until they showed 50 on the Jumbotron -- and saw Joe cheering for him on the big screen.

Tina Knowles battled breast cancer last year -- and says she shudders thinking what could’ve happened if it hadn’t been caught early ... especially since she’d already missed a scheduled mammogram.

Beyoncé’s mom is opening up about the life-changing ordeal in her new book -- "Matriarch: The Memoir" -- to PEOPLE and CBS Mornings, saying she finally rescheduled the mammogram she missed during the COVID pandemic … and that’s when docs found two tumors.

She said one tumor was benign, but the other turned out to be stage 1 breast cancer in her left breast ... admitting she was in total disbelief -- especially since she’s always been on top of her health.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori are social media official again ... because he just posted a photo with her online after an intimate dinner date overseas.

Ye and Bianca look and sound like they're giving their marriage another go ... based on his social media post and some new info we're learning about their recent outing in Spain.

Kanye and Bianca first raised eyebrows Friday night when they were spotted at an Indian fusion restaurant in Mallorca, and folks who work there tell us the pair seemed "nice and happy" while breaking bread.

Tech N9ne is admitting he was so in love with his 7th grade teacher that he refused to rat about their relationship -- even after they almost got sniffed out!!!

The shocking revelation came on Jelly Roll's wife Bunnie XO's "Dumb Blonde" podcast Monday, with the Strange Music boss also highlighting society's double standards on the matter.

Tech recalls the teacher being young and naturally beautiful, and once he showed her a photo of his father in a police uniform, she began flirting with him daily.