TMZ Hip Hop - Page 2

Comedian Alex Thomas was closely associated with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records uprising at the top of the century ... which led to him landing the role of the sassy gay man who dissed Ja Rule at the end of 50 Cent's "Back Down" track!!!

The song was a crucial moment in 50 and G-Unit winning their rap battle against Ja and Murder Inc. en route to 50's "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" debut, nearly being certified Diamond!!!

Alex tells "The Art of Dialogue" that after Dre and DJ Pooh hand-picked him to star in the 2001 film "The Wash" -- alongside Snoop Dogg and Eminem -- Dre immediately pulled him aside and tipped him off that some guy named 50 Cent was the next rapper to blow up.

The feds are projecting Sean "Diddy" Combs will be released from custody on May 8, 2028 ... but his attorney thinks he will be a free man even sooner.

We got Marc Agnifilo in New York City on Thursday and our photog asked him about the Bureau of Prisons estimating a release date for Diddy.

Marc, who delivered a stirring closing argument at Diddy's criminal trial this summer, says his feeling is Diddy will walk free before the date provided by the feds ... in part because he thinks Diddy will be a model citizen behind bars.

D'Angelo remained relatively out of the spotlight throughout his 51 years of life ... and The Roots' Questlove, who was an integral part of constructing the late soul singer's catalog, is giving insight on how much of a music purist he really was!!!

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Questlove lamented over the premonition he felt on Oct. 14 -- the day D'Angelo died -- having spent considerable time with him at the New York-area cancer center he was being treated at weeks before his death.

Questlove labeled D'Angelo one of the "last pure artists in Black music" and recalled the making of their 2000 mega-classic, "Voodoo," which he reveals took 4 years to make.

Nigel Sylvester's on top of the sneaker world after his Nike Air Jordan 4 “Brick by Brick” kicks won Sneaker of the Year at ComplexCon 2025 -- a moment the designer/BMX star says was every bit amazing as it was a relief!

Sylvester chopped it up with TMZ Sports after his big weekend in Las Vegas ... where the 38-year-old talked about his AJ4s' impact on sneaker culture, whether he's bragged about winning, and his plans for the Swoosh going forward.

"When we were watching the [ComplexCon] live stream, and Joe LaPuma was like, 'Nigel Sylvester, Brick by Brick AJ4,' it was just like, man... It was surreal for sure."

Sean Paul is swapping his focus to humanitarian efforts to assist in the ongoing Hurricane Melissa that's currently ravaging his homeland of Jamaica!!!

A rep for Sean tells TMZ ... Sean was on the island and is currently preparing to help those in need through his foundation and a partnership with Food For The Poor Jamaica.

On Thursday, SP took to IG to confirm he'll do everything he can to help feed and shelter people after the storm ... outlining the nature of the damage and stressing how countless families have been displaced.

Drake didn't show much mercy after his Blue Jays took control of the World Series with a big victory on Wednesday night ... as he trolled Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers with a pair of gloating social media posts.

The "Nice For What" spitter took to his Instagram page just minutes after Toronto beat L.A., 6-1, at Dodger Stadium ... and he bragged about his favorite MLB team going up 3-2 in the championship series.

In one IG Story post, he shared an image of Ohtani in a sweater vest with the caption, "ONE MORE!!!!!!!" In a second, he threw up a snap of Trey Yesavage striking out L.A.'s best player.

Hollywood stars showed out in droves to support their hometown team in the World Series ... packing Dodger Stadium to cheer on the Blue Crew as they faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 5.

Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted on the broadcast ... keeping it low-key in an all-black outfit and a fresh pair of shades.

"Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper made her first World Series appearance -- joining fellow celebs Charlize Theron and Ellen Pompeo in the stands.

Naturi Naughton will be working on set through Halloween this year, but she's warning new relationships to watch for the red flags ... if their partner isn't that open to a COUPLES COSTUME!!!

TMZ linked up with Naturi at the premiere of her and Lifetime's new flick, "Friends and Lovers," where the seasoned actress gave her two cents about trick-or-treating as a team.

We totally asked the right person ... Naturi says Halloween is a big deal in her household -- and her daughter is totally PO'ed that she has to miss this year -- but her husband will hold down the fright night fort.

50 Cent's "BMF" series is finally a done deal after Starz pulled the plug after 4 seasons, but the G-Unit filmmaker isn't broken up one bit ... on the flipside, he's trolling lead star Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. for not having a fallback plan!!!

It's been all bad between 50 and Meech since that ill-fated link-up with Rick Ross ... and Tuesday, 50 rubbed the "BMF" cancellation news in Meech's face with a photoshopped image to make him look like a bum, sarcastically quipping, "What next season, little ninja"!!!

Starz had been in production talks for months about bringing the series -- based on the rise and fall of the Black Mafia Family crime empire -- but consider that plan kaput now that 50's dancing on the show's grave.

Dee-1 and Jim Jones used the Cash Money-No Limit Verzuz battleground of all places to put PEACE on display -- after their testy back-and-forth made headlines a couple years ago!!!

The confrontation went down in the back area of the Las Vegas Convention Center during ComplexCon last weekend. Jim spotted Dee first and extended his hand ... the two dapped each other up and encouraged the other to "keep going" with their rap hustles.

To add to the diplomatic immunity, Juelz Santana witnessed the moment and embraced Dee on the spot while saluting his mission vision. Juelz's endorsement of their patch-up further highlights the impact of the reconciliation and recognition.

Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla enjoyed a "Hot Girl Summer" last year through a joint tour, but it looks like "Winter is coming" ... because Glo just co-signed a very nasty social media post about Megan!!!

X user @gymratgyal successfully instigated GloRilla's internal emotions when she fired off the message, "We all know she started being bitter after she was outsold by glorilla lmfaoooo" -- and GloRilla liked the post!!!

Gymratgyal saved the receipts and Glo's reaction highlighted a deeper rift between her and Megan's camps ... their stylists are also getting snippy!!!

Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist welcomed a surprise guest to the stage during their 2nd sold-out Los Angeles tour date -- Anderson .Paak, who was in full Halloween spirit, dressed like the iconic maniacal doll Chucky!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of Freddie and Anderson performing their "Alfredo 2" collab, "Ensalada," live for the first time ever together, inside The Novo DTLA.

As an ode to the album's Japanese theme, Freddie has been performing in karate gis to bring his lyrical slaughterhouse to life ... A.P. did it as Charles Lee Ray.

"Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" alum Masika Kalysha is opening up about the painful loss of her husband in a horrible accident ... calling the death of Jamar Champ "tragic" and "unexpected."

Masika issued a statement to The Shade Room, confirming the bad news that Champ was killed Tuesday when his Cybertruck got into a three-vehicle crash in Houston, Texas.

The reality star noted Champ was the "father/stepfather of my beautiful daughters" and asked for respect and understanding while their family grieves him and honors his memory.

Dorothy Wang lived out her dream wedding in Italy ... closing out the festivities with an iced-out performance from Saweetie!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Saweetie performing her hit "Icy" from inside Dorothy and attorney Brandon Yankowitz's wedding reception inside the luxurious Collegio alla Querce venue in Florence.

We're told the "Bling Empire" star personally had Saweetie booked and flown in for the grand appearance. Saweetie has yet to release a full-length album, but we're hearing she performed about 10 songs.

11:54 AM PT -- Master P has confirmed Young Bleed is still battling in the hospital and pleaded with his millions of followers to pray for the rapper.

Baton Rouge rapper Young Bleed is currently in an ICU in serious condition -- just days after having the world shout "How you do dat there" during his grand appearance at ComplexCon.

Bogus media reports pronounced the 47-year-old rapper dead on Tuesday, but Young Bleed's sister, Tedra, sent out a defiant message on behalf of his family, stating that he was still alive in the ICU.

Bleed's mom says she was inundated with calls and social media posts from people in mourning after the fake news spread online. So, she and the rest of Bleed's family demanded everyone STOP reaching out to her and posting RIP messages!!!

On Saturday, Bleed was full of energy when he performed his signature hit, "How Ya Do That" for ComplexCon, but we're told he's since suffered a major medical emergency.

SZA’s pulling back the curtain on her spooky season -- and forget tricks, she’s turning up the heat with a dangerously sexy treat.

The star lit up IG Tuesday with a series of pics -- rocking a skintight blue fit and serving poses so fierce, even horror’s scariest villains would think twice before coming for her!

The pics were a full roundup of her recent antics -- from fire fits and tennis court slays to all kinds of autumn fun.