TMZ Hip Hop - Page 5

The viral reports of people "scromiting" -- AKA barfing their guts out -- after smoking weed are nothing but propaganda from "Big Alcohol," who are Big Mad their sales are down ... so says High Times' publisher Josh Kesselman!!!

Alcohol consumption was reportedly down about 54% in 2025 to its lowest point in nearly a century in the United States ... as more Americans are favoring health and cannabis trends over scarring their livers. There have also been several bankruptcy filings from distilleries in the past few months.

Josh suspects the round of "scromit" ("scream-vomiting") reports -- that are routinely getting spanked with community notes on socials to adjust accuracy -- are being pushed by the alcohol companies.

Word on road is Drake is about to blow up the spot with his long-awaited "Iceman" album -- and Fat Joe is guaranteeing it'll be the hit-fueled project the people deserve!!!

Joe's just a spectator on the sidelines without direct involvement in the album ... but the proud "Joe & Jada" podcaster told TMZ Hip Hop when we caught him and Rich Player out in NYC greeting fans, he has no doubt Drake will deliver.

Platinum OVO card-carrying member DJ Akademiks got fans riled up this week, teasing that the album was coming ... no release date has been confirmed just yet.

Trae Young’s mid-game trade from the Hawks to the Wizards had the entire NBA world talking -- and superfan Boosie Badazz reacted courtside in real time.

During their 117-100 win over the Pelicans on Wednesday, the Hawks swapped Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, ending a seven-plus season stint in Atlanta for the four-time All-Star.

The Louisiana rap star -- a staple at Hawks games -- turned to social media to share his immediate thoughts on a surreal moment for players and fans alike.

"They just traded Trae, man?" he said. "He's down there dribblin' the basketball with his clothes on. Damn ..."

Ronnie Radke wants to be the guy to bring 'Catfish' back from the TV dead ... he says Nev Schulman would be the perfect guy to clear his name in his drama with Brittany Furlan.

We got Ronnie in Hollywood on Wednesday, and our photog asked him for an update on his restraining order against Brittany, which stems from her refusing to believe she was catfished by someone posing as Ronnie.

Ronnie says he's still jumping through hoops to prove he's NOT the guy who seduced Brittany online ... and the drama is wearing on him, so he's calling for backup.

Ray J was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital last night with a severe case of pneumonia and heart pains, TMZ has learned.

A source close to the R&B singer tells TMZ ... Ray J remains in the hospital where he has received X-rays and an echocardiogram ... no word yet on the results.

This follows a serious case of pneumonia Ray J had four years ago during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Veteran rapper Mad Skillz says he needed a little extra motivation to record his "2025 Rap Up" track -- a year-end tradition for him since 2002 -- but is glad he did for his boy, D'Angelo!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Skillz as he prepares for the upcoming Grammy Awards, where his "Words For Days Vol. 1" is nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album this year -- his 2nd nom in a row!!!

As for the "Rap-Up," Skillz credits his wife, Jennifer, and producer Jeymes Samuel for pushing him to chronicle the year ... Trump, Charlie Kirk, Diddy's trial, Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl and more were all signed, sealed, and delivered over D'Angelo and Raphael Saadiq's jazzy "Lady" instrumental.

Chrisean Rock is ready to lace 'em up -- as part of the XRumble Fighting Championships "Boxing" division -- as the latest signee!!!

On Wednesday, Chrisean, Chrisean Jr., and her manager, Kimberly Ross, linked up with XRumble's Damon Feldman and inked the deal to be part of their first female Super Middleweight Championship on Saturday, April 25, at Harrah's Philadelphia Casino in Chester, PA.

Damon tells TMZ ... Chrisean has been in great spirits and training in her native Baltimore by none other than Calvin Ford ... Gervonta Davis' ex-coach throughout the bulk of his undefeated record.

Kelly Rowland and Method Man are positioning themselves to be trending topics this Valentine's Day season ... by starring in a new rom-com film that highlights inter-office romps!!!

On Wednesday, Prime rolled out the official trailer for "Relationship Goals" ... Kelly and the Meth's new project -- which also features Robin Thede, Annie Gonzalez and Dennis Haysbert -- directly based on Pastor Mike Todd's best-selling book of the same name.

People often date close to work, and Kelly and Meth star as former flames battling for the same job position ... and as you probably guessed it, there's plenty of 'Dilemmas' and "Break Ups 2 Make Ups" galore!!!

French Montana and Max B flipped Soho House Ludlow in NYC into a full-on discotheque for part of their listening session last night ... quite fitting for an album titled "Coke Wave"!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of French and Max previewing a track from their "Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos" album, which samples KC & The Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)."

Cardi B says class is in session! The rapper hopped on social media Tuesday to hilariously show men how they should eat a banana if they care about their image.

Check out the video -- Cardi chomps down on a banana while admitting she's not trying to be sexy ... before breaking a piece off and telling viewers a "real" man eats the fruit by breaking it first. She unsurprisingly cracks herself up during the lesson ... snapping off another piece to make sure her teaching is understood.

The clip is a breath of fresh air as the "I Like It" hitmaker deals with drama at home ... she recently defended her boyfriend Stefon Diggs against allegations by his personal chef, who claimed she was choked during a dispute over her salary. Cardi posted a text message exchange with the alleged victim in which she says her words got twisted ... though she later deleted it for unknown reasons.

The NFL star is facing strangulation and assault charges, though his attorney David Meier said the claims "are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated -- because they did not occur."

Wack 100 inadvertently found himself to be the best peacemaker this side of John Cena regarding the whole Adin Ross vs. Doechii situation.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Wack out in L.A. on Tuesday as he cheered on his boy, Adam22 -- ahead of his boxing match with Jason Luv -- and got him to break down how he got involved ... after receiving a call from Top Dawg Entertainment boss, Anthony Tiffith.

Adin fired off the rails with obscenities towards Doechii after assuming he was being mentioned in her new song, and Wack -- who's cool with Adin -- mediated the situation with TDE and got the streamer to chill.

Diddy's got a big payday problem, as in some of his employees are angry they're not getting paid while he's locked up in federal prison ... but his rep insists he has it under control.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Diddy's fortune is being handled by business management firm Tri Star Sports & Entertainment while he's in the clink, and we're told they're keeping a tight leash on his money -- too tight for some people on the payroll.

For instance, we're told some attorneys handling Diddy’s mountain of civil lawsuits have gone unpaid, and other staffers have been stiffed as well, and, as a result, at least one of them has quit.

Mary J. Blige can bank on at least a partial victory ... now that the lawsuit filed by her former sidekick Misa Hylton has been dismissed in New York court!!!

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Blige and her legal squadron of Lisa Moore and Andrew Pequignot were granted the motion to dismiss the suit Hylton filed back in July 2025 ... without prejudice.

Which means, Hylton can still pursue sanctions against the megastar singer if she chooses, but her lack of movement -- after Blige labeled the lawsuit "frivolous" -- suggests there will be no more drama.

Keke Palmer and Anderson .Paak didn't feel like BET's cookout was cookin' when it decided to streamline the Soul Train Awards to a backyard-style concert -- and had the nerve to cancel the Hip Hop Awards at that!!!

The slick shade towards the network came during AP's appearance on "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer" podcast ... the "Silk Sonic" singer was in full alter-ego mode as "DJ Pee.Wee" and Keke transformed into "Lady Miss Jacqueline."

The last Soul Train Awards happened in 2023 ... Keke scoffed that the producers attempted to be creative but ended up having her and the rest of the talent look janky performing by the fence from the "Home Improvement" set.

Tekashi 6ix9ine will be spending 3 months at the same jail currently housing Nicolás Maduro ... and he tells TMZ he hopes to hang out with the ousted Venezuelan dictator.

The rapper tells us, "I want to dance with Maduro!"

Streamer Adin Ross accompanied Tekashi -- streaming the events -- as he showed up to check into jail Tuesday afternoon ... they rolled up in a Sprinter van, with Tekashi rapping over his own tracks on the speakers inside ... check out the video to watch 69 walk through the gates escorted by federal corrections officers.

ICYMI ... The New York Times reported a video of Maduro dancing actually motivated "some on the Trump team" to pull the trigger on capturing him in Venezuela.

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox's recent public outings have sparked rumors of reconciliation ... but sources tell TMZ they're still broken up.

Despite being spotted in public several times over the past few months with their daughter, Saga, multiple sources tell us Megan and MGK are currently living separately.

We're told Megan has the baby full-time and the two are co-parenting as needed.