TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

DaBaby thinks he got the best of Jay-Z when they popped up the same track -- and isn't shy about singing his own praises ... even at the expense of one of the rap G.O.A.T.s.

Shannon Sharpe recently had the "Bop" rapper on his "Club Shay Shay" podcast and his take on Lil Yachty's opinion that DaBaby had a better verse than Jay on Kanye West's "Jail" track from his 2021 "Donda" album.

DaBaby got added to the track last minute along with Marilyn Manson and wholeheartedly agreed with Lil Yachty that his verse was superior to Jay's.

He noted that they didn't record at the same time so it wasn't a direct competition and they had no knowledge of each other's verses, but when the final results came in ... DaBaby Did!!!

André 3000 is coming clean about his decision to walk away from OutKast at the peak of their success ... saying he simply lost his drive to rap.

In a video interview with GQ to promote his upcoming instrumental album, André not only admitted his creative juices for the group had dried up but said he hasn't been harboring a boatload of unreleased raps like everyone accuses him of.

At 48 years old, 3 Stacks says sometimes rapping even feels "inauthentic" for him ... and he feels like he'd have to make more age-appropriate music -- in his case, dropping bars about having a colonoscopy and trips to the eye doctor.

OutKast's 2004 album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" was certified 13x Platinum this year -- making it the biggest-selling rap album of all-time ... but as Sleepy Brown hinted to us in the summer, André was embarking on another journey ... one without words.

The new project "New Blue Sun" is mainly composed of his flute recordings ... the opening track is titled "I Really Wanted To Make A 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time" --- and there's even a warning label informing fans there are no bars to be found!!!

André tells GQ that his chemistry with Big Boi changed over time and while he didn't want to be thrust into the limelight again, he needed the press run to promote the music he believes in so much.

Snoop Dogg says he's giving up the smoke for good ... an activity that's been synonymous with his career since day one -- but, frankly, it's hard to tell if this is legit or not.

The Doggfather shocked his IG followers on Thursday with the PSA ... "After much consideration & conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time." On its face, it's a serious announcement ... it ain't 4/1 today.

Fans struggled to wrap their hands around the announcement in the comments -- Snoop without the chronic is like the ying without the yang ... and many figured he was just switching to edibles to keep his lungs clear.

Snoop's quit smoking before -- circa the release of his 2002 "Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$" -- but the sabbatical was short-lived as he entered his Snoop Lion era a few years later. He explained this in a sit-down around that time ... saying he simply couldn't quit the ganja.

Ironically his 'Mac & Devin' pal Wiz Khalifa recently announced the complete opposite -- increasing his smoke intake in favor of ditching alcohol altogether.

It may be an uphill battle -- Snoop just recently flicked a pic of his heavily stuffed ashtray less than a week ago ... but maybe he was just preparing for the detox.

Cardi B is coming to Will Smith's defense amid a rumor that he had sex with Duane Martin -- one he denies, BTW -- and she's also dragging the blogger who aired this laundry.

The rapper hopped on IG Live Wednesday night to talk about the story. She doesn't really weigh in on the veracity of the claim -- or what she makes of the allegation itself -- but simply says Will's unproblematic ... and that he doesn't deserve this treatment.

Cardi brings up his horoscope (Libra) and says she believes Libras are constantly being tested by others --speaking as one herself -- until they eventually snap ... seemingly referencing WS's infamous Oscars slap.

Basically, she sees it as unfair when people are pushed to their limits and when they act out -- the public gives them side-eye. She also thinks it's wild folks can get on a big platform and just say anything about anyone ... and that it picks up major traction, even if it's BS.

This is where she lays into Tasha K -- who, BTW, is the same woman CB successfully sued for defamation. Remember, Tasha technically owes Cardi about $3.4 million in a judgment.

It was just a few weeks ago that Cardi signaled an apparent softening on trying to enforce that payout -- but here, CB seems to be reversing course ... saying some people never change.

She lays into Tasha for allowing the supposed ex-friend/assistant of Will to get on her podcast and make such an outlandish allegation ... and says that has to stop STAT.

FWIW, Tasha keeps landing in trouble ... mind you, she just got sued by R. Kelly. Now, after Jada said a lawsuit's coming -- she could possibly see herself named as a defendant again.

Drake just announced he's following up on his newest album only a month after its release ... and some fans think it's a direct move reacting to the viral bashing from Joe Budden.

Shortly after Drake announced his "Scary Hours 3" EP would arrive at midnight, Budden's name became a trending topic crediting him for the quick OVO Sound turnaround.

They also predicted Drake would give him a lyrical thrashing on at least one of the songs ... a fact JB seemed to revel in with his crying emojis reaction!!!

If you remember on the weekend of 'Dogs' release, JB criticized Drake for blending in with the teeny boppers, even slamming the Yeat collab "IDGAF" ... which has been the runaway fan favorite on streaming.

In fact, 'Dogs' surpassed the 1 billion stream mark this week ... clearly people are still bumping it but Joe told him he needed to do better.

Drake says he's happy with 'Dogs' -- he's just getting musical inspiration at a rapid pace and thinks it would be a crime to withhold the tracks from the public.

9:35 AM PT -- Turns out Gradey's intro was more PG-13 than rated R ... 'cause the Raptors tell us their announcer did actually say the D-word, but instead went with the clean version, "Big Big Energy!"

Latto's smiling somewhere ... after the Toronto Raptors PA man announced rookie Gradey Dick in the most hilarious way during player introductions -- "Mr. Big Dick Energy!"

The WTF moment happened right before the Raptors took on Damian Lillard and the Bucks at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday.

The Raptors' PA announcer began introducing the Raptors starting lineup ... which for the first time ever, included Dick.

The announcer made sure GD's first time starting would be very special ... and the intro was hysterical.

"Wearing number one, Mr. Big Dick energy!" the announcer yelled, before eventually saying his full name. Video of the intro has gone viral.

Of course, it's not the first joke that's been made about Gradey's last name since the 19-year-old was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft ... Raptors fans immediately began having fun with it.

"I’m not a fan of grading draft picks this early but I’m no stranger to grading Dick picks," a fan said on draft night in June.

Insert a million and one other jokes here.

Gradey's been a star since he arrived in the city of Toronto ... and even become buddies with Drake. In fact, Gradey made a cameo in Adonis' music video for his song, "My Man Freestyle!"

Drake says the force has taken hold of him, and the songs are writing themselves, so he's releasing them -- the 3rd edition of his 'Scary Hours' EP series is about to drop!

On Thursday, Drake made the impromptu announcement via a video trailer shot inside one of his lavish estates, where he explained the method for his latest round of madness ... comparing his latest tier to being on drugs!!!

Drake says he's so confident in his recently released album "For All The Dogs" that he could go MIA for a couple of years ... but says that's not his style.

He cited his famed "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" mixtape as inspo behind the 'SH3' drop and claims to have written the project within the last 5 days!!!

Kevin Durant and Drake's longtime engineer Noel Cadastre are also listed as executive producers for the project but the guest appearances are mum for now.

Drake made no mention of the "stomach issues" he brought up last month when he told fans he wouldn't be releasing music for a while.

The new EP, and the fact he's going on tour with J. Cole, seem like good signs he's no longer worried about his health.

Tua Tagovailoa used part of his bye week to get cornrows ... and then he spent most of his press conference Wednesday insisting he doesn't look like Drake now!!

The Miami quarterback showed off the new hairdo in his first meeting with reporters since the Dolphins returned to Florida from Germany this month ... and almost immediately, reporters on the scene and social media users away from it said he now bears a striking resemblance to the "God's Plan" rapper.

But, Tagovailoa said flat-out he ain't sure about the comp ... although he certainly had some fun over it all during the newser regardless.

"I don't know if I look like Drake," he said with a laugh. "Drake?!"

When a media member then asked if he could rap, he leaned into the microphone and sang, "Kiki" ... before hitting a little dance.

The scene was hilarious -- but if you were wondering ... he said the person he needed to impress the most with the haircut is a fan of it.

"The wifey likes it," Tagovailoa ensured. "She loves it."

Travis Scott is opening up about the Astroworld Festival tragedy back in 2021, which left 10 dead and hundreds injured ... he says that "devastating" night is one he'll never forget.

The rapper broke down his thoughts about the horrific incident in an interview with GQ -- saying, "That moment for families, for the city, you know, it was devastating."

It's always on his mind, too ... saying, “I always think about it. Those fans were like my family. You know, I love my fans ... You just feel for those people. And their families.”

He was asked if the tracks he made in the studio after the horrors in Houston, Texas reflected his thoughts about the tragic event ... he appears to think so, saying his music is always about dialing in on things that happen in his life.

TS says getting back into music after Astroworld was "therapeutic" -- adding he was "able to channel some of the energy into production and sounds and finishing it.”

As you know, Travis dropped his album, Utopia, in July, marking the first album he released since his Astroworld tour ... and one of the tracks on it -- "My Eyes" -- dives deep into his perspective of the horrific event.

Model Danii Banks isn't used to complaints when she drops her top -- but Las Vegas Raiders games are, apparently, a much different story ... because her boobs got her booted from the stadium.

Danii tells TMZ ... shortly after she recorded herself flashing her breasts inside Allegiant Stadium, security guards and police officers swooped in, not in appreciation, but to deliver that classic line -- Danii didn't have to go home, but she had to get the hell outta Sunday night's game.

DB says cops didn't ticket or arrest her, but she had pretty good seats, and she didn't get to stick around long enough to see the Raiders' thrilling-ish win over the New York Jets.

Danii, who's big on OnlyFans, says security or police must have seen her go topless in the moment, because she didn't post the video until after she got the boot.

The incident was reminiscent of Blueface's recent visit to a Los Angeles Rams game ... where he brought a bunch of strippers with him to a suite and made it rain as the nearly nude dancers twerked.

Now, Blueface says he wasn't kicked out and stadium officials didn't say anything to him. While that might look like Vegas is running a tighter ship ... it's worth noting no one in Blueface's crew freed the nipple like Danii did.

When Rod Wave's "Nostalgia" tour blitzed through D.C., some car thieves did too ... hitting the parking lot at Capital One Center -- but, shocker, social media's blown the crime spree way outta proportion.

The wild narrative spread after Rod's Monday night show that more than 200 cars had been burglarized, but the D.C. Police Department tells TMZ Hip Hop they've only fielded 4 reports of car break-ins, as of now.

More reports could be expected in the coming days but the initial whopping number of 200 is feeling more like the Goodyear blimp ... a whole lot of hot air!!!

The fans whose cars did get hit suffered some serious damage -- the lowlifes smashed windows on all sides of the cars, and grabbed whatever they could scoop up in the least amount of time.

It's bad, for sure, but NOT 200 cars bad.

K Camp's been grinding a little too hard, or too long, in the studio -- he's ruptured his vocal cords, a condition the "Spin the Block" rapper says he's gotta fix by going under the knife.

K Camp broke the sad news to his followers Tuesday, informing them the surgery was happening this week, but the good news is that his condition isn't cancerous.

He consulted the advice of an ENT -- after losing his voice and exhausting every home remedy -- and the doc told him he has a polyp in his throat that's become inflamed.

We're told K Camp won't know the length of his recovery until after surgery on Thursday, and while everyone involved anticipates he'll make a full recovery ... he won't be able to talk until healed.

Camp's been putting in OT this year to put out plenty of music as an indie artist, and even had some pointers for Ice Spice the last time we spoke with him.

LeBron James didn't become the NBA's all-time leading scorer without his fair share of haters rooting against him, but he's still not above showing even them some love!!!

Take up-and-coming Detroit rapper Skilla Baby for example, who outed himself as a proud LBJ hater on a recent podcast appearance -- but King James is here for it.

Skilla started off by giving LBJ his props ... but soon flew off the handle with a laundry list of reasons he'd create a LeBron voodoo doll.

LeBron's "The Decision," his unpredictable jump shot and his penchant for playing with super-teams were all low points for SB -- but he really just sounded like a Pistons fan going hard for his team.

At any rate, LeBron got a kick outta SB's rant and quipped, "Crazy thing is I HATE ME TOO" with several 😂's.

Drake and J. Cole are looking to rack up A+ reviews for their expanded "It's All a Blur" tour ... they intentionally selected towns with booming college campuses!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Hip Hop both Drizzy and Cole wanted to dedicate their stage energy to the fans who truly drive up their numbers -- the younger generation!!!

There's also the addition of dates in Lexington, KY where Drake's beloved Wildcats play ... and State College, PA, home to Penn State, but Cole won't be at that one.

They also set out to pay homage to the communities that embraced them early in their careers ... Drake has proclaimed Columbus, OH to be his 2nd home since his debut "Away from Home" tour and the city's Schottenstein Center now has TWO dates after being shut out from the 'Blur' tour's first leg.

Memphis also gets a make-good date after the FedEx Forum reportedly wasn't prepared for all the tour's glitzy decorations, but the stage should be ready to go come March!!!

Canadian fans were initially upset the tour was announced without any dates in their area but we're told the 2nd leg is designed primarily to service cities who missed out last time.

Outkast's outcast André 3000 announced today his debut solo album is dropping this Friday, totally shocking the music world ... although, it's probably not what they're expecting.

He's not doing any rapping, or speaking, for that matter!!!

André posted the album cover art for "New Blue Sun" on his IG, which is a drawing of him holding the flute he's been spotted trotting around the globe for years.

The lack of any lyrical verses is one thing folks are buzzing about, but the other is the song titles. Take, for instance, the opening track ... "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time.” Yeah, that sets the tone.

André broke down his methodology in a rare interview with NPR ... and explained although he doesn't rap on the project, he still speaks with his music. Like he could be screaming "I hate that p**** n****" and you wouldn't even know exactly.

Rap fans might be disappointed, but he did get the stamp of approval from both Frank Ocean and Tyler, The Creator ... 2 artists who credit him with some of their highest inspirations!!!

The album is billed as a "stunning 87-minute mind-bender," and André says he pulled up at Tyler's house to get his opinion ... and Frank just happened to be there.

André played them a few tracks and the music cleared Tyler's head, allowing him to crack the matrix that was his Louis Vuitton wall of trunks while Frank gave 3 Stacks 👍🏿.

Fans have been praying for news like this since André and Big Boi won Album of the Year for 2004's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below."

YG's getting flooded with comments about a photo of what looks like a fun night at an in-house stripper party ... because some dude claims the dancer in the pic is his baby's mother!!!

The viral fuss is coming from a man named Andre Lowe, who's been campaigning for days to get YG to remove the post ... but hasn't had any luck yet.

YG was snapped making it rain dollar bills during the Halloween bash as the dancer flaunted her flexibility ... and a strong game of G-string peek-a-boo!!! The photo IS a lot, but we don't think Andre's actually losing any sleep over it.

The guy labels himself a rapper/social media entertainer who jokes all day long, so there's a good chance this whole thing is just a skit, or a bit of trolling -- either way, it's prompting some hilarious comments from people.

Andre says he's getting teased online by a bunch of hypocrites -- guys who have the same kinda girl problems as him, acting like he's a chump.

He barked back at the haters in a new video, scoffing at all the newfound "Suga Free" pimp experts.

Some people are imploring YG to cut Andre a break and delete the post -- but even more see it for what it most likely is ... a funny skit from a dude looking to exploit IG's algorithm.