TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Yo Gotti's already back onstage ... surprising fans at 42 Dugg's concert -- less than a week after his brother Big Jook was killed in Memphis.

The rapper pulled up at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night and dapped up 42 ... before performing his hit song "F-U" for the packed crowd.

Check out the vid ... Gotti's looking iced out with the chains and an angelic, all-white 'fit -- going about his business despite the very public tragedy he's coping with.

As we previously reported ... the Tennessee-born rapper's big brother was shot and killed Saturday, Jan. 13 outside a restaurant in Memphis -- he was just 47 years old.

Remember, video started circulating online of Jook's final hours ... where he grieved with close friends and family at his uncle's funeral. The shooting happened just hours after he left the event.

BJ worked with Yo Gotti closely at his label Collective Music Group though more on the business/promotion side than as an artist.

Cops still aren't sure exactly who killed Jook or why though they have a pretty big lead in the case ... posting pics of a white Ford Explorer they say may have carried his killers and offering the public a cash reward for information.

Ja Rule is excited to be an uncle once again -- through Ashanti and Nelly's pending bundle of joy, and he thinks parenthood will be a cinch for them.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Ja Thursday in NYC, where he told us he's been tracking the news updates on his forever collaborator/friend just like everyone else.

Now, Ja stopped short of confirming the baby buzz is true -- but Ashanti and Nelly have, seemingly, leaned into the reports they're expecting their first child together.

They still won't say for sure, so much like Halle Bailey and DDG, we might just have to wait and see if the stork delivers.

Ja's had several youngins of his own, so, naturally, he had some advice for Ashanti and Nelly on how best to raise their little tyke ... assuming there's really one in the oven.

BTW, JR's also expecting -- not a tiny human, but the release of his first album in well over a decade.

He told us fans can expect a project reminiscent of "all" of his previous sounds.

Marlena Shaw -- best known for her song "California Soul" -- has died ... according to her daughter.

The legendary jazz and R&B singer passed away Friday afternoon Marlena's daughter Marla said in a video she posted to Facebook. She did not give a cause of death.

MS' most famous track is "California Soul" -- a song originally performed by The Messengers, but one she covered and made famous ... that's had a lasting impact on hip hop and popular culture at large.

A few of the hit properties that featured the songs ... "The Italian Job," "The Lincoln Lawyer," "All Things Must Pass," "Pixie," the TV series "Bad Sisters" and video game "Grand Theft Auto V."

It's also taken on a second life in the world of hip hop sampling ... Gang Starr, The Game and Jay Rock, Elzhi, Quasimoto, Jay Electronica, Laika and Xzhibit are just a few of the stars who've sampled the song in one form or another.

"California Soul" is her most enduring classic, but Shaw had a number of other hits too including "Feel Like Making Love," "Loving You Was Like A Party," "Go Away Little Boy" and "Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby" -- another song she covered that bagged her a Grammy nod back in 1990.

Marlena was 81.

Meek Mill must be feeling a lot like one of his songs right now ... because his day is "Going Bad" -- after he asked what seemed an innocent question on X.

The Philly-born rapper took to the social media network formerly known as Twitter Saturday morning where he asked his followers if he's big on other continents ... specifically Africa.

MM asked, "Do a lot of people play my music in South Africa I remember having on big show [there a] few years back … how do yall listen to our music in South Africa???? On what platform or in Nigeria?"

A seemingly innocuous question ... Meek's probably not super well-versed on how other countries and cultures consume music -- but the internet gave him no mercy and instead relentlessly roasted the man.

Check out the Meek Mill trend on Twitter to see what we're talking about ... the guy's getting mercilessly mocked over this tweet -- with many seemingly calling Meek out for insinuating Africa isn't technologically advanced.

Mill ain't letting the haters bother him though ... instead following up that tweet with another saying he's trying to figure out where his fans in Africa are located so he can put on a show for them.

The 36-year-old's not about to let doubters get to him now -- he released a new album with Rick Ross just a few months ago and recently got teary-eyed during a probation reform bill signing last month in Philly ... he's living an authentic life, no cap.

George Clinton's forever etched in Hollywood history now ... because he just got his star on a famous stretch of pavement with A-listers' names up and down the boulevard.

The P-Funk legend was just honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... and his Friday ceremony drew a huge crowd, with an even bigger celebration. We're not kidding either ... there were massive swaths of people lining the block to peep this thing.

Of course, George commanded attention with his sparkling, colorful and bedazzled outfit ... seriously, ya gotta see his getup ... he's shining from his shoes, to his pants, to his shirt, to his jacket, and all the way up to his headwear. It's amazing that this icon is 82.

As you know ... George has been leaving his mark on music since the 1960s ... he was huge in the 1970s and had a rebirth recently in the 'Trolls' movie franchise ... and now the homie is finally getting his due from La La Land with a certified star on the ground.

Just a quick list of his and his band's hits ... "Give Up the Funk," "Flash Light," "Aqua Boogie," "Atomic Dog," "Can You Get to That," "Mothership Connection," and so many more.

Paris Fashion Week is currently going full steam ahead ... and several of hip hop's flyest are illuminating the City of Light with their flashiest drip!!!

Chris Brown, Quavo, Rich The Kid, Pharrell, Pusha T, and IDK were among the artists hobnobbing at various events and runways for brands such as Amiri, Kenzo, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton ... style sold separately, of course.

Breezy actually didn't need a catwalk to pull off a modeling look ... he looked snackable in the streets.

Pharrell has been earning rave reviews for his role as LV's men's creative director and gaining celebrity support all across the board ... Venus Williams, Lil Yachty, Bradley Cooper all supported him at his latest show.

Kid Cudi's latest interview might have cemented his reunion with Kanye West -- but it also opened up a new can of worms with Lupe Fiasco, who's spiraling with thoughts of beating up Cudi!!!

Cudi recently poked the Lupe bear while talking to Apple's Zane Lowe -- he was revisiting his pre-fame days when he was just a lowly employee working at the Bape store.

One day, Lupe came in to shop and Cudi admits he hid in the stockroom until the "Kick, Push" rapper skedaddled. He was banking on becoming a bigtime rapper, and never wanted Lupe to hold that encounter over his head.

Cudi also acknowledged Lupe had a deep hatred for him, so he doesn't regret ducking him.

Lupe wasn't feeling story time with Cudi, and angrily hopped on X to call Cudi all types of bitches and other names, most of which Oprah would disapprove.

According to Lupe, the two used to be chummy, but when Cudi questioned his motives for offering fans featured verses for a discounted rate, Lupe felt Cudi exposed his true colors. Ever since then, Lupe's been looking to serve him a fade.

It's crazy how the same interview also pushed peace ... Cudi explained that Ye's apology to him was enough to soften his heart, and kids very well might see ghosts once again.

Kanye West seems to be embracing Nazi sentiments yet again -- this time wearing a shirt with the face of a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who's very well known in the metal scene.

Rapper JPEGMAFIA posted a pic Friday showing him standing next to Ye ... with the latter flashing his new platinum "teeth" and JPEG just muggin'. Just a few days ago, JPEG was publicly griping that KW wasn't acknowledging his talents in the studio ... now, this.

On its face, it looks like he and Ye made peace and came together for this photo-op -- but the bigger takeaway is Yeezy's wardrobe here ... specifically, what he's wearing up top.

It's a band T-shirt for the Norwegian black metal group BURZUM, and a photo of their lead singer Varg Vikernes plastered right below. The problem ... Varg is a known antisemite, something that's been well-documented in his career, for which he's faced legal trouble too.

The question ... why the hell is Ye wearing a shirt with a known neo-Nazi on it???

Of course, Kanye himself has been embroiled in nonstop controversy over the past year and change as it pertains to antisemitism -- and while he has attempted to walk those statements back of late, here he is within the past day or so rockin' a freaking BURZUM shirt.

It's possible Ye doesn't know about Varg's neo-Nazi ties -- but frankly, it's way too much of a coincidence considering the timing of everything. There's also an album cover connection.

When Kanye revealed the cover art for his new album "Vultures" ... folks quickly noticed that it looked very similar to BURZUM's album cover art over the years -- like, down to a T almost.

Now, if Kanye is aware who Varg is and what his ugly history entails -- which many suspect to be the case -- it would certainly seem to lend more credence to the notion that his apology in Hebrew last month was ... well, kinda meaningless.

We already shed light on the fact that his mea culpa may well have been generated by AI -- and remember, we just reported that he was said to have recorded some lengthy new apology on camera quite recently ... which we're told was rambling and all over the place.

Breakbeat Media's Dave Mays is pleased to announce his standoff with Funny Marco has come to an end ... after the two engaged in a legal standoff for much of last year!!!

As we reported last year, BB sued Funny Marco for a breach of contract after he began reposting his interviews to his own Cornbread TV channel.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the court docs and BB, Marco and Dave filed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice -- and the veteran hip hop publisher tells us they're rolling out a bunch of new episodes for the first time in over a year.

Dave tells us his main goal is to properly document rap culture's timeline; he's got Marco, Bill Bellamy, DaMona "Don't Call Me White Girl" Love, Bubba Dub -- but has been disrupting the space with his "Collect Call" podcast with the incarcerated Suge Knight.

Saweetie clearly wasn't capping about switching her focus to her music after her YG split -- the Icy Girl has laced up her studio cleats for an official San Francisco 49ers stadium anthem!!!

On Friday, Saweetie and her Bay Area bro P-Lo went half on a new song titled "Do It For The Bay," just in time for their squad's upcoming divisional round matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

The track's tailor-made for touchdowns and hurls a shoutout to everything from the coastline to their Bay Area OG, E-40 ... who's also a 49ers diehard.

The 49ers' Sr. Brand Marketing Director Allie Dicken says the rappers captured The Bay's core values with their collab ... any boost they can get is valuable.

The Packers just toppled the Dallas Cowboys after being picked as the underdog ... it's gonna be a tough battle on the field!!!

Earlier in the week, Saweetie and YG revealed they mutually ended their relationship of roughly 7 months, mainly because they're too busy with their careers.

One of Tupac Shakur's closest homeboys isn't feeling much "California Love" these days -- Richie Rich, a seasoned veteran of the rap game, is deflecting from the entire Golden State!!!

In a fiery IG post, Richie totally trashed Cali's politicians -- local and statewide -- for their ongoing programs that fund the pockets of its citizens NOT native to the land.

The Oakland-born rapper says living in Cali has become too expensive for his blood ... the cost of living has gone up while the chances of survival have slimmed -- no reason to stick around any longer.

Cali lawmakers recently passed a bill to allow funding for undocumented senior citizens and also have assistance programs for California's homeless population -- which had the biggest uptick in all the states, reportedly growing 6% in 2023.

Cali's population has dropped for 3 years straight, and Richie says he's too heavy in the game to watch handouts slap him in the face left and right.

Jeannie Mai's requesting the court hold off on enforcing her prenup with Jeezy ... saying she didn't have enough time to review it before signing.

The talk show host filed the request Thursday afternoon in Fulton County Superior Court ... asking the judge to either deny Jeezy's motion to enforce the prenuptial agreement or at least hold off on enforcing it until the parties can exchange info about it.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, JM says the prenup process was so quick -- they started negotiating just five days before she walked down the aisle -- she doesn't think she was able to do her proper due diligence on the agreement.

Basically, she says she didn't go through Jeezy's financial disclosures with a fine-toothed comb to make sure she was getting a fair deal ... saying the truncated window "raises significant concerns about the adequacy and thoroughness of the due diligence process."

She's also kinda calling out Jeezy here ... saying she has "significant reservations" about her ex's financial disclosures. Her legal team says the rapper only handed over one personal financial statement with approximate taxes and insists she was legally entitled to a thorough examination of all documents.

We previously reported ... Jeezy filed for divorce from Jeannie back in September saying the marriage is "irretrievably broken." Jeezy seemingly implied he thinks Jeannie cheated on him in his music ... but she came out and denied any suspected infidelity.

In fact, Jeannie took it a step further -- outright suggesting he might've been the one who possibly cheated -- claiming he'd pay through the nose for it per the prenup if that did, in fact, turn out to be true.

Nick Cannon knows he's the posterchild of polygamy these days -- a role he's embracing with common sense jewels for everyone who follow in his footsteps ... including Zeddy Will.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Nick in West Hollywood on Thursday and tickled him with the news of Zeddy, the 21-year-old TikTok star and rapper who just went viral for his 5-way baby shower ... and all the child's mothers were happily along for the ride.

Zeddy Will credited Nick for "redefining modern relationships" -- of course, the scenario and many like it mirror Nick's family tree of 12 children -- and Nick tells us inspiration is his forte... but also warned the young lad not to ignore his self-care.

He'll have 10 personalities to deal with -- the 5 new babies and their mothers!!!

Nick instructs ZW to stock up on sleep and also seek therapy ... sounds like sound advice ... he recently highlighted the frazzle dazzle of parenthood in his new chicken wings ad spot.

Who knows, maybe the two will collaborate down the line ... multi-platform hip hop content creators with multiple children ... there's still speculation Zeddy might be fakin' everything for a music video.

Snoop Dogg says OnlyFans recently came a-knockin' with a nutso $100 million offer to show off the family jewels, but his wife's not ready to share his beans or frank with the public ... not even for 9 figures!!!

The legendary rap star has been married for 27 years and told his pal Slink Johnson on his "Wake & Bake With Double S Express" podcast that OF had one simple request -- "pull that thang out" and the $100 million would be all his!!!

Snoop Dogg reminded Slink that his wife Shante Broadus, who also doubles as his manager, was Black BLACK ... and no amount of money would green-light his sexual eruption online.

Still, $100 million's a ton of pretty pennies and Slink seemed determined to figure out some kinda work-around for Snoop to make the big reveal and get the dough.

Kid Cudi is telling all on his mended friendship with Kanye West ... and explaining exactly why he ended up forgiving the guy after an ugly falling out.

The rapper hopped on Apple Music's Zane Lowe podcast and got into the topic in depth -- explaining he and Ye are, in fact, cool now .... noting it's because Kanye sincerely apologized to him -- which is major, as he doesn't easily dish out mea culpas.

KC adds that working with someone shrouded in controversy is complicated ... but at the end of the day, he considers Kanye his brother -- and it's always siblings that hurt each other the most ... but he'll always have his family's back.

Plus, he says fans love the two of them working together ... and Cudi's well aware of that.

You'll recall ... Kanye and Cudi feuded through all of 2022 and most of 2023 -- Ye was fuming when Cudi remained pals with Pete Davidson as he dated his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

In return, Cudi labeled him a dinosaur in the music industry and swore he'd never work with him again. At the time, it certainly felt like things were over between them ... for good.

But, through much reflection, Cudi tells Zane here that he wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for Kanye ... cause he championed him in his early career ... doing him huge favors such as paying for his "Day 'n' Nite" music video when he had no record deal.

He's also adamant that there's a good man underneath Ye's shocking behavior and abhorrent rants ... admitting he might not be able to bounce back from some stuff he's said, but he's praying for him.

Netflix’s successful rap reality show “Rhythm + Flow” -- which introduced D Smoke to the world -- is back for another go-round with a trio of new hosts!!!

Ludacris, Latto and DJ Khaled were unveiled Thursday as the competition’s new judge/hosts … a complete overhaul from the OG cast of T.I., Cardi B and Chance The Rapper.

'R + F' production team -- which includes John Legend as executive producer -- didn't announce any reason for the switch, but the new blood looks especially excited about it in a teaser trailer ... especially Latto.

She famously won the first season of Jermaine Dupri’s “The Rap Game” in 2016, a similarly themed show tailored to child acts, and then used that momentum to ignite her own platinum-selling hip hop career.

'R+F' boasts similar accolades with D Smoke -- after the Inglewood rapper won in 2019, he landed Grammy noms for Best Rap Album and Best New Artist.