TMZ Hip Hop

Barack Obama once again flexed his eclectic ears with his annual favorite music list ... leaving singer ROE blindsided, after he selected her independently-released R&B smash!!!

TMZ Hip Hop ran into ROE in Los Angeles as the Obama buzz was still circulating, and the Venice-born singer/songwriter tells us she had no clue how the former Commander-in-Chief came across her song ... but she's thankful that he did!!!

ROE tells us she was leaving the gym when her BFF blew up her phone with 🔥 emojis, and she knew she had gone viral.

Lil Baby and Lil Yachty added prime fuel to the "F The Streets" movement sparked by 21 Savage's rant last week ... by joining their charitable forces for a Christmas giveaway in their hometown!!!

Baby partnered his org, The Jones Project Inc., with The Lil Yachty Foundation for a full-scale holiday takeover in Atlanta’s West End on Sunday that brought out more than 2,000 youth and families for the festivities!!!

Nicki Minaj is a fan of Charlie Kirk, as she made clear at a TPUSA sit-down with Erika Kirk this weekend ... but the slain right-wing activist was not such a fan of hers -- at least according to an old clip making the rounds online.

Watch the video ... Charlie is knee-deep in a debate with a college student when he names Nicki as someone he didn't think was a good role model for "18-year-old black girls."

But, it's hard to tell whether he was even completely sure who Nicki is. He seemed to confuse Nicki for Cardi B, saying, songs "glorifying wet female genitalia" aren't edifying for young black women.

One of the men convicted in the 2002 killing of RUN-DMC's DJ, Jam Master Jay, just had his murder conviction overturned last week -- a big surprise for Darryl McDaniels!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the legendary DMC walking our way in New York City on Monday, and he didn't even let us finish our sentence ... he had just heard the news!!!

On Friday, a U.S. District Judge granted Karl Jordan Jr. an acquittal on the murder charges handed down in Feb. 2024, citing an overall lack of evidence.

Tory Lanez revealed in his first interview from prison last week that he had new evidence favorable to his appeal after his conviction for shooting Megan The Stallion, and it turns out, the rapper wasn't BS-ing, and he's now going after the former Los Angeles D.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Tory's team submitted an official report to the court with testimony from a software expert who reviewed Megan's medical records after Meg was shot by Tory that fateful night in 2020.

After the review, the expert signed the report claiming there were 60 fraudulent errors in the medical findings presented at Tory's 2022 trial by then-L.A. County District Attorney, George Gascon. As you know, Tory was convicted of shooting Megan and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tory, though, has always maintained his innocence.

J.D. Vance is breaking his silence after Nicki Minaj let out a major verbal slip at the TPUSA summit this weekend -- accidentally referring to him as "the assassin" -- but instead of clapping back, the VP is actually taking the high road.

Vance hopped on X Monday morning and first referenced Nicki’s comments that lifting up little Black girls doesn’t mean tearing down little blonde girls ... making it clear he understood her message was one rooted in unity.

He went on to say politics has pushed people into "zero sum" thinking in recent years, pointing the finger at powerful forces that thrive on division -- and he tagged Nicki directly, saying she rejects that mindset. So apparently no beef between J.D. and Nicki!

Snoop Dogg is turning his limited edition "roach" art pieces into the ultimate stocking stuffer through a one-dollar flex ... with a raffle through Stuff.io.

Throughout the rest of Monday morning, Snoop is selling off the digital image and videos for $1 and fans will get a ticket to win some boss prizes ... 3 winners will be gifted with $1,000 travel to L.A., a $500 shopping spree at Snoop’s clothing store, and a tour of his private compound -- in an addition to one of only three digital roach art pieces!!!

Remember, we caught up with Snoop earlier this year. The legendary rapper and design artist Erica Kovitz collaborated on the "Rich N Infamous: The Joint Venture” roach art project -- made with the remainders of smoked weed joints -- which has since garnered 6-figure sales bids.

Nicki Minaj probably wanted a mulligan on her comments about J.D. Vance during a Turning Point USA event ... calling the VP an "assassin" -- during a chat with Erika Kirk.

The rapper appeared onstage at TPUSA's AmericaFest Sunday ... sitting down to heap praise on the current administration while Charlie Kirk's widow asked her questions about her foray into politics.

At first, Nicki's getting the crowd energized ... telling young men not to be "new-scum" -- a dig at California Governor Gavin Newsom. Instead, she encourages them to be like the "handsome" and "dashing" President Donald Trump.

A suspect has been arrested in connection to the scary invasion of Tekashi 6ix9ine's home ... TMZ has learned.

Pedro Roriguez -- a 19-year-old man -- was arrested and charged with armed home invasion robbery with a firearm, false imprisonment, grand theft and posession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver ... according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities say Rodriguez is just one of several suspects ... and, the investigation remains ongoing.

Tom Brady posted for the first time since news of his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen's marriage to Joaquim Valente broke ... and, a song he added to his posts will have some raising some eyebrows.

Here's the deal ... the ex-NFLer shared two photos to his Instagram story Saturday morning -- the first of which shows TB12 in a white hoodie with "Forever Young" written on the chest. While it's only a photo, Brady added audio to the post ... the song "1-800-273-8255" by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid.

If you're not familiar with the track, it has lines like "I feel like my life ain't mine" and "I don't wanna be alive." The title is the old suicide prevention hotline number, though it's since been changed to the simpler 988.

T.I. is aiming for some Christmas Eve calamity in households everywhere -- with the release of his debut stand-up comedy special!!!

On Friday, Tip dropped the trailer for "Cheaper Than Therapy" ... his all-jokes, non-musical romp which was filmed at the famed Atlanta venue Center Stage.

We're told the hip hop legend got the support from his fellow hometown heroes during the special's taping ... Usher, The-Dream, and Young Dro were all in the building!!! Tip also shared the stage with his own comedy collective, The HaHa Mafia.

Timothée Chalamet still won’t confirm or deny he’s EsDeeKid ... but he’s absolutely riding the chaos, teaming up with the masked singer himself for one heck of an epic collab!

The Oscar-nominated star just dropped a wild video collaborating on the Liverpudlian’s "4 Raws Remix," releasing both the track and visuals with them appearing together -- which might put the rumors to bed ... except it’s 2025 and A.I. can stitch anyone together🤷‍♀️.

Either way -- undercover British rapper or not -- Timmy put his rap game all the way out there, name-checking his "Marty Supreme" film, flexing about stacking $100 mil, and even shouting out GF Kylie Jenner with the line, "It’s Timothée Chalamet chillin', tryin’ to stack $100 million / Girl got a billion."

The internet is still buzzing about whether or not Drake and Kendrick Lamar's iconic rap battle hurt the culture overall but Top Dawg Entertainment President, Terrence "Punch" Henderson is simply chalking it up to the circle of hip hop life!!!

The Top Dawg Entertainment President addressed the state of rap with TMZ Hip Hop at his label's 12th annual Christmas charity concert that boosted big names such as Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg!!!

A lot has happened within the culture in the past few weeks such as Hot 97 ending its decade-plus running "Ebro in the Morning" show and VIBE Magazine firing the bulk of its staff ... Punch says it's all been a transition period that's changing by the second.

YouTube music stats won't be represented on the Billboard Charts next year after a dispute the streaming giant called an "outdated formula" ...radio and podcast host Bootleg Kev agrees!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Kev at TDE's 12th annual Christmas giveaway ... boosted by appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, SZA, and more!!!

the Real 92.3 personality tells us Russ was right on the money in his criticism of Billboard refusing to acknowledge YouTube as an equal to DSPs such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more.

Tory Lanez is focused on being released from prison after 3 years into his 10-year sentence for his involvement in the 2022 Megan Thee Stallion shooting case ... because he believes there's new evidence to free him!!!

The embattled "Color Violent" artist gave his first broadcast interview from prison to NBC News this week and maintained his innocence ... citing the newly surfaced evidence is “overwhelming."

The evidence stems from Megan's recent defamation trial against blogger Milagro Gramz ... Tory is seeking the bullet fragments from the shooting that were never turned over, and Megan's medical records -- after Gramz's attorney discovered a document that wasn't originally identified in the 2022 trial.