TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kodak Black has a new photo straight from the pen -- and it's not even an updated mug ... just a cheesin' KB letting us know he's hanging in there.   

The Florida rapper had someone post a fresh pic of himself Sunday from behind bars, and you can see he pretty much looks exactly the same as when he went in. Maybe longer hair, hard to tell though. He also seems to be in good spirits ... on the surface, anyway.

We only say that because Kodak added a somewhat ominous caption to his IG post -- which someone must've thrown up on his behalf while visiting. He writes, "The Streets Thin Na Cuz Everybody Gettin Hung .. Lawyers Sittin Back Suckin All A Ni*** Funds."

Unless he's griping about tax dollars that are going to the state of Florida in prosecuting his case -- hey, he might be -- it sounds an awful lot like Kodak's not happy with his defense team.

He might have a reason to be peeved -- a lot of stuff has NOT been going his way since he got arrested in May for allegedly making false statements on gun applications. He asked a judge, through his attorneys, to let him out on bail so he can deal with his other legal sitch down in South Carolina, but the court ruled in the prosecution's favor, saying he's a risk. 

The feds have also linked guns Kodak allegedly purchased with those false applications to a shooting that happened in March. His lawyers have called BS, but it looks like the case is moving forward as it stands ... which will presumably get resolved during his trial in September. 

Cardi B wigged out during her concert in London, and she's now issued a plea for the safe return of her faux hair!!!

Cardi was amazing on Friday headlining the first night of London's Wireless Festival, and she got so amped during her performance she ripped her wig off her head and hurled it into the crowd.

Cardi continued, wearing only a wig cap.

Thing is ... she's having some regrets, and wants it back. She tweeted her plea, but the jury is out on whether the fan who caught the flying hair will return it, keep it, or cash in on e-Bay.  

So far ... radio silence. Judging from social media, the sentiment is that Cardi needs to go wig shopping before her next concert. 

YG says he had absolutely nothing to do with a high-speed chase through the streets of Los Angeles involving an SUV registered in his name ... an incident that started with a deadly police shootout.

The Compton rapper tells TMZ ... "I was nowhere near the scene of this incident and had been in a recording studio all day in Hollywood. I was there until after midnight on the Fourth of July and didn't learn of these events until after they happened."

Our sources say YG is the registered owner of the black Cadillac Escalade that was involved in Wednesday night's pursuit, which began with a deputy-involved shooting in Compton. The SUV had aftermarket bulletproof glass and armor. We're told the Escalade is a company car, and YG did not know the car was being used at the time.

Police say they were initially called to apprehend a reckless DUI suspect, but detectives then responded to a deputy-involved shooting after an innocent bystander was caught in the crossfire and shot dead at the scene.

Following the deadly shootout, a high-speed chase ensued and the pursuit finally came to an end in Inglewood. 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says more shots were fired during the chase, with suspects shooting at deputies and a Sheriff's helicopter, which was not struck by bullets. 

Police say one deputy was shot during the pursuit and suffered minor injuries from a gunshot wound, and he was treated and released. According to multiple reports, a patrol car's windshield was peppered with bullets. 

At least one person was detained, and another suspect remains outstanding.

A$AP Rocky is in even more trouble than we thought, because Swedish authorities have just made it clear ... they have no plans to release him anytime soon.

Swedish prosecutors are asking a judge to allow them to hold A$AP Rocky and members of his crew for 2 weeks, while they investigate the alleged assault Tuesday for which he was detained. Swedish authorities are normally allowed to keep people for only 3 days, so they are clearly gunning for him.

And, there's even more ominous news. As you know, authorities jumped into action after a video surfaced of A$AP and his crew pummeling a guy on the street, leaving him battered and bloodied.

But then, another video surfaced, showing the alleged victim harassing A$AP and hitting his bodyguard with a set of headphones. The guy was harassing A$AP and his crew for about a half hour before they had enough.

A$AP actually tried to be a peacemaker ... telling the guy, "We don't wanna fight y'all. We don't wanna go to jail."

It's unclear if authorities saw that second video before they jailed A$AP, but they have seen it now. What's really significant ... Swedish prosecutors tell us they are releasing the bodyguard now due to "insufficient evidence" but they are not releasing A$AP. That suggests the second video doesn't do it for prosecutors, and they still view this as an assault.

This is really serious for A$AP ... if convicted, he faces 6 years in prison.

DaBaby's facing a second lawsuit in less than two weeks ... this time from a promoter who is pissed the rapper bailed on a gig after his crew allegedly beat the crap outta another rapper.

Nothing To Something ENTertainment is suing DaBaby claiming it's out tons of cash after the rapper bailed on a scheduled gig back in May at Centro Night club in Lawrence, MA. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the promoters say they paid DaBaby up front and also shelled out thousands to promote the performance but the rapper dipped out before it even began.

As we first reported ... DaBaby's posse beat another fellow rapper to a pulp, sending him into a coma. The alleged victim, Don Trag, had also been scheduled to perform at the same venue. His family told us Trag just wanted a pic with DaBaby, who turned him down.

Sources close to DaBaby had said Trag was overzealous ... and when Trag kept getting turned down, he started talking smack. That's when DaBaby's crew unleashed a beating. Trag sued DaBaby for injuries to his head, neck and spine. The promoters are now going after DaBaby too.

Celebrity prisoners spending their July 4th holiday behind bars will chow down on an Independence Day spread like the rest of us ... filling their bellies with fatty foods.

TMZ's obtained prison menus from across the nation, and locked-up celebs Kodak Black, Suge Knight, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Michael Cohen are being treated to some pretty standard All-American fare ... mostly burgers and hot dogs.

Here'a a breakdown of their Fourth food options:

The Situation and Michael Cohen at New York's FCI Otisville:

-- Hamburgers, french fries, baked potatoes, sliced onions, pickles and fruit

Sitch is 6 months into his 8-month sentence for tax evasion, so this could be his last holiday meal behind bars. Not so for Cohen. President Trump's former personal attorney is just 2 months into his 3-year sentence for tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Suge Knight at San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility:

-- Hot dogs, cheeseburgers, crinkle-cut fries, cucumber onion salad, watermelon and chocolate milk

Suge is serving a 28-year sentence after striking a plea deal last year in his murder case. Remember, he's been on the inside since 2015 ... so he knows the game by now. No fireworks.

Kodak Black at FDC Miami:

-- BBQ roast beef, sliced beef sausage, hamburger buns, baked beans, mac and cheese, potato salad, sliced onions, sliced pickles and cheesecake

A$AP Rocky is under arrest in Sweden for a street fight and now faces a very serious charge -- this despite video that seems to show he and his team were NOT the aggressors.

Law enforcement in Stockholm tell us ... cops busted A$AP on suspicion of aggravated assault. TMZ broke the story ... the rapper and his team got into the brawl last weekend.

We posted the first video of the incident, showing Rocky and his entourage tossing a guy and punching him.

Witnesses told us the fight started because the man was hounding A$AP and his team over a pair of headphones he claimed they had broken.

However, AR later posted a nearly 3-minute long video which showed the man had actually broken his headphones when he smashed them on the head of A$AP's bodyguard. Even after that clear first shot was taken ... Rocky is seen on camera playing peacemaker, trying to calm the situation.

It appears the fight erupted several minutes later when the man continued to hound A$AP and co., and after a woman claimed the man had groped her butt.

We're told Stockholm cops can now hold Rocky for up to 3 days while prosecutors determine whether to charge him. If they do, he's looking at the possibility of up to 6 years in a Swedish prison.

We're told 3 other people were also arrested ... 2 on suspicion of aggravated assault, and 1 for suspicion of assault. It's unclear what their relationship is to A$AP.

Shaquille O'Neal just dropped the music video for his EDM track with NGHTMRE and Lil Jon ... and it's a crazy combo of headbanging, Ferraris and ... doing taxes??

Hell yeah!!!

DJ Diesel -- AKA the biggest DJ on the planet -- teamed up with the L.A. producer and crunk rapper for the perfectly titled banger, "BANG," which was originally released back in February.

The song alone will make you want to flip your desk over and quit your job ... and now that the video came out this week, we get to enjoy watching Shaq and the gang rage their faces off and goof around.

Seriously ... the dudes go from spa days to arcades to playing hide-and-seek ... and a bunch of live shots from Ultra Music Festival in Miami in between.

Of course, Shaq's been spending his time on the 1s and 2s in recent years and gaining the respect from fellow DJs like Diplo, who told us back in February the NBA legend is "killin' it" in his new career.

Lil Nas X had clearly been thinking about coming out as gay for a long time, and the best evidence of that is the cover of his debut album ... a cover that was in the works for weeks.

Lorenzo Sozzi, who designed the cover with the rapper, tells TMZ ... Lil Nas X had a vision of the art for the album -- the rapper leaving a dystopian world for a futuristic world -- so X actually put out an open call to artists to come up with his vision, and Sozzi is the one who nailed it.

Lil Nas had some edits, though, and sometime during the creative process ... he instructed Sozzi to add a rainbow flourish to one of the buildings on the album cover. Nas never told Sozzi why he wanted to add the rainbow, but he was adamant about it.

Now, here's what's really interesting ... Nas released the album cover art on June 15 -- 2 weeks ago, but he didn't come out until June 30. Looking back, it's clear, at the very least, the cover of X's "7" was a big clue he was gay, but he never explained further until his Glastonbury concert this past Sunday.

TMZ broke the story ... Nas was so moved by the crowd -- 180,000 strong -- showing him so much love, he went back stage, picked up his phone, and told the world he is gay.

A$AP Rocky tried his best to calm things down moments before he and his crew got into a crazy brawl with a guy who ended up getting battered and bloodied.

New video shows the rapper wanted no trouble with a guy who kept following him over the weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. The video starts with A$AP's massive bodyguard telling the guy to take a hike, but the guy didn't listen. He kept harassing A$AP's group, and eventually used his headphones to swing on the bodyguard. You can hear them shatter on the bodyguard's head. 

Check out the vid ... you can see Rocky put his left hand over the guy's shoulder and tell him, "Listen, listen. We don't wanna fight y'all. We don't wanna go to jail." At one point, Rocky also looks into the camera and says "We don't want no problems with these boys. They keep following us. Look at them." 

As you know by now ... A$AP's patience ran out. TMZ posted the video of Rocky and co. pummeling the guy. When the dust settled, Rocky and his crew were long gone and the guy was knocked out on the ground.

Law enforcement sources told us they're looking into the incident and reviewing video. 

Lil Nas X is not going to be ostracized by the rap community simply for coming out ... at least according to record executive and producer Irv Gotti, who says times are a changin'.

We got the Murder Inc. Records honcho in New York City and ask him about the industry's reaction to the rapper announcing he's gay. Irv tells us it ain't that big of a deal ... not these days, anyway. 

As we first reported ... the 20-year-old "Old Town Road" sensation felt inspired to tell the world his truth Sunday night after performing in front of a MASSIVE crowd in England, going on social media on the last day of Pride month to announce he's gay. 

Irv, who's produced tons of hits for hip-hop titans over the past 25 years, says it would've been much harder for Lil Nas X to come out back in the day ... but now, it's not too shocking.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner says it's "AWESOME" that Lil Nas X has come out as gay -- telling TMZ Sports, "I think it's real big!"

28-year-old Griner is openly gay -- she's engaged to longtime girlfriend Cherelle Watson -- and knows first hand how tough it can be to come out when you're a big star under the microscope. 

But, the 5-time WNBA All-Star says she's especially impressed with the "Old Town Road" artist for not letting homophobes and negative gay stereotypes (especially in the hip-hop world) stop him from going public about his sexuality. 

"I just think it's awesome he did that," Griner says ... "takes a lot of bravery."

Griner says it's 2019 and people should be able to love who they want to love and be who they want to be without fear of a backlash ... and she thinks Lil Nas X is helping to achieve that goal. 

"I think it's real big ... kudos to him."

Lil Nas X coming out is going to have a ripple effect that will save the lives of LGBT youth across the country ... so says Milan Christopher.

We got the ex-"Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" star in Los Angeles and ask his thoughts on the rapper revealing he's gay. Milan says it's going to be an inspiration for kids and teens who are being bullied because of their sexuality. 

TMZ broke the story ... the 20-year-old "Old Town Road" rapper became inspired to share his truth with the world on Sunday after performing with Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus in front of a HUGE crowd in England, hopping on Twitter on the final day of Pride Month to say he's gay. 

Milan -- who is gay -- tells us Nas' surprise announcement is going to be a life saver, because he says the suicide rates for LGBT teens are through the roof, and a successful celeb coming out as gay will send a strong message to kids. 

Slim 400 wasn't meant to die after being shot multiple times this weekend -- so says his good pal, YG. 

The Compton rapper -- and good friend of Slim -- was leaving LAX Monday, where he gave us an update on how his friend was doing after being gunned down Friday night. 

He says he hasn't had a chance to see him yet, but lets us know straight-up -- guys from '400' crew don't go down easily. He also explains what he and his boys are gonna do now going forward as far protecting themselves ... check it out, sounds like a warning shot.

As far as how serious this shooting was, we've learned Slim 400 took 9 bullets to his body -- and based on where they hit, it's a miracle he's expected to be on his own two feet again. 

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Slim is still in critical but stable condition as he recovers in a hospital after being gunned down Friday night in Compton. We're told doctors found he'd actually been shot 9 times, as opposed to 8 ... as we'd previously been told.

This is where he was struck, per our sources -- his upper and lower back (multiple areas), his face (jaw area, specifically) and the top of his head, which caused some internal bleeding that was dealt with in surgery. Again ... absolutely stunning the guy survived.

There's also this ... we're being told Slim's jaw has been wired shut as a result of the facial gunshot wound. Our sources say he's still heavily sedated at this point, but is expected to make a full recovery in the coming weeks. 

A$AP Rocky and his crew pummeled a guy in Sweden, leaving him battered and bloodied in the street ... according to witnesses on the scene.

TMZ obtained video that starts with the rapper having an intense convo with a couple of guys at Max restaurant in Stockholm Sunday night ... allegedly over Rocky breaking a pair of their headphones earlier.

Our sources say the 2 young men kept following AR and threatened to call the cops over the headphones. We're told someone stepped in to translate the argument between the 2 parties, and Rocky delivered this message -- stop following us ... or else.

Apparently, that's when another woman interrupted the convo, and accused one of the 2 men of grabbing her ass earlier. Witnesses say that's when A$AP and his crew decided to throw down.

The video shows Rocky -- in a white hoodie and green shorts -- absolutely toss one of the guys like a ragdoll. You can also hear someone smash a bottle during the fight. Three other men, apparently on Rocky's side -- jumped in and joined the beatdown, punching and kicking the guy.

Our sources say Rocky and his crew then took off, leaving the guy knocked out on the ground. An ambulance and cops showed up shortly after and took statements from witnesses.

Law enforcement sources tell us officers are looking into various fights that went down Sunday night in the center of Stockholm, but they had no info about A$AP Rocky being involved.

Sources close to A$AP Rocky's team tell us he and his friends were only responding to "an assault."

Lil Nas X was overwhelmed with the love he felt from his UK concert Sunday night, and that inspired him to tell the world his truth.

The 20-year-old "Old Town Road" star had just performed with Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus in front of 180,000 people in Glastonbury, England ... he's never seen the likes of a crowd like that and was stunned by the reception.

Sources directly connected to the rapper tell TMZ, after leaving the stage he tweeted a series of declarations ... all but saying he's gay. The post was oblique, with Nas saying things like, "some of y'all already know, some of y'all don't care, some of y'all not gone fwm no more."

However, our sources say he absolutely intended this as his way of coming out. We're told he was "tired of being closeted." He did not tell anyone -- Miley, Billy Ray or anyone else in advance -- that he was about to tell the world he's gay.

Our sources say ... Nas realizes there's a chance he might alienate part of his fan base, but he says his music crosses many genres, so it's not like he's beholden to country, hip-hop, etc.

We're told he wanted to tell everyone he's gay, but his hesitation is that he doesn't want to become "the poster child for the LGBTQ community" ... at least not yet. He's 20 years old and has only been famous for a few months, and as one source put it, "Everything's happening so fast his head is spinning. He may become a leader in gay rights, but not quite yet."

Our sources also say Lil Nas X feels he can be a role model for other young people who are scared to come out. He believes this will not hurt his career and will give others inspiration.