TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Logic says he's no Bobby Fischer when it comes to chess, but he's feeling confident enough to challenge one of our photogs to a match ... and dropping bombs about his love life!!!

We got the rapper at Catch Thursday night in West Hollywood, where he had just finished dinner, and he was holding a very interesting accessory ... a friggin' chessboard.

Logic admits he's far from a grandmaster -- maybe that's why he's practicing at the dinner table -- but when our guy asks if he's down for a quick game, Logic jumps at the offer and sets a few parameters.

Speaking of chess pieces, Logic's got his own queen ... telling us his dinner date, Brittney Noell, is his wife now, and they're expecting!!!

We broke the story ... Logic and Brittney took a trip to the courthouse in July to take out a marriage license ... and turns out they followed through to tie the knot.

BTW ... Logic's kept things with Brittney under wraps, so it's pretty rare to see them out together.

Logic dropped a freestyle last month and said he was having a little boy, but he never revealed the child's mother ... until now.

50 Cent and Paris Jackson are going head-to-head over his insinuation Chris Brown is better than Michael Jackson -- and now he's upped the ante with a graphic comment about Jackson's accusers.

Fiddy just fired back at MJ's daughter who, on Wednesday, took umbrage with 50 Cent posting a video of CB doing back flips. If you missed it, the rapper said, "All I'm saying is I never seen MJ come out like this."

Paris responded with, "true legends don't need to exert outrageous amounts of energy just grasp your attention."

Far be it from 50 Cent -- master of the IG troll -- to just let it go. Instead, on Friday, he put up a fresh post, saying ... "Why am I the bad guy, I understand how you feel Paris, but does anyone care about how the little boys butts feels."

Yeah, he went there -- but keep in mind, Dave Chappelle went there too, in his latest Netflix special -- sparking a national debate about believing or disbelieving Jackson's alleged victims.

As we reported, Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- the accusers featured in "Leaving Neverland" -- both blasted Chappelle for the jokes and personal comments he made onstage.

The first domino has fallen in Tekashi69's racketeering case ... the rapper's ex-manager has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Kifano “Shotti” Jordan learned his fate Friday, courtesy of a Manhattan judge ... 6 months after he pled guilty to 1 count of using and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and 1 count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi and Shotti were both arrested by the feds on racketeering charges back in November. The feds believed Shotti, along with Tekashi, pulled off an armed robbery back in April 2018. The feds alleged they robbed Tekashi's rivals at gunpoint.

Shotti was also accused of firing 2 shots at one of Tekashi's rivals ... on the same night one of Tekashi's crew members fired his gun inside the Barclays Center.

Kanye West is not just a Wyoming visitor anymore, because we've learned he just bought a massive property.

Kanye plunked down some serious money for a property called Monster Lake Ranch. The asking price was $14 million for the huge chunk of land outside Cody, Wyoming.

The Ranch itself has 8 lodging units and is known for "monster trout" fishing. It has 2 fresh water lakes, a restaurant, an event center and meeting facilities. And -- it's a ranch, right -- so there are lots of horse barns, corrals and lots of horsies. Fun fact ... Cody is known as the "rodeo capital of the world." Imagine Sunday Service at the rodeo?!?

We're told Kanye did not pay full price but we don't know exactly how much he plunked down. The property itself is more than 9,000 acres! He now owns 4,500 of those acres, and the rest is leased from the federal government.

Kanye is there now ... earlier this week, he was tooling around his new property on an ATV.

We're told Kanye is currently there ... finishing up his new album, which has a heavy religious theme. As you know, his Sunday Service has become a thing, and now he's going into the studio to put finishing touches on the album that's expected to come out Sept. 27.

Our sources say in the last few days Pusha T joined Kanye in Wyoming. Remember, Pusha was also there when Kanye was working on the album "Ye." He spent a lot of time in Wyoming at the Aman resort putting pen to paper to finish that album.

The lawyer who initially represented A$AP Rocky in his Swedish assault case was shot by someone who appears to have been lying in wait for him ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Henrik Olsson Lilja was leaving his apartment building early Friday morning in downtown Stockholm when a gunman walked up to him and shot him in the head and the chest. Cops tell us the lawyer was inside the building at the time of the attack.

The gunman jumped into a waiting SUV, which then sped off.

We don't know the lawyer's condition, but we're told he actually called the police. TMZ has seen a photo of him on the street and the head injury is too gruesome to post.

The lawyer repped A$AP when he was first taken into custody after assaulting a man who was harassing him on the streets of Stockholm. Olsson Lilja was replaced before the trial began.

So far we don't know if there's any connection to Olsson Lilja's representation of A$AP.

The shooter is still at large.

Nicki Minaj's retirement announcement not only came out of nowhere, but it absolutely doesn't add up -- as in it doesn't seem real -- based on her recent actions ... so say sources close to her.

TMZ's learned Nicki has been busy in the studio working on new music in recent weeks and on top of that ... we're told she made plans to record with several artists just in the past few days.

Our sources say Minaj has a lot of songs already in the can, and despite saying on Thursday she's retiring in order to "have my family" -- she still has studio time booked until next month.

So, why the sudden decision to hang it up? We're told Nicki's been growing increasingly fed up with internet trolls who've been harassing her lately, and finally reached a boiling point.

Our sources say the rapper was pushed over the edge by constantly defending herself over accusations of not writing her own songs, questions about her hip-hop legacy ... and her relationship with her fiance, Kenneth Petty. BTW, rumor is she's already Mrs. Petty, but that's another thing Nicki's tired of discussing.

The good news for the Barbs ... we're told those close to Nicki believe she's just taking a much-needed break from the haters and simply needs a moment to chill and reevaluate. As we told you ... DJ Paul agrees.

One more thing -- Minaj's comment about family got many wondering if she's pregnant. We're told she's not ... yet.

YG and Kehlani are ready to let the whole world know they're officially an item ... the new couple just made their first public appearance together.

The rapper and R&B singer were holding hands Thursday night as they strolled arm and arm into the Kith show at New York Fashion Week.

It's the first time we've seen YG and Kehlani together since rumors of their relationship started swirling ... and they told our guy they're definitely dating.

The timing is interesting ... because YG recently had another child with his baby mama, Catelyn Sparks, who gave birth to their second baby girl in July. Kehlani became a mother back in March, welcoming a baby girl into the world.

Kehlani's no stranger to getting in high profile relationships. The former "America's Got Talent" finalist used to date NBA superstar Kyrie Irving.

Nicki Minaj says she's leaving the music biz ... she's decided to retire because HER family's the next priority.

The rapper made the stunning announcement in a Thursday morning tweet ... saying she's gonna retire because she's ready to become a mom. She wrote, "I've decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, X in the box- cuz ain't nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE."

Nicki seems to be saying 2 things ... 1. that she wants to become a mom, and 2. that she's sick of the trolls.

What's not clear ... is she blowing off steam or is this the real deal?

If Nicki's in fact done with the rap game ... she leaves behind a storied legacy. The pride of Trinidad and Tobago and Queens earlier this year became the first female rapper to officially sell 100 million units across her albums, singles and features as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Nicki's been nominated for 10 Grammys, earned a Guinness World Record in 2017 for most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo female artist and hauled in five MTV Video Music Awards. It's unclear if retirement means she's also done with the popular "Queen Radio" show.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicki and her boyfriend, Kenneth Petty, got a marriage license not long ago. She's called him her husband since then but we haven't been able to confirm they've actually tied the knot.

But one thing's clear, they seem to be going full steam ahead ... with starting their family seemingly on the horizon.

Originally Published -- 11:50 AM PT

Mac Miller was supplied deadly, fentanyl-laced pills that directly contributed to his death -- according to federal prosecutors, who just filed charges against his alleged dealer.

Charges came down Wednesday against 28-year-old Cameron James Pettit, whom the feds allege supplied the rapper with counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl in a new 42-page criminal complaint out of the Central District of California.

Per the docs, prosecutors claim Mac had asked Pettit for "percs" -- short for percocet, a prescribed painkiller full of oxycodone -- and that the dealer ended up supplying the pills that contributed to Mac's overdose death last year. The AP was first to report the story.

TMZ broke the story ... Mac Miller was found unresponsive in his Studio City home. His death was later ruled an accidental overdose from alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl.

According to the charging docs, authorities served search warrants at multiple locations while investigating Mac's death. They say that two days before his death on Sep. 7, Mac received two deliveries of drugs -- one from Pettit, who allegedly supplied the fentanyl-laced oxy pills, cocaine and Xanax -- and another from a prostitute, who allegedly gave him pure oxy, hydrocodone, amphetamine, Xanax and coke on top of what Pettit had dropped off.

Prosecutors say that the prostitute works for a madam, whom is allegedly associated with Pettit. They claim that when Pettit had not immediately responded to Mac for a second delivery, he hit up the madam, who sent the prostitute to leave him the additional drugs.

There's more -- prosecutors allege that Pettit directly messaged about Mac's death shortly afterward on Instagram, allegedly telling friends that he probably shouldn't post anything as a reaction "just to be smart." Prosecutors say he later wrote, "I am not great ... Most likely I will die in jail" when someone asked how he was doing.

The criminal complaint that Pettit was one of three people who supplied Mac with the counterfeit drugs. It's unclear if the two others -- presumably the madam and the prostitute -- have been charged yet.

Pettit was taken into custody Wednesday morning.

Originally Published -- 11:39 AM PT

French Montana is the ultimate immigrant success story and hopes to be an inspiration for others in this country ... even when it seems the Prez is against them.

We got the "Jungle Rules" rapper out this week ... he tells us he owes his livelihood to the U.S. -- where he emigrated and became a U.S. citizen a year ago in June -- and believes there are a lot of kids out there with the potential to follow in his footsteps.

Based on the video ... that means getting to a point where you have a person to help untangle your bling.

The problem -- French also believes there are a lot of Donald Trumps out there trying to crush the dreams of people from underprivileged countries ... so he vows to do what he can to help them keep the faith.

As for how he plans to achieve this ... it doesn't seem like going the Kim Kardashian route and getting face time with POTUS is in the cards. The rapper says it's more about continuing to give back to the less fortunate.

Montana's mission is a noble one, but if he wants to be a beacon for immigrants ... he should probably avoid more street scuffles. We broke the story ... French was fuming after an alleged attack the morning after VMAs, especially at his own security.

Additional footage of the incident showed French as the aggressor, though. So far, he hasn't been charged for his role in the altercation.

Kanye West's Sunday Service is on the road again ... this time he took the choir to good ol' Watts, and none other than Brad Pitt showed up to feel the good vibes.

Brad was among the large group of worshipers who surrounded Kanye and his choir Sunday in the parking lot of a church. We're told it was a spur-of-the-moment deal, and Brad's presence was a surprise to almost everyone who showed up.

Maybe it shouldn't be going forward, 'cause our sources tell us this is his second time coming.

You can see Brad rockin' his signature charcoal-colored cap. We're told the actor was mostly unbothered by fans as he blended in with the crowd. Yes, Brad Pitt can blend in in Watts.

Other VIPs for this week's Sunday Service included L.A. Reid, Adrienne Bailon, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and radio personality Big Boy.

Meanwhile, Kanye was doing his usual thing ... jamming out with the choir and the band on hand in the middle of the group. It looks like there was singing, dancing and, of course, a sermon was given at one point ... the whole church experience, which Ye's been taking around the country lately.

Looks like Kanye's recent Sunday Service road trip is becoming the norm. Remember, he was just in Dayton, OH last week with Kim and his kids ... where he helped Dave Chappelle put on a free concert and service for the grief-stricken community.

Travis Scott has no ill will toward Cardi B for taking home the Grammy for Best Rap Album, despite what fans might think after watching his new documentary.

Travis' "Look Mom I Can Fly" project dropped on Netflix Wednesday, and there's a part when Travis is visibly upset after Cardi took home the trophy back in February. A lot of people who've seen it already thought Travis was angry at Cardi.

Sources close to Travis tell us it was absolutely NOT anything personal. We're told his emotions only surfaced because of all the hard work he put into his "Astroworld" album ... and he just really wanted to win, plain and simple.

Fact is, Travis and Cardi have always been super cool since then -- and her hubby, Offset, even showed up at the big Netflix premiere event for the documentary.

Cardi defended herself against some Travis fans on Twitter, saying, "I wasn’t even thinking of winning or even the Grammies. All I can think about was...everybody is disappointed in me, am I still going to have a career after this baby? Is this album going to make me or break me ? I need to finish before I start showing."

She continued, "So when I won a Grammy for it I didn’t have no words to say but when I went home I started reminiscing on what I went thru during that period I was like YEA BITCH YOU DESERVE THIS SHIT! And until this day my shit still charting."

Kanye West can sum up his feelings about bringing his Sunday Services to traditional churches in just 2 words -- far less than Justin Bieber used, but we think they're saying the same thing.

We got Ye Saturday night as he and his wifey, Kim Kardashian, were leaving Cafe Habana in Malibu ... and asked him if he felt any more pressure when performing in churches with his Sunday Service choir.

As you know, Kanye's had 2 special services in the last month -- leaving his usual outdoor location in Calabasas to perform for a North Hollywood congregation ... and the other in Dayton, OH for survivors of the mass shooting there.

Kanye's answer was short, sweet and a clear sign of his faith. As for feeling pressure ... he was getting plenty last night from one of his outspoken fans in the 'Bu.

We'd put that same question, about pressure, to Justin last week -- on the heels of him singing for the first time in front of the congregation at Churchome in Bev Hills. Biebs told us it was more nerve-racking than his stadium concerts.

The takeaway, though, is both of 'em are feeling the Spirit.

Wiz Khalifa had to bail on a concert on the eastern seaboard because of a bad foot injury -- specifically, he got jacked up while putting in serious work ... MMA style.

Sources connected to the Pittsburgh MC tell TMZ ... Wiz fractured his ankle Friday night during an MMA training session, which left him unable to perform during Saturday night's Hot 104.7's Hot Summer 2019 showcase in Westbrook, Maine.

He was one the headliners on the lineup -- performing alongside acts like A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Ally Brooke, YK Osiris, Big Freedia and others -- but because he couldn't make it ... DMX filled in for him last minute. Not a bad replacement.

Wiz took to social media Saturday to apologize to fans who'd purchased tickets in hopes of seeing him hit the stage, but promised he'd make it up to them in the future when he was healthy. He also made sure to thank DMX for stepping in on short notice.

If the MMA thing is catching you off guard, it shouldn't. He's been at this for at least a couple years now ... and he's absolutely taking training seriously. Just ask FOX's Jay Glazer.

Back in 2017, Wiz was filmed getting in an MMA sesh with Jay ... and the dude looks like he can absolutely throw down. He's even toyed with the idea of taking an actual fight.

What's crazy about this unfortunate setback for Wiz is that he appears to wear protective gear on his legs and ankles when he trains -- at least he did in this video here. He must've been kicking some serious ass to splinter a bone down there ... yowza. BTW, it should be noted ... we're told Wiz was NOT training with Jay in this instance.

YBN Cordae says there isn't much he can do to help his girlfriend, Naomi Osaka, prepare for a big tennis tournament ... other than be a supportive BF, that is.

We got the Maryland-based rapper leaving a Puma Store Friday night in NYC, where he's in town for the U.S. Open -- in which Naomi is competing and defending her championship. She's got a huge match Saturday night against up-and-comer Coco Gauff. Should be good.

Seeing how Naomi's got a lot on the table ... we asked Cordae if he does anything in particular to help her get ready for these high-stakes moments. Turns out, he says he mostly gets out of the way and let's her do her thing ... 'cause she knows what she's doing.

One thing he is in charge of though ... getting her to bed on time. Yep, that's good boyfriendin' 101, especially if your girl is an international superstar athlete.

Our camera guy also asks if he was able to glean any knowledge off off Kobe Bryant and Colin Kaepernick this week, as they were both sitting near YBN in the stands on Thursday.

Lil Nas X is doing everything he can to change his tune, so don't even TRY to talk to him about the biggest #1 song of all time -- 'cause if you do, he's got a one-word answer for you.

We got Lil Nas Thursday night outside NYC's Soho Grand Hotel and asked him about securing a CMA nomination this week for "Old Town Road." You'd think it's kind of a big deal -- getting a nod for Musical Event of the Year ... especially considering the country music industry hasn't exactly embraced his monster hit.

But, check out the clip ... Lil Nas seemed to downplay the achievement.

As for why the man who just had the #1 song in the country for a record-setting 19 weeks doesn't wanna talk about it? Seems he's fully on to the next. Watch the clip and count how many times he says "Panini" ... his follow-up track to "Old Town Road."

Fact is, no one sets out to be a one-hit wonder, and LNX is working overtime to make sure he doesn't end up in that category. We've got 2 words for him: smart businessman.