TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West is either having second thoughts on moving or he's taking a long time to decide exactly what he wants to do with the property he bought next to Kim Kardashian's Hidden Hills estate.

You'll remember, Ye bought the modest crib back in December because he wanted to be closer to his kids as he and Kim navigated their divorce and their future as co-parents. Truth be told, at the time he bought the house, he was trying to reconcile with Kim.

We scoured the building records for Hidden Hills and Kanye has taken out no construction permits. He was planning on gutting the house, which needed tons of work. But there's no evidence he or his construction team are pulling permits to do work on the property.

Of course, Kanye's already deep into renovations on a beach home in Malibu he paid nearly $60 million for ... so it's not like Kanye isn't into home renovation. Now it's possible Kanye is working with an architect on plans and they haven't submitted them to the city, but neighbors tell us they haven't seen any activity at the home.

Kanye wanted the fixer-upper because it's a stone's throw from the family house Kanye built after purchasing it together in 2014. As we reported, Kim bought the house from him for $23 mil, and Ye wanted the other home so he could be near the kids. Fact is ... Malibu isn't that far, so it wouldn't be a hassle to shuttle the kids back and forth from Malibu to Hidden Hills.

T.I. isn't backing down from comedy after a crowd booed him during his latest set ... and instead is taking it as serious motivation!!!

We talked to T.I. at LAX Tuesday, and he says it was eye-opening for him to hear the reaction at Saturday's show, but thinks the boos were an intended insult -- calling it personal.

The rapper-turned-comedian is glad it happened ... he's now able to make adjustments to his material to turn the boos into laughter.

He wants it known he received a standing O at his set in Atlanta the following day, so he thinks it wasn't the material that flopped, but it was the energy in the crowd that brought it down.

As we reported, T.I. got into it with fellow comedian Lauren Knight at an open mic in Atlanta last week ... after he began to heckle her from the crowd. She had referenced the sexual assault allegations against him and his wife, which is when he grabbed the mic and confronted her.

Kim Kardashian just wants Kanye West to be happy ... and believes his new GF is a great thing in his life so long as he's enjoying his time with her.

Kim spilled a ton of details about her life on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat Podcast" Tuesday -- everything from Pete, her family, her businesses and where she stands with Kanye.

Kim says while she and Kanye don't communicate much now -- she knows that'll change in the future and at some point, they'll have a healthy relationship. Interestingly enough, Kim also talks about Kanye's girlfriend, Chaney Jones ... who has been dubbed a Kim look-alike.

You can tell Kim's genuine when she says she just wants Kanye to be happy in his life -- and it appears Jones does that for him. What's more, she says the look-alike comparisons haven't bothered her in the slightest ... and it's what he's into.

As for her fans who might feel they need to take a side in the Kim vs. Kanye situation -- Kim puts the kibosh on that as well, saying you can have equal love for both.

Kim also talked about the first time she and Pete locked lips on the set of "Saturday Night Live," revealing there was definitely a spark there that didn't -- and still hasn't -- gone away.

In case you didn't understand or comprehend the full scope of Kanye West's infatuation with Kim Kardashian, look no further than his offer to give up his career to become her full-time stylist ... according to Kim herself.

The whole thing plays out in the upcoming premiere episode of "The Kardashians" on Hulu -- set to release this week. Kim's in her closet, trying out looks for her upcoming 'SNL' gig and talking to her friend about some other outfits Kanye's recently selected for her to wear.

She then drops an extremely telling line, saying, "Kanye wants to quit everything and dedicate his life to being my stylist."

Both Kim and her friend laugh it off -- but you can tell it's 100% legit -- because Kanye undeniably loved dressing Kim.

It's interesting, since we've seen him in his more recent relationships -- with Chaney Jones and Julia Fox -- he's also played stylist. Dressing both women almost exclusively in Balenciaga. In fact, Jones even wore the same sunglasses Kim wore months before at a 'Donda' listening event.

Kanye's been radio silent since we broke the story of his Instagram ban after attacking Kim, Pete, Trevor Noah and others on the platform. We were also first to report his dropping out of Coachella ... where he was supposed to headline Sunday night.

Kim Kardashian's sex tape troubles are bubbling up all over again on her new reality show -- only this time, her kid's in the loop ... and it's causing a lot of on-screen drama.

There's a scene in which Kim frets over her 6-year-old boy, Saint, who asked her about a pop-up ad he stumbled upon touting alleged unseen footage from her days with Ray J.

Saint questions her about it and it sends Kim and co. into a frenzy, where she freaks out/phones attorneys, demanding they stay on top of it and threatening legal action against those who might leak any would-be unearthed material that may or may not exist.

Kim says she's about "99.9 sure" there isn't anything else out there -- but clearly, she's worried enough about the prospect of a leak to get all riled up.

Funny enough, this is exactly how their old E! show started way back when ... the series started filming shortly on the heels of her infamous sex tape -- the one that definitely exists -- leaking to the public ... and some say this scene is deja vu, only now with her children.

What's interesting ... Kim is super concerned her kids might learn about all the sex tape drama online, but she's talking about that very thing on the new Hulu series, which then sparks more conversation and makes it more likely her kids will learn about it.

As for any unreleased tape, Kim tells her attorneys in the premiere she's willing to sue over any unreleased footage that might exist/leak, or against anyone who resurfaces her actual sex tape ... and she's pretty emotional. She even calls Kanye in the scene to vent.

As we reported ... Kim's legal team tore into Wack 100 for suggesting there was, in fact, extra footage that Ray was in possession of. Ye himself had to get involved by retrieving an old laptop from RJ ... even though we've been told there's nothing compromising on it.

Nelly went from 0 to 100 really quick ... after being pelted in the head at a club in Miami.

An eyewitness tells TMZ ... the "Hot in Herre" rapper was hanging inside E11EVEN Miami, Friday night ... when he got whacked in the head with an object.

Check out the video ... you see the object -- possibly an ice cube -- tossed by someone on the balcony. You then see Nelly triggered ... ready to confront the culprit.

Nelly grabs the back of his head and peers up ... before charging toward the balcony.

Nelly's entourage and club security stepped in and prevented the situation from escalating. He was still able to enjoy the night ... once things cooled down.

The rapper ended by doing a short performance ... rapping throwback hits onstage.

Young Buck claims 50 Cent continues trying to block him from dropping new music, and goes so far as to say Fiddy's the reason he filed for bankruptcy.

You gotta see how Buck opened up on the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast, ripping his ol' G-Unit pal for the slew of ongoing legal and recording issues between them.

For Young Buck, the 'G' in G-Unit might as well stand for greed ... because he says 50 Cent fired off a cease and desist letter to stop him from making any music. That move forced Buck to find a loophole, though.

He says he filed for bankruptcy to discharge all his debts, including the money 50 claims he still owes.

Quick hip hop history lesson: the "In Da Club" rapper formed G-Unit with Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks and Buck back in 1999 -- but since then their relationship's gone south.

So much so, Buck claims 50 Cent even prevented him from working on his last album, which would have allowed Buck to wipe his hands clean of the contract. He says without the bankruptcy filing, he'd still be sidelined.

As far as ironing out things ... YB says he doesn't want to have to sue 50, and end up in a lengthy court battle -- instead, he'd prefer they squash it all with a mano-a-mano convo.

DJ Khaled's celebrity friends showed up to support him as he got enshrined on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... including some of the biggest names in music.

Jay-Z, Diddy, Fat Joe and Teyana Taylor were all on hand Monday when Khaled got his star unveiled on a famous stretch of the sidewalk ... and it got pretty emotional.

Jay and Diddy sat next to each other from their front row seats ... with Diddy and Joe taking the podium to share some kind words about their friend.

Khaled and HOV shared a long handshake that felt like it went on for ages ... and Khaled got literal pats on the back from Fat Joe and Diddy.

DJ Khaled's worked with tons of artists over the years, so you had to figure his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony would be a star-studded event ... and it didn't disappoint.

There was a huge crowd on hand too ... with the city shutting down the street to traffic.

Billy Ray Cyrus' marriage fell apart, but his career is still giving him opportunities ... like flying in to Dallas for a surprise concert appearance with Snoop Dogg!!!

Snoop was performing at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas on Saturday night when the crowd got a special treat ... Billy and the Avila Brothers were on hand to perform their new collab with Snoop.

We got video of Billy being introduced to the audience ... and folks got absolutely bonkers before he plugs in his guitar for the first live performance of "A Hard Working Man."

The track just dropped last month ... and it comes at a great time for Billy, who is dealing with a marital headache.

TMZ broke the story ... Tish Cyrus filed for divorce last week in Tennessee after more than 28 years of marriage, listing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. It's the third time Miley Cyrus' parents have filed for divorce.

Tory Lanez is flirting with legal disaster by dropping a new song with lyrics someone -- like a judge -- might think refer to Megan Thee Stallion, which is exactly what got him 'cuffed in court recently.

The "TMZ Hip Hop" crew broke down Tory's newly-released single, "Mucky James," and it sounds like the rapper is taking his words right up to the line, at the very least. In one line from the song he raps "I can't lie, temporarily that bitch came and ruined s**t."

Some fans assume he was referring to Megan with the "that bitch" line -- something that could be a second violation of the protective order banning him from communicating with or to MTS.

As we reported, Tory was handcuffed in court last week due to a February tweet the judge saw as direct communication with Meg ... even though he never called her out by name.

His bail was increased to $350K ... which makes ya wonder why he'd even flirt with that kinda violation again.

"TMZ Hip Hop" is digging into the Tory-Megan case -- along with lots of other stories, and it's all on Monday through Friday on these stations:

New York: 11 PM MY9 (WWOR)
Los Angeles: 2:30 PM FOX11 (KTTV)
Chicago: 12 AM FOX32 (WFLD)
Philly: 12 AM FOX29 (WTXF)
Dallas: 12:30 PM FOX4 (KDFW)
Houston: 12:30 PM FOX26 (KRIV), 10 PM MY20 (KTXH)
Washington, DC: 12 AM FOX5 (WTTG), 6:30 PM FOX5 PLUS (WDCA)
Seattle: 11:30 PM FOX13 (KCPQ)
Phoenix: 11:30 PM FOX10 (KSAZ)
Minneapolis: 11:30 PM FOX9 (KMSP)

The strippers weren't the only ones takin' it off at a popular Miami strip club this weekend -- Antonio Brown went topless too while he raged with Jamie Foxx!

It all happened at Booby Trap On The River (greatest name) ... where the 54-year-old actor/singer was hosting a party with Bitcoin Rodney on Saturday.

The NFL free agent made an appearance with Foxx on stage and while everything was cool, calm and collected, Foxx turned it up with a special request for AB.

And, that's when the party REALLY started.

"Turn up ni***!" Foxx said on the mic, "Take ya shirt off ni***! Run through this mothaf**ka! Get naked!"

You know AB ain't afraid of takin' his shirt off, anytime, anyplace (shoutout to the Bucs) --  and he did just that, showin' the strippers he's got dance moves, too.

And, AB also spit a few bars on the mic.

Brown has been enjoyin' life partying since parting ways with Tampa Bay on January 2, doing everything from hittin' up NBA games with Floyd Mayweather to partying with Madonna and Kanye.

The Super Bowl champ recently told us he wants to play again and will get his ankle fixed ... only if he gets signed.

Desiigner thinks Goonew's nightclub funeral was a perfect way to go out ... and if his family says it's what he wanted, then critics should mind their own business.

We got Desiigner at LAX ... and he's sending peace and love to the family of the 24-year-old rapper that was shot and killed a few weeks back.

He tells us the family's wishes are everything -- they know him better than everyone else, so if they're saying the evening went down as he would've wanted, then it should be respected.

Desiigner also calls the traditional open-casket funeral "old-fashioned" ... saying their unique approach to a funeral added "new flavor to the game." While he isn't sure what his funeral would look like, he knows he'd be taking inspiration from Goonew.

We recently talked to Goonew's mother and sister, Patrice and Ariana Morrow, and they told us he wasn't the type of guy to go to church ... being the life of the party, a nightclub seemed a more fitting send-off.

As for propping his body up, they say there were other services doing something similar and it felt right to do the same with him -- Patrice made it clear she didn't want anyone looking down on her son.

There's a brand new TMZ show arriving this week ... and this one's putting the spotlight on more than just pop culture, it's THE culture of hip hop!

"TMZ Hip Hop" debuts Monday, and we're gonna bring you some fresh new takes on the hottest stories about the biggest celebs in the genre. From Bey to Ye, and everyone in between, we'll be covering all the hook-ups, parties, drama, collabs, beefs and much more.

We've got a whole new crew pouring the tea -- Amber Diamond, DJ Hed, Cynthia LuCiette, Rodney Rikai and Tonio Skits will break it all down daily.

Nothing and no one is off-limits when we premiere Monday, April 11 on these stations:

New York: 11 PM MY9 (WWOR)
Los Angeles: 2:30 PM FOX11 (KTTV)
Chicago: 12 AM FOX32 (WFLD)
Philly: 12 AM FOX29 (WTXF)
Dallas: 12:30 PM FOX4 (KDFW)
Houston: 12:30 PM FOX26 (KRIV), 10 PM MY20 (KTXH)
Washington, DC: 12 AM FOX5 (WTTG), 6:30 PM FOX5 PLUS (WDCA)
Seattle: 11:30 PM FOX13 (KCPQ)
Phoenix: 11:30 PM FOX10 (KSAZ)
Minneapolis: 11:30 PM FOX9 (KMSP)

If you're not in those cities, we still got you -- the show will also be streaming on FOX Soul, and it all starts this Monday.

Lauren Knight, the comedian who had a heated exchange with T.I., says she's smoothed things over with the rapper ... but he still hasn't paid her the million bucks!

Here's the deal ... Lauren made a joke about T.I. at an open mic at an Atlanta club after he began heckling her from the crowd. T.I then grabbed the mic and confronted her after she seemingly referenced the sexual assault allegations against him and his wife ... something they strongly deny.

While Lauren feels T.I. overreacted and her joke didn't go too far ... she says they hashed things out and squashed their beef.

It took T.I. a while to let things go ... because he also went on Instagram Live this week responding to Lauren's account of what went down and said he would give Lauren $1 million if she produced a video of him calling her a "bitch."

Lauren produced the clip and posted it on her Instagram, but T.I. hasn't paid up.

It sounds like the money dispute didn't get in the way of Lauren and T.I. putting the bad blood behind them ... and she's hoping the truce means an end to the death threats coming her way online.

Rapper Polo G's final 2 charges in his cop attack case have been dropped after he completed anger management classes ... putting an end to this whole saga.

The artist recently completed a 6-hour anger management course, resulting in his final 2 counts of misdemeanor Resisting an Officer Without Violence being tossed.

As for why he got cut a break, this was part of the Pre-Trial Intervention program -- PTI -- which allows offenders with non-violent offenses to have charges dropped when they complete such programs.

Polo never pled guilty, so he won't be on probation. It's case closed.

Polo's celeb attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells us the rapper is happy to put this behind him and get back into the studio ... thanking the State Attorney for Miami-Dade County for her professionalism in resolving the matter.

As we reported, Polo G was arrested for allegedly attacking a cop during a traffic stop back in June. According to an affidavit, obtained by TMZ, the cop suffered abrasions to the face and a swollen right cheek ... the officer took multiple punches and elbow strikes to his head while trying to cuff the rapper.

Jussie Smollett might’ve gone straight from his jail cell to the studio ... because he just dropped a new song where he directly addresses his court case.

The former “Empire” star released a single Friday dubbed, “Thank You God,” and some of the lyrics are very interesting, considering his recent circumstances.

Jussie sings ... “Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this ... this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?”

The song comes on the heels of Jussie’s jail release pending his appeal. He’s been out for about 3 weeks, and seemingly put the song together in that time.

Jussie also sings ... “It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime / Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives / But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides.”

He dedicates the song to “the people who kept it real, who kept it true” ... and he says he’s donating all profits from the track to the Rainbow Push Coalition, Secure the Bag Safety and the Illinois Innocence Project.

As you know ... a jury found Jussie guilty of 5 of the 6 felony counts against him for lying to Chicago police about being the victim of a racist, homophobic attack ... and a judge sentenced him to 5 months behind bars.

But, Jussie was released from jail March 16 while he tries to get his sentence for the hoax attack overturned.