TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

DaniLeigh has broken her silence over her fractured relationship with DaBaby ... through a new interview with Hop radio legend Angie Martinez.

The Def Jam singer sat through her first major interview since the infamous November 2021 Instagram Live where DaBaby kicked her out of the house and called the cops.

The incident left DaniLeigh with two misdemeanor assault charges but according to her latest testimony, she's a better and stronger woman for it. She does regret, however, the likely chance the 8-month-old daughter the two share together will eventually stumble on the debacle online.

Following the People-premiered interview, DaniLeigh reverted to her artistic bag and released her new single "Dead To Me" ... which has plenty of DaBaby shooting targets tied to the lyrics.

In the chorus, the 27-year-old singer croons "Momma never liked your ass / Brother wanna fight your ass / Daddy hate your trifllin' ass."

While we can't speak for her parents, it's definitely true the brother — Brandon Bills — wanted to fight DaBaby at one point ... and did. Unsuccessfully.

DaniLeigh says the two "broke up a lot" during their whirlwind relationship and aren't on the best of terms (he hasn't apologized for the IG thunderstorm) but are indeed focused on co-parenting for the sake of their daughter.

DaniLeigh concluded the interview by announcing a new EP titled "My Side" and feeling optimistic about her resuming her career.

The number of people injured at Astroworld last year was astronomically higher than what was first estimated -- at least if you believe the attorneys representing the alleged victims.

Sean Roberts, Jason Atkin and Richard Mithoff -- whose firms are repping scores of people suing over the tragedy in a class action-esque suit -- filed a new doc that lays out the number of death and injury claims from the Astroworld tragedy.

According to the paperwork, obtained by TMZ, the attorneys say their findings thus far show that in addition to the 10 people who died ... they've discovered an additional 732 claim they were seriously injured -- classifying this bunch as requiring "extensive medical treatment."

Another 1,649 claim they suffered injuries requiring "less extensive medical treatment" -- and another 2,540 people said they sustained injuries that are still being reviewed.

In all, the attorneys claim 4,900 people were either injured or died during the stampede.

A source close to Travis Scott tells TMZ, "It's very clear that the tide is turning as the authorities and public conversation has been focused on concert operators and security contractors rather than performers."

Here's the thing ... the document doesn't specify what exactly the criteria is that distinguish each injury category -- it just offers the raw statistics. The specifics will presumably be dissected at a later date.

In any case, the fact they're claiming thousands of people were harmed as a result of what happened at Astroworld is shocking -- especially since the initial approximations were closer to 300 or 400, tops.

The case is still working its way through the system. As we've reported, Travis Scott and others have denied responsibility for the tragedy in some capacity thus far.

Young Thug and Gunna have found themselves in the middle of a massive bust, involving charges of racketeering and gang activity ... with YT already taken into custody.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Young Thug is currently locked up in Fulton County on charges of conspiracy to violate the racketeer influence and corrupt organizations act, a felony -- as well as participation in criminal street gang activity, a felony.

Sources close to YT tell us his home was raided earlier Monday, with agents tearing his Atlanta home apart -- taking down walls and even digging up his backyard.

At this time, it's unclear what charges he's facing, but there's been paperwork submitted on the Fulton County Court website for Gunna. It does not yet appear he's been taken into custody.

Gillie Da Kid says he's not holding a grudge against Wiz Khalifa ... despite the fact he thinks Wiz got him kicked off Instagram over a misinterpreted diss.

Here's the deal ... Gillie claims Wiz got him banned from IG because the "Black and Yellow" rapper didn't like a joke he made about Wiz's affinity for posting workout videos in biker shorts.

Gillie said on the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast ... he was only kidding and is surprised Wiz can't take a joke because the dude's known for laughing and smoking weed all day.

While Gillie's had to start all over on the gram -- he had millions of followers before last month's ban -- he explains why there's no lingering beef with Wiz, at least on his end.

For his part, Wiz has denied any involvement ... despite Gillie claiming the ban stems from Wiz allegedly complaining to IG honchos about being bullied.

Jadakiss isn't down in the dumps over the cancelation of his first major acting gig ... because he says it's opened the door to more roles in the near future.

We caught the 'King of Verzuz' outside the MLB store in NYC, just a few days after ABC pulled the plug on "Queens" -- a hip hop series starring Eve, Brandy and Naturi Naughton -- after just one season.

Jada appeared in several episodes, but as he tells TMZ Hip Hop, get ready to see him in several other projects, and hear him doing voiceover work too.

While Hollywood's calling, he's still keeping up on the latest and greatest in rap ... and took time to praise Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free's new visual masterpiece, "The Heart Part 5"

Although K. Dot hasn't released a solo project in over 5 years, Jada says it doesn't matter because music is a feeling and should be expressed when the timing feels right.

That expression comes for Kendrick this Friday the 13th when his album "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" is unleashed unto the world.

iLoveMemphis, the rapper responsible for the "Hit The Quan" dance craze, allegedly had a little too much fun at a raging block party ... because he left in handcuffs.

Memphis was arrested Saturday after cops say they responded to a home hosting a bash with at least 50 people, where someone reported bottles being thrown at passing cars.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, when cops arrived at the scene a shirtless Memphis approached officers with slurred speech and reeked of booze.

Police say they asked Memphis several times to identify himself with his first and last name and date of birth ... but when he failed to do after repeated requests, officers tried taking him into custody.

Cops say when they started placing Memphis into restraints, he tensed his arms ... preventing the cuffs from being slapped on. They say he also tensed his upper body and screamed as police tried putting him in the cop car.

When officers finally got him inside their vehicle, Memphis allegedly called one cop a "p**** a**" and an "immigrant."

Memphis was arrested and booked for multiple charges, including resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication.

Rude awakening for Roddy Ricch Monday morning -- he's now the butt of Internet jokes after seemingly forgetting the words to his MASSIVE hit "The Box," but it was really a huge technical error to blame ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Roddy was hired as a secret performer for the Stoned Ape Crew NFT group's showcase Saturday night in L.A., and the crowd thought he flamed out during the first verse of his Diamond-certified hit.

You can see him sheepishly pointing to his earpiece while signaling to the DJ booth before jumping back on the beat later in the verse.

Roddy's label reps tell us the Compton-bred rapper powered through "major" audio issues during his set -- his earpiece wasn't connecting with the track, leaving him to take his cues from the sound blaring from the speakers.

When you know that, it's actually impressive how quickly he snapped back into action.

Released in December 2019 just as the COVID-19 pandemic was setting in, it would be kinda crazy to forget the lyrics to such a well-traveled song as "The Box."

After spending 11 straight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, it was eventually given Diamond honors by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for going 10x Platinum.

Roddy has plenty of festival appearances coming up this year -- Governors Ball, Hot 97, UK's Wireless to name a few -- so, it's definitely time to sharpen that stage setup.

Travis Scott is officially firing from all cylinders on his journey back to being one of music's biggest performers ... he's scheduled to hit the 'BBMA' stage next week.

Sources connected to the "Billboard Music Awards" tell us TS will perform at the upcoming show. It'll be his first televised performance in 6 months, and will be watched by millions of people around the world.

As we reported, Travis hit the stage in Miami over the weekend, as part of Miami Grand Prix weekend ... so it's safe to say he's getting back into the swing of things. Travis certainly didn't hold anything back, and the crowd loved his performance.

As we've reported, Travis has performed at a few private parties in the last couple months ... like the Pre-Oscars event and a Coachella after-party, but an award show is a different level.

He's also gearing up to headline his first musical festival since Astroworld at the Primera Sound festival -- where he is expected to perform in front of more than 100,000 people.

As you know ... Travis, Astroworld promoter Live Nation, and others have been hit with several lawsuits after 10 people tragically died at the Astrowold festival, last November.

The investigation continues into who was responsible for those that died ... and Travis maintains he was unaware of the severity of things at the time.

Speaking of comebacks ... we've told you, Country music singer, Morgan Wallen, will also be performing his first gig since 2020 at this year's Billboard Awards ...  after he came under fire for saying the 'n-word'.

YG is off the hook for an alleged robbery in Sin City ... his criminal case was just dismissed on the morning of jury selection.

Sources close to the rapper tell TMZ ... YG settled out of court with the alleged robbery victim, and the guy was no longer interested in cooperating with prosecutors in the criminal case.

TMZ broke the story ... YG was facing a felony robbery charge for allegedly yanking a dude's chain off his neck in a 2018 altercation at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, before making off with the diamond-laced pendant.

We're told YG maintained he never stole the chain from the man, though he admitted the bling snapped off when the two were in a fight.

YG’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, tells TMZ … "Justice was served expeditiously, we would've had the same result if the case went to trial."

Mommy-to-be Rihanna lit up the night with her Mother's Day get-up ... stepping out for date night with Boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

The two hit Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica Sunday, RiRi wore a sparkling set with lots of cutouts, but made sure to stay warm with a fur shawl. It'll be Rihanna's last Mother's Day without a kiddo of her own ... as it's expected she'll give birth in the next few weeks.

Rihanna and A$AP are frequent fliers at Giorgio Baldi -- it's actually one of her favorite places to grab dinner -- but one thing's for sure ... there are ALWAYS cameras there, so you gotta imagine RiRi knew they'd get her flashy fit.

Of course, pregnancy hasn't slowed RiRi down much. She and A$AP recently enjoyed visiting family and friends in her hometown of Barbados.

Cardi B was the perfect person to ask about mommy duty on Mother's Day -- especially since Rihanna is about to become one herself -- and her sage advice is ... (cue video).

The rapper was leaving Carbone Sunday night in NYC next to her hubby, Offset, and at least one of their kids (looks like Kulture) ... and Cardi chopped it up with our photog before getting into her waiting SUV about a lot of stuff, including words of wisdom for mom-to-be RiRi.

Check it out ... she says motherhood is something that comes pretty naturally, and she thinks the same will happen for Rihanna when the baby comes -- which should be any day now.

We also asked about Roe v. Wade, but she wasn't as chatty about that. What she did clarify, however, was her stance on fame ... and seemingly being done with it, which she alluded to about a week or so ago in sorta dramatic fashion.

Luckily, CB sets the record straight with us about what she meant ... and it sounds like she was mostly referring to her online presence more than anything. So, no -- Cardi's not scrapping music altogether. Good to hear!

Nas went from a King of New York to an Emperor in Miami this weekend -- the guy headlined a banger of a show to round out the Formula 1 event in town ... and killed it.

The rapper took the stage Sunday at Carbone Beach, where the whole joint went on a trip down memory lane to some of his early hits in the '90s ... including a ton of 'Illmatic' tracks that the crowd was vibing to in what appears to have been a pretty intimate setting.

Speaking of that audience ... it was about as star-studded as they come. Some of the A-listers in attendance -- DJ Khaled, Venus Williams, Jamie Foxx, Hailee Steinfeld, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz, Busta Rhymes, Lindsey Vonn, Kevin Love, LeBron James, Rich Paul, Maverick Carter, Meek Mill, Timbaland, and Karrueche Tran ... among others.

Nas himself played to the spectators throughout his set, all while holding some sort of beverage in his hand. Looks like it was a boozy affair -- just about everyone seemed to have a cocktail to themselves.

Definitely a great way to end the week, and Nas's performance is right up there with Travis Scott's show from Saturday night ... where the guy rocked the mic in full capacity, the first since he's done a show like that since Astroworld.

Kendrick Lamar is a man of many faces, including some very famous ones he features in his new music video ... addressing the most infamous moments of the past few years.

KL dropped a song Sunday called 'The Heart Part 5,' where he talks about the culture at lightning-quick speed, hopscotching through different scenarios and employing the monikers of celebs to make his point -- including Will Smith, Kanye West and Jussie Smollett.

It's true ... the video shows Kendrick's face change to all of these men at different points in the song, using some fancy technology that we suppose you could equate to a deep fake.

He also features O.J. Simpson briefly while bringing up a "bulletproof Rover," seemingly referencing the Ford Bronco from way back when. Then, he transitions to Ye's face while mentioning "friends bipolar," and finally to Jussie as he says "the streets got me f***ed up."

Eventually, his face becomes Will's as he raps this ... "In the land where hurt people hurt more people // F*** callin' it culture." Of course, he's addressing the Oscars slap there.

There are two other stars he morphs into ... the late Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle. In both instances, he's referring to death and reflecting on the legacy he leaves behind ... praying it's a worthy one.

The Nipsey line is especially telling ... Kendrick raps, "To my brother, to my kids, I'm in Heaven // To my mother, to my sis, I'm in Heaven// To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven" ... going on to say he forgives the killer who sped up his demise.

French Montana could be getting dragged to court soon 'cause a rapper is accusing him of stealing his lyrics ... and, he is demanding French settles it soon, or else.

'Hot Boys' rapper Turk had his lawyers fire off a demand letter to French Montana's lawyer, claiming French ripped some of their client's lyrics for his 2021 song, "Handstand".

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Tab Virgil Jr., aka Turk, claims French lifted lyrics from his group's 1999 hit, "I Need A Hot Girl" without permission ... and say, FM's track with the stolen lyrics has already scored more than 17 million views on YouTube.

In case you didn't know, The Hot Boys was a hip hop group formed in the '90s ... the members were Lil Wayne, B.G., Juvenile, and Turk.

The song, "I Need A Hot Girl", was a huge hit for the group and even appeared on Billboards Hot 100.

In French Montana's song, Doja Cat and Saweetie join him to sing "I need a project b****, a hood rat b****. One don't give a f*** and say she took that d***". These are close to the exact lyrics Turk claims he wrote and performed in the throwback song.

A source with direct knowledge tells us French had actually purchased the beat and the hook with the understanding all was clear. However, there must've been some sort of confusion ... nonetheless, we're told French's team is already working to rectify the situation.

Megan Thee Stallion looked more like Megan Thee Rag Doll in NYC this weekend -- and that's because her boyfriend was having his way with her in the club ... woof!

The femcee was hosting a party Saturday night in the Big Apple in honor of her new single, "Plan B," which she debuted at Coachella a few weeks ago. Seems like it was a rager, with MTS and her man, Pardison Fontaine, leading the charge in the hot and heavy department.

Check it out ... at one point, Pardi picked up Megan and started bouncing her up and down with hip thrusts, this as she had her arms wrapped around him. Yeah, it's pretty hot.

Even before this pony ride, it looks like Pardi had a firm grasp on her/the sitch at large -- literally carrying her upstairs like nothin'. It's wild ... Meg's not a small girl by any means -- she's reported as 5'10", so for him to be able to hoist her up like this is ... impressive.

Anyway, once they were in their own zone ... the dirty dancing continued, with Meg twerking and Pardi coming in for a taste. Looks like they're all about showing off PDA early and often -- which is great for everyone else taking in the show.

Travis Scott made his move Saturday night ... performing at his first public venue since last November's Astroworld tragedy.

Travis headlined at E11EVEN during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. It was not for the faint or weary ... T.S. showed up at 3 AM. He first beelined it for the DJ booth, told the crowd he'd be back in 10 and then warned people when he re-appeared, everyone "better lose their motherf***ing minds!"

He did indeed come back 10 minutes later and hopped on the stage ... the sold-out crowd went nuts.

Travis' set lasted around 45 minutes, and he did not disappoint ... with "Sicko Mode," "Antidote," "Pick Up the Phone," and "Goosebumps."

What's interesting ... Travis didn't seem uneasy about going full throttle, telling the crowd to take shots as he gripped a bottle of 1942 Don Julio. Travis was happy to throw some loot into the audience.

Logan Paul was there, and at one point he screamed, "The one thing I know about you is that you turn the f*** up!"

Toward the end of his set, Quavo jumped on stage ... they did "Dubai S**t" and ended up handing the mic to a fan who was super impressive.

Travis did not blow out of there ... he stayed until 6 AM. Prior to his performance, Travis grabbed a bite at Prime 112.

There were tons of celebs on hand ... Future, Tyga, Zedd, will.i.am, Busta Rhymes, Joakim Noah, Danny Amendola, Damson Idris, Travis Kelce, P.K. Subban, Terrence J, Teyana Taylor, Karrueche, Carnage, Alec Monopoly, and Todd English.

Travis has performed after Astroworld, but only at private events, like the pre-Oscars event and a Coachella after-party.