TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Ice Cube is pumped for the upcoming sixth season of his BIG3 basketball league, and given the news he's delivering ... fans should be too!

The legendary rapper and movie-maker hit TMZ Live Tuesday to spill the deets on Snoop Dogg's BIG3 involvement, as Tha Doggfather is now a part-owner of the team “Bivouac."

Cube revealed fans can be like Snoop -- by buying into teams with their custom cryptocurrency known as Forever Experience Action Token (FEAT) -- which he says is better than an NFT.

Boasting former NBA stars like Nick "Swaggy P" Young, Joe Johnson, Leandro Barbosa and several Hall of Famer coaches, Cube feels like the BIG3 is at its absolute strongest ... and he's firing on all career cylinders in 2022.

The BIG3 news comes on the eve of the release of "Bad MF," the debut album from hip hop supergroup Mt. Westmore (Cube, Snoop, E-40 and Too $hort).

Travis Scott has accomplished a lot of "firsts" lately since Astroworld ... but his latest accomplishment might be the most important indicator his career is back in full force.

Sources close to Travis Scott tell TMZ, he's been booked at the Day N Vegas Festival in Las Vegas. The date for 2022's edition of the festival is slated for September 2-4 weekend.

While the rest of the lineup hasn't been announced, we're told TS will be there ... this news comes on the heels of a few wins for the rapper, including a shoe deal with Nike that got over a million people gunning for them in under 30 minutes.

Travis also had a comeback TV performance at the Billboard Music Awards last month ... fans seemed to love it, and the crowd cheered as he was introduced, and was roaring when finished up.

He also teased a collab with Dior on his Instagram story Monday ... so clearly, there's a lot in the works for Travis.

Safe to say the rapper's moving back into public life little by little these past few months ... although it's gotta be hard to shake off the events at Astroworld that went down last year.

As we reported, Travis still has a lot of litigation his legal team is dealing with regarding Astroworld, but it appears TS is full steam ahead on everything else.

Popular Atlanta rapper Trouble was murdered over the weekend ... prompting his accused killer Jamichael Jones to turn himself in after his own mother talked him into it.

Rockdale County Sheriff's Officers say they connected with Jones on the phone and they set up an arrest point in the parking lot of Clayton County hospital. The 33-year-old was denied bond and faces charges of murder, aggravated assault and home invasion.

Trouble, whose real name is Mariel Semonte Orr, was found at the Lake St. James Apartments Sunday morning suffering from a gunshot wound -- he was then transported to the hospital where he died.

According to investigators, Trouble was visiting a woman at the Conyers apartment complex when he was shot once in the chest. Police are describing it as a "domestic situation," as Trouble and Jones did not know one another but the woman and Jones have prior history.

Trouble was a beloved, standout figure in the hip hop community, stemming from his 2011 debut mixtape "December 17th" and his outspoken presence on social media that often offered jewels of wisdom.

Upon his death, he was mourned by dozens of fellow rappers including Gucci Mane, T.I., Boosie Badazz and Drake, who he collaborated with in 2018 when he signed to Mike WiLL Made-It's "EarDrummers" label imprint.

Trouble was 34.

Skylar Grey, known for penning the Eminem & Rihanna classic "I Love The Way You Lie" and Diddy's "Coming Home," no longer owns those songs as a result of a bitter divorce with ex-husband Todd Mandel.

Skylar made the sad revelation she had to cash out on her song catalog in order to pay the divorce settlement. She says the majority of her earnings went to taxes ... and her ex-husband's bank account.

She told Variety ... although she'll no longer receive royalties when the songs are used in movies, TV, etc, she still considers the song "her babies," regardless of who owns the rights.

As a veteran artist, it's hard not to see her point. She's appeared on Eminem's last few albums and also has credits with Celine Dion, Nick Jonas, Ciara, G-Eazy, and more.

Skylar's divorce was a particularly nasty split. TMZ broke the story back in 2017 – when she filed a restraining order after accusing him of monitoring her every move with hidden cameras in their home.

Losing "Love the Way You Lie" is a pretty heavy blow -- the song is certified Diamond and has more than 2 billion YouTube views.

Fresh off his TikTok debut, The Game was out in West Hollywood — fully dripped in Burberry — anticipating the June 17 release date of his new album 'Drillmatic."

The West Coast rap legend used the popular platform to hype up the 30-track project ... and the cringe levels of his daughter, Cali, whose orders he defied by starting an account.

He even made a cheeky reference in the caption to his neverending cold war with 50 Cent ... flipping the name of 50's classic "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" album.

While Game says he didn't need to make a TikTok, he's happy with the reactions because now everyone knows the album is on the way. And, for the record, he hilariously states his daughter isn't immune from making his list of haters.

If the album title sounds familiar, it should ... he says he intentionally borrowed part of the name from Nas' iconic debut album, "Illmatic."

Benny The Butcher is doing his part in helping his Buffalo hometown move forward after a white supremacist gunman murdered 10 people at the local Tops Friendly Market grocery store in May.

Benny and his Black Soprano Family team linked with designers Kat & Nolan Cartwright for a limited edition t-shirt drop with 100% of the profits going to the Buffalo Survivors Fund.

The shirts, which honor all 10 victims with their names, are available now, retail for $40, and only 200 of them were made.

To further emphasize the moment, he also released the new single "Welcome To the States," a political rap record (that flips Kendrick Lamar's "We Cry Together") and details racism and even gives a subtle shoutout to Young Thug and Gunna's ongoing legal drama.

The shooting dampened spirits nationwide ... but particularly hit home for the Griselda rapper, who regularly shops there with his family, as it's only a few minutes from his home.

Because of the incident, his middle-school-aged daughter has yet to return to school.

Metro Boomin is in the throes of a horrific family tragedy -- he's lost his mother at the hands of her husband, who took his own life thereafter ... TMZ has learned.

The producer -- who's cranked out hits for Future, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Migos, Travis Scott, Drake, Kanye West and 21 Savage, just to name a few -- received the tragic news this weekend after his mother's body was discovered by cops just outside of the Atlanta area.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... MB's mom, Leslie Joanne Wayne, appears to have been murdered by her spouse -- not Metro's father -- who then killed himself. We're told this happened Friday night, but further details are hazy.

An autopsy will be conducted for an official cause of death. Metro's rep confirms Leslie died this weekend -- adding that he and his family request privacy during this difficult time.

Leslie raised Boomin and his 3 siblings in St. Louis. Word is, she was one of the first people to notice her son's musical talents ... and encouraged him to pursue his passion through adolescence and early adulthood. She'd even drive him from STL to Atlanta so he could collaborate with artists he was connecting with, all in hopes of getting his career started.

She and her boy were incredibly close -- even when Metro achieved international stardom, she was always at the forefront of his mind.

Rap legend E-40 isn’t concerned his Warriors gave up a double-digit lead and lost game 1 of the NBA Finals at home … telling TMZ Sports Golden State will absolutely still be champions.

"This gonna be a good series, but I got us in 6. And if it goes 7, we’ll win," 40 says without hesitation.

Of course, the Warriors, who entered the 4th up 12, were outscored 40-16 in the final quarter … on the back of Al Horford. The vet scored 26 points in the game … with 11 coming in the last 5 minutes of the game. Boston won 120-108 over GS.

"We had them. 4th quarter come, them boys would not stop hitting them 3s."

But, the rap legend says that's unlikely to continue ... and that's why GS should still win the series.

"As long as they shooting like that throughout the whole series we gonna be straight. That was very rare. They was hitting and we was bricking.”

We asked 40 if game 2 was a must win for the GSW … 'cause going to Boston down 2-0 isn’t far less than ideal.

"I think [game 2's] very important. The home team advantage is always the best. As long as we show support, we get louder in there, we show them we’re right there with 'em. I think we’ll win [game 2], and I think we'll win a couple of games on the road. I think we’re gonna surprise everybody. We just had a bad 4th quarter man."

And, if the Warriors need any more motivation to win themselves rings … 40 says he’s going to hook up the MVP with a bunch of liquor, wine and champagne from his Earl Stevens Selections.

Check out the clip -- we talk to E-40 about a bunch more basketball-related topics ... from the cost of his courtside tix (yes, 40 pays!) to celebs like Jay-Z showing up to watch the Celtics and Warriors hoop.

Boosie is a happy man this weekend -- he looks like someone who just found out they weren't the father on "Maury" ... except, he's celebrating vicariously through his own seed.

The rapper posted a wild video showing himself screaming in pure joy from within his car ... touting the idea that his 18-year-old, Tootie Raww, was supposedly cleared by a DNA test as NOT being the father to a baby that his GF/would-be baby mama allegedly claimed was his.

Check it out ... his victory lap is hilariously on-brand for Boosie. He's shouting from the top of his lungs and praising Jesus that the baby isn't his ... son's.

Boosie claims Tootie's SO brought somebody else's kid down to his high school graduation recently and sprung it on him like he was the father -- and Boosie thinks it was all BS ... even going on to call it a "conspiracy." Unclear if he's joking or not ... seems to be though.

Tootie appears to have taken ownership ... he was posing for photos with the child. But, his dad was skeptical from the beginning -- saying he didn't think this was Tootie's baby.

Boosie has also posted a ton of alleged receipts that he believes clear this up even further, throwing up photos of the supposed "real" mom and dad ... saying it's further evidence.

Young Thug and Gunna will be locked up at least until January 2023, but attorney Drew Findling is calling BS on the entire Georgia RICO case that put them behind bars in the first place.

Findling, known as the "Billion Dollar Lawyer" for his work with several industry heavyweights, was in ATL when he ripped the entire operation to take down YSL as racist.

Drew says he firmly believes the justice system routinely violates rappers' 1st Amendment rights by targeting their lyrics -- something he says law enforcement ignores when it comes to other art forms ... such as big-screen violence from filmmakers, like Quentin Tarantino, for example.

His point was on display Thursday during Young Thug's latest hearing ... when prosecutors noted the lyrics "Smith & Wesson 45, put a hole in his heart/Better not play with me, killers, they stay with me" from Thug and Juice WRLD's collab, “Bad Boy.”

Drew knows a thing or two about rappers' legal drama, having successfully repped Gucci Mane, Offset and DaBaby in the past.

He also reps YFN Lucci, who was part of the reason Thug was denied bond.

The Fulton County D.A. has classified Thug's YSL as a deep-rooted murderous gang and cited the attempt on Lucci's life in prison as a prime example.

Desiigner says bystanders helped him chill out during his altercation with the police -- praising them for helping him to calm down -- but says he'll no longer mess around with tinted windows.

We got the rapper in L.A. Friday, who admits the standoff and shouting match on Wednesday was intense, and believes it could've been worse if not for a bystander around him.

He tells us a fan on the scene -- filmmaker Tariq Nasheed -- lowered the tension, checking on him to make sure everything was alright ... and he says his lawyer handled the legal part of things.

Desiigner says he was first pulled over by a cop on a motorcycle for no plates and window tint ... but everything escalated once he stepped out of his vehicle. The rapper says the officer threatened to use his Taser and pepper spray when Desiigner tried getting back into the car.

Desiigner says he's going to get plates and fix the tint ASAP ... getting his car to the shop as soon as he can.

Lil Nas X unloaded on BET over his 2022 BET Award nom snubs earlier this week ... and he's got at least one royal supporter in Queen Latifah.

We caught up with the legendary rap star promoting her new flick "Hustle" outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and while she feels LNX's talent is literally "amazing," it doesn't appear she agrees with his complaints his sexuality caused the snub.

The "Industry Baby" was a couple dynamite sticks short of nuclear on Wednesday when he accused the network of sharing into the world's problems — by excluding Black gay artists from top recognition.

His complaints were only amplified when it was discovered Jack Harlow, (yep, the White guy) was nominated for Best Male Hip Hop Artist alongside Drake, Future, Kanye and more ... causing fans on Twitter to have a field day.

It's not like LNX hasn't been on the BET Awards' radar. In 2020, he earned a Best New Artist Award and last year, went viral by kissing his ex-boyfriend Yai Ariza during his performance on live TV.

Drake is smoother than whiskey ... generously picking up the tab for two women from Detroit after swigging down a couple of shots with them!

In case you missed it, the 6 God went viral after schmoozing it up with a couple of ladies in the Motor City. We spoke with Brittney Keara, the woman who filmed the interaction, and she said Drake was as courteous as ever.

Brittney tells us Thursday she was enjoying happy hour with a friend at a local seafood restaurant when Drizzy strolled in with a couple of bodyguards.

We got new video of the interaction where Drake initially turns down Brittney's drink offer, saying he was heading to the airport for a flight ... but she says he ended up coming back to the bar and taking up the offer.

Brittney orders a shot of Jack, but tells us when the camera was off Drake upgraded her to a shot of Johnny Walker. Classy move. He also covered the tab.

PETA is pissed at Jack Harlow for "glamorizing horse racing" in his latest music video ... calling on him to make things right by donating his earnings for the project immediately.

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... Jack made a big mistake showing off the sport in his "Churchill Downs" video with Drake. They say he's only showing the positives about the event, and is "missing the whips, drugs, and deaths that run rampant in the industry."

They believe Jack's profiting off the abuse of animals, and are urging the rapper to pay for the care of American Thoroughbreds who would otherwise be sent off to slaughterhouses.

According to PETA, an average of 3 racehorses die on U.S. tracks every day ... and they claim 7,500 Thoroughbreds are exported to be slaughtered every year.

Jay-Z may be a Brooklyn native, but he was seen showin' love to the Boston Celtics after their wild comeback win over the Warriors -- dapping up Jayson Tatum after the game.

If you missed Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, the Celtics were down 12 points by the end of the 3rd quarter against Golden State ... but Tatum and the C's went off in the 4th and outscored the Warriors 40-16 -- pulling off an upset win, 120-108.

The Celtics did it all right on the Warriors' homecourt -- and hip-hop legend Jay-Z was front and center to watch the epic win at the Chase Center.

HOV had to show the Celts some love for their stunning performance ... and dapped up Tatum -- the Eastern Conference Finals MVP -- right on the court.

The cool part about the exchange? Jay-Z's track "On To The Next One," featuring Swizz Beatz, was playing on the arena's speakers.

Shawn Carter wasn't the only celeb in the crowd who witnessed Celtics' upturn ... San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds was also in attendance, as was legendary director Spike Lee.

Lee -- who's a diehard New York Knicks fan -- was seen on camera before the game giving love to Warriors star Draymond Green and yelling, "Let's go, baby! Let's go!"

FYI, Tatum had 12 points and 13 assists in the game ... but Al Horford was the star of the show, leading the team with 26 points.

Young Thug's lengthy day in court was all for nothing, a judge denied his bond, and the rapper will stay locked up until January 2023.

The YSL rapper and his legal team argued for his freedom Thursday in a Georgia courtroom where prosecutors argued Thug was the most dangerous member of the 28 Young Stoner Life members rounded up in the highly publicized Georgia RICO case.

Not only that, but prosecutors also tried to get YT's attorney, Brian Steel, removed from the case, saying his past associations with YSL were a "conflict of interest" ... but Steel is staying on.

During the hearing, Kevin Liles, music mogul and CEO of 300 Entertainment tearfully testified on Thug's behalf, recognizing him as an influencer and charitable person but most importantly, was willing to co-sign on his bond.

Another witness, Garfield Larmond, part of Thug's management team, testified he was in the house when Thug got arrested and there were no weapons on him.

This case is being watched closely by the hip hop community ... Chris Brown, Lil Baby, Cordae, Meek Mill, and most vocally, Metro Boomin have all called for YSL's freedom within the past few days.

As far as the rest of the case ... The Fulton County District Attorney recently claimed the YSL crew could actually be a gang with ties to 50 murders in the area.