TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

King Von's death is hitting the sports world hard -- with NBA stars like Montrezl Harrell, Stephen Jackson, Evan Turner and more mourning the loss of a rising star gone too soon.

The rapper was shot and killed after a violent altercation outside a nightclub in Atlanta on Friday. He was only 26 years old.

Harrell shared his condolences to Von's family shortly after the news broke ... saying, "Damn it’s sad we lost another young brother to soon ... What is going on in the world."

"This the true sad part, three young blessings won’t see their dad come home again."

Jackson posted a video on Instagram ... calling for an end to senseless violence.

"Your brothers are not the enemy," Jackson said. "The ones got u thinking that are the real enemy. Wake up. Love for all who have love for all."

Turner also reacted on social media, saying, "This killing each other s**t gotta stop... Rest In Peace, King Von"

Other tributes came from athletes like Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenjon Barner, who said, "Damn I really just started listening to King Von and became a fan and he gone smh wow 2020 you got it we understand! RIPKingVon."

2016 NCAA champ Kris Jenkins spoke out in shock ... tweeting, "That king Von s**t wild smh RIP."

Ex-NFL first-round pick George Foster also recently came across Von's music, adding, "Man, I just really heard the King Von fella for the first time like last week, and thought 'jit ain’t bad.'"

"Now lil buddy gone smh."

The New England Patriots also honored the late rapper at practice on Friday ... playing his breakout hit, "Crazy Story," over the speakers.

RIP

Dr. Dre's estranged wife is looking into whether the mogul was unfaithful during their marriage ... and she's demanding to know if he fathered children with other women.

Nicole Young just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, asking Dre to hand over any paperwork relating to any paternity actions he may have been involved in during their 24-year union.

It's not clear there are actually any paternity suits involving Dre ... Nicole's simply requesting he hand over any paperwork if there's anything on this front.

As we've told you, Dre's divorce is extra nasty ... Dre and Nicole have been waging legal war over money and prenups, and there's been allegations of embezzlement and domestic violence.

PETA's making a strong effort to get Doc Antle in the USDA's crosshairs ... filing a complaint and asking the department to investigate him over Lil Pump's recent visit.

The animal rights org fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture formally requesting it investigate the 'Tiger King' star for apparent violations of the Animal Welfare Act at his Myrtle Beach Safari.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Debbie Metzler, associate director of captive animal law enforcement, cited Lil Pump's trip there this week, and a video that shows him make "direct physical contact with a juvenile tiger."

She claims it violates the law requiring that “dangerous animals such as… tigers… or elephants must be under the direct control and supervision of a knowledgeable and experienced animal handler."

Then there's the Lil Pump encounter with the elephant, Bubbles. Metzler calls the stunt exceptionally dangerous because it could have spooked the elephant and triggered the elephant to bolt and potentially injure people. PETA wants the USDA to hold Antle accountable for any and all violations it discovers during its investigation.

As we reported ... Pump and his boys took a trip to South Carolina and had one helluva close encounter with Bubbles. Video shows Pump getting picked up by the elephant's trunk. The rapper damn near fell off before safely landing on his feet.

Love him or hate him, politically ... Lil Pump is having a blast right now, and hung out with some exotic animals to top it off -- which might add to his hate column.

The Trump-loving rapper was fresh off the Trump campaign trail Wednesday when he decided to make a pit stop at the Myrtle Beach Safari run by 'Tiger King' star Doc Antle.

Antle tells TMZ ... Pump and some friends left D.C. and headed to South Carolina after the rapper got in touch with Doc through Tiger Kingdom executive producer Steven Dorn.

Doc says Pump spent the afternoon chilling with tigers and tiger cubs, riding Bubbles the elephant and visiting with Angada the chimpanzee, and as you can see ... he was loving it.

We're told Lil Pump and his pals then had dinner at the park, and all of the fun was filmed for the new docuseries, "Tiger Kingdom: More Than a King."

Gotta say, the pairing of the rapper and the zoo owner's an interesting one ... as both fellas aren't necessarily on the nation's most-popular list. Pump's been getting major flak for endorsing Trump -- but he doesn't really care -- and Antle was recently indicted for wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty.

Doc denied the allegations and said he's looking forward to being able to "clear my good name."

The guy who helped kidnap Tekashi 6ix9ine -- one of his then-fellow gang members in the Nine Trey Bloods -- just got the book thrown at him for that crime.

Anthony "Harv" Ellison was sentenced Wednesday in a federal court in NYC, where the judge gave him 24 years in prison for the racketeering, kidnapping, and assault charges for which he was convicted last October.

In addition to his time behind bars, Ellison was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. His sentence comes more than a full year after his trial -- where Tekashi infamously snitched ... taking the stand and identifying Ellison as his kidnapper.

The kidnapping was just the tip of the iceberg though -- federal prosecutors successfully nailed Ellison, with Tekashi's help, for various other crimes connected to the Nine Treys.

You'll recall ... Tekashi was initially tight with Ellison, until their relationship soured -- after which, Ellison planned out the kidnapping scheme to get revenge ... according to T69's testimony anyway. Tekashi was abducted, taken for a ride around town, pistol-whipped and extorted for money -- some of which was captured on camera and played for the jury at trial.

Tekashi's then-GF was actually seen on camera handing over a bag of goods in exchange for Tekashi's safe return. That, coupled with Tekashi's snitching, helped seal Ellison's fate.

Offset's got an appetite to help people exercising their Constitutional right ... by hooking them up with free grub.

The Migos rapper hit up 3 polling locations Tuesday in Gwinnett and Fulton counties with some major back-up -- food trucks from The Slutty Vegan and Big Dave's ... a couple of ATL staples famous for their cheesesteaks.

Offset partnered with The Lincoln Project and AXSD Media to feed folks in line waiting to cast their vote ... helping to ensure turnout is maximized for what could be the most consequential election ever.

Offset got on the back of a truck, grabbed a bullhorn and talked about his excitement in voting for the first time ever.

Offset dove headfirst into the election following an informative roundtable discussion last weekend with T.I. and activists Lee Merritt and Bakari Sellers. They discussed, among other things, the importance of Black male voters encouraging each other to turn out the vote.

If ya can feed people who show up to vote ... major bonus!

Lil Pump is blocking out haters who don't like his political views ... he's focusing on what 4 more years of President Trump means for him, and he's loving it!!!

We got the rapper pulling up to Trump's Washington D.C. hotel on Election Day in a red Ferrari, and he's feeling super confident about the Prez winning re-election.

Lil Pump's been catching tons of flak since endorsing Trump, seemingly because of not wanting to pay more in taxes under Joe Biden, but he told us he's ignoring the noise, and couldn't care less what critics have to say.

As you know ... Trump brought Lil Pump up on stage Monday night at his final campaign stop in Grand Rapids, MI, where 45 called the rapper "Little Pimp." Faux pas aside, Pump says he had an "amazing" time on the campaign trail, and even envisions a future in politics.

DaBaby's brother has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound ... according to sources with direct knowledge of the tragedy.

TMZ's learned the rapper's older brother, Glenn Johnson, took his own life Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Glenn had posted a video of himself earlier in the day in a car with a gun, and he was visibly upset and crying.

In the video, DaBaby's brother claimed he had been wronged a lot in the past. Not long afterward, our sources say he shot himself in the head and died.

We're told Johnson is survived by 3 daughters and a son.

Story developing ...

Lil Wayne is single once again -- his GF, model Denise Bidot, is moving on ... and it sounds like his endorsement of President Trump was the last straw.

Denise deleted her IG account Tuesday, but before she went dark, there were a bunch of signs of trouble spotted by Internet sleuths. For starters, folks noticed at some point that Mr. Carter and Ms. Bidot stopped following each other.

Then there was Denise's not-so-cryptic meme post that read, "Sometimes love just isn't enough." However, blogger Love B. Scott is reporting Weezy's love for Trump was the problem -- specifically, last week's meeting/photo-op with DT was the last straw for Denise.

Weirdly, Wayne hasn't scrubbed old pics of Denise from his IG feed just yet -- a go-to move of famous exes.

It's not entirely clear how long they've been an item, but they've only been Instagram official since the summer -- and have been very open with their PDA, sometimes to the chagrin of Wayne's kids.

Kanye West just hit the polls and cast his vote for the candidate he truly trusts ... himself.

The rapper made his vote count Tuesday in Park County, Wyoming, where he wrote-in himself and running-mate, Michelle Tidball, for President and Vice President. Remember, they're running independent, under the Birthday Party ... according to candidate Ye.

Kanye shot video of himself submitting his ballot with the caption, "KEEP BELIEVING KANYE 2020. Thank you Jesus Christ." He tweeted a similar video that also said, "The first vote of my life. We are here to serve. We pray for every servant leader in the world."

Sounds odd, but Kanye -- who is currently running for POTUS -- revealed a couple years ago he'd never voted. Writing yourself in for the top spot on the ballot is one hell of a way to exercise your Constitutional right!

Ye's political journey didn't come without bumps in the road ... from getting tons of shade from celebs and being called a narcissist ... to losing a battle to get on the Wisconsin ballot. He was also widely accused of being in cahoots with the GOP to run a spoiler campaign.

Not long ago ... Kanye appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast and revealed he was open to running for California Gov. if it helped him get his political feet wet. That being said, he insisted the presidency is his ultimate goal, even if it meant having to try again in 2024. He also didn't rule out running as a Democrat.

BTW ... Kim just moments ago also revealed she hit the polls, though she didn't reveal whether or not she voted for Kanye.

President Trump is garnering public support from some black celebrities and hip-hop artists, but Claudia Jordan and Too Short want everyone to know they're not part of that group ... despite a very misleading press release.

Here's the deal -- a press release went out Monday about Trump inviting a "prominent group of African-American actors and entertainers" to the White House in December to discuss issues facing the Black community and the President's proposed Platinum Plan.

According to the announcement, the December meeting would be attended by the stars of an upcoming documentary called "Trump vs. Hollywood" -- including rappers Eric B., Money-B, actor Isaiah Washington and the film's director, Daphne Barak. The documentary seems to be very pro-Trump.

That's where Claudia and Too Short come in, as their names are listed as being part of "Trump vs. Hollywood" alongside names of some well-known Trump supporters ... like Kid Rock, Dean Cain and Scott Baio.

It definitely reads like all of the celebs are endorsing the Prez, but as both the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star and the rapper point out ... that's not the case.

They both say they were asked to do an interview by Barak and agreed to it, but in no way does that mean they support Trump. Claudia says the film director presented it as talking to people on both sides of the political aisle.

Too Short adds that he's about to go vote -- NOT for Trump -- and says in the past few weeks he's also been asked to fly to D.C. to meet with Trump or hop on a phone call with someone on his team.

He says he rejected both offers and, without naming names, throws some serious shade at fellow rappers who have taken the Trump meeting for what he believes is just a photo op.

Too Short's claim echoes what Rich The Kid recently said too -- that Trump tried to send him a private jet to fly him to his Michigan rally to buy his support.

Cardi B wants the court to know what she's already made clear to the world -- she and Offset are good again, and she's calling off the divorce ... legally.

Cardi's filed docs in Georgia to officially dismiss the divorce she set in motion back in September. She should be getting used to this ... it's the second time she's changed her mind about leaving Offset. Although, she didn't actually file divorce papers the first time.

As you know, Cardi and her man worked things out very publicly during her birthday celebrations a few weeks ago. He lavished her with gifts, and she was very vocal about wanting to get with him.

While Cardi was thrilled about their reunion, some fans were pissed about it ... which prompted her to go off on them.

Interestingly, Cardi filed her dismissal "without prejudice" -- which is legal speak for reserving the right to refile the divorce at a later date. Just so ya know, Offset.

A judge still has to sign off on the dismissal, just to formalize it.

President Trump's putting a label on Lil Wayne that doesn't always come to mind ... calling the rapper an "activist" after their now infamous pow wow.

Trump's feeling really good about Weezy's endorsement ... outside the White House Friday morning he said Wayne's a "really nice guy" and "an activist in a very positive way."

Wayne's been called a lot of things due to his enormous success in the music biz, but activist is definitely not one of 'em.

As you know ... Tunechi met with POTUS Thursday, sharing a photo of them grinning together and giving a thumbs up. Weezy says he's endorsing Trump because of his track record on criminal justice reform, and says he's a fan of Trump's Platinum Plan.

Remember, Ice Cube worked with Trump's camp on the plan, which vows to pump $500 BILLION into Black communities while providing better access to jobs and education.

Trump says Wayne asked for the meeting and he obliged ... and he seems more than happy with Weezy's endorsement.

Wayne's already drawing criticism for the meeting, which came 5 days before Election Day. 50 Cent, who previously endorsed Trump because of taxes before changing course, ripped Weezy for the Trump photo op.

Lil Wayne, Weezy, Weezy F. Baby, Tunechi, Weezyana, Lil Tune, Birdman Jr., President Carter, Mr. Carter, Dr. Carter, BM Jr., Young Weezy -- all monikers we've heard, but Lil Wade???

Kim Kardashian got a virtual reunion with her father -- an amazing 3-D hologram was her 40th birthday gift from her hubby, Kanye West.

Kim just shared an incredible video of Robert Kardashian Sr. in hologram form, and it will blow you away.

Our sources tell us Kim got the surprise from Kanye during her bday getaway to a private island. Ye led Kim, Kris, Khloe, Kourtney and Rob into a dark room where the hologram was unveiled.

Robert's hologram speaks to Kim for about 3 minutes, wishing her a happy birthday and telling her how proud he is of her.

Kudos to Kanye, because the quality of the hologram is awesome -- it really feels like he was in the room. Kim's dad also told her he's excited she's following in his footsteps as a lawyer and he's proud of the great mom she's become. A definite "cue the waterworks" moment.

Our sources say Kim, Kris and her sisters watched the hologram several times along with their guests ... and then the family asked to be alone with it.

Kanye's obviously paid a lot of attention to stories about Robert Sr. ... we're told Kim always told Ye about him, including how he'd leave her love notes and was always super supportive.

A lot of work went into the hologram ... our sources say Kanye spent a lot of time in the studio pouring over old video and audio of Robert to bring the vision to life, and AI was used to finish off the project, which Kanye started in early September.

Lil Wayne's stuntin' with President Trump, but it's way more than a photo op -- he's also voicing his support for the Prez and his proposed plan for the Black community.

The rapper says he had a great meeting Thursday with POTUS, and shared a photo of them smiling together with thumbs up. He says he's endorsing Trump based on his track record on criminal justice reform, and he's excited about Trump's Platinum Plan.

Wayne believes it will "give the community real ownership." As we've told you ... Ice Cube worked with Trump's team on the plan, which vows to pump $500 billion into Black communities, and provide better access to equitable education and jobs.

Cube didn't endorse Trump, but caught a lot of flak nonetheless, because many critics felt he was being used due to the timing of the announcement ... about a month before the election.

Wayne's meeting, just 5 days before Election Day, might draw the same criticism. It's unclear where they met or what exactly was discussed, but Tunechi says, "He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done."

Trump's endorsement from the hip-hop star comes on the heels of Lil Pump publicly backing him as well ... though Pump's reasoning was all about his personal bottom line.

50 Cent also seemed to be in Trump's corner for a moment, but later did a 180 and denounced him.

It looks like Lil Wayne's more certain about his choice.

Lil Pump is taking a cue from 50 Cent, and throwing his support behind President Trump ... saying he doesn't wanna pay a dime more in taxes, as Joe Biden's proposing.

The rapper chirped up this weekend in pretty clear terms, posting a pic of him shaking hands with DT -- clearly photoshopped -- and a ringing video endorsement.

As for why ... it seems to be in line with what Fiddy voiced just last week when he endorsed Trump as well -- they're not down to fall into a new tax bracket under Biden's plan. If he wins, JB has said he would try to upend Trump's tax law and get folks who make more than $400k to chip in their fair share -- way more than what they're paying now.

Of course, both 50 and Pump fall into that category, and neither seem willing or eager to give up any more of their wealth to Uncle Sam.

It seems 50 didn't mean it after all -- or he's on the fence. He later said "F*** Trump" when his ex, Chelsea Handler, called him out on 'The Tonight Show.'

She said she'd be willing to give him another go in the bedroom if he changed his tune ... and sure enough, he did. When it comes to LP, though, he sounds a little more serious.

Here's another thing ... Pump is actually catching a ton of flak right now for his endorsement, but more so for his use of the n-word in his video (and in general).