TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Travis Scott's flash mob-type gathering on the streets of West Hollywood might cost him -- because city officials are taking a closer look to see if he broke pandemic regulations.

L.A.'s Dept. of Public Works tells TMZ ... the city did not issue a permit for Travis' Cactus Jack newsstand Tuesday in WeHo, as we're told the city's been frowning on dishing 'em out lately due to COVID-19 -- especially for non-essential gatherings like this.

In light of that, we're told Public Works plans to consult with the City Attorney's office on any possible actions they might wanna take -- including potential fines. Public Works did note to us that even though they do issue citations for permitting violations ... it wasn't certain that would be done in this case.

As we reported ... Travis assembled dozens of bodies at a newsstand, which he emblazoned with his Cactus Jack signage -- all as a way to announce the 1st issue of his "Utopia Issue" of i-D Magazine. Limited editions were being distributed to the masses.

You'll recall ... Travis got dinged for something very similar not too long ago in the SoCal city of Downey, which only ended up costing a couple hundred bucks -- and McDonald's covered the tab for him.

Dr. Dre and his estranged wife, Nicole, have several areas of conflict in their contentious divorce, but the biggest stumbling block is the validity of their prenup, and Dre wants a trial ... STAT.

Dre's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, has filed legal docs asking for a 5-day trial over the prenup. As we reported, Nicole signed the prenup before they married but claims Dre came to her shortly after the nuptials, saying he regretted "pressuring" her to sign it and tore up multiple copies right in front of her. Dre denies he pressured her and denies he ever tore it up ... and points to a clause in the document that says altering it must be in writing.

Dre has asked to remove the case from the court system and have a private judge handle the divorce case -- away from the public spotlight -- but Nicole has rejected that, favoring instead a traditional court trial. If it stays in the courts, it may take a very long to for a judge to hear the case ... because the pandemic has caused enormous trial delays.

Travis Scott's whipped up another frenzy over the launch of one of his new projects ... this time it went down in front of a newsstand.

The rapper surprised fans Tuesday by announcing a pop-up shop in WeHo to promote his new "i-D Magazine." As you can see ... it drew a HUGE crowd clamoring to see him, and maybe get an autograph.

Eventually, Travis had to be escorted from his excited fans by security to his getaway ride ... but not before hyping them up one more time.

The shop was apparently selling limited edition Cactus Jack merch to go with the 'Utopia Issue' magazine collab with Spike Jonze and Robert Rodriguez.

As you may recall ... Travis was promoting another one of his Cactus Jack projects -- a combo meal at McDonald's -- back in September when he drew another massive crowd that nearly mobbed him before he was whisked away.

Dr. Dre seems to be letting out his frustrations over his pending divorce with Nicole Young in his music -- and he's not being very subtle about it either.

A new track was previewed Monday night by DJ Silk, which features Dre and Aftermath pal KXNG Crooked. Dre drops some explicit lyrics about his estranged wife and their nasty divorce proceedings.

Dre raps ... "Trying to kill me with them lies and that perjury // I see you trying to f*** me while I'm in surgery // In ICU death bed on some money s*** // Greedy bitch take a pic // Girl you know how money get."

As we've reported ... Dre went right back to the studio after being released from his recent health scare -- suffering what could've been a fatal brain aneurysm.

Silk only played a few bars, so it's unclear if Dre makes any other references to the divorce or Nicole on the track.

Dre and Nicole's legal war hasn't seen a pause whatsoever since she filed for divorce last summer -- most recently she filed a motion asking for access to their home amid suspicions of a mistress, and was granted temporary spousal support ... a one-time payment of $2 mil.

Bobby Shmurda has reason to bust out the Shmurda Dance ... he's no longer behind bars after getting sprung early.

The rapper was released from New York's infamous Clinton Correctional Facility just before 8:30 Tuesday morning, which is about 10 months earlier than expected.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Shmurda will now be under parole supervision for the next 5 years until Feb. 23, 2026.

As we reported ... Bobby got his conditional release date bumped up by the prison's Time Allowance Committee, which made the call after reviewing his behavior and participation in prison programs. It looks like Shmurda got early release for essentially staying out of trouble in the prison.

Bobby had been in custody since December 2014, and was initially sentenced to 6 to 7 years in prison after copping a plea deal back in September 2016 to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. He got credit for around 2 years of time served before the sentence.

Shmurda had an eventful time in lockup, racking up 11 violations, including allegedly having a shank, drug possession and fighting ... but it looks like he turned things around recently to score his early release.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's free to run his mouth because he has bodyguards, but his baby mama says she doesn't ... and fears his escalating beefs are putting their little girl in harm's way.

Sara Molina tells TMZ ... she thinks the rapper's been unhinged lately, going off on Instagram Live tirades and trading barbs with Chicago rappers like Lil Reese and 600 Breezy.

Sara says unlike 6ix9ine -- who can afford hired muscle to keep him safe while he stokes feuds with other rappers -- she and their 5-year-old, Saraiyah, are much more exposed ... and she's concerned they might become a target for his enemies.

6ix9ine's baby mama also claims he hasn't made any attempt to rekindle his relationship with Saraiyah -- so he's oblivious to the potential danger to her.

Sara tells us she doesn't want anything from Tekashi other than to think about their daughter's safety and stop provoking possible violence, stay inside, and stay away from them.

"WAP" -- the sexually explicit hit song by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion -- is a symbol of women taking charge and speaking their minds ... to Rep. Maxine Waters, anyway.

The Congresswoman and MTS recently hooked up online, and Waters seemed to surprise the rapper when she was asked what music encourages her ... and she brought up "WAP."

After hilariously telling Meg not to worry, several times, Rep. Waters said when she first heard the track she thought ... "Now that's audacity. That is audacity."

During the online chat, for Harper's Bazaar, Maxine also said Cardi and Meg should be commended, not criticized, for spearheading a feminist movement in hip-hop.

After all, Waters says that's what the men who were "in charge" in this music genre -- like Tupac and Dr. Dre -- did for years, and she points out that she's always been a First Amendment defender.

Now, compare Waters' take on "WAP" with that of conservative host Ben Shapiro ... who notoriously blasted the vulgarity of the song's lyrics when it was released and claimed it was an affront to feminism.

Who ya got?

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

Kanye West's mental health issues will not have an impact on Kim Kardashian's move to share custody of their 4 kids, because there's always been a safety net in place and that won't change.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kim totally trusts Kanye with their kids. That said ... given their lifestyle, he's rarely alone with them. In good times and bad, there are almost always caretakers or family members around the children.

While the majority of time is spent with help ... our sources say Kanye's a great dad, and over the last few months even made a couple trips with just him and some of the kids ... no additional assistance.

Our sources say Kanye's generally not around the kids when he's having a bipolar episode.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim is asking for joint legal and physical custody, but that doesn't automatically mean it's a 50/50 split. Joint custody can be whatever the parents agree to, and historically, Kim cares for the children the lion's share of the time and that's not expected to change.  Kim feels Kanye is a great dad, and Kanye knows Kim's a great mom as well.

Kim Kardashian has filed to divorce Kanye West after almost 7 years of marriage, but our sources say it's as amicable as a divorce can be.

Kim is asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4 kids. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Kanye is fine with the joint custody arrangement, and we're told both Kim and Ye are committed to co-parenting together.

There's a prenup and we're told neither party is contesting it. In fact, our sources say they are already far along in reaching a property settlement agreement.

The docs, filed by disso queen Laura Wasser, don't list a date of separation ... it's listed as to be determined. The date is almost irrelevant because their split has been so well-chronicled in the news and social media.

It was during the last half of 2020 when things got super rocky for Kimye ... West launched his Presidential campaign on July 4 and weeks later held a bizarre campaign event in South Carolina. At one point, a sobbing Kanye told a story of a discussion he had with Kim ... talking about abortion when she was pregnant with their first child.

It wasn't long after that when Kanye took a series of shots at the Kardashian/Jenner family on Twitter, at one point referring to the matriarch, Kris Jenner, as "Kris Jong-Un."

Multiple sources with direct knowledge told us Kim was ready to call it quits after Kanye's outbursts, if not for Kanye going through a serious bipolar episode. She had felt it would be cruel to end the marriage when he wasn't doing well.

Things got so rocky, the couple had been living separately for a few months. He was spending a lot of his time in Wyoming while she was in Calabasas with the kids. The issue? We were told it wasn't contentious or ugly ... but their differences in lifestyle and politics were chief, among others.

You'll recall they took a family vacation late last year, to see if they could repair things ... before that, Kim flew out to Wyoming for an emotional face-to-face with Kanye for the first time since Kanye's off-the-rails campaign rally.

Kim and Kanye met in the early 2000s and he first made an appearance on "Keeping up with the Kardashians" in a 2010 episode when he visited her and Kourtney's DASH store in NYC. Kim, at the time, was dating Kris Humphries. Kanye would later profess his love for Kim in 2012 with his "Cold" track. They started dating soon thereafter.

Kim gave birth to North West in June 2013 before Kim and Kanye tied the knot at a lavish wedding in Italy in May 2014. Kim and Kanye have 4 kids together ... North, Chicago, Psalm and Saint.

Dr. Dre's estranged wife is demanding access to their marital home because she's pretty sure someone's been wearing her expensive shoes ... and it ain't Goldilocks.

Nicole Young just filed docs in their nasty divorce war, asking the court to allow her access to the Brentwood home, where she used to live with Dre, because she's left a bunch of personal belongings there.

In the docs, Nicole says she left back in April 2020 with a "bare minimum" of her stuff. Nicole claims she had to get out in a hurry because Dre was drunk and yelling, "F**k you. Get the f**k out. Go to Malibu."

She left a ton behind ... according to Nicole, her loot includes designer and vintage handbags, couture clothing and 20 fur coats in a "cedar and temperature-controlled" closet. BTW, she says her regular closet and "boutique room" at the home is about 1,000 sq. feet!!!

Since she's left, Nicole says she's observed several different women posting photos and videos inside the house -- and she claims some of Dre's visitors might be wearing her stuff.

For instance, Nicole claims one of Dre's playmates posted a photo in his bathroom while wearing what appear to be her Chanel slides. She's also upset Dre throws huge parties -- like one he had in October for the NBA Playoffs -- because she thinks with all the drinking, it's just a matter of time before someone damages or takes her belongings.

The driver wanted for striking Nicki Minaj's father in a deadly hit-and-run has turned himself in to police ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police arrested 70-year-old Charles Polevich, who cops believe is the person responsible for Robert Maraj's death. He's been arraigned and charged with 2 felonies -- leaving scene of incident involving death of a person and tampering with or suppressing physical evidence.

According to the complaint ... Polevich allegedly hit Maraj with his 1992 white Volvo at the intersection of Roslyn Rd. and Raff Ave. in the village of Mineola. Cops say Polevich "then exited his vehicle stood over the victim asked him if 'he was ok,' walked and returned to his vehicle and fled the scene." Cops say Polevich then drove to his home "avoiding intersections and did conceal his vehicle in the detached garage at his residence."

We're told Polevich's bail's been set at $250k and that he had to surrender his passport and his travel has been restricted to New York.

TMZ broke the story ... 64-year-old Robert died after he was struck Friday evening on Long Island while on a walk. At the time, cops said the driver fled the scene without a meaningful description from witnesses. Robert was rushed to a hospital in critical condition where he died from his injuries.

Nicki and her father had been photographed together embracing over the years. It's unclear what Nicki's relationship was with her dad before his tragic death.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's attorney says the director of an upcoming docuseries who called the rapper a "horrible human being" should zip it ... because they've never even met.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... "Supervillain" director Karam Gill is 100 percent wrong in his assessment of 69 and has no clue what he's talking about.

Gill started the war of words by telling the NY Post, "The public and media hates him because he is truly a horrible human being who has done terrible things." Gill also told the outlet Tekashi is "a toxic individual in our culture" who tries to get a reaction out of his every move.

Lazzaro tells us 6ix9ine had nothing to do with the docuseries and he's troubled by Gill's comments seeing as the director disparaged 69 without ever meeting him.

He also thinks the director is just talking to gain viewers and adds ... anyone who gets to know Tekashi realizes "he has a great heart."

Kodak Black visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High on the third anniversary of the deadly mass shooting there ... and he came bearing gifts of education.

The rapper was in Parkland, FL Sunday for a memorial to honor the 17 victims claimed during the 2018 shooting rampage -- with upwards of 100 guests in attendance, including the Mayor and other town officials. Kodak was there for Meadow Pollack -- one of the students killed.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells us KB was Meadow's favorite recording artist -- something he caught wind of and wanted to commemorate her with a scholarship in her name.

We're told Kodak established a $100k scholarship fund in Meadow's memory at the Nova Southeastern University Law School, for students wanting to study justice reform. That's where her brother, Hunter, is attending. Of course, Hunter was also at the ceremony, front and center.

Check out the video of Kodak discussing his intentions, and the warm reception he receives afterward ... not to mention a hug from Hunter. They later walked up to a table together to light a candle for the Parkland victims -- it's pretty moving to see up-close.

Nicki Minaj's father, Robert Maraj, has died after being struck in a hit-and-run accident ... TMZ has learned.

Nassau County Police in New York say he was walking on the road between Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue Friday evening around 6 PM ET, when he was hit by a vehicle heading northbound. Cops say the driver then fled the scene without a meaningful description from witnesses.

Robert was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries and passed over the weekend. The Homicide Squad is investigating the case and asking for the public's help in identifying the responsible party. There was not a decent description of the suspect vehicle provided.

Nicki hasn't spoken on her dad's death yet. There are shots of them together embracing over the years, so they obviously had a decent relationship and saw each other from time to time. It's unclear what Nicki's relationship with her dad was currently.

A rep for Nicki confirmed her dad's death, but did not have further comment at this time.

Robert was just 64.

Tekashi 6ix9ine and Meek Mill came an inch from trading punches early Sunday morning ... as their long-standing beef reached a boiling point.

The 2 men were at KOMODO in Miami and as Meek was getting in his car to leave, Tekashi appeared and they both started jawboning. In the video, you hear both rappers and their security yelling at each other. It looks like Tekashi is trying to lunge at Meek.

Tekashi is hurling insults at Meek, accusing him of working with cops ... yes, the irony is not lost on us.

They went from face-to-face to social media where it continued, 6ix9ne posting, “STOP LETTING THESE RAPPERS LIE TO YOU! THEY TO TOUGH FOR SECURITY @meekmill RUNNING AROUND WITH POLICE.”

Meek's response ... "69 waited out side the club for me they tryna get usssssss wtf ... We did not run into eachother I was getting in my car he just popped out ....we almost was smoking on that 69 pack for the love of a viral moment ..... he tryna get something locked up no cap lol"

And then, Meek lowered the boom ... “The feds sent him to take me out wtf. [I] had to spit on him so he retreated lol he really waited outside the club for me. I thought I was dreaming wtf we almost smoked him lol he posed a lil threat popping up in the parking lot waiting for me.”

Meek and Tekashi have squared off ever since Tekashi cooperated with the FBI in getting members of the Nine Trey Bloods locked up.