TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Drake's been doing more than just wining and dining his new boo, Johanna Leia, at Dodger Stadium ... he's also been mentoring her basketball prodigy son for months.

Sources close to the pair tell us they first met months ago through high school basketball -- Johanna's son, Amari Bailey, is a top prospect -- and the relationship grew from there. We're told Drake and Amari hit it off, and Drake's offered the kid advice on finances, fame and life, in general.

Amari is headed to UCLA in 2022, and our sources say Drake's given him pointers on how to handle all the attention and pressure that comes with being a star player. We're told they've spent some one-on-one time, and all 3 have hung out at Drake's home.

Our sources say prior to Drake, Johanna was with NBA'er Alfonzo McKinnie -- who helped Amari build his skills on the court -- so it looks like he's more than ready for the next level.

As we reported, ABC7's chopper spotted Drake and Johanna as they had Dodger Stadium to themselves for a date night, complete with a table on the first baseline. A Dodgers source told us the whole thing was a thank you for a sizeable donation Drake made to the team's charitable foundation.

Drake took full advantage of the Dodgers being out of town Thursday ... setting up a date on L.A.'s field with Johanna Leia -- and the whole thing looked like it was taken right out of a Drake song.

While Justin Turner and the boys were in Miami wrapping up their series with the Marlins ... the rapper took advantage of the opportunity to borrow their arena for a cozy date night -- and it's clear, he balled out for the occasion.

A helicopter camera spotted the 34-year-old at a table with Leia near the dugout on the third-base side of the field ... and there was a white table cloth, multiple dishes, flowers and even a personal bartender for the couple.

In fact, the two appeared to have gotten personalized Dodgers jerseys for the occasion ... with Leia rockin' hers right at the table!

Drake recently sat between Leia and Michael B. Jordan at a Sierra Canyon H.S. basketball game. If you're unfamiliar, Leia is the mom of Sierra Canyon star and UCLA commit Amari Bailey, who's teammates with LeBron James' son, Bronny James.

And, with Drake often attending the games to catch Bronny in action ... it's possible the new relationship started courtside.

Only fitting basketball would bring new love to Drake's life, right??

Tekashi69 is a reputation slayer ... so says a Japanese tattoo artist in a new lawsuit claiming the rapper jacked his name and defamed him by calling him a heroin addict.

The tattoo artist, Takashi Matsuba, filed legal docs in NY claiming his reputation is in danger thanks to Tekashi69. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Matsuba claims 6ix9ine "has created confusion and the false public perception that" Matsuba is associated with Tekashi69. He says he’s not.

Matsuba says the confusion is easy to see … the rapper’s moniker is substantially similar to Matsuba's first name. Only 1 letter's different.

Matsuba says in the Hulu documentary "69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez" ... there's a scene where the tattoo artist's name "TAKASHI MATSUBA" is superimposed on the screen. He claims the director's then heard saying "Peter's roommate, a Japanese tattoo artist named Takashi would inspire Danny's new persona, Tekashi69."

Matsuba also has beef with Showtime, claiming the documentary on that channel defamed him in the March documentary "Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine."

Matsuba says Tekashi's heard in the doc saying, "There was this tattoo artist named Takashi from our neighborhood. And he was this heroin addict. He did heroin to create. He did it to get himself in his little world. He did it to be himself. And that’s where I got the name Tekashi from. And that’s who I am.”

Matsuba says the quote is false and defamatory because he has never used heroin.

The tattoo artist says the quote is damaging to his profession because "tattooing requires the use of needles, and heroin is connected in the public’s mind with hypodermic needles.”

Matsuba says he demanded producers to edit the documentary to remove his image, name and likeness from the Hulu doc ... but says they've refused. He's suing for damages.

Lil Baby and NBA star James Harden have been stopped by police in Paris ... with a report claiming the rapper was arrested for weed.

Harden and several other men were swarmed by cops during an apparent search on the popular Avenue Montaigne. In one video circulating on social media, the Brooklyn Nets superstar can be heard saying he doesn't understand what's going on as cops begin to search him.

One photo shows an officer holding what appears to be a vaping device ... unclear who it belongs to or whether is contained the alleged marijuana.

Baby was seated in the back of a police van and appeared to be handcuffed ... local reports say he was among 3 people arrested for some sort of marijuana-related charge. The report said the vehicle the men were traveling in was pulled over and officers could smell marijuana. There were allegedly 20 grams of weed discovered.

We reached out to the Paris Police Dept. who would only tell us the incident was currently an active investigation.

Lil Baby and Harden are in the French city for Paris Fashion Week.

Tekashi69 is back on his grind to be the Internet's #1 celeb troll, and this time he's targeting Blueface over a fresh tattoo.

So, get this ... Blueface recently got a tattoo on the side of his head and it raised a lot of eyebrows because the precious real estate the "Bleed It" rapper carved on his dome was reserved for his celebrity jeweler ... NYC Luxury.

The clowning was swift ... and Tekashi got right in the mix by chiming in on DJ Akademiks' IG post with not-so-veiled comments implying Blueface is broke and can't pay for his bling.

Tekashi wrote, "He definitely owed them money for unpaid jewelry" ... followed by "NYC Luxury" and a bunch of laughing and skull emojis, as in ... dead ass laughing.

Not helping matters is the fact Blueface -- who already sports Yves Saint Laurent and Corvette logos on his head -- doesn't exactly look thrilled with the finished product.

In any event ... the trolling is a far departure from when Tekashi vowed a little over a year ago to be on his best social media behavior after being sprung from prison early.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, said the rapper wouldn't start beef or troll other artists because the feds would be watching. Sure, 69 has no restrictions regarding his social media use ... but he still vowed not to post anything inflammatory.

That all seems to be out the window. Remember, Tekashi nearly came to blows with Meek Mill in Miami earlier this year ... and now this. It's also pretty ironic for 6ix9ine, of all people, to be commenting about anyone getting ink on their face or head. Pot and kettle much?

Lil Nas X triggered a wave of online criticism for kissing a male dancer during the BET Awards, but over at the FCC ... it was basically crickets. Sooo, sign of progress?

TMZ's obtained the complaints filed to the Federal Communications Commission and there were merely 3 of them made in after Lil Nas' much-talked about performance of "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" ... which he buttoned with the kiss.

One viewer from the Bronx wrote to the FCC around 1 AM ... "I was very disturbed to see 2 men practically having sexual in the stage when the awards show is supposed to be a family show. It’s ridiculous and children and adults are being forced to endure this. Unacceptable and I will be unsubscribing from BET network. DISGUSTING AND DISTURBING!!!!!!!!"

Another pissed off viewer wrote, "During a performance 2 gay men kissed. Why are you showing this on tv. It is disgusting and wrong for kids to see because it’s unnatural." #Ugh.

The third gripe cam from a guy in Philly, but it was mostly about satanism than the kiss.

That's it. Just the 3. For comparison, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's Grammy performance of "WAP," and J Lo and Shakira's Super Bowl Halftime show each inspired more than 1,000 FCC complaints.

As we reported ... Lil Nas delivered a stunning performance at the BET Awards ... not only with his hit track but also with a tribute to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time."

Of course, the rapper saw way more than 3 people sounding off on social media -- so many, in fact, that Lil Nas clapped back at the haters ... particularly one who called him out for using "AFRICAN CULTURE FOR S***S LIKE THIS!!!!!!!"

The incredibly low number of FCC complaints might have more to do with a lower number of viewers -- at least compared to the Grammys or a Super Bowl -- but one can hope part of it is also about tolerance.

Kodak Black's not feeling the heat these days, so he wants to return the favor to some folks at a Florida housing project ... in the form of air conditioners.

Kodak bought 100 A.C. units for around $12,500 and shlepped them to the Golden Acres Projects in Pompano Beach. He went door-to-door with the units, presenting residents with the cool gift.

Florida in July is no picnic ... it's super humid and hot. Right now it's in the high 80s with 79% humidity, but those numbers will rise as the summer wears on.

Kodak brought some of the residents to tears ... they were incredibly grateful, especially because it's not the kind of thing they would expect from someone who wants to do a good deed, but for anyone who lives in Florida in the Summer ... it's a Godsend.

He's VERY popular in Florida these days ... June 11 is now and forever Kodak Black Day in Broward County.

Kodak got an assist with the A.C.'s from Francky Pierre, who runs the charity, Philanthropic Work and Outreach.

As you know, Kodak scored a commutation from then-President Trump -- at the urging of his lawyer, Bradford Cohen -- in large part because of his charity work.

Rapper SAINt JHN was allegedly confronted Friday by Lil Uzi Vert ... and all hell broke loose when Vert allegedly flashed his gun.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... SAINt JHN was at Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood at high noon when Lil Uzi Vert jumped out of a Cadillac Escalade and confronted JHN. We're told they got into a physical altercation.

But, it got real when, according to people at the scene, Lil Uzi Vert flashed the handle of his gun ... prompting bystanders to run ... fearing a shooting was about to go down.

It doesn't appear Uzi fired his weapon ... both he and SAINt JHN left the scene.

We're told L.A. County Sheriff's are on the scene and looking to speak with Uzi and SAINt.

As for whether SAINt JHN and Lil Uzi Vert have beef ... it's unclear, however, SAINt JHN was spotted back in March with Uzi's former GF, Brittany Byrd.

We reached out to reps for both camps ... and JHN's team was unaware of this. No word back from Uzi's rep.

Tyler, the Creator dropped a boatload o' cash ... for 2 tiny but shiny suitcases and one bellhop to carry 'em.

The rapper is celebrating the release of his new album "Call Me If You Get Lost" with a ridiculously expensive chain and pendant. The total cost ... a whopping $500k, but ya gotta see the extensive work that went into producing it.

The man behind the masterful work is celeb jeweler Alex Moss, who tells TMZ ... Tyler hit him up about 7 months ago to get started on the piece, and it took him 4 months just to find the colored diamonds for it.

We're told Tyler gave Alex a reference for what he wanted, and they tweaked the design together. You can see the pendant is the bellhop toting 2 suitcases.

As for the meaning behind it ... unclear, like a lot of things with Tyler. We're told the rapper didn't tell Alex much, as he wanted to keep it a mystery. He can check that box.

No mystery on the hefty price tag, though -- the piece has more than 186 carats in diamonds, 60 carats in sapphires and a whopping 23,515 stones were hand-set!!!

Hell, the suitcases even open and close.

Tyler, who is seen wearing the piece in his "JUGGERNAUT" music video, is known for rewarding himself in the most spectacular ways.

Tekashi 6ix9ine canceled his weekend show in Texas at the last minute, leaving fans in the dark about what happened ... and now he says it's because he was stiffed.

Tekashi tells TMZ ... he had a contract guaranteeing him $250,000 for a Sunday concert at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, TX, but he says he was only paid $70,000 in cash and didn't get the balance before the show ... which the contract required.

6ix9ine says he returned the $70k and got the hell outta Dodge ... never taking the stage.

Folks who were there tell us the venue opened the doors at 3 PM and fans waited around until 10 PM, when cops and security started forcing everyone to leave. We're told the venue didn't make any announcement about Tekashi before folks were booted.

Sounds like it was a big letdown for fans ... we're told some shelled out $500 for tickets, while others dropped $3,000 on VIP experiences.

Cardi B and Offset are looking pretty damn excited, and maybe a little overwhelmed, after letting the world know baby No. 2's on the way, but someone else is even more excited by the news.

We got Cardi and Offset leaving BOA Steakhouse in WeHo where they hit up a BET Awards after-party. Quavo and Taraji P. Henson were some of the other attendees, but fans and photogs, went wild when Cardi stepped out of her ride showing off her baby bump.

The couple got peppered with dozens of baby-related questions -- really, you'd think they were walking into a family reunion. One question our guy asked was about Kulture's reaction to the news she's gonna be a big sis.

We also asked Offset if he'll be in a giving mood when the baby arrives -- and the answer's yes! He's got a Cuban celebration in mind.

We tried to get some other deets about Cardi's pregnancy ... like how far along she is, cravings, baby names??? They're not ready to spill all that just yet, but they couldn't look happier that their family's expanding.

As we reported, Cardi revealed the huge surprise Sunday night during the BET Awards. She didn't have to say a word ... her baby bump was on display and it did all the talking.

Offset had his hands full announcing baby #2 with Cardi B on Sunday, but he wasn't TOO busy to keep an eye on his Atlanta Hawks ... telling TMZ Sports his beloved team WILL bounce back from their Game 3 loss!!

Of course, it was a huge night at the BET Awards for Migos -- the trio put on one hell of a performance with the "Up" MC as she set social media on fire with her baby bump.

But, even with all the chaos surrounding the baby news, Offset was able to check in on Trae Young and co. as they fell 113-102 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday ... and the dude's pretty optimistic.

"We gon' bounce back," Offset told us outside BOA. "That was some bulls**t. We bouncin' back."

But, if 1/3 of Migos having confidence in the Hawks ain't enough, we also spoke with Quavo ... and he's just as confident Young will lead the squad to the Finals -- and WIN IT ALL!!!

"We gon' get that ring," Quavo told us outside the Highlight Room. "It's the year."

Kanye West's legal team has a lot more work to do if they want to rid the online market of imitation Yeezys -- while Walmart halted sales on its site, hundreds more still exist on others.

West's Yeezy Foam RNNRs have taken the market by storm, so it's no surprise copycats tried to capitalize. However, as of Friday, Walmart had removed all the knockoffs from its online store.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye and Yeezy filed a lawsuit against the retail giant, claiming its $25 faux RNNRs had the potential to cost Ye "hundreds of millions" of dollars in sales of his $75 original design.

For its part, Walmart said the online listings were from a third party.

You'd think the lawsuit would scare away others, but we discovered hundreds of other listings on sites pushing what appear to be more wannabes. Friday, Etsy still remained a hotspot for them, with pairs running anywhere from $30-$60, one listing calls the shoes "Yeezy Inspired," but they look like exact copies.

We've reached out to Kanye's team to figure out if they have any plans to go after the remaining listings like they did Walmart. Nothing's been filed yet.

Lil Nas X delivered a memorable performance at the BET Awards, but at least one person on Twitter hated it ... so the rapper put them in their place.

The "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" singer crushed it on stage Sunday night, not only with his hit track but also with a tribute to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time."

The stage appearance ended with Lil Nas planting an intense kiss on one of his male backup dancers.

Clearly, a major moment -- especially as Pride Month wraps up -- but one Twitter user was outraged, tweeting ... "DONT USE AFRICAN CULTURE FOR S***S LIKE THIS!!!!!!! RESPECT OUR ANCESTORS."

Never one to ignore criticism, Lil Nas X defended his decision while making a historical point, saying ... "y'all really like to pretend homosexuality didn’t exist in african culture."

Other than the one hater, the rapper received widespread praise for his bold move, including from Diddy ... who applauded him for being fearless.

Fans of Lil Nas X -- who came out on the last day of Pride Month in 2019 -- were initially disappointed when the 2021 BET Awards nominees were announced and he didn't make the list, and some accused the show of being homophobic.

Cardi B and Offset are expecting again -- and they made the announcement in grandiose fashion ... through a joint performance at the BET Awards!!!

The couple came out with the news Sunday during the broadcast -- and didn't have to say a thing about it either ... they let their actions speak for them. The Migos came out first for a medley songs, and were later joined by CB who was decked out in a revealing outfit.

And by that, we mean her massive baby bump was on display ... and, clearly, she's very pregnant. Looks like she's fairly far along too at this point ... at least 6 months, if not more.

BTW, Cardi didn't just come out to stand there and look pretty -- she was straight up performing on her own as well ... rapping to songs of hers like 'Type S***', and eventually getting shoulder-to-shoulder with her hubby as the audience went crazy with applause.

Up until now, this wasn't publicly known -- as CB has been laying fairly low of late. And now, it's obvious that was for good reason. Her team was on the ball too for this ... posting official pregnancy photos on her social media pages as soon as she took the stage.

This would be her and Offset's second child together -- of course, they also share Kulture ... who's all of 2 years old.

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna are riding off into the sunset -- or the sunrise, rather ... and we mean it in every sense of the word, 'cause a late-night date night turned into just that.

The A-list couple kept their love fest going Saturday night into the wee hours of Sunday morning ... where we're told they popped up in the lower east side of NYC after a night out, walking hand-in-hand -- and, before long, body-in-arms thanks to A$AP swooping her up.

Check out the video we got of that exact moment ... it's like straight out of a movie, and RiRi seemed to be digging every minute of it. Eventually, they drove away in a waiting SUV.

BTW, we're told this was shot around 5:30/6 AM Sunday -- so yeah, it was definitely a marathon date they were on. Eyewitnesses also say they came across a dude who seemed drunk and sprawled out over the floor ... to which A$AP/RiRi said ... yo, help him out!

Unfortunately for him, his buddies seemed to be starstruck with this sighting ... and for good reason. It's not every day you might spot this -- but then again, maybe that's changing.

Frankly, A$AP and Rihanna have been spotted out and about all over town lately ... and are NOT shy to show off their PDA, this weekend included, it seems. They're clearly gaga for one another -- and apparently want the whole wide world to know it.