TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Kanye West thinks "Saturday Night Live" forced Kim Kardashian to talk about her divorcing him on TV -- but he's sorely mistaken, 'cause she came to the show armed with the joke ... TMZ has learned.

Show sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Kanye's gripe from last week during his appearance on the "Drinks Champs" podcast is completely unfounded. We're told most of Kim's 'SNL' monologue was written ahead of time, and that included the line about their divorce.

ICYMI ... Ye complained the media was spinning a certain narrative about his relationship with Kim, something he apparently thinks still has a chance at being revived. He also called out 'SNL' specifically, saying they might've forced Kim to talk about their split.

That's simply not true, as we're being told the monologue was mostly unchanged from what Kim came in with ... and she only got a few suggestions from writers for the show.

In other words, the divorce crack was something Kim -- and her comedian pals -- wrote and wanted in the monologue. And, to further that point, our sources say Kim might acknowledge she's technically married to Ye -- but, frankly, they're not together anymore ... which is why Pete Davidson is happening.

There's also this ... Ye claimed there was no "paperwork" he'd seen to prove a divorce was even happening, but our sources say that's BS and he's fully apprised of what's happening here. As we've reported, the divorce is moving forward, full steam ... and he even signed off on Kim buying the former family home from him for $23 million.

Organizers behind this year's deadly Astroworld Fest promoted the show with footage from 2 years ago, hyping up the fact things could get crazy ... and that people could get hurt.

Check out this promotional video that was published earlier this year in May and posted by the official Astroworld Fest Instagram account -- which shows a number of news clips and civilian clips from 2019 spliced together ... demonstrating the chaos that unfolded ahead of that year's show, including the fact some people were trampled while trying to get in.

The video seems to lean into the notion Astroworld Fest was deemed dangerous/potentially treacherous, embracing that identity ... almost like they were inviting people back with that specifically in mind. You could even interpret this as a ... enter if you dare type thing.

At the end of the video, they tease the dates for this year's concert. BTW, this is the same video that Travis himself posted on his Twitter account shortly after Astroworld Fest wrapped in 2019 ... when he was accused of encouraging the wild behavior.

He wrote at the time, "THANKS TO EVERYBODY THAT PULLED UP TO RAGE !!!!"

This repackaged video used to promote this year's event has allegedly been scrubbed from Astroworld Fest's official YouTube page and other pages, but it is still up on their IG account.

On its face ... this video is pretty damning in the fact that it plays up the apparent inherent danger that lies with attending Astroworld Fest -- and rather than try to pivot away from that ... it would seem folks involved in putting the concert together encouraged round 2.

This is evidenced by the 8 deaths and dozens of other injuries that occurred on Friday night -- not to mention several video clips that appear to show concertgoers trying to relay their concerns about people passing out and dying ... but being mostly ignored and drowned out.

There are also videos that show Travis himself was at least somewhat aware of people falling into distress while he performed -- apparently acknowledging an ambulance golf cart that was working its way through the crowd, as well as taking note of someone who'd passed out in front of him. While he did alert for help for the latter ... TS carried on with the show.

After the fact, Travis described how devastated he was ... sending condolences to the deceased's family members, and promising to work with the authorities. He also denied knowing the severity of things while it was all unfolding -- saying he simply didn't realize people were dying out there. That was echoed by Kylie Jenner as well.

Travis took to Instagram to share his sadness surrounding the event ... again emphasizing he was going to work with Houston PD.

Speaking of the police ... a criminal investigation has been opened into this, as it appears at least one person might've been injected with a needle.

Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor said his team is sending their thoughts and prayers to those affected by the chaos at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival on Friday ... saying the incident is "bigger than football."

8 people are dead and hundreds of others are injured as a result of the tragedy ... and after the Texans fell 17-9 to the Miami Dolphins, Taylor opened his postgame press conference by addressing what went down back home.

"I know something bigger than football happened back in our Houston community this past Friday at the festival," Taylor said. "Just wanted to let the city of Houston know that our organization, our team, our prayers are definitely with y’all."

"Never want to see loss of life. We'll continue to keep praying for y’all."

The Houston Police Chief was so concerned about crowd control at the Astroworld Festival, he went to Travis Scott's trailer to express concern over the "energy in the crowd."

Police Chief Troy Finner said the "energy" in anticipation of the festival had been escalating for months ... this according to the NY Times. The Chief attributed the energy to the pandemic, the fact that tickets went for hundreds of dollars and the event itself had a history of crowds that were difficult to control.

The Chief knew Travis personally and admired him for all the good work he did in Houston.

That said, it's clear the Chief was concerned about the swelling and anxious crowd.

The Chief may have gone to the trailer because some people who wanted to get in before the concert started knocking down barricades.

Sources connected to Travis tell TMZ ... the Chief never told Travis to pull the plug on the show. Furthermore, the sources say Travis was never told the stop the show prior to 10:10 PM -- more than an hour after the show began -- via his in-ear device. The sources go on to say the fire marshal was also mum.

Although Travis says because of the pyrotechnics, strobe lights and all, he couldn't see the scope of the calamity.

And, there's this ... our sources say at one point officers working the show near the stage were filming the concert on their cell phones ... in other words, not doing their jobs.

There was also this ominous sign ahead of the concert ... there was only 47 security personnel on-hand at the 2019 festival ... by contrast there was 528 security members at this event, underscoring the fear things could get out of control.

As we reported, 8 people died during the chaos, and hundreds were injured.

The fatalities from the event ranged from teens to young adults: a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, two 21-year-olds, two 23-year-olds, a 27-year-old and a male whose age was unknown.

Travis Scott took to Instagram to share his sadness and condolences surrounding the event and that he was working with Houston PD. He's also vowed to refund festival tickets and has canceled an upcoming show in Vegas.

In addition to crowd control, Chief Finner said a security guard working the event felt a prick in his neck by an unknown assailant while he was trying to restrain a citizen -- and he quickly fell unconscious.

Finner says the guard was revived by use of NARCAN ... and that medical personnel did, indeed, see something on his neck that indicated he'd been stabbed with a syringe.

The legal floodgates are starting to open -- Travis Scott and Live Nation have just been sued by somebody alleging they were injured during Astroworld ... the first claim of what may prove to be many more to come.

A guy named Manuel Souza already lawyered up and reportedly filed suit Saturday in Harris County District Court -- claiming he was hurt during the madness that unfolded ... and alleging both negligence and gross negligence on behalf of Trav, LN and others he lists as defendants.

In his docs, obtained by Billboard, Souza says the tragedy was "predictable and preventable" -- due, in part, to what he characterizes as warning signs earlier in the day that he says should've been red flags to festival organizers ... but were allegedly ignored.

Souza describes how people first stampeded their way into NRG Park when things were first opening up ... with folks allegedly climbing over security gates and trampling over one another. Despite this, Souza claims nothing was done to further address or curtail things.

He goes on to allege that concert organizers made a conscious effort to let the show go on, despite clear evidence all around them that people were in serious distress ... and suffering "serious obvious injury." Souza believes they purposely chose this route, claiming they were well aware of the rising risk that was escalating by the minute during the night.

As for why Souza thinks Travis is at fault here ... it's not entirely clear what he's claiming Trav did or didn't do during the show that led to what Souza believes was avoidable. He does cite Travis' history of allegedly encouraging violence among fans at past concerts of his, which Souza says has led to people getting hurt. But beyond that ... it doesn't appear he connects specific dots in this instance as to why TS, specifically, is to blame.

It's also not entirely clear what injuries Souza is claiming were inflected against himself, but he does repeatedly cite the 8 dead and dozens of others who were also hurt ... while going on to claim that profit was chosen over the safety and well-being of concertgoers.

Souza is suing for at least a million dollars in damages. We're working on getting a copy of the lawsuit ourselves -- we've reached out to Live Nation and Travis for comment.

Saweetie says she wants children in her life -- and one Nick Cannon seems to be ready to deliver ... if she wants to take him up on it.

The rapper tweeted out her parental desires Saturday, writing ... "I want some babies." Short and sweet -- no real other context either, but on its face ... it sounds like she's ready to be a mom.

While there were a number of normies in her comments who offered up their services to get that done -- Nick actually stood out among the rest with a not-so-subtle offer of his own ... retweeting Saweetie's message and adding a few telling emojis.

There's a curious face emoji, a ninja emoji, a laughing emoji, and a guy raising his hand emoji. The hand-raising says it all ... NC seems to be down to provide, and as we know -- is very well-equipped to do so.

The man has fathered several children over the course of his life, including three just earlier this year -- his son, Zen, and twins Zion and Zillion ... the latter 2 having a different mother. He's got four more from previous relationships -- including a couple with Mariah Carey, a couple more with Brittany Bell.

He's talked about going celibate for a while, but seems to have backtracked on that ... indicated here in his volunteering -- not to mention what he told us the last time we got him out. Remember, Nick said he'll keep having kids ... just so long as the man upstairs keeps on allowing it.

No word from Saweetie yet if his proposition sounds appealing or not -- frankly, she probably has a lot of would-be suitors who'd be willing to give it a go ... and could have just about whoever she wanted for this mission.

Kanye West wants to honor the victims who died at Astroworld -- and he's using his religious vehicle of Sunday Service to do just that.

The rapper's latest spiritual music gathering is going on right now -- and before things officially got underway at around 1 PM PT ... there was a message posted on behalf of Kanye and co., reading, "Sunday Service dedication to the loved ones of Astroworld."

Obviously, Ye is referring to the 8 people who died while Travis Scott was performing Friday night ... not to mention the countless others who suffered injuries to varying degrees.

So far, it seems this Service has a much more somber tone than last week's -- when he brought out Marilyn Manson, Justin Bieber and others in what appeared to be broad daylight, where everyone was wearing white hoods as they engaged in worship and singing.

This time ... Kanye's got his choir and other accompanying singers dressed in all black, and they're performing in what seems to be a huge dark building, with just a sliver of light breaking through. The main choir ran through a few hymns, including some songs from "Donda" -- and now, it looks like Kanye's got a choir out there who are singing too.

No sign of Ye himself just yet ... and nobody has shared any explicit words of condolences at this point ... the show got underway, and it's been nothing but music ever since.

Ya gotta imagine Kanye might make an appearance at some point, and even say something to address the Astroworld tragedy ... as Travis is essentially his brother-in-law, and we know they're tight.

Kylie Jenner seemed to be aware something was amiss during Travis Scott's set, evidenced in her serious demeanor shortly after he took the stage ... something you can now see on video.

TMZ has obtained concert footage we're told was taken about 10 minutes into Travis' performance, which eyewitnesses say got underway at 9 PM sharp ... and went on for about an hour and 15 minutes, drastically different from Houston PD's timeline of just 40 minutes.

Check out the clip ... you see Kylie, Kendall and a bunch of their entourage/security detail hanging out under a tent that's a ways away from the stage ... literally plopped down in the middle of a massive crowd that was surrounding them. At this point, Kylie appears solemn.

As you can see, she's wearing a face mask and has her hands folded together ... looking on with what one could interpret as a nervous expression, or at the very least -- a sobering one.

Her body language says a lot here too -- which is in stark contrast to her sister's ... who's maskless and rocking out with a big smile on her face. Kylie, for whatever reason, didn't seem to be in the same spirit at this point -- and one eyewitness suggests it's obvious why.

The person who shot this tells us they started to feel the crowd surge at this point and were losing control of their footing -- prompting them to want to get out ASAP. Unclear if the ambulance was working its way through the crowd by now -- or if the witness saw/heard of people passing out -- but it's plausible some of that might've been taking place here.

In any case, it's interesting the person who filmed this was feeling a sense of danger and dread right then and there.

Kylie had also filmed an ambulance in her own IG Story -- a clip she eventually deleted, while leaving the rest of her footage up.

Of course, the obvious point ... even if she was somewhat appraised of the graveness of the situation as everything unfolded, what could she have possibly done???

Indeed, probably nothing from where she was ... as she was nowhere near the stage, and had no realistic way to get a hold of Travis STAT as he carried on with his set. Still, the one thing that remains curious is Houston PD's timetable of when things were shut down.

The Chief, Troy Finner, said his team had been told by event organizers that Travis took the stage at 9:30 PM and wrapped at 10:10 PM, but people are disputing that ... claiming it went on for much longer, and that the danger was also present for much longer than just that window.

He also said, perhaps the reason things weren't wrapped earlier was because of fear of a riot breaking out among a young crowd ... which is interesting logic. Now, Finner did say they would look into the timing even further to pin down a more accurate sequence of events -- but based on this account we've been given, this madness lasted for quite a while.

Travis Scott is taking heat for apparently not reacting appropriately to scores of fans who were in distress, unlike other musicians who critics feel handled similar scenarios better.

A few different clips are making the rounds Sunday ... posted by folks who are pissed at TS for seemingly dragging his feet in shutting down his set as people in the crowd were dropping like flies all around him -- something Travis says he was not fully aware of.

However, many aren't buying that -- and feel he could've (and should've) done better, like Dave Grohl once did, or Billie Eilish once did ... or even like Playboi Carti did a few months ago.

The first video that's being compared to the Astroworld fiasco is a concert DG and the Foo Fighters put on in 2018 down in Minnesota ... where the frontman stopped the show to a dead halt to address a kid he saw near the front who didn't have a seat.

Dave moved mountains mid-performance to accommodate the boy and his parent -- something the child's folks appreciated after the fact. Not entirely the same as what went down at Astroworld, but it just shows ... Dave is aware of his audience even while playing.

Then, there's Billie ... who also paused her concert in 2018 over in Stockholm after fans in the crowd pointed out to her that someone had passed out, with BE handing down water from the stage and making sure the girl was alright. This didn't appear to be nearly as packed as Travis' concert was -- but still, people are making the comparison.

Finally, we have Playboi ... who paused his set over the summer at Lollapalooza after a stagehand rushed up to him as he was taking center stage to tell him folks were going unconscious -- something PC literally addressed to the crowd right on the spot.

To be fair to Travis ... there are countless instances of big concerts continuing on as people fell ill or unconscious or anything else out in the sea of bodies -- something the performing artist cannot always see or take notice of considering the circumstances, even if it's up close.

The most prominent example of this occurring -- namely, the show carrying on while chaos unfolds below -- is Michael Jackson ... who would often cause fans to pass out/faint/convulse just seeing him ... which would require them to be carried out and away.

We're not aware of too many times where Mike stopped everything to check on one fan -- and, frankly, that's not really realistic to expect either for a concert of that size.

Kylie Jenner echoed the sentiments of her partner, Travis Scott, saying they're heartbroken over the Astroworld tragedy that claimed 8 lives and injured hundreds -- insisting Travis was not aware of the severity of the situation when he was performing as the crowd surged.

Kylie said, "Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events."

She went on to address criticism that Travis stayed on stage performing for 40 minutes after the tragedy unfolded ... "And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community, I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing."

Kylie -- who's pregnant with her and Travis' second child -- along with 3-year-old Stormi were at the venue but far away from the crush of people. Kendall Jenner was also with them.

Earlier Travis posted, "I'm honestly just devastated ... We're actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.

As for Kylie, she ended with words of sympathy ... "I am sending my deepest condolences to all the families during this difficult time and will be praying for the healing of everyone who has been impacted."

Jenner was criticized online for leaving up Instagram stories of the crowd, which appeared to show an ambulance trying to make its way through.

The festival is getting severely criticized for not stopping the concert, despite emergency responders declaring the scene a "mass casualty" event as they tried resuscitating some of the victims.

Travis Scott was mostly oblivious to what was going on around him Friday night during his Astroworld set -- including the fact people were dying around him ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Travis is utterly devastated over what transpired Friday, and he's beside himself over it. We're told he's been crying since it all happened, and he's an emotional wreck.

We're told he wasn't aware of the extent of what was happening around him -- people going into cardiac arrest, etc. -- and thought what few people he did see being attended to were folks who'd simply passed out from dehydration.

It's not uncommon for that type of thing to happen ... especially at a packed festival like this.

We're told Trav did, in fact, stop the show a few times to check on people who appeared to be unconscious or in distress, alerting security and other personnel over to them for assistance. But, our sources say he simply didn't realize how bad it actually was.

Not just that, but we're told neither he nor his camp were even informed about deaths or hospitalizations until after the show was done. As we reported ... a total of 8 people have died thus far, and dozens more were injured and hospitalized, including several minors.

As for Kylie ... our sources say she too is quite upset, and is trying to console Travis as best she can by being there for him.

Like we first told you, there were sightings of at least one person getting jabbed in the neck with a needle ... something Houston PD confirmed as accurate. It's unclear if that may have led to all of the cardiac arrests, or just one or a few -- but it'll certainly be looked at as part of the wider probe.

Justin Bieber is ready for winter early thanks to Kanye's new line of Yeezys -- only this time, they're boots ... and not too different from what a kid might wear for his first time in ice.

The Biebs grabbed a morning bite Saturday at the Bel-Air Hotel with his wife, Hailey, and his outfit screamed "Ma, it's snowing!" ... at least from his calves down. His upper half was pretty normal, but JB was wearing the just-released Yeezy NSTLD Boots, Khaki in color.

As you can see ... Justin wanted to show them off in full, so he wore them over his pant legs, tucking in the loose ends so the boots were prominently displayed. Indeed, they're pretty puffy ... and bulky. But ... are they, like, stylish???

Bieber sure seems to think so -- these things just went on sale to the public Friday, and they were retailing for over $300. So, clearly, Justin wanted to get his hands on a pair and rock them ASAP.

We'll say this ... they look part-UGG boot and part-space boot, and are obviously laced with Kanye's signature Yeezy design for the bottom portion. It's also very much so in line with the poofy aesthetic Ye's been running with lately -- specifically, from his Gap Round jacket.

Travis Scott's first night of his Astroworld concert in Houston turned into a horrific tragedy Friday night ... leaving 8 people dead and more than 300 injured, and there were signs of trouble even before the concert began.

50,000 people filled the sold-out venue, when, at around 9 PM people began surging toward the stage. People started getting crushed and panic ensued. According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, "People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic."

At least 8 people died in the stampede. 11 people went into cardiac arrest and were rushed to the hospital. More than 300 fans went to the field hospital near the venue.

Someone working the festival tells TMZ ... people were hopping on camera platforms, begging concert staff to end the show after the stampede erupted. They said, "Anything climbable was climbed." They also say there were several thousand pairs of shoes left behind as people fled. When the concert shut down, they said a stage manager said the venue was now "a crime scene."

The scene was chaotic ... medical personnel could not handle all the injured. There is video showing some of them performing CPR.

One concertgoer named Madeline, a nurse, tells TMZ, she was there with her boyfriend when Travis took the stage. During the first song, people started pushing toward the stage and she says she began to feel light-headed, telling us, "I passed out from the constant pressure on my chest and was one of the first people to be carried," adding, "They threw me on top of other people and crowd surfed me to other people, who lifted me over a fence where security was waiting." She says "security guards were bringing bodies from that area to the VIP area," as Travis kept performing, adding, "I see security carrying people who are not moving." She says once she regained her senses, she began administering first aid to others.

A slew of ambulances rushed to the scene ... which became direr every minute.

Before chaos erupted, Travis stopped the show several times during his 75-minute set ... after noticing some of the fans in the front seemed in distress. He told security to make sure they weren't hurt. At one point Travis asked for security to help a specific individual.

Shortly before the surge, Drake had performed with Travis ... and there was no indication the crowd would try to rush the stage.

However, there were some signs of trouble even before the show. A slew of fans knocked over barricades and rushed into the venue.

Kylie Jenner was on hand for the festival as the chaos erupted. She was there with her and Travis's daughter Stormi. As far as we know, they're fine. They were not sitting near the crush.

A reunification center was set up at a nearby hotel, so family members of concert-goers could reunite.

The Medical Examiner is in the process of determining the cause of death of the 8 fatalities.

This was the first night of what was supposed to be a 3-day festival. The second night has already been canceled.

Jay-Z was trying to walk a fine line while talking about Dave Chappelle's new comedy special -- but it's clear which side of the debate he lands on ... and that would be in DC's camp.

The rapper spoke on the controversy surrounding "The Closer" Friday on a Twitter Space audio conversation -- one that was being hosted by Netflix's Strong Black Lead account, no less. Somebody asked him point-blank about what he thought, and Jay shared.

Check it out ... Jay-Z says Dave is "super brave," going on to say if you spend time with him, you'll see he's "brilliant." Now, Jay does admit Dave pushed a lot of buttons -- ones that apparently made HOV squirm, as he describes -- but in the end, he considers it "true art."

He goes on to say we're in a time now where people can't have discussions with others who disagree with them -- emblematic in the reaction to Dave's stand-up -- and Jay thinks ... that kinda sucks.

Eventually, the person seemingly moderating the convo asks Jay if he thinks the special was divisive -- and Jay tries to dissociate Dave's special with what he considers great art, which he describes as oftentimes being divisive. While he tried to separate the two, it's clear he thinks Dave's show might fall into that "great art" category.

It's also obvious Jay has no real problem with Dave, evidenced in the fact that he invited him to be one of the keynote speakers at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a week ago ... and was more than happy to pose and smile with the guy.

Soulja Boy was almost, ALMOST, at a loss for words when he heard Kanye West trash a verse he recorded for "Donda" ... telling us Ye previously said he liked it.

The former Mr. West made headlines Thursday during his interview on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs," where he talked marriage, money, fashion and music. One of the more notable moments came when Ye opened up about his recent beef with Soulja Boy.

If you hadn't heard, Soulja was pissed after Kanye released "Donda" without a verse Soulja recorded for the project. When asked why he left Soulja off, Ye not so shyly said it was crap ... and that's why it didn't make the cut.

Well, Soulja tells us Ye's words on 'Champs' stunned him, because in person, Ye had praised his verse ... so to hear the opposite now really surprised him.

It wasn't, however, all bad -- Kanye did give SB some props during the interview, calling him one of the top 5 most influential rappers of all time for modern artists.

Talib Kweli is going all Jack Nicholson on Kanye West ... he says Yeezy doesn't like him because Ye can't handle the truth!!!

The rapper and activist is firing back at Kanye after Ye ripped him a new one, telling TMZ ... the beef is all over Talib's disapproval of Ye's support of Donald Trump and right-wing rhetoric.

Talib tells us Kanye doesn't like hearing from Kweli about how his support for Trump puts a target on the backs of minorities, at least in Talib's mind, but TK says he still loves Mr. West.

Kanye ignited this new back and forth when he went OFF on Talib this week on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs" ... saying Common's a better artist, declaring himself way more popular and clowning Talib for wearing baseball caps.

Talib says he has no bones to pick with Kanye on two of those subjects ... telling us he's honored just to be compared to Common, and explaining why he's not trying to beat Kanye in a popularity contest.

Sounds like the baseball hat diss might have struck a nerve ... Talib says his headwear is more diverse than Kanye wants folks to believe, and he takes a few shots at Kanye's taste in anything above the shoulders.