TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Jake Paul wanted to make his Tyron Woodley fight in 2021 extra "Cleveland" by having Kid Cudi perform at the big event in his hometown ... but he says there was just one issue that kept it from happening -- the rapper's "astronomical" asking price.

The Problem Child revealed his failed plans during his "BS With Jake Paul" podcast this week ... when his conversation with guest Rich Paul led to the fellow Northeast Ohio native.

Jake brought up how he personally thinks Cudder doesn't have much Cleveland pride ... which is pretty uncommon for anyone from the area.

The boxer used one of his own experiences to back his stance ... saying, "I tried to get him to perform at the Tyron Woodley fight just before I came out [to the ring], and he asked for like, an astronomical fee that was like, 'F*** you.'"

Jake explained while he understands people have their price, he thought the moment would have meant much more to the city than any check he could write out to Cudi.

"I get it, but it's like, this was like some s*** to tap in back with the city. Like, first event back from Covid."

Jake's cohost, Jasper, defended Cudi ... saying if the roles were reversed, the YouTube superstar would charge his usual appearance fee, too.

But, Jake says that's simply not true ... claiming he always gives a hometown discount to anyone from the area -- even doing some things pro bono.

T.I. stood on business with all ten toes after a club attempted to capitalize off his viral spat with his son, King ... letting the owners of the establishment know he came to shut the party down!!!

Tip and King had been previously scheduled to appear at Atlanta's Elleven45 Lounge for its "R&B Wednesdays" but just one day before the event, the rapper learned a flyer to promote the event included a photoshopped image of Tip holding King in a headlock.

The image was meant to poke fun at King flipping out on his parents during Sunday's Atlanta Falcons game inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium suites over claims he grew up more rugged than he actually did.

T.I. confronted everyone at Elleven45 Lounge, letting them know it wasn't cool, and threatened the whole appearance would be cut unless things changed.

In his outrage, Tip stated the city of Atlanta was still his -- and regardless if the club honchos were homegrown or outsiders, they'd abide by his rules!!!

Turns out, Tips' fury worked ... because the club promoter changed the flyer and the event went on as planned Wednesday.

T.I., King and Domani all pulled up to the event, and all looked to be well with the fam bam.

Teairra Marí says she's done with Keri Hilson's passive-aggressive attitude and wants to get fully aggressive -- as in serving Keri with a first-class butt kickin' for years of talking behind her back!!!

The R&Beef sizzled on Thursday when Teairra got wind of Keri's chat on Tank's podcast last month.

Keri recalled a time the Teairra was sitting in the front row at one of her concerts and was feeding her toxic "I-don't-wanna-be-here" energy while she was onstage.

The "Pretty Girl Rock" singer says it's important for artists to give one another love during performances, and Teairra was doing the complete opposite.

Teairra didn't take kindly to Keri's recollection of events, and then wrote a fiery threat in the "The Neighborhood Talk" comment section ... "Y'all, people gotta leave me alone. I don't bother anybody, just leave me the f*** alone.! so now, Keri! what's up you wanna fight or do you not want to fight because I'm gonna whoop your ass when I see you I'm sick of you people bothering me! You had a whole different story when I was in your face you're a liar bitch!!"

This battle probably won't be settled with the standard Verzuz setup. Teairra sounds like she wants to inflict pain on Keri by any means necessary!!!

Lil Nas X says he's entering the "Christian era" of his career, and wants fans to take him seriously with his latest move, though the whole thing reeks of another troll job by the rapper.

On Thursday, LNX released a somber new song snippet and visual on his social media to highlight his foray into Christianity, complete with lyrics like "Father stretch my hands" and references to feeling isolated.

His shirt also captioned the quote, "If God Doesn't Exist Then Who's Laughing At Us?"

Fans weren't convinced it wasn't a classic Lil Nas X troll job ... remember, LNX has claimed to be pregnant to promote his new album, and transitioning into a woman -- for which he later issued an apology to the trans community.

Holy rollers wouldn't let Mr. Old Town Road forget he once promoted faux Nike Satan shoes to sell his album!!!

LNX barked back with fire and brimstone and defended his artistic expression ... as well as his right to be gay on his knees, a cowboy or satanic ... only God can judge him!!!

21 Savage has been soaking up everything London has to offer during his homecoming -- for instance, he was the guest of honor at last night's Arsenal game!!!

The superstar rapper was honored in front of thousands at Emirates Stadium ahead of the match, where he was presented with his own ‘21’ Savage Arsenal jersey.

Arsenal throttled Lens 6-0 and to make 21's homecoming that much sweeter, the rapper's team tells us the stadium followed up by blasting his "Circo Loco" track with Drake ... and cued it to 21's lyrics, “Still gotta see the Gunners win Premier League!”

21 also met with Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe after the game ... a helluva buildup for his sold-out show tonight at the famed O2 Arena!!!

The show will mark 21's first-ever London headlining performance ... having gotten his immigration issues cleared up and his U.S. citizenship this past October after several years in limbo.

We're told 21 will be back stateside in time for plenty of holiday giveaways in the Atlanta area.

12/1 7:33 AM PT -- It doesn't look like Ari Lennox's assailant got too far.

TikTok user TwistDCreole captured security confronting a woman and claims she was later thrown out of the venue -- with the bottle she allegedly threw.

Somehow this all feels like it could've been prevented.

Ari Lennox don't play ... that much is crystal clear, because she stopped her show and threatened to knock out a fan in L.A. after she got belted with a water bottle while performing!!!

The D.C.-born singer, who's been signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records since 2015, was onstage opening up for Rod Wave’s "Nostalgia" tour when the water bottle whizzed in her direction and struck her in the arm.

An enraged Ari immediately addressed the Kia Forum crowd in hopes of seeking out the bottle-throwing bozo and told them don’t be fooled by the glitz and glamour … she’s a “real ass bitch” and she’ll “f*** them up!!!”

Ari appeared to have scoped the fan out and was MORE than willing to rearrange their face ... but her bodyguard wisely escorted her from the stage before the violence could erupt.

No word if the fan got removed from the venue but troublemakers have been out of pocket all year -- just ask Drake. He actually caught the book thrown at him during his "It's All a Blur" tour, but other artists such as Bebe Rexha haven't been as lucky.

The fan is probably lucky security held Ari back ... she was going to do much more damage than a water bottle!!!

Kanye West and his wife, Bianca Censori, showed up at a recent event in Dubai ... but it was the couple's furry companion that stole the spotlight.

KW and BC breezed into a pop-up store to honor Jordanian-Romanian fashion designer Amina Muaddi --- and Bianca was carrying another noteworthy guest: her large, cuddly stuffed animal.

Bianca wore an oversized Russian-style shapka on her head while decked out in a tight-fitting mini dress. Kanye was dressed in an understated all-black ensemble topped off by a matching hood.

The two were in great spirits as they shook hands and talked with other people at the Tuesday night soiree. Check out this video showing Kanye working the room with Bianca, who is clutching her plush toy to her chest.

The duo appear to be going stronger than ever after reports surfaced last week that they were no longer together. Rumors circulated that Bianca's friends and family convinced her Kanye had brainwashed her into becoming a wife robot.

But Bianca seems happy with her current sitch with Kanye. They're definitely diggin' one another.

Jay-Z and the Brooklyn Public Library are auctioning off a one-of-a-kind trophy case to highlight each of his albums ... but the piece has now caused many to speculate Hov has another project on the way.

Roc Nation and Christie's introduced the limited edition Jay-Z treasure from his "Book of HOV" Wednesday ... a black leather case made by Pinel et Pinel, and personally autographed by the Grammy-winning rapper himself.

Proceeds for the auction will directly benefit the Brooklyn Public Library and any Hov stan.

The case features 13 metal library cards sporting all of Jay's solo studio albums but has 14 slots, the empty space can be seen next to Jay's last released album "4:44" ... which arrived 6 years ago.

Gayle King recently quizzed Jay on the possibility of his releasing new music ... which he says he intends to -- the rollout just has to have a bigger meaning.

There's a chance Jay's next release could coincide with his biblically-themed film "The Book of Clarence" which drops in January 2024 -- much like he did with his album inspired by the 2007 film "American Gangster."

The "Book of HOV" has a nice album title ring to it all the same. 🤔 We reached out to Roc Nation for comment on the missing puzzle piece ... no word back yet!!!

As Albania celebrates its independence, Drake's coming in hot ... metaphorically waving the flag, and showing all sorts of Albanian appreciation in the latest music video from his "For All The Dogs" album.

On Wednesday, the day after Albanian Independence Day, Drake dropped the visual for "Polar Opposites" ... where he and the guys in the video are decked out in Albanian bomber jackets, depicting the nation's colors.

He spends much of the video playing poker with his Albania crew on what appears to be a ship sitting on the Adriatic Sea.

Drake also showed off his geopolitical knowledge by mentioning Albania's ongoing North Kosovo crisis with Serbia in the song's lyrics -- "Don’t know how they do things in Pristina/I just know the tension is increasing."

The new single is perfect for stat padding ... Spotify announced its annual "Wrapped" today and Drake ranked #4 amongst global artists behind The Weeknd, Bad Bunny and Queen of Pop Taylor Swift.

Police investigating the Nardo Wick fan beatdown say they are honing in on 2 suspects ... releasing photos of the men they believe carried out the brutal attack captured on video.

The Tampa Police Department tells TMZ ... the men in the photos are suspects in their ongoing investigation, and they are accused of having direct involvement in a felony battery.

Cops tell us tips from community members helped lead them to the suspects, and they've ruled out one previous suspect.

Police say they want to talk to any witnesses, and are, once again, asking the public for help investigating the case.

TMZ broke the story ... video shows Nardo Wick fan George Obregon Jr. walking up to the rapper after his Sunday night show, and getting sucker punched by 2 members of NW's entourage.

George's mom says her 20-year-old son was just asking Nardo for a photo when he was ambushed.

Nardo's apologized for the attack ... saying he didn't know that's how his entourage would react, and he's upset about the whole incident.

Diddy's ex-security team leader is applying more public pressure to his former boss after being named in Cassie's lawsuit ... and he's claiming Cassie is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Diddy's alleged misdeeds.

In a fiery IG post Tuesday, Roger Bonds -- who worked with Diddy around a decade ago -- vowed to tell his side of the story, but interestingly ... he never uses Diddy's name. He does use Cassie's name, though.

In the lawsuit she filed against Diddy, Cassie named Roger, alleging he jumped in to stop Diddy from stomping on her car and attacking her back in 2009 in Los Angeles.

Roger backs up Cassie's story ... saying he not only stopped Diddy from harming Cassie, but he claims there were other such incidents involving other people during his security tenure.

Of course, his public support for Cassie comes after her lawsuit was recently dismissed after she and Diddy reached a settlement. So, as far as helping her, Roger is, as they say, a day late and a dollar short.

So, what's in it for him? Roger seems to be plugging a book or documentary of some sort. His post included the hashtags #2FacesTHEDOCUMENTARY and #ROGERBONDSMYTRUTH.

Bonds also says he suffers from diabetes and says, while working for Diddy, he used the ailment to make excuses for ducking and dodging his former boss.

Kanye West is getting backlash from some prominent Jewish advocacy groups over rapping that he couldn't possibly be antisemitic because he "f***** a Jewish bitch" in his new tune, "Vultures."

A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League tells TMZ ... "At a time of rising antisemitism worldwide, it’s disgusting to see Kanye once again use his platform to spew Jew hatred."

Though ... they add the degrading lyrics aren't surprising given the source ... blasting the rapper as an "unrepentant antisemite and clearly a misogynist."

Meanwhile, Richard Hirschhaut, spokesperson for the American Jewish Committee, a global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, echoes the anger ... telling us that while Ye's unrepentant antisemitism is well-documented, his latest expression of anti-Jewish invective "seems particularly pathetic and sad."

"To fuel the flames of antisemitism and promote such bile to his millions of followers, especially at this fraught and dangerous time for the Jewish community, is unforgivable," Richard adds.

As we reported ... Kanye performed the offensive lyrics live for the first time at a nightclub in Dubai over the weekend, alongside Ty Dolla $ign and Lil Durk.

The song was leaked earlier this month as Ye worked on his new Ty Dolla $ign album out in the Middle East.

50 Cent recently shocked fans, proclaiming "Many Men" was his least favorite song from his blockbuster debut album "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" ... a surprise to the track's producer Darrell "Six Figga Digga" Branch.

The song ranks in the album's top 5 on streaming services, and 50 told Apple Music "Many Men" ranked low for him because it was the slowest song on the album and didn't match the fast-paced tempo of the era.

And, if it wasn't for Tony Yayo's positive input at the time, fans wouldn't even know the song existed!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Digga following 50's confessional and while he says he understands where 50 is coming from in reference to the song's intensity, he thinks the track "Blood Hound" featuring Young Buck speaks better to the low energy 50 was referencing.

The album has left little room for complaints ... 50's been touring the globe on his "Final Lap" tour to promote its 20th anniversary. Its lead single "In Da Club" was certified Diamond this year and the album is expected to follow as it currently sits at 9x Platinum.

50's also changed his tune on the song in 2003 -- all because rap's tempo has changed in the last 20 years.

"Many Men" has since been a favorite of 21 Savage, Polo G and Pop Smoke and 50 tells Apple it's now his favorite song to perform!!!

2:35 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Tampa PD tells us "detectives reached out to the performer" ... though a source close to Nardo Wick says the two sides have not yet spoken.

Nardo Wick is finally speaking out after members of his entourage were seen brutally attacking a fan who simply wanted a photo ... saying the whole thing left him upset, but claiming there was nothing he could have done to stop it.

NW just took to Instagram to post an explanation of how he says he handled things immediately following the disgusting sucker punch. The rapper says he doesn't condone what happened, and reached out to the fan's mom to express how sorry and concerned he was over what went down.

Then he gets into the cowardly members of his team, writing, "I cant control another grown man actions, I ain't know that was gone happen, and I was mad when it happened."

Nardo goes on, "I tried to stop it as u can see in the video, and if somebody got the longer video you can see how mad I was, I love and appreciate all my fans and don't condone what happened at all dat s*** ain't gangsta or cool in no type of way."

TMZ broke the story, George Obregon Jr., a 20-year-old fan of Nardo, approached the rapper after his show in Tampa Sunday night to ask for a photo.

In video, obtained by TMZ, you see one member of NW's entourage punch George from the side while another punches him straight on ... we're told George suffered a severe concussion and brain bleed.

We've obtained Instagram messages from Nardo to George's mom as well as directly to George following the attack, you can see the rapper's upset over what happened.

Nardo's mom, who also works as his manager, was also in touch with George's mom ... getting updates on his medical condition.

A spokesperson from the Tampa Police Department tells us they're asking for help identifying the men who punched George.

In his social media post, Nardo Wick does not mention the men by name, nor clarify if he's been speaking with the police to identify the men to help bring justice to his fan who only wanted a photo.

Tina Knowles is defending Beyoncé in the face of accusations the singer is lightening her skin and hair to look white ... saying she's had enough of the negative narratives.

Beyoncé's mom sounded off Tuesday on social media, reacting to scores of online fan comments questioning her daughter's look at Saturday's premiere of her "Renaissance" movie.

Tina's referencing fan comments on Beyoncé's platinum blonde hair and skin color -- some comments even accused her of bleaching her skin.

Tina says those accusations are stupid, ignorant, self-hating and racist ... and she says it's sad that some Black people "continue with the stupid narrative with hate and jealousy."

Beyoncé's mom says her daughter "wore silver hair to match her silver dress as a fashion statement" ... pointing out the theme for the movie premiere, and the whole "Renaissance" tour, was silver.

Tina says the folks accusing Beyoncé of trying to look white are nothing but clowns, losers, bozos and "sad little haters" who are just jealous.

She even mentions she's upset with TMZ because we reached out to Beyoncé's hairstylist to see if they had a comment about what fans were saying about her look at the premiere.

Tina says Black celebrities have been wearing platinum hair since Etta James way back in the day, adding ... "I just went and looked at all the beautiful talented black celebrities who have worn platinum hair and it has been just about everyone of them at one time or another. Are they all trying to be white?"

Bottom line ... Ms. Tina is sick and tired of people attacking her daughter, and reached her boiling point -- feeling the need to speak out despite knowing Beyoncé "is going to be pissed at me for doing this."

"Power Book II: Ghost" star Gianni Paolo says his Airbnb user reviews are trash ... and it's all because he refuses to go the extra mile tidying up ON TOP of forking out a $400 cleaning fee!!!

The guy earns his coins playing rich kid Brayden Weston on 50 Cent's hit series, but Gianni says his hard-earned money is being mismanaged thanks to Airbnb's fees and he hopped on TikTok to rip them a new one.

Gianni's message is clear ... $400 is more than enough to handle little things like making the bed and clearing off the counter.

He's not running an animal house -- Gianni says he's willing to leave the place in good standing. He'll even bag up the trash ... just don't expect him to take it out, too!

Airbnb disputes have been heavy this year ... Tyrese is currently in a legal war with a property owner who says he made illegal alterations to the residence he was renting.