Gucci Mane Disses Wack 100 On Lil Baby Collab ... Wack Vows to Clap Back
Gucci Mane had a few things to get off his chest on his new Lil Baby collab "Bluffin" ... an ode to cleaning up his act in and out of the rap game.
Midway on the track, Gucci took a shot at Wack 100's Clubhouse legacy, rapping ... "I want my M's up to one, two, three, four, five one-hundred (Go)/I ain't arguin' on no internet, I'm not Wack100 (No)."
Wack eventually got wind of the lyrics and, although he and Gucci share plenty of mutual friends, vowed to return fire on a diss track of his own after the weekend is over.
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The longtime manager of both The Game and Blueface doesn't rap per se, but seems to think he can beat Gucci at his own game.
At the very least, he knows a handful of artists who could easily "help" him ... just in case he gets writer's block!!!
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Tank Anita Baker's Bogus For Bootin' Babyface Where's The Voice Of Reason?!?
Tank couldn't bite his tongue after Anita Baker fired Babyface as the opening act on her tour, fiercely defending his friend and mentor, while still trying to be as respectful as possible.
While Tank admits he's biased toward Babyface, he just sang backup at the R&B legend's "Tiny Desk Concert," he claims Babyface is an innocent victim of AB's rage who he says is acting irrationally.
As we reported, AB officially pulled the plug on Babyface Tuesday, removing him from her Songstress Tour after she felt attacked by his fans.
The two R&B legends had been clashing over stage time, and Babyface was even barred from hitting the stage at the tour's New Jersey leg in May ... a fail Tank notes Babyface apologized for despite it being no fault of his own!!!
I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at @PruCenter. I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety. My band and I are extremely saddened we didn't get to perform for…
— Babyface (@babyface) May 11, 2023 @babyface
Tank says Babyface is too meek to issue a proper response to AB ... but not him!!!
To rectify the situation, Tank says the people need a "Protect Black Men" movement to counter what the women have going on. We'll see if it sticks.
We covered the drama in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.
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'Vanderpump Rules' Tom Schwartz I'm Taking a Break from Sandoval ... Haven't Spoken to Him!!!
Tom Schwartz seemed to be one of the only folks sticking by Tom Sandoval's side in the wake of the affair but now, even he's taking a step away ... saying he hasn't seen or spoken to his pal in a while.
The "Vanderpump Rules" star was on Wednesday's episode of "When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany", and he got candid about where things stand with his longtime buddy and business partner ... now that the whole 'Scandoval' has hit the fan.
Schwartz tells the hosts, he pretty much felt caught in the middle of the entire thing and became an "unfortunate confidant" for Sandoval while he was having an affair ... but that's no longer the case.
He made it clear, he feels super-exploited by someone he called a friend ... adding, he hasn't seen or spoken to Sandoval in quite some time. Schwartz says he still loves Sandoval but the bottom line is, he can't support what he did.
It doesn't sound like the Toms are on great terms right now ... because Schwartz flat-out says Sandoval made a huge mess and needs to take more accountability for his actions. He also added, Sandoval needs to drop his ego and apologize without making up excuses.
As you know, Sandoval has come under fire since word got out he was cheating with his girlfriend of 10 years, Ariana Madix, with their friend/costar Raquel Leviss.
Up until this point, Schwartz was one of the few people to maintain a friendship with Sandoval ... despite other castmates pressuring him to cut him off.
You'll recall, things got super messy when the other 'VPR' stars found out Schwartz may have known more about the affair than he led on.
Now though, he's picking a side and he's making it super clear.
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Kim Cattrall Coming Back As Samantha Jones For 'And Just Like That...'
And just like that, Kim Cattrall is reprising her role as Samantha Jones for the sequel to "Sex and the City" ... TMZ has confirmed.
The actress is set to make an appearance as her famous character in the upcoming series of "And Just Like That..." ... but Kim will be limited to just a brief cameo as Sam the publicist.
Kim filmed one scene for the upcoming series, returning to the franchise after a nasty feud with her former costar, Sarah Jessica Parker.
After reports of Kim's shocking return broke Wednesday, the official Twitter account for the show played into the news ... tweeting, "Secret's out!!"
Kim did not appear as Samantha in the first season of "And Just Like That..." ... but she's involved in the second season, which premieres June 22 on Max, despite previously declaring she was done with the franchise due to her beef with Sarah.
The last time Kim played Samantha was in the 2010 movie, "Sex and the City 2."
While "And Just Like That..." is coming back in June, reports say Kim's cameo doesn't come until August, so it sounds like it's pretty late in the season.
Stay tuned ...
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Taylor Swift Dropping Collab with Ice Spice ... After BF Matty Healy Insults
Taylor Swift is teaming up with Ice Spice for an all-new collab ... but the new project just so happens to come on the heels of her boyfriend, Matty Healy's insults aimed at the rapper.
T-Swift made the announcement via Twitter, Wednesday ... saying, "Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch."
"So delighted to say that 'Karma' Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) deluxe album that you can pre-order now" ... she also told fans about a few other projects she has up her sleeves.
However, the Ice Spice project couldn't be more awkwardly -- or, perhaps purposely -- timed ... considering her boo Matty recently came under fire for dissing the "Munch" rapper.
February 2023
ICYMI, in Feb, The 1975 frontman went on the "The Adam Friedland Show," where Nick Mullen, Friedland and Matty made derogatory comments about the rapper while also mocking Chinese and Hawaiian accents. That clip recently resurfaced online ... along with a clip of Ice expressing her love for The 1975 band, in a separate interview.
Matty wound up apologizing, last month, for offending her but some fans felt the apology was lackluster. The episode was also scrubbed on several platforms.
As you know, Taylor and Matty have been inseparable ... after news got out she broke up with her longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
🎥| Taylor won “Song Of The Year” for “Anti-Hero” at the iHeart awards! pic.twitter.com/H4Ab9zOMAn
— Taylor Swift Updates 🏟️💜 (@swifferupdates) March 28, 2023 @swifferupdates
We know Tay and Ice had at least one special moment together... with IS introducing her "Song of the Year" win for "Anti-Hero" at the iHeart Awards back in March and the two posing for photos together.
Clearly, there's no Bad Blood between the 2 women and they're ready to bring their talents together ... Ready For It?
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'Aladdin' Star Mena Massoud Scrubs Twitter After 'Little Mermaid' Comment, Backlash
Ariel the mermaid just pounded real-life Aladdin into submission -- or, more accurately, her fans did ... this after the dude juxtaposed his flick with hers, which pissed a lot of people off.
Mena Massoud -- who played everyone's favorite street rat in the 2019 live-action adaptation -- just scrubbed his Twitter account due to a mountain of backlash he received Saturday for chiming in on the future box office prospects of Halle Bailey's new 'Little Mermaid' movie.
‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’ is tracking to earn $115M on its domestic box office opening weekend.
— The Hollywood Handle (@hollywoodhandle) May 12, 2023 @hollywoodhandle
In comparison, ‘ALADDIN’ earned $112M on its opening. pic.twitter.com/vpIoYcYcQ2
He was responding to an account that was reporting on how much 'TLM' was slated to make in its opening weekend -- about $115M, which it then compared to the $112M 'Aladdin' made in its opening weekend run. Mena had some thoughts on that ... some took it as shade.
MM wrote, "Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It's the only way we reached the billion dollar mark with our opening." "Aladdin" went on to make $1.054 bil internationally ... and its initial box office numbers were considered a big win.
Then came a remark that got Mena attacked. He followed up and said, "My guess is TLM doesn't cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel." Unclear if he followed that up with any clarification on what he meant -- but this alone got Halle fans up in arms.
You can hop into the "Aladdin" trend yourself and see what they're saying ... but basically, the reaction wasn't good. Some felt Mena's comment here was a cheap shot and suggesting 'Little Mermaid' wasn't actually worthy of any future success, including a possible sequel.
Others are also saying that Mena sounds a little salty over the fact that he hasn't been cast in much post-"Aladdin" -- and that he's still hung up on the criticism that movie received ... and there was a lot. Bottom line ... he was getting dragged through the coals over this.
As a result, Mena appears to have deleted his account. The OG Twitter comment is gone, and his page is inaccessible now ... so it seems the discourse may have gotten to him.
Part of the reason for this fierce response to his apparent slight might have to do with the fact that 'TLM' has been in the crosshairs of haters from day one ... ever since they announced Halle, a Black woman, would be cast -- which got a ton of flak in and of itself.
People are coalescing around this movie and hoping it does numbers, because of the larger implications -- namely, more POC getting cast in iconic roles ... and a shift in Hollywood.
What this Mena saga proves ... anyone who's perceived as taking a shot at it just for the hell of it can and will get the digital smoke. 'Mermaid' defenders are out in force right now.
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Selena Gomez Organ Donor Francia Called Her Out For Drinking ... After Kidney Transplant
Francia Raisa stopped talking to Selena Gomez because SG wouldn't stop drinking after she had given her a kidney ... at least, according to her ex-friend's dad, El Cucuy.
El Cucuy -- the famous Spanish radio host and father of Francia -- went on a Spanish news show called "Primer Impacto" about 5 months ago and wound up giving more context about what went down between the 2 ex-best friends.
December 2022
During the interview he was asked why his daughter wasn't included in Selena's highly-anticipated doc, "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me." He told the outlet, it was no secret what happened between them, and added ... that's just what happens with love, money, and fame.
He then explains Selena and Francia had a disagreement when SG was drinking. Apparently, FR told her she didn't give her a kidney, so she could go out and drink ... causing stress on the organ.
BTW, they used to be thick as thieves, having met when they were child actors. So much so, Francia donated her kidney to Selena in 2017 after hers failed due to her battle with lupus. However, things soon went left.
Francia recently fielded a bunch of questions, from a pap, about Selena ... but she dodged almost every single question ... which came off a little shady to some Selena fans.
As a result, FR later said she'd been dragged through the mud online and wanted it all to stop.
Now, we have a better idea of what went down, at least on Raisa's side. We've reached out to Selena's reps ... no word back yet.
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Lil Durk Family Got Me 'Almost Healed' And NBA Who? Morgan Wallen's My Dawg!!!
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Lil Durk is all set to drop his new album "Almost Healed" on Friday, a therapeutic journey he says that couldn't have happened without the love of his family.
TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Durk out in Beverly Hills and asked about the clinical connotation of the project's title.
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The Chicago rap star has endured some heavy times ... his brother OTF DThang and artist King Von were both killed by gun violence in recent years.
However, Durk tells us that his kids and girlfriend India Royale — who he affectionately refers to as his "wife" — have been his rock throughout it all and got him to the brink of a full recovery.
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Durk also publicly feuded with NBA YoungBoy's camp following King Von's death ... with Akademiks recently reporting a truce on that beef, claiming to have integral knowledge.
DJ Akademiks said NBA YoungBoy and Lil Durk has Officially Squashed their Beef 😳‼️pic.twitter.com/u3DM4SW0uX
— Youngboy Updates ⚜️ (@YbUpdate) May 4, 2023 @YbUpdate
We asked Durk about squashing things with YoungBoy and it was like he got hit with a neuralyzer from 'MIB' ... he had no clue who we were talking about!!!
He did, however, make sure to shout out his "Broadway Girls" collaborator Morgan Wallen.
Maybe they'll go for collab #2 on the new album!!!
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Joe Budden and Gillie Da Kid Trade Shots In Podcast Wars Over Bedrooms & Bank Accounts!!!
Joe Budden may be considered to have the top hip hop podcast, but he's not above throwing shots ... just ask Gillie Da Kid.
On the latest "Joe Budden Podcast" episode, Joe questioned Gillie's alleged big money contract for his "Million Dollaz Worth Of Game" pod by taking a shot at his living quarters, quipping, "Your headboard is covering a very small window in your primary bedroom ... I can tell it’s not like that!!!"
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DJ Akademiks shared the Budden snipe with a clip soundtracked by Rick Ross' aggressive track "I'm Not a Star" and several gunshot sounds to increase the dramatic effect.
Gillie took the bait and barked back at Budden ... echoing Vivica A. Fox's disses about wife-beating but says he's refusing to escalate things until JBP reaches MDWOG's bank status.
Budden seemed content with getting under Gillie's skin, if not for anything, bringing more attention to his platform.
Congrats to @Wallo267 and @gilliedakid on new deal. Well deserved. @mworthofgame pic.twitter.com/v1wlnH826C
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 20, 2022 @stoolpresidente
Complex recently bestowed a #1 hip hop media ranking on Joe Budden's — with Gillie and Wallo coming in at #4.
Ak was ranked #2, hence his instigation here.
Chris Brown Allegedly Involved in New Face-Off ... Backstage for Missy's Set
Chris Brown was caught on camera in yet another confrontation -- this, apparently, just a day after his dust-up with Usher ... part of which was also captured on video.
New footage circulating online appears to show Chris aggressively trying to reach somebody across from him in what looks to be the backstage area of a venue. Per several blog accounts, this was purportedly taken during Missy Elliott's set Saturday night in Vegas.
No details are out yet about this -- including what led up to it, or who Chris may have been beefing with. We're working to confirm what exactly was going on here -- however, on its face -- it doesn't look good for CB ... who was just in this exact type of sitch 24 hours earlier.
Fortunately, based on what we can see in the video ... it would seem cooler heads prevailed here, and nothing truly violent went down. It's unclear if this had to do with Usher or not.
Usher is unbothered by the alleged altercation with Chris Brown 😅pic.twitter.com/upwaJif6zy
— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) May 6, 2023 @HotFreestyle
Speaking of him, Usher was clearly trying to telegraph a different narrative than what we'd been told about the skating rink birthday bash thrown for Chris the night prior -- which allegedly turned brutal for Mr. Raymond, according to eyewitnesses we've spoken with.
He looked totally fine last night, though, and was making sure to show off his face and the fact he appeared uninjured. Chris even came and did his set as well ... with no sign of trouble on stage, or any mention of the alleged brawl that's said to have occurred.
Here's the thing ... we know Chris was pissed off on Friday night, and now -- he once again seems to be pissed here. So, despite their best efforts -- there's obviously friction in the air.
Usher and co. appear to be engaged in a nothing-to-see-here act -- but at some point, you gotta figure they might have to address this straight up ... because the rumors are flying, and there's irrefutable video evidence of Chris acting up and coming across as belligerent.
Luckily, despite the apparent drama behind the scenes, it sounds like 'Lovers & Friends' was a success and went off without a hitch. And, if nobody comments on this any further going forward -- perhaps it's safe to assume they've dealt with it privately/are moving on.
Here's hoping that's actually the case ... 'cause Chris and Usher are known to be boys.
As many have noted ... this wasn't the Verzuz we were hoping for between these two.
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Usher At 'Lovers & Friends' Shows Off Face After CB Fight ... No Visible Injuries Here
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4:20 PM PT -- Usher just showed off his mug to the camera ahead of his performance tonight, and he seems to be telegraphing one thing ... I'm doing just fine.
Usher is unbothered by the alleged altercation with Chris Brown 😅pic.twitter.com/upwaJif6zy
— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) May 6, 2023 @HotFreestyle
The singer posted a couple clips of himself backstage at the Lovers & Friends concert, and his face is front and center -- with no visible sign of injury or any bruising whatsoever.
Of course, we know something went down between him and Chris -- but even so, Usher appears to be suggesting he's quite alright and ready to get on with it.
Usher's squabble with Chris Brown isn't going to affect his performance later tonight in Las Vegas -- because the guy's taking the stage regardless ... TMZ has learned.
Sources with direct knowledge tell us Usher -- who's currently scheduled as the headliner for Saturday's "Lover & Friends" music festival -- will take the stage as planned ... meaning, the show will, in fact, go on despite what happened earlier this morning with CB and co.
🎧Lovers & Friends Fest🎧
— Lovers & Friends Festival (@lvrsnfrndsfest) January 17, 2023 @lvrsnfrndsfest
Register now for Presale that starts Friday, January 20th, 10 AM PT. All tickets start at $19.99 down.https://t.co/oyvp5F96xk pic.twitter.com/1PmMi2J5J0
We're told that Usher was, indeed, injured during the brouhaha at the skating rink ... and that his nose and face are kinda jacked up right now. And yet -- our sources assure us he's going to power through and put on a good show. He may, however, be covering up a bit.
In other words ... be on the lookout for him wearing sunglasses of some sort tonight, and perhaps rocking some fresh battle scars that might pop out through any stage makeup.
As for Chris -- who was also in the lineup as one of the big acts slated to perform -- we're told it's unclear if he'll do his set tonight. Chris hasn't said anything publicly as of Saturday.
There's more ... TMZ can confirm reporting by B. Scott, who said the drama appears to have stemmed from Chris' scrapped AMAs performance last year -- when he was set to do an MJ tribute, only to claim he got the rug pulled out from under him last minute.
Our sources say that is, indeed, true -- and the reason he went after Teyana here is because we're told she was actually involved in the planning of that performance ... but something went awry before the day of. This makes sense, as it's been widely reported of late that TT has stepped into the role of a creative director lately for a number of artists/their shows.
Anyway, Chris clearly felt some type of way, and was confronting her -- which only escalated when she snubbed him. Not just that, but we're told Chris actually demanded Usher make her leave ... in addition to asking her to get out himself, seeing how it was his bday party.
We're told Usher refused, and the rest is history ... some of which you can see on video.
Time will tell, we suppose, if Chris will come out himself, or if he'll address this further. BTW, it looks like Teyana -- who was once a fierce CB defender -- has unfollowed him on IG.
We'll also keep our eyes peeled for anything Usher might have to say later today. Something tells us he just may talk about it.
Originally Published -- 1:41 PM PT
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Machine Gun Kelly Disses Jack Harlow in New Freestyle ... After White Rapper Boast
Machine Gun Kelly has entered the chat for the "second greatest white rapper" debate after Jack Harlow declared himself heir apparent behind Eminem ... and he might have a claim.
MGK -- who's been much more about rock and roll lately than he has about rap -- just dipped his toe back into the genre where he cut his teeth ... dropping a new freestyle in which he's spittin' pretty ferociously, and where he also takes an explicit shot at Jack.
Check it out for yourself ... Kelly is rapping over Jay-Z's "Renegade" beat, which also features Em -- something that surely wasn't lost on MGK when he was picking an instrumental.
As for the bars themselves ... we gotta say, they're pretty damn good. Solid flow and rhyme scheme -- and the references he's making are a cut above your average mumble rap verse these days. Of course, he eventually called out Jack by name with a telling few lines.
Kelly raps, "Make sure there's no confusion // I'm a great white, I can eat these barracudas." Then, he goes for the jugular ... "I see why they call you Jackman // You jack man's whole swag // Give Drake his flow back man." Indeed, it's pretty vicious, and there's no ambiguity.
This is clearly in response to what Jack said on one of his tracks from his new album -- in which JH rapped ... "The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters // And hold the comments 'cause I promise you I'm honestly better // Than whoever came to your head right then." That claim caused a firestorm on Twitter.
Other names got thrown around as possibly being better than Jack ... including the underrated Action Bronson, Lil Dicky, Mac Miller and, yes, Machine Gun Kelly too.
The strange thing about this diss from MGK -- who infamously tried beefing with the great Slim Shady himself once upon a time -- is that he used to be buds with Jack. He hopped on the guy's remix to "WHATS POPPIN" a few years back. Now, it feels personal. 😬
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Chris Brown Arguing with Usher in New Video ... Amid Reports of Vegas Fight
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Usher and Chris Brown got into a heated argument last night -- which apparently led to some sort of a scuffle that got violent outside ... and TMZ has video of the lead-up to that.
Check out this footage that we obtained, which we're told was taken very early Saturday morning at the Skate Rock City roller rink in Vegas ... where CB was celebrating his 34th birthday among a lot of celeb pals, including Usher -- with whom he's incredibly close.
While Usher and co. sang to Chris earlier in the evening when everything was fine, things unfortunately got ugly in the wee hours of the morning ... when eyewitnesses tell us Chris was attempting to talk to Teyana Taylor, who was also in attendance and sitting on a bench just outside of the rink. We're told, for whatever reason, Teyana was ignoring him.
Our sources tell us this pissed Chris off, and he started to yell at her ... and that's when Usher intervened and tried to calm him down. You can see that in our video here.
We're told Chris wasn't having it, cursing at Usher and Teyana -- but then, mostly focusing his anger directly at Usher. Eventually, our sources say Chris told his crew they were leaving and they exited the facility. We're told Usher took off his skates and went after them.
Our eyewitness -- who says they were present for this -- tells us they saw Usher go behind a string of charter buses that were parked in the lot ... where Chris and his crew were at. We're told a short time later, Usher emerged with what appeared to be a bloody nose.
Unclear if he went to the hospital, or if a police report was filed. We've reached out to Vegas Metro -- but haven't heard of anything even remotely resembling this being called in.
Meanwhile ... Usher, Teyana and Chris have all been radio silent this morning -- with none of them having said a thing yet to confirm or deny a report initially put out by Hollywood Unlocked, which broke the news of a fight between the two R&B superstars/friends.
Thing is, Usher is slated to hit the stage tonight there in Vegas for his Lovers & Friends festival ... as is Chris. Unclear if either of them is going to go through with it. We'll see.
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John Legend Hey Megyn Kelly, Here's The Attention You Ordered ... Chrissy Attack Is Desperate
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John Legend is firing back at Megyn Kelly for going after his wife, Chrissy Teigen ... he says Megyn is desperate to get conservatives back on her side.
We got John at MÍRAME in Beverly Hills Thursday, and asked him about Megyn's negative reaction to Chrissy's outfit for the White House Correspondents Dinner ... and the singer didn't hold back.
John says Megyn's critique is a gross attempt for attention, which he says she needs now that she's no longer working for FOX.
What's more, John thinks Megyn is going after Chrissy in an attempt to win back Donald Trump supporters.
ICYMI ... Megyn ripped Chrissy's dress, labeling Teigen "elitist" for having "minions" and "serfs" holding the train of her dress. Megyn also chided Chrissy for exposing her underwear with a sheer fabric gown.
John says Megyn sounds desperate and should just shut up ... and he defends his wife as being kind, loving and down to Earth.
While John admits it's not normal to have people carrying someone's dress train down the street, he says it's just part of the deal when Chrissy goes to a big event.
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LL Cool J So, Teasing Teenage Jay-Z Killed My Roc Nation Brunch Invite?!?
LL Cool J is pleading no contest in the case of allegedly laughing at Jay-Z's freestyles when the latter was in high school ... a legend LL doesn't exactly recall happening.
At any rate, the Rock The Bells creator suspects his long-ago mocking of Jay could be the reason he's never been invited to the Roc Nation brunch!!!
LL was being quizzed inside "Big Boy's Neighborhood" about some of his iconic career mysteries when the topic of battling Jay-Z came up.
While LL can't remember teasing a young Jay, he doesn't see the big deal, because ... well, it was freakin' high school after all.
Despite his hazy memory, LL knows for a fact he's never been invited to the yearly Grammy weekend shindig, and now he's wondering if his wisecracks have anything to do with it.
Jay actually remembered things slightly differently in a 2003 interview with Sway Calloway. He says he confronted LL outside a club, not in a high school hallway, and he didn't hint at losing the battle either.
The two also didn't exactly see eye to eye during Jay's short stint as Def Jam President in the mid-2000s ... which also coincided with LL's exit from the label.
That's what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force ... there's no brunch to be had!!!
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LeBron James Trolls Grizzlies After G6 Win ... Re: Mystikal, HELP THE 🐻
LeBron James knows a good reference when he hears it -- and after booting the Memphis Grizzlies out of the playoffs ... a classic Mystikal line came to mind, and it's perfect.
The King was feeling cocky Saturday after the Lakers crushed Ja Morant's team in decisive fashion Friday in front of the home crowd ... which ends their season and sends LBJ and co. into the next round, where they await either the Warriors or the Sacramento Kings.
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Bron took to IG with a huge flex -- posting an epic in-game photo of himself after one of his many buckets, where he's roaring in Crypto.com Arena. His caption was just as badass.
He writes, "If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR."
Help the Bear pic.twitter.com/aqds5oFD2u
— Kekeletso Malekane (@AdvHokage) April 29, 2023 @AdvHokage
Of course, the line is a nod to two things -- one, it's the bar that Mystikal dropped back in 2012 during a freestyle on Invasion Radio ... which has gone down in hip hop history. It also, obviously, refers to the Grizzlies as a unit in general ... and their ferocious fluffy mascot.
And yes ... it's also very likely one final shot at SF Dillon Brooks, who was talking mad s*** to LeBron early on in the series -- and who famously said after their Game 2 win that he liked to "poke bears" when asked about his back-and-forth with LeBron on the court.
Classic Dillon Brooks on his confrontation with LeBron James: “I don’t care. He’s old. … I poke bears. I don’t respect someone until he gives me 40.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2023 @espn_macmahon
And Brooks had plenty more to say. pic.twitter.com/uWLONrubPZ
You'll recall ... Dillon brazenly called Bron "old" and said he doesn't respect anybody who doesn't give him at least 40 points. LBJ never quite did that but he owned the dude in just about every respect of the game ... not to mention the Memphis squad as a whole.
Dillon has mostly avoided talking to the media since then ... and his playoff performance was mediocre, to say the least. Seems like LeBron isn't letting him live it down just yet.
Bron and the Lake Show have good momentum right now ... no time for hibernating now.