Music

Travis Scott is making sure hundreds of Black college students walk across the commencement stage with their diploma ... with a seven-figure donation.

The rapper awarded $1 million in scholarships to 100 students at HBCUs who are on track to graduate in the Class of 2022 ... ensuring they cross the finish line and aren't affected by last-minute financial hurdles.

The soon-to-be grads are each getting a $10,000 scholarship from Travis' previously-established Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund ... and the recipients finished their final semester with at least a 3.5 GPA.

Among the scholars ... Florida A&M University pharmacy major Nisha Encarnacion, who is from the U.S. Virgin Islands and paid her own way through college while supporting her mother and daughter, Fisk University computer science major Chisom Okwor, whose goal is to help transform developing countries in Africa, and North Carolina Central University broadcast journalism major Jordan Massey, who took on a ton of debt to get his communications degree.

Travis' sister, Jordan Webster, manages the scholarship fund ... and she recently graduated as well, with a degree from Howard University.

Travis' donations went to seniors at 38 HBCUs ... including Alabama A&M University, Central State University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, Grambling State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Prairie View A&M University.

The $1 million worth of scholarships is part of Travis' Project HEAL, which as we first reported, was announced back in March and included $5 million in earmarks.

Remember ... Project HEAL was one of Travis' first public philanthropic since the tragic Astroworld concert last November, which saw 10 people die as a result of injuries sustained during Travis' set.

Jack Harlow's rummaging through some old playlists to jab back at Brandy in their growing, but playful, beef over Jack being clueless about the singer's family tree.

ICYMI ... Jack was chopping it up with his OG's at Hot 97 when it hilariously came out that he didn't realize Ray J and Brandy were actual siblings, sparking yet another cultural debate involving the 24-year-old artist.

Late last night, Brandy finally got wind of the conversation -- responding like 2Pac, threatening to out-rap JH, and sing him to sleep. Even though she later admitted she was joking, she copped to not knowing Jack was a rapper.

Seeing as how Jack has the No. 1 song in the country -- "First Class" -- we can't figure out with Brandy diss is harsher ... the shot at his rapping, or the ol' "I don't know you."

Just imagine someone asking if Brandy was a singer when her "The Boy Is Mine" duet with Monica was ruling the charts? Yeah, total burn.

Jack did some burning of his response ... posting an IG story Tuesday with a pic of Brandy and Ray J while using her own lyrics from her 2005 Kanye West collaboration "Bring Me Down" off the album "Late Registration" against her.

Johnny Cash is arguably the greatest country singer ever, so it was fitting for his hometown in Arkansas to put his silhouette on a water tower, but someone decided to enhance the image with a bullet, and the results are hilarious!

The bullet hit squarely on Johnny's junk, penetrating the water tower in the process, and it now looks like J.C. is taking a never-ending leak.

It's an ignominious turn for Kingsland, a city of 500 that just wanted to honor Johnny. The singer has been taking a leak for over a week, thanks to the 50,000-gallon tank.

As humorous as it is, there are serious implications. More than 30,000 gallons of water have escaped through the bullet hole, soaking the dirt around the tower.

On the upside, there are lots of visitors who are descending on Kingsland to get a look at the leak, which always helps the local economy.

Tom and Chet Hanks had a blast at the Dodger game on Sunday ... belting out "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" together -- and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

The Oscar-winning actor and his "White Boy Summer" son had a box seat for L.A.'s 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies ... and during the 7th inning stretch, the duo passionately joined in on the traditional tune.

Tom and his son looked as close as ever as they vibed out to the song ... with Chet wrapping his arm around his dad as the "Finch" star pumped his fists in excitement throughout the jingle.

We're told Tom had a classic approach to the game -- keeping track of all the action on the diamond with an old school scorebook.

Of course, Tom and his son have remained tight over the years -- but Chet has previously opened up about the struggles of having a world-famous pops.

Lil Keed complained to his friends and family he was suffering from serious stomach pain in the days leading up to his death ... with things getting so bad he had to go to the hospital.

Multiple sources close to Keed tell us ... the YSL label rapper had his battles over the years with alcohol and drugs, but had been clean and sober of late. We're told last week he began experiencing severe stomach pain and went to an L.A. hospital to get checked out.

From there, our sources say things got worse, and Keed's organs -- his liver and kidneys -- started failing ... leading to his death.

As we reported, news of his death shocked the hip hop world over the weekend when his brother, Lil Gotit, posted, "Can't believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that's go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy."

While Keed is a YSL rapper, he was not named in the recent indictment with Young Thug and Gunna.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office is expected to do an autopsy this week.

Steve Aoki might be able to throw a cake with pinpoint accuracy -- but he sure as hell can't do the same with a baseball, 'cause he absolutely airmailed the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox game on Monday night ... and it was truly awful.

The DJ took the mound just minutes before Boston faced off with the Astros at Fenway Park ... and, given the results of the pitch, he's honestly probably wishing he hadn't.

Aoki warmed up his left arm, toed the rubber -- and then heaved a ball that went roughly 20 feet over his catcher's head. It was actually so bad, it rolled over the net behind home plate and fell into the crowd.

Video shot by people in the stadium shows fans were laughing at the pitch -- because it was seriously just that bad.

To his credit, Aoki had fun with the moment ... tweeting after the heave, "i’m gonna stick to throwing cakes."

Of course, Aoki is far from the first celeb to embarrass himself on an MLB diamond ... you'll recall, 50 Cent is known for the worst ever, throwing one sideways in 2014.

And, it ain't like Dr. Fauci's toss in Washington was much better in 2020.

The late Tupac Shakur's last studio album "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory" is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it's being pushed into the digital world.

That means creating an NFT -- non-fungible token -- from the original artwork ... a controversial piece depicting Pac as Jesus Christ wearing his crown of thorns while nailed to the cross. The parental advisory sticker infamously covered his pelvic area.

Released on November 5, 1996, nearly 2 months after his murder, Pac recorded the album under the alias Makaveli ... unleashing some greatest hits material such as "Hail Mary" and "To Live In Die In L.A." -- and fueling rumors he was still alive in the process.

Riskie Forever designed and sold the painting Tupac handpicked to be the album cover back in 2015 ... but crypto/NFT wallet manager Zelus helped him recover the art, and auction house Heritage Auctions will sell it to the highest bidder.

The auction goes down starting today through June 18 in Dallas at 445 Park Avenue and fans will also have a chance to win up to $100,000 through sweepstakes on the MakaveliArt.com website starting today all the way to June 5.

Mike Tyson will host the painting Tuesday on a special episode of his "Hotboxin" podcast, where he will also run through some of his cherished Tupac memories. They enjoyed a long-running friendship during the course of Pac's life, whose last moments were spent attending the Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.

Iron Mike tells TMZ Hip Hop: "This episode was cool to shoot. Having the opportunity to honor Pac and have this painting here with us was awesome. It's by far the most iconic hip hop album artwork of all time."

Riskie, an iconic hip hop artist, was initially propositioned by then Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who later introduced him to 2Pac -- and commissioned Riskie to create the album cover.

Freddie Gibbs got into a huge fight with a bunch of dudes before his weekend performance in New York ... and it's all on video!!!

The massive brawl broke out Saturday at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Buffalo, where Freddie was in town for a performance. He's the guy in the green shirt, and video shows him in the thick of things.

As you can see, there's a bunch of people throwing punches and kicking ... and Freddie gets taken to the ground before getting up and continuing the fight. At one point, it appears items are being thrown.

It's unclear what started the fight, but there are social media rumblings Freddie's foes are "associates" of Benny The Butcher ... and the two rappers do have beef.

Freddie ended up taking the stage the same night at Town Ballroom ... sporting a shiner and a swollen eye.

Young Thug's controversial YSL record label is far from a criminal organization, according to Joe Moses, who says YSL is a totally legit enterprise.

The "Gang Bang" rapper, who's recorded several tracks with Young Thug, was adamant YSL is NOT a gang when he appeared on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast. Joe says cops and the Fulton County D.A. got this case all wrong because YSL is solely focused on making clothes and music.

As you know, prosecutors in Georgia feel the opposite, having indicted Thug, Gunna and 26 others on a 56-count RICO case -- but Joe says law enforcement is just trying to use YT's lyrics against him because Thug's Black.

Among Young Thug's lyrics listed in the indictment ... "I killed his man in front of his momma, like f*** lil bruh, sister and his cousin," and "my trigger start itching."

Joe says this is merely a case of a rapper describing or reflecting on things that happen in his community, and he believes Thug shouldn't be punished for his art.

What's more, he explains why all his dealings with Young Thug over the years lead him to believe the man has a heart of gold.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are very much head over heels in love ... just check out the pics of their legal wedding in Santa Barbara.

Kourtney and Travis just posted 8 pictures from the ceremony, and you see the newlyweds on the steps where they exchanged vows and kissing in the lowrider convertible they drove off in as husband and wife.

KK and TB are looking sharp ... she's wearing a white dress cut short at the knees and a veil, and he's rocking an all-black tuxedo, which matched their black Cadillac and its white-wall tires.

The couple posed for a pic with his parents before riding off with a "Just Married" sign strapped to the back of the Caddy ... along with a bunch of empty cans trailing behind on strings. Super traditional.

As we reported, Sunday's ceremony in Santa Barbara saw Kourtney and Travis legally get hitched. This time, they had their legal paperwork in order, so they are in fact married.

Kourtney and Travis previously had a dry run in Las Vegas last month, when they exchanged vows in front of an Elvis impersonator at a Sin City wedding chapel, but they didn't have a wedding license.

DJ Envy and wife Gia Casey's new book -- "Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together" -- has sparked some serious conversations among couples ... just ask Lil Scrappy and Bambi!!!

We caught the "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" couple outside at Harlem Panda restaurant as they celebrated the engagement party of cast members Sierra Gates and Eric Whitehead ... when the conversation of faking orgasms came up.

In case you were unaware (like Bambi!), Gia faked orgasms for the first 10 years of marriage. The book reveals how they were able to strengthen their relationship and sexual chemistry.

Scrappy and Bambi have been married for more than 4 years and want everyone to know ... everything's good at Club O. The crunk rapper even went as far as to regurgitate the Slip-N-Side reference Rick Ross used when he said on The Breakfast Club back in April ... a little wetness is all the evidence he needs to say "job well done."

Bambi corrected her hubby, letting him know everything isn't always what it seems and he'll have to ensure he's all the way present to get the job done.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban got the last laugh over Lil Wayne on Monday ... firing back at the legend for calling Luka Doncic a "ho" -- by using one of Weezy's very own song lyrics!!

Of course, Wayne -- who is a big Chris Paul supporter -- was sitting courtside as he watched the Suns lose Game 7 to the Mavs in pathetic fashion behind Luka's 35 points on Sunday.

Wayne ended up getting a ton of blame for the 123-90 blowout loss ... with folks claiming his "Luka a ho" tweet from May 8 gave the Mavs too much motivation.

Cubes shared his two cents on Monday ... and the clapback's gotta sting.

"'It’s a s*** show, put you front row' #MFFL," Cuban's tweet read with a pic of Wayne at the game.

Of course, the line comes from Tunechi's hit, "Uproar" from 2018 ... and ya gotta admit, Cuban's taking the win on the court AND on Twitter here.

Another man responsible for selling Mac Miller the fentanyl that contributed to his fatal overdose will be behind bars for a long time.

Stephen Walter, 49, was handed a 17.5-year sentence after pleading guilty to distributing the fentanyl that ultimately resulted in Mac's death back in September 2018.

Another man ⁠— 39-year-old Ryan Reavis ⁠— also pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge and was sentenced to more than 10 years behind bars. The case against a third man by the name of Cameron Pettit remains pending.

As we reported, Miller died of a fatal concoction of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol and Walter told the courts and Mac's family he was "truly remorseful" for his actions.

An April 2022 tweet from independent stats collector chart data claims Mac is the best-selling rapper of the decade so far, perhaps indicative that his popularity hasn't wavered with the fans.

Kendrick Lamar is celebrating his first album release in over 5 years by playing street soccer with the locals over in Ghana.

Kendrick's been hanging out in the West African nation since dropping his latest hit album, "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers," last week ... and new video shows him playing a little soccer in a street setting.

The game's being played on what appears to be a concrete surface inside an abandoned structure, complete with murals on the walls, including one of another famous rap artist, Tupac Shakur.

Kendrick, in a yellow shirt and red shorts, obviously drew a crowd ... and there's a few cameras capturing his every move.

After the game, Kendrick posed for pictures with his teammates and competitors ... who are known around those parts as the Jamestown Boys.

K. Dot is venturing out in public more recently due to his new music ... we saw him at Dodger Stadium last month after announcing his album ... and a street soccer game in Ghana is not a typical album release party.

Machine Gun Kelly got the crowd's attention at the Billboard Music Awards 2022 Sunday night, when he referred to Megan Fox as his wife.

MGK took the stage to perform "Twin Flame" ... telling the crowd before he began singing, "I wrote this song for my wife."

Then he broke into song, and midway through he said, "This is for our unborn child." The line was off the cuff and isn't in the original recording.

Now, here's the mystery ... during the song, as he speaks about their unborn child, you hear a heartbeat under the song. The heartbeat stops, and MGK sings, "Go to sleep, I'll see you in my dreams. This changes everything. Now I have to set you free."

At the end of the performance, the camera pans to Megan in the audience, and she's in tears.

There's a debate online as to whether MGK is referring to a miscarriage.

The party didn't stop at The Billboard Awards when the cameras turned off ... in fact, things got even crazier at the after-party with some of the night's biggest stars.

Diddy and company headed to Tao in Vegas following the show ... letting loose with MGK, Megan Fox, Nelly, French Montana, Usher, Teyana Taylor, Mary J. Blige, Cara Delevingne and more.

We got video from inside the bash, which also served as a bday party for Megan Fox -- complete with a cake and song to celebrate the occasion.

At one point, Diddy also got behind the DJ booth to get the crowd going, having changed out of his award show garb, and wearing a Michael Jordan Bulls jersey with a red hat.

As for the show itself, it seemingly went on without issue. Diddy, of course, hosted and the night was complete with performances from Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Dan + Shay, Maxwell, Ed Sheeran and more.