Music

Bobby Shmurda’s plans of having a Hot Boy 2.0 summer are being derailed … and he says it’s all because rap producers are too damn greedy.

On Tuesday, Bobby dropped a fiery rant venting about the current state of the rapper-to-producer business, and well ... business is NOT good from the rapper's perspective, at least.

It's a gross understatement to say he's pissed off -- watch the video, Shmurda is spitting-mad!!!

He says the issue is inflation, and as a newly independent artist … the budget-balancing falls on Bobby's shoulders.

He's complaining about the expensive clearance of samples, and he's also pointing an angry finger at producers -- saying they need to stop charging $8K-$10K just because they've attached multiple writers to a track.

If you remember … an excited Bobby chatted with us last month on "TMZ Hip Hop" and told us all about his plans to drop a sizzler EP soon … and then a star-studded album follow-up featuring Quavo, Rowdy Rebel, Fivio Foreign and more.

Twista knows gun violence is a huge issue in his hometown, and he believes educating the public about proper firearm usage can go a long way toward making the country safer.

The Chicago rap veteran joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss his firearm education course, "The Gun Camp," where he trains civilians to be smarter with weapons.

In the wake of the Buffalo and Ulvade mass shootings -- not to mention the continued spree of shootings in the Chi -- gun control and reform are once again front-burner debate topics ... but Twista's firmly embracing the "blame people, not guns" theory.

He repeated the oft-used line about it being the person behind the gun who ultimately makes fatal decisions.

As for the AR-15 -- which, according to polls, most Americans support banning -- Twista says there are many misconceptions about the rifle frequently used in mass shootings. He's optimistic that if people open up to the notion there can be positive ways to use firearms -- such as organized competitions -- they'll get past what he calls "negative vibes" portrayed in the news.

Of course, when the news is reporting, not portraying, a school shooting that takes the lives of 19 children ... it's hard to focus on anything uplifting.

Still, Twista says most of the response in Chicago to his Gun Camp has been positive, and he's leaning on the idea that law-abiding, safety-minded gun owners are a good thing for all communities.

Noted hip hop historian Tom Brady is naming his champion in a crowded sea of 2022 album releases, and for him it's ... Pusha T’s 'It’s Almost Dry!'

During a literal promo run for his Brady Brand “Run” apparel line, TB12 used Pusha and Kanye’s 'IAD' collaboration “Dreaming of the Past” as he jokingly bragged about being the fastest QB in the NFL.

Pusha got wind of the drop ... retweeted and got TB12 to cosign that ‘IAD’ was indeed Album Of The Year. In their book at least, anyway.

Released in April on Good Music and Def Jam, the album split production duties between Ye and Pharrell and features from JAY-Z, Lil Uzi Vert and Kid Cudi … who said it was his last time pairing with Ye … but that’s another story.

Push recently performed cuts at Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival and reunited with brother Malice of the Clipse and Justin Timberlake.

TB12’s the football GOAT and if his music tastes are influencing his playing … then it’s probably safe to trust his ears. Unless you're lining up against him on Sundays.

"The X Factor" star Tom Mann suffered a horrible tragedy over the weekend ... his fiancee died just hours before their wedding.

Dani Hampson, a 34-year-old publicist, had no apparent health issues and the cause of her death has not been revealed.

She had posted pics of her and Tom, along with their 8-month-old son Bowie, just days before she died.

Tom and Dani were actually supposed to get married Sept. 25, 2020, but the pandemic got in the way. At the time she posted, "I can't wait to marry you, but the world has other plans."

Dani also had posted a video of Tom -- a member of the group Stereo Kicks -- singing Elton John and Dua Lipa's song, "Cold Heart."

She used the song to wish Bowie, "Happy 6 months my darling boy." She wrote, "I played this song almost every day of my 3rd trimester, it was in my labour playlist & it was number 1 the day Bowie was born… determined for it to be "our song" & for it always remind us of life's good bits."

Tom announced Dani's death Monday, calling her the "brightest light in any room," adding he will miss her forever. He told his followers, "I can't believe I am writing these words but my darling Dani - my best friend, my everything and more, the love of my life - passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning, 18th June. On what was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives ended in irreversible heartbreak."

He went on to say, "I am completely broken trying to process this and I honestly don't know where to go from here, but I do know I need to use any strength I can muster for our little boy."

Tom auditioned as a solo singer for 'X Factor' back in 2014, but producers created the group, Stereo Kicks, of which he was a member.

Dani was 34.

RIP

The deafening silence between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West is slowly becoming audible ... because we've learned the couple is communicating again and even able to attend events together with their kids.

As we reported, both mom and dad attended North's basketball game over the weekend ... and while they didn't sit shoulder to shoulder, we're told Kim and Kanye drove to and from the game together with North in the car.

The co-parenting didn't stop with North -- sources close to both say Kim and Kanye also attended a family lunch Saturday, following a dance recital for Chicago.

When we say it was a family lunch, we mean it ... Kris, Grandma MJ, Kylie, Travis Scott, Khloe and Tristan all grubbed out at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas.

We posted photos of the lunch, but Kim and Kanye were nowhere to be seen, even though we now know they were present.

While we're told the relationship's still obviously a work-in-progress. They're able to communicate on issues involving their 4 kids, but that's about it. We're told any talk of dating just doesn't happen.

Kim wished Kanye a Happy Father's Day Sunday, sharing sweet words about her ex-hubby with photos of Ye in dad mode. Kanye also spent Father's Day at the family home with Kim and the kids.

Considering where Kim and Kanye were just a few months ago -- their progress is game-changing -- Kim has always maintained she wants Kanye to be with their kids as much as possible, provided they work around the children's schedules.

Drake, and now Beyoncé too, are sending shockwaves through the music industry with new dance music releases ... which has Joe Budden and co. wondering if hip hop and R&B's days are numbered.

Frequent 'Joe Budden Podcast' caller Vince Staples was around to answer one of these questions when the crew asked him to weigh in on Drake's decision to drop an album that's pretty much rap-less. Vince stated the internet and especially social media are making the call on what trends/sells.

Basically, he says Drake's "Honestly, Nevermind" comes down to simple mathematics.

At the end of the day, Vince feels we should all just accept the end of musical genres and just embrace the experience. To hammer home his point, he referenced his 2017 album "Big Fish Theory" ... a project that stood out for its EDM sound, but didn't get anywhere near the same amount of love.

It's hard to deny Drake's latest W, even if it's not rap -- he has the biggest dance album of all time, with beats from Black Coffee, Gordo, RY X and more.

Migos are still amigos, and the proof is in the icing ... 'cause Quavo gifted Takeoff a Migos chain to mark his birthday.

Quavo bought Takeoff the bling for his 28th birthday two days ago ... this according to celebrity jeweler Elliot Eliantte. We're told each group member now has matching customized chains -- each chain has a picture of all 3 Migos and each member is the center of their own chain.

Quavo and Offset got the chain last year as birthday presents. As for Takeoff's, Quavo spent a pretty penny on it ... $350K!!!

The gift comes on the heels of rumors that the trio might have broken up ... after Offset and Quavo stopped following each other on Instagram. Takeoff, on the other hand, kept following both.

At one point, our photog asked Huncho about a possible split, but he didn't say much and instead talked about his collab with Takeoff, "Hotel Lobby". A label rep later told us, the trio was still very much together ... but they had to cancel their Governors Ball performance because of a scheduling conflict.

Beyoncé dropped her first new song in what feels like a lifetime ... and fans are loving every second of the upbeat track.

Her new track "Break My Soul" dropped Monday night ahead of her anticipated 7th album, "Renaissance," which is set for release late next month.

"Break My Soul" sends a message of breaking out of that normal 9-5 gig -- which a lot of people actually did during the pandemic -- and finding some new motivation ... she says what all her fans are thinking -- "Bey is back, and I'm sleeping real good at night."

Big Freedia, who has collabed with Beyonce before, is featured on the song too, and unsurprisingly -- the song's been trending on Twitter and is aiming to break the charts. It's Beyoncé's first solo track release since 2016.

XXXTentacion fans are going all out to show their love on the 4th anniversary of his murder, with some traveling thousands of miles just to mark the sad day.

XXXTentacion's mother, Cleopatra Bernard, tells TMZ ... X's family, friends and dozens of his most hardcore fans gathered Saturday at his mausoleum in South Florida. We're told there was no planned event inviting fans there -- they all just came on their own to pay tribute on June 18.

His mom says she was shocked to meet fans who made the drive all the way to FL, from places like Los Angeles and Virginia.

Some of them started to gather outside as early as 9 AM ... and when Cleopatra arrived at the mausoleum around 4 PM to open it, there was still a good amount there.

TMZ broke the story when 20-year-old XXXTentacion was shot dead, back in 2018, as he was leaving a motorcycle dealer in Broward County.

X's mom estimates several hundred fans rolled through the cemetery, played X's music, adorned themselves in his merch -- and she says some even had replicas of his tattoos!

BTW, that all went down in 95 humid south FL degrees ... so, these were dedicated fans.

French Montana says he and his mopstick are ready to clean up the rap competition this summer with his album "Montega" -- an album that now has certified approval from NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

French & fam were out in The Big Apple last night at Sei Less restaurant soaking up the sounds of the new project, which won over listeners with features from Quavo, Rick Ross and late collaborator Chinx ... over a bangin' bevy of longtime producer Harry Fraud's beats.

French tells TMZ Hip Hop he's back in his bag saying, "This album takes me back to my roots and original wave sound with Harry. I create my best work with him and always trust him to see the vision."

He adds, "I think the fans are going to appreciate this one, it’s really going to bring them back."

Last weekend, French dropped off the intro track video "Blue Chills" and plans to keep the hype moving into the album's June 24 release date.

Chris Brown wants no part of the Internet debate about whether he's more talented than Michael Jackson -- he's shutting down the whole convo after an interview on "Big Boy's Neighborhood."

During the opening moments, the L.A. radio host addressed the swirling controversy to which CB decided to dead things once and for all.

Breezy says if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, he wouldn't be anywhere near the entertainer he is today and cited a shrine he has dedicated to the late King of Pop.

For the past few weeks, hip hop artists like Fivio Foreign and Tank have been leaning toward giving CB the ultimate crown -- but Chris himself says he'd concede to the man who brought us "Thriller," "Rock With You" and "Billie Jean."

Going forward, CB is gearing up to go on tour with Lil Baby and drop his new album "Breezy" -- a project he tells Big Boy he recorded 250 songs for, before whittling it down to just 23.

D.C. rap staple No Savage is a wanted man for a shooting that occurred inside a high-profile shopping district ... this according to law enforcement.

Fairfax County PD believes No Savage got into a fight with another group inside VA’s Tysons Corner Center … before firing off shots and fleeing the scene in a black Cadillac.

The alleged encounter that led to the shooting was caught on camera. Two men appear to approach each other and seem to be scrambling for items on the ground. Shoppers at TCC were running for their lives once the shots were fired.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the stampede.

Cops are calling No Savage “armed and dangerous” and are charging him with attempted malicious wounding, three counts of discharging a weapon in an occupied building and use of a firearm in a felony.

Nas famously immortalized his neighborhood kingpin, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, and his Supreme Team drug empire on his classic debut album "Illmatic" — and now he’s making a movie about him!

During a Q&A for his Showtime docuseries, "Supreme Team" ... Nas spoke on how McGriff and his Queens-based gang were influential in getting C.R.E.A.M. and helping pump his creative juices in the process.

After rising to prominence in the early 90s at the height of NYC’s crack-cocaine boom, McGriff was eventually convicted of murder in 2007 and eventually sentenced to life in prison … where he remains to this day.

ST's success in the streets and flashy wardrobe are said to directly influence the styles -- and command the respect -- of early hip hop artists, and the docuseries digs into that phenomenon.

The conversation between his co-director Peter J. Scalettar and Billboard’s Deputy Director of R&B/Hip-Hop Carl Lamarre marked the end of the 2022 Tribeca Festival ... and NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Tribeca CEO Jane Rosenthal were watching the convo.

Incarcerated Supreme Team leader, and McGriff nephew, Gerald "Prince" Miller called in from federal prison.

If Antonio Brown ain't performing on the field, he's damn sure doin' it on stage -- 'cause the NFL star just put on a dope show at the Summer Smash festival in Chicago.

And, he even jumped into a pit of fans for some crowd surfin'!!

Brown -- rap name AB -- hit the stage this weekend in Chi-town for the hip hop festival that featured some of the big names in rap like Quavo, Lil Yachty, and Playboi Carti.

AB pulled up in an all-white fit and rapped his single 'Pit Not The Palace' off his 'Paradigm' album that was released in April.

The concertgoers went completely nuts when AB jumped on stage -- and, the 33-year-old showed 'em love right back by crowd surfin'!

It wasn't the cleanest surf ... but at least he tried, right?!

Of course, Brown has been all about his rap career since infamously walking off the field during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NY Jets game in January.

Browns been enjoyin' the free agency life ever since ... hangin' out with stars like Kanye West, Floyd Mayweather and Madonna to performing his music at clubs and festivals.

It's only Juneteenth's second year as a national holiday, but it's been official with Lizzo for much longer than that, and -- like many other celebs -- she's going big to celebrate.

The singer says she's been celebrating Juneteenth since her childhood in Houston, but for the third straight year she's getting her fans in on the festivities with a huge giveaway that includes a chance for them to fly out and hang with her.

Lizzo also posted why the holiday is so important -- "Juneteenth is about giving Black citizens of this country our own Declaration of Independence. It is about the complicated and nuanced history we have with this country".

June 19, aka Juneteenth, marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in America -- in Galveston, TX -- got the word President Lincoln had abolished slavery two-and-a-half years earlier with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was finally recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

Mariah Carey marked the day with a photo of her twins, Morocco and Monroe, looking at photos of Mariah's father. She captioned the Juneteenth/Father's Day post with "Celebrate your black excellence."

There were many others ... including Justin Bieber and Pharrell, who took a moment to share his own words after hitting the stage for Day 3 of the Something In the Water festival in Washington, D.C.

The Juneteenth Foundation's Freedom Festival was also held in D.C.

The celebration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a combination of solemn moments and all-out partying -- featuring multiple generations of music superstars -- to mark the occasion.

The biggest party went down Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl where Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Khalid, Billy Porter and many more took the stage and got the sold-out crowd on its collective feet.

The concert event -- "Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom" -- aired live on CNN, and Chaka's performance was especially rousing, backed by The Roots, she belted out her hits "Ain't Nobody" and "I'm Every Woman" ... while EWF and Bell Biv Devoe also played crowd favorites "Groove Tonight" and "Poison."

President Biden and Vice President Harris recorded messages to address the Hollywood Bowl audience ... and called the holiday a "time to celebrate, time to educate and time to act."

Meanwhile, the activist who fought hard for years to get Juneteenth federal holiday status also marked the day.

95-year-old Opal Lee completed a 2.5 mile walk in Fort Worth -- symbolizing the 2.5 years it took for the enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, TX to get the news that President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

That happened on June 19, 1865 ... hence the holiday's name, Juneteenth. While it's long been unofficially recognized -- especially in the Black community -- it didn't become a federal holiday until last year.

Opal's suggestion for all Americans to recognize the holiday -- "I advocate that we celebrate from the 19th of June to the 4th of July. That would be celebrating freedom."