Music

Tekashi 6ix9ine has officially moved on from the grimy street raps that both powered his early career and got him into trouble.

The rainbow-haired rapper surprise-dropped his third studio album Friday titled "Leyenda Viva," which translates to "Living Legend" in English.

The project is predominately in Spanish across its 11 tracks (save for the occasional "suck my d***") and features Latin Grammy-winning superstar Lenier on 7 of them.

6ix9ine abandons the drill sound in favor of tropical-tinged vibes with a twist of reggaeton ... much closer to his Mexican/Puerto Rican roots than ever before.

The new wave of music marks 6ix9ine's first full-length release in nearly 3 years ... and since he suffered a brutal beatdown inside a Miami L.A. Fitness gym in March.

Quando Rondo is starting his Father's Day weekend behind bars ... as NBA YoungBoy's Never Broke Again artist was locked up on drug charges, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to booking records in Georgia, Quando was arrested Friday and subsequently charged with 2 counts of conspiracy to violate Georgia's controlled substances law, 1 count of participating in criminal activity affiliated with a street gang, and 1 count of illegal use of a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal.

He was indicted along with 18 other individuals ... who are accused of conducting the drug deals between October 2022 and June 2023.

Prosecutors claim the "ABG" rapper instructed another defendant to negotiate weed prices and then traveled to Macon, GA to pay the supplier.

According to online records, Quando is currently locked up in the Chatham County jail. He clearly sensed the immediate doom because he tweeted out to his family members shortly before going in.

Hit-Boy recently nabbed his second Diamond plaque for producing Jay-Z and Kanye West's "N****s is Paris" -- and he's using that momentum to fuel his father's rap career!!!

HB's pops Big Hit was released from prison after a 9-year bid a little over a month ago, and wasted no time recording "Surf Or Drown 2" ... the father-son duo's joint album, released just in time for Father's Day '23.

The 10-track project (20 if you count the bonus instrumentals) also sports features from Big Sean and Dom Kennedy, and they've dropped a video for virtually every song on the project so far.

TMZ Hip Hop recently spoke to HB about his latest Diamond achievement -- his goal is always to make as much music as possible to spread his sound, and his recent work is going the distance to keep his dad gainfully employed!!!

Sukihana says she forgives YK Osiris for forcibly kissing her -- creating a frenzy of pissed off fans on social media -- and hopes the whole thing will serve as a lesson moving forward.

Suki's remained mostly silent since the incident at The Crew League in Atlanta over the weekend when the singer rubbed her bare shoulders, grabbed her face and forced a kiss as she was very clearly trying to fight him off.

YK apologized for the whole thing Wednesday on Instagram, and in a statement Friday, Suki says she's chosen to accept his apology, adding, "God always forgives me and I can always forgive others. My accepting his apology is not my excusing or lessening the severity of his actions. This is Destiny choosing to give grace to Osiris."

She also hopes the incident teaches YK a valuable lesson moving forward -- "to be more mindful and respect the personal boundaries of others."

Shortly after the incident, some people seemingly put the blame on Sukihana for YK's actions, as she makes music with sexual and sometimes suggestive lyrics.

Clearly, she saw that criticism as well, because she includes, "I am human, a woman, a mother and daughter before I am an entertainer. No matter what my lyrics express, I still have boundaries and a right to have them."

Finally, Sukihana says she's working toward getting "back to my life." The attention from the incident has been understandably tough ... she concludes, "I am giving YK the grace and forgiveness that I wanted to be given to me as I was discovering and defining myself on this very public and sometimes unforgiving entertainment platform."

French Montana is geeked about the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of his new documentary, "For Khadija," and he's crediting his dream team for the assist.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with French out in NYC ahead of the premiere and he says his film -- which documents his life as an immigrant from Morocco to the first Diamond-selling rapper from rap's mecca of the Bronx -- got a huge boost from Drake and Diddy, its co-executive producers.

According to French, TFF handpicked his doc out of 11,000 entries ... a remarkable feat, even if it did pack on the star power.

He also thanks Robert De Niro, who's personally presenting the film to the festival he co-founded.

French says he's been so focused on his film's rollout that he totally missed his betting buddy YK Osiris breaking the internet after he broke Sukihana's personal space, to say the least, by forcing kisses on her mouth.

As we reported, Sukihana's now accepted YK's apology in an effort to nip all the controversy in the bud.

UK rap star Central Cee recently screened French's doc, and claimed it nearly moved him to tears.

Michael Jordan's run as owner of the Charlotte Hornets is coming to an end -- the basketball legend has agreed to sell the team to a group that includes several A-list stars.

The Hall of Famer will hand the reins over to businessmen Gabe Plotkin (who already owns part of the Hornets) and Rick Schnall.

The buyer group also includes rapper J. Cole and country singer Eric Church, the team announced Friday.

MJ initially bought a minority stake of the franchise back in 2006 ... and took the position of Managing Member of Basketball Operations.

He became a majority owner in 2010 ... buying the rest of the team from BET founder Robert L. Johnson for $275 million.

The two sides will put pen to paper in the next few days, according to reports.

Plotkin bought part of the Hornets back in 2019 ... a move that, in hindsight, is now considered the first step in phasing Jordan out of ownership.

Plotkin is the founder of Tallwoods Capital ... and Schnall is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private equity firm.

Jamie Foxx's "They Cloned Tyrone" costar John Boyega says he's desperately attempting to contact the ailing megastar -- and has been since Jamie fell ill 2 months ago -- all to no avail, but John's not a quitter!!!

John and several other cast members were feeling Jamie's absence at the 'TCT' premiere event Thursday in Miami.

John says he was hoping Jamie would be well enough to attend the Netflix film's premiere, but says he still expects a least one pick up of the phone one of these days.

'TCT' is the first of several Jaime-led films slated to drop this year, and the Academy Award-winner was actually in the middle of filming another in April when he suffered a medical emergency in Atlanta.

His family has been in his corner while he got treatment at a renowned Chicago physical rehab facility.

Gunna says he's still riding for Young Thug, and he's done being hip hop's punching bag -- 2 ideas he repeatedly drives home on "A Gift & a Curse," his comeback effort after springing himself from prison.

The 15-track album dropped Friday ... containing themes of "smashing broads" and being back on his feet, but Gunna gets defensive against the snitch label that's haunted him -- on socials and in the industry -- since taking a plea deal in December in the YSL RICO case.

On the track "Cash S***," Gunna spews at his haters and shouts out Thug by his gov't name ... "You n***** broke, energy low I don't really care though/Out the barrel, man, free my bro Jeffro/Back to business, it's way more dinero."

Gunna was arrested in May 2022 along with several members of the YSL label and he reminds internet trolls it was no laughing matter and even cried in his cell.

On "I Was Thinking," he raps, or pleads to Young Thug ... "Only I done criеd, ’cause this feeling for my bro King Slime/And you know my mind, you done watched that n**** grow/I know you hear the lies."

Like he said on the earlier track, he's out to bring the team more money with the album released on Thug's YSL Records and 300 Entertainment.

Interestingly enough, Thug appears to prepping a response titled, "Business is Business."

His IG page dropped a link to a QR code that leads to a website with a countdown for 5 days from now ... just enough time for Gunna's numbers to make an impact on Billboard and keep the momentum going.

Ne-Yo is NOT back with his ex-wife Crystal Renay despite their recent public outing together ... we're told things are strictly professional, and the two are cordial.

Here's the deal ... Ne-Yo and Crystal raised eyebrows this week when they were both on hand for a public appearance at the opening of their restaurant chain's newest location, prompting speculation they had reconciled after an affair that wrecked their marriage.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Ne-Yo and Crystal are definitely not back together and they were both at the restaurant opening because they are co-owners and it's in their contracts.

We're told Ne-Yo and Crystal are both dating and seeing other people ... as well as co-parenting their three children.

TMZ broke the story ... Crystal divorced Ne-Yo last year after he had a child with another woman.

Our sources say Ne-Yo has a certain amount of appearances he has to make for the restaurant chain they share, Johnny's Chicken and Waffles, and Crystal is heavily involved in the business' day-to-day operations ... which is why they were both at the grand opening in midtown Atlanta.

Flavor Flav isn't shy about his Taylor Swift fandom. After going super viral for attending her concert in Detroit, the Public Enemy legend says he can't wait to see Taylor live again.

TMZ Hip Hop checked in with Flav Thursday on the heels of his grand appearance at Taylor's 'Eras' show. The 64-year-old couldn't understand why people were so surprised to see him enjoying the sounds of TS in person.

As far as Flav is concerned, Taylor's a mega-popstar who's sold over 100 million records ... so of course he's gonna appreciate her greatness!

Flav and Taylor first linked up at the iHeartRadio Awards in March, and he tells us he was bumping her music wayyy before that ... as he's a fan of all genres.

Flav says iHeart's invited him and Chuck D to perform as Public Enemy at their upcoming iHeartRadio Music Festival in September ... and Flav says the group's got a new album on the way.

The project will mark album #16 from the legendary act, and Flav says they've enlisted the services of their OG production team The Bomb Squad for the beats.

Outside the studio, Flavor says his recent trip to Harvard inspired his life for the better and he owes his newfound energy to 3 years (and counting) of sobriety.

Flav and Chuck will also be at the Rock Hall on June 29 to kick off the HipHop50 Exhibit.

Dionne Warwick fans hoping to see their favorite singer live in concert are gonna have to wait a bit longer, as she just had to pull the plug on a show after a medical incident.

The legendary singer tells us she started having issues with one of her legs Thursday, and it was enough to have to cancel her upcoming show. The good news, Dionne says she's already on the mend ... but needed to take some time on her own to get back to 100%.

As for the concert, it was supposed to be on June 24 at Rivers Casino Des Plaines outside Chicago. Fans got an email Thursday saying, "We regret to inform you that the Dionne Warwick performance on June 24, 2023 at Rivers Casino Des Plaines has been cancelled due to a medical incident." The email also states all ticket purchases will get a refund.

Dionne remains hopeful though, telling us the show will be rescheduled for the future.

Performance or not, Dionne's has a bunch going on as of late -- including The Ohm Zone -- a sound bath spa she recently partnered with her son to open in Venice.

Travis Scott is giving a not-so-subtle nod to The Beatles as he moves closer to releasing his first album in four years ... recreating an iconic album cover from the band.

Travis was spotted outside the famous Abbey Road studios -- where we're told he also recorded -- in London Thursday, using the same crosswalk The Beatles included in their "Abbey Road" album back in the day ... as he prepares to release his "Utopia" album.

As you can see, Travis crossed the street with his security ... one of which was carrying the patented "Utopia" briefcase ... with the four members of Travis' crew resembling the famous album cover shot of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison.

Travis' version puts him in the same spot as Paul ... only he's not barefoot like the Beatles star who came before him.

A trip to Abbey Road is a signal Travis is getting close to releasing "Utopia" ... he teased the album this week with a new Nike ad with tennis legend John McEnroe ... where the briefcase with the master recording also made an appearance.

The mania around "Utopia" is definitely similar to Beatlemania ... so Travis is getting super creative here.

There's still no official release date for "Utopia" ... though the Houston Astros already got a preview and Travis is going to be headlining the upcoming Rolling Loud Miami.

Kodak Black thinks he can be a good President for the people of Haiti and seems to be using his Donald Trump friendship as inspiration!!!

Big Black was recently a guest on DJ Whoo Kid's "Whoolywood Shuffle" while rocking his $10K Donald Trump gold chain ... where his political expertise was challenged on the spot.

The "Super Gremlin" rapper has Haitian in his blood and explained he would end the country's history of political corruption, on account he'd already come into office with a stacked bank account!!!

Kodak also reminded fans his heart and intent are pure with every move he makes ... something his frequent acts of charity can vouch for.

As for the chain, Kodak's been rocking it since last June as a token of his appreciation for DT giving him a presidential pardon worth a get outta jail card.

Busta Rhymes' 30-year career in the rap biz will be honored in full at an upcoming event, presented by Netflix.

The veteran rapper will be receiving the Icon Award at the 7th annual Culture Creators Innovators and Leaders Awards Brunch ... which won't have a shortage of star power in the spotlight this year.

Chloe x Halle will be granted the Innovators of the Year Award ... while LSU b-ball champ Flau'jae Johnson, Stephen Hill, Troy Carter, Karl Kani, Laurieann Gibson, Chris Robinson and Candace Rodney will all be recognized for their areas of expertise.

The event goes down on Saturday, June 24 inside the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom and is also sponsored by Lexus.

French Montana doesn't want American immigrants to fall prey to mistreatment ... and the "Unforgettable" rapper is dedicating his time to that exact cause.

Thursday saw the premiere of French's partnership and promo for "Informed Immigrant" an organization that provides information, education, and support to undocumented families living in the United States.

French has repped the Bronx his entire rap career but didn't get his U.S. citizenship until 2018 — a full year after his Diamond-selling hit "Unforgettable" dropped ... and the process was more of a headache than he could have imagined.

This Friday, French is set for another debut ... his "For Khadija" doc as part of the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, which chronicles his own journey as an immigrant from Morocco.

Taylor Swift said she was blindsided when her music was sold over to Scooter Braun ... but a new report says her pops cashed in a huge paycheck on the deal.

For those unaware, TS' catalog was shipped off to Scooter in 2019 when Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Label Group, put his company up for sale ... Scooter's Ithaca Holdings paid $330 mil to take it all.

Sources close to the negotiations tell us Taylor was never involved in any of those calls or directly in the deal at all, but a new report is challenging how much she actually knew about Scooter's move.

The sale spawned a ton of turmoil, as well as multiple "Taylor's Version" re-records of some of her past work ... but according to Music Business Worldwide, Taylor's dad Scott Swift took home $15.1M in the monumental sale.

Despite his cashing in, back in 2019 a rep for Taylor said he didn't have knowledge of the deal before it happened -- intentionally skipping a private NDA-signed phone call about a potential deal -- so that he didn't have to withhold anything from Taylor.

The rep stated, "On June 25, there was a shareholder phone call that Scott Swift did not participate in due to a very strict NDA that bound all shareholders and prohibited any discussion at all without risk of severe penalty. Her dad did not join that call because he did not want to be required to withhold any information from his own daughter. Taylor found out from the news articles when she woke up before seeing any text from Scott Borchetta, and he did not call her in advance."

A source close to the negotiations also added the shareholder meeting was held only 48 hours prior to the announcement of the sale to Scooter and since Scott Borchetta controlled 90% of the stock, the sale was a forgone conclusion.

The outlet confirms he was 1 of the 5 shareholders of BMLG at the time of the sale -- owning about 5% of the company when Borchetta unloaded it to Scooter. Quite the payday, especially considering the pain Taylor claimed the sale caused her.

Taylor's been re-recording all of her old albums ever since her music was sold off ... in order to have a version she'd be able to own.

Scooter also unloaded Taylor's master rights of her first 6 albums to an unknown investment fund for $300M in 2020, and she ripped into Scooter for them not being for sale to her.