Music

El regreso musical de Justin Timberlake lo pondrá de nuevo en la contienda de la lista A, al menos, esa es la predicción que anhela su productor Larrance Dopson.

TMZ Hip Hop habló con el maestro de "1500 Or Nothing" el miércoles en LAX, en donde se refirió al nuevo álbum de Justin, un proyecto que ha escuchado de primera mano, ¡¡¡porque trabajó en él con Timbaland!!!

El año pasado, Justin bendijo a 1500 or Nothin' con dinero para una beca y su asociación condujo a la creación del álbum.

Les dimos la primicia la semana pasada, Justin Timberlake está listo para lanzar su próximo LP "Everything I Thought I Was", después de recoger todas las marcas registradas, y Rance promete que va a volver al juego con el álbum.

Justin le dio oficialmente el vamos al proyecto el viernes con el single "Selfish", que fue recibido con críticas mixtas en Internet, pero los fans estaban encantados con la interpretación en vivo que hizo en Memphis la semana pasada.

Rance también tuvo tiempo para defender a Drake después de que Yasiin Bey (alias Mos Def) lo echara de la sección del rap, declarando que su música era demasiado happy-go-lucky para ser clasificada como auténtico hip hop.

De acuerdo con Rance, Drake utiliza menos palabras que incluso el anfitrión más hábil y todavía atrae a una audiencia de tamaño pop.

Justin Timberlake's musical comeback will put him back in A-list contention ... at least, that's the prediction his producer Larrance Dopson wants fans to stamp!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with the "1500 Or Nothing" maestro Wednesday at LAX, where he gushed about JT's new album, a project he's heard first-hand -- because he worked on it with Timbaland!!!

Last year, JT blessed 1500 or Nothin's music academy with scholarship money and their partnership was dipped in bronze ... leading up to the album's creation.

We gave you the scoop last week ... JT is set to release his upcoming 6th LP "Everything I Thought I Was" after scooping up all the trademarks -- and Rance promises he's going to blow up the game, again, with the album.

JT officially jumpstarted the project Friday with the lead single "Selfish" -- which was met with fairly mixed reviews online ... but fans were loving the live rendition during his Memphis homecoming concert last week. It just may be a grower, not an instant shower.

Rance also had time to stick up for Drake after Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) kicked him out of rap's b-boy section, declaring his music was too happy-go-lucky to be classified as authentic hip hop.

Later for all the rappity rap talk, according to Rance, who says Drake uses fewer words than even the most skilled MC and still nets a pop-sized audience.

Teyana Taylor says Iman Shumpert's playing dirty in their divorce war, claiming he's slowly shutting down all the utilities in the home where she lives with their 2 children ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

In a new court filing, Teyana's attorney says she woke up this month in the Georgia home they used to share, only to discover the WiFi and cable was cut off, and one day later, the water stopped running ... and she's fully laying blame on Iman.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Iman moved out back in October, and shortly thereafter, Iman's brother -- who handles his personal affairs -- told Teyana, Iman intended to shut off the power.

Since then, she claims Iman hasn't paid a cent of child support, or covered any of the kids' expenses ... including food and clothing costs.

With the water, cable and WiFi now gone, Teyana's attorney says they're concerned he's going to follow through and cut off the gas and electricity.

On top of that, Teyana claims Iman left her holding the bag on $200K worth of home renovations he started 3 years ago.

In the docs, she says Iman told her his money is tied up in investments, and proposed she cover the cost and he would reimburse her -- but she's yet to see a penny from him.

Mind you, it's not like Teyana can't afford to turn on any utilities that get shut off -- she's clearly got the cash to handle that, but her attorney's court filing makes it clear ... this is about holding Iman accountable.

Since their divorce is pending, Teyana's attorney points out the court put a standing order in place ... meaning both parties are supposed to maintain the status quo on their home and finances until the divorce is finalized.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are clearly well aware they have plenty of detractors ... but the Chiefs star admitted he and his boo talk about how important it is for their relationship to block out all of the "outside noise."

Kelce made the revelation while chatting with reporters about his off-field life on Friday -- just two days before Kansas City takes on Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.

After one media member asked if he and Taylor had discussed the growing criticism they've received as they've gone more and more public with their love ... he said matter-of-factly, "The only thing we've talked about is as long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise."

"That's all that matters."

Kelce also said at the press conference there have been newfound challenges and critiques he's had to deal with this year as his star power has risen exponentially ... although he said he's been able to compartmentalize it all for the most part, allowing his teammates to believe in him.

Snoop Dogg is rallying the hip hop troops this year ... the Boss Dogg is embracing his role as Def Jam's executive consultant to unite rappers on the East and West Coasts.

On Friday, Snoop helped Benny The Butcher usher in his new "Everybody Can't Go" album with their "Back Again" collab and dropped gems on his posse of The Game, Hit-Boy, Big Hit and Death Row Records co-owner Harry O at the opening of the ThirdEyeRaz-directed music video.

Snoop offers the group one of his trusted catchphrases -- you can't spell the West without "the ES," -- a nod to the East and West Coast unity.

He's also urging the hip hop community not to wait for something tragedies -- like Nipsey Hussle or Pop Smoke's murders -- for them to connect and work together ... a synergy this group has employed for years.

Benny's not waiting ... he recruited Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, and several more for his new record.

Ditto for Game and Big Hit, who just released their "Paisley Dreams" collab album and Hit-Boy produced it all, including Benny's "Back Again" track.

Snoop's fellow legend and one of Def Jam's architects, LL Cool J, told us not too long ago that unity is much needed in hip hop ... but beef is still to be expected all the same.

Ben Shapiro is diving headfirst into the rap game -- he's got a new single and an accompanying music video, and it's doing numbers ... this despite some poor reactions.

The famous conservative talk show host and editor of The Daily Wire -- who's known for his skill on a mic, but not in the MC capacity -- was featured on wrestler-turned-rapper Tom MacDonald's new single ... supplying the guest verse with bars!

Their track together is called "Facts" ... and Ben's 16 takes aim at actual rappers in the game, like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion ... among others. He's wearing a hoodie in this thing as he raps about making money off compound interest, all while his haters live with their parents. Yeah, it's classic Shapiro ... dude loves to flex his intellect.

Anyway, the song's pretty polarizing ... and not just because of the lyrical content, which references culture wars and defunding the police. In terms of listen-ability, it's ... jarring.

As you can imagine -- Ben himself is controversial, and has a ton of haters too ... so, it's no surprise the track's generating a ton of bad reviews on social media right now, with lotsa folks calling it cringe, uncool, goofy and a contender for the worst verse of all time.

In his rap, Ben calls on his supporters to download and stream the song ... and that looks like what's going on, because it's doing pretty well on the music charts. So ... a win?

'Facts' is currently No. 2 on iTunes, between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake ... and Ben's doing an early victory lap on social media ... taking more shots at Nicki along the way.

Ben Shapiro se está metiendo de cabeza en el rap, con un nuevo single y un video musical que lo acompaña, pero no está recibiendo muy buenas reacciones.

El famoso presentador conservador y editor de The Daily Wire, conocido por su habilidad con el micrófono, apareció en el nuevo single del luchador convertido en rapero Tom MacDonald, cantando unos versos como invitado en la canción.

Su tema juntos se llama "Facts", en donde Ben apunta a raperos reales como Nicki Minaj, Cardi B y Megan Thee Stallion, entre otros. En el video, lleva una sudadera con capucha mientras rapea sobre hacer dinero con el interés compuesto, mientras sus haters viven con sus padres. Sí, es clásico de Shapiro, al tipo le encanta alardear sobre su intelecto.

De todos modos, la canción es bastante polarizante y no solo por el contenido lírico, sino que también porque hace referencia a las guerras culturales y la desfinanciación de la policía. En términos de capacidad de escucha, es ... discordante.

Como se pueden imaginar, el propio Ben es controvertido y tiene una tonelada de haters, por lo tanto, no es extraño que la pista esté generando un montón de malas críticas en las redes sociales en este momento, con mucha gente llamándolo cringe, uncool, tonto y un contendiente para el peor verso de todos los tiempos.

En su rap, Ben hace un llamado a sus seguidores para que descarguen y escuchen la canción y parece que eso es lo que está pasando, porque está funcionando bastante bien en las listas musicales. Así que, ¿una victoria?

"Facts" es actualmente número 2 en iTunes, entre Britney Spears y Justin Timberlake y Ben está cantando victoria en las redes sociales, lanzando más dardos a Nicki en el camino.

Mary J. Blige shocked Lovers and Friends festival fans just by announcing yesterday she would NOT be performing, and her name was put on the flyer by accident -- but lo and behold, she's back!

On Friday, MJB was re-added to the lineup, and it appears the "error" was really about where she'd been placed on the promotional flyer -- because she's been bumped up several slots to reflect her headliner status ... and she's now happily posting about the event.

Shortly after the changes, Mary posted a smirking emoji and money bag on her IG -- so, basically, she's chuckling all the way to the bank.

Lovers and Friends had originally squashed MJB's name in between the likes of Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Ashanti and several other recognizable music legends.

The updated artwork moves her billing up to the top of the third column, now dwarfing Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, Ciara and more.

Essentially, on the day Lovers and Friends tickets went on sale, the event's promoter had to bow to the Queen of Hip Hop Soul.

Soooo .... let's get crunk, 'cause Mary's back!!!

Joseline Hernandez has finally learned her fate following that wild 2023 fight backstage at a concert in Miami ... the reality star will have to maneuver carefully now that she's been sentenced to two years probation.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained docs of Joseline's plea deal that lays out the terms of her sentence ... she ended up pleading no contest to a slew of charges, including resisting an officer with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, and more after prosecutors say she hit the officers trying to keep her from pummeling Lex.

The Love & Hip Hop: Miami star will now be subjected to random drug testing and will have to enroll in a 29-week batterer's intervention program class online to learn how to better de-escalate situations.

Joseline is also barred from having contact with the victim and the victim's family ... and will have to write a letter of apology to the off to the deputies involved in her arrest.

As we reported, Joseline grew enraged after Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III's exhibition bout and was basically accused of creating her own boxing match afterward with repeated attacks to Lex's noggin.

A sexual assault lawsuit against Trey Songz has been dismissed ... with the judge saying the woman never responded to Songz's motion to dismiss, so her complaint is outta here.

Here's the deal ... the singer-songwriter was originally sued back in June by an unnamed woman for allegedly exposing her breast at a Connecticut casino back in 2013.

This is an allegation she initially floated in 2022 through a demand letter to him, but didn't officially sue until Summer 2023. In her original demand letter, she was asking for north of $5 million to settle it out of court -- but he never played ball, so she ended up suing civilly.

You'll recall ... this woman -- who filed as a Jane Doe in her suit -- claimed Songz had pulled out her breast from her bathing suit top during a "Foxwoods Liquid Sundays with Trey Songz" event and even claimed there was video evidence to back up her claim.

She alleged it was done without her permission, and that it amounted to sexual assault -- something Trey and his team had been vehemently denying from the very beginning.

Anyway, this lady amended the original complaint in July -- and then again in September before Songz filed a motion to dismiss saying the statute of limitations barred her claim ... which the judge granted, although he gave her another chance to amend it a 3rd time.

She did exactly that, but her renewed claims looked incredibly similar to the earlier ones ... prompting Songz to file another motion to dismiss. That was back on December 29 when he did that ... and apparently, Doe never responded to Songz's motion to dismiss this time.

Blueface still has a little ways to go for his current jail sentence, but there's a good chance Chrisean Rock will be waiting at home for him when he comes back!!!

On Friday, Chrisean burst onto IG with a newfound faith in the father of her baby boy -- she updated her profile pic with one of the "Thotiana" rapper's mugshots but more shockingly, announced she was moving back into one of his houses!!!

Fans were confused and displeased ... the last time these 2 were spotted publicly, they both had conflicting stories but left every indication they had a fight, and a very bloody one at that!!!

She also posted a pair of new pics with their kid, but went out of her way to show support for Blue by making sure her "Jonathan" signature face tat was visible.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Blueface is slated to be behind bars through Summer '24 but his manager, Wack 100, is pushing for an earlier release.

Eminem used his entire guest spot on the new Lyrical Lemonade album to unload on his longtime nemesis Benzino so badly ... he joked about never getting a feature with his daughter Coi Leray.

On Friday, Cole Bennett recruited Em for the new track "Doomsday Pt. 2," a reprise of Juice Wrld and Cordae's duet that samples his "Role Model" song, and Slim Shady wasted no time going at Benzino's throat -- or his lack thereof!!!

Em opens his bar with, "Now I got a riddle (What?), one condition, you mustn't laugh ... What is the opposite of Benzino? (Uh, what?) A giraffe!" -- and then goes for the jugular, rapping ... "Go at his neck, how the f*** is that? (Yeah) How can I go at somethin' he doesn't have?"

Em also claimed Benzino was swimming up to his neck in debt, and was a frequent creep at motels, but also flashed his trademark humor by bringing up CL ... "Well, I guess then I regret to inform you/Hate to spoil the day (What?) But this doesn't bring me no joy to say/Guess that Coi Leray feat's in the toilet, aye???"

Em and Benzino's beef is almost older than Coi herself ... the two warred over album review ratings in the past when Benzino was co-owner of "The Source" and the feud is still brought up in interviews to this day.

Travis Kelce and Chiefs Kingdom won't like this ...

An extremely talented Baltimore fan is hoping to bring some good Taylor Swift juju to his favorite team ... by painting a mural of the pop star decked out in a Lamar Jackson jersey!!

The artist goes by dlordink on social media ... and at some point, after it was revealed the Ravens would take on the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game this weekend, he got the idea to try to use Swift's good luck powers for his squad.

The painter threw up the artwork at Unlimited Art Studio in Havre de Grace, Md. ... and he said on his TikTok page he and another designer spent three hours perfecting it.

Afterward, he was clearly pleased with how it all turned out ... writing in a caption on a pic of the wall, "Tag @taylorswift & @killatrav in the comments and let them know how good she looks in @new_era8 @ravens purple."

A Blueface aún le queda un tiempo para cumplir su sentencia en prisión, ¡¡¡pero hay muchas posibilidades de que Chrisean Rock lo esté esperando en casa cuando vuelva!!!

El viernes, Chrisean irrumpió en Instagram con una renovada confianza en el padre de su bebé. Actualizó su foto de perfil con una de las fotos policiales del rapero de "Thotiana", pero lo más sorprendente, ¡¡¡anunció que se iba a mudar de nuevo a una de sus casas!!!

¡¡¡Los fans estaban confundidos y disgustados!!! La última vez que estos dos fueron vistos en público tenían historias contradictorias, pero dieron todos los indicios de que estaban peleados y muy en serio.

Chrisean también publicó un par de fotos nuevas con su hijo, pero se salió de su habitual forma de apoyar a Blue, asegurándose de que su tatuaje "Jonathan" fuera visible.

TMZ Hip Hop dio a conocer la noticia, está programado que Blueface esté tras las rejas hasta el verano de 2024, pero su manager Wack 100 está presionando para que lo liberen antes.

Bad Bunny está compartiendo sus conocimientos con la próxima generación, y no solo sobre la música, sino que también sobre los negocios, ya que sorprendió en una clase llena de universitarios en el sur de Florida.

El cantante y compositor puertorriqueño llegó a la Universidad Internacional de Florida (FIU), donde se reunió con su amigo y colaborador, el magnate de la hotelería de Miami David Grutman, quien estaba dando una conferencia a unos 400 estudiantes.

Benito es sin duda un maestro del disfraz, pues primeró caminó por la sala de conferencias con un pañuelo y gafas de sol que cubrían la mayor parte de su cara.

Algunos estudiantes parecían reconocerlo antes de que se quitara la improvisada máscara y desatara los gritos de la multitud, pero la gran mayoría de esos futuros empresarios no sabía que era él hasta que el cantante de 29 años reveló su rostro.

Después de dejar a la multitud gritar unos minutos, Bunny admitió que se sentía más cómodo hablando en español y una estudiante accedió felizmente a traducir por él.

Mientras Grutman hablaba de su éxito abriendo un nuevo restaurante en Miami, simplemente porque lo había vinculado a uno de los conciertos del cantante en el estadio ... Bad Bunny saltó a añadir algo, pero luego tuvo que ayudar a su traductora a decir algo en español, porque esta se estaba quedando sin palabras.

El momento consiguió un montón de risas y esta improvisada traductora se lo tomó con calma, pues es difícil molestarse cuando estás teniendo un momento con uno de los artistas más grandes del mundo.

En resumen, The David Grutman Experience: The Class at Florida International University duró aproximadamente una hora e incluyó una historia sobre cómo Grutman le presentó a Bunny a la superestrella Drake.

¡¡¡Es bueno tener contactos y los estudiantes de Grutman lo aprendieron de primera mano del Profesor Bunny!!!

Bad Bunny's dropping knowledge on the next generation -- not about music, but about business ... as he surprised a class full of college kids in South Florida.

The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter pulled up to Florida International University -- dapping up his friend and collaborator, Miami hospitality mogul David Grutman, who was leading a lecture to about 400 students.

Benito's certainly a master of disguise -- walking through the crowded lecture hall with a bandana and sunglasses covering most of his face.

Some students seemed to recognize him before the makeshift mask came off with scattered screams coming out of the crowd, but a clear majority of the future entrepreneurs couldn't figure it out until the 29-year-old revealed his face.

After giving the crowd time to freak out, naturally, Bunny admitted he felt more comfortable speaking in Spanish, and a student happily agreed to translate for him.

As Grutman spoke about his success opening a new Miami restaurant, purely because he'd tied it to one of the singer's stadium shows ... BB jumped in to add something, but then had to give his translator an assist in saying something in Spanish, 'cause she was at a loss for words.

The moment got a lot of laughs and the impromptu translator took it in stride -- it's hard to get upset when you're having a moment with one of the biggest artists in the world.

All told, The David Grutman Experience: The Class at Florida International University lasted about an hour and included a story about how DG introduced Bunny to superstar Drake.

It's good to be connected, as Grutman's students learned firsthand from Prof. Bunny!!!