TMZ Hip Hop - Page 5

Syd and The Internet are breathing "ego life" into revving up a new album ... the Grammy-nominated band has been on a self-imposed hiatus since 2022, but their leader is confirming with TMZ Hip Hop they're back!!!

We caught up with Syd at LAX on Friday en route to joining Reneé Rapp on the 27-city "Bite Me Tour," where she serves as an opener alongside Absolutely and Ravyn Lenae.

Syd just dropped a new record titled "GMFU (Got Me F***** Up)" from her upcoming album, and lets us in on the secret that Steve Lacy is also carving out a new solo album -- in addition to building The Internet album to maximize his time!!!

Rolling Ray's memory will forever live on rent-free in Bobby Lytes' mind ... the two Zeus Network stars had their clashes, but Bobby tells TMZ Hip Hop he misses his friend dearly.

We linked up with Bobby this week at 1 Hotel in WeHo, as he was heading to the taping of the "Baddies Africa" reunion special and got him to say a few words about the quick-witted social media star, who passed away just two days shy of his 29th birthday on September 3.

Bobby certifies he deems Ray a legend in life and death, and he definitely received a monumental in the world he thrived in ... Cardi B, Joseline Hernandez, William The Baddest, and more all mourned him publicly.

Hot Boys rapper Turk was unceremoniously booted from the Cash Money Millionaires' 30th Anniversary Tour after clashing with his groupmate B.G. ... but Turk says the promoters still owe him more than $300K on his contract, and he's taking legal action to get it!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained legal docs on Friday filed in Broward County, Florida, showing Turk is suing Artists By Artists Agency LLC and Dope Shows Inc. for breach of contract, unauthorized use of his name and likeness, and more.

According to the suit, Turk was booted from the tour in July after he was faced with a pay cut and refused to budge, citing the contract he previously signed ... he says the contract was for $400K and he wasn't going to walk away from the hundreds of thousands still owed to him under it.

JaNa Craig is buzzing thanks to her appearance on "Love Island" and new collaboration with Truly Hard Seltzer, but we had to know what's up with her and Key Glock after she popped up in his music video!!!

Turns out, nothing but daps and hugs ... Jana told TMZ Hip Hop she and the Paper Route Empire rap star are just "homies" during the launch of her own Truly custom flavor at the meet and greet yesterday in L.A.

Fans of couples may be a bit dejected after we broke the story that they were spotted hanging out in NYC ahead of the release of Key's "She Ready" video ... but he's one of rap's most eligible bachelors, so we're sure his female fanbase is breathing a sigh of relief 😮‍💨

Ice Cube is sold on the upcoming "Anaconda" film starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black ... even if the studio royally failed to give the OG star a callback!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Don Mega at LAX on Thursday afternoon, signing merch and memorabilia -- his 12th album, "Man Up," has been resonating with his core fans, and that includes our cameraman, Jake!!!

Cube has 5 decades of making Hip Hop music under his belt and certifies the pioneers need to keep pushing no matter what.

Tekashi 6ix9ine copped to violating the terms of his probation once again, this time for pleading guilty to assaulting a man in a mall who called him a "snitch" ... and now he's been placed on supervised release with an ankle monitor.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained legal docs handed down in federal court in NYC on Friday, ordering the rainbow-haired rapper to adhere to home confinement with an electronic monitor, barring the usual exceptions for getting out of the house ... like for religious services, medical and mental health treatment, and court-ordered appearances.

The altercation went down in August at the Palm Beach County Mall in Florida after 6ix9ine and another man were accused of knocking a third man down to the ground, then kicking and punching him until they realized he was armed, and fled the scene.

Assata Shakur -- godmother to rapper Tupac Shakur -- has died in Cuba, according to her daughter.

Her daughter wrote on Facebook ... Assata "took her last earthly breath" Thursday afternoon, going on to say in part ... "words cannot describe the depth of loss that I am feeling at this time."

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly released a statement, confirming she died in Havana of health complications and advanced age.

Method Man is still a trailblazing force in both Hip Hop and Hollywood ... and he's crediting a real-life American Gladiator, Michael O'Hearn, as a motivator to get muscular!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Tical at LAX this week and he tells us he struck up an online friendship with Michael -- AKA Titan on the "American Gladiators" 1990s TV show -- who's sent him tons of gym swag to keep him in tip-top shape ... even inspiring his own TICAL Athletics brand.

The rap game is sprinkled with gym rats ... Lil Jon, Megan Thee Stallion, Moneybagg Yo, and Benzino, just to name a few ... but Meth says it's guys like Mike who keep him going.

We ask if Meth is open to flaunting the body he's been sculpting in his roles down the line ... and luckily for his gawking fan base, he's down to show some skinnnnn!!!

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s "I do's" are almost here -- and judging by these pics, the weekend wedding is shaping up to be one heck of a Cali-style affair!

A massive white marquee has popped up on a private Montecito, Santa Barbara County estate -- wrapped in palm trees and looking like a luxe oasis, ready to wow guests when they roll in for the nuptials, expected to go down Saturday.

A second dark gray tent is locked in for the altar where Selena and Benny will swap vows to make it official.

Nas and his sturdy team of investors within the New York State Gaming Commission just voted to close on a $5.5 billion Resorts World Casino in his Queens hometown ... and at least one politician couldn't resist ribbing Jay-Z, whose bid to open a Caesars Palace casino didn't share the same fortune!!!

The "Illmatic" legend wasn't present at the meeting ... but Queens Borough President Donovan Richards took it upon himself to eulogize Jay and Roc Nation's casino plans before he cast his deciding final vote.

"Sorry, Jay-Z, we win again," Richards quipped ... while letting it be known he was flinging some of that ether in Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso's direction to make his soul burn slow.

Cardi B has been relentlessly promoting her album while pregnant ... but even she had to take a chill pill to cool off from the scorching Long Beach heat!!!

TMZ Hip Hop captured Cardi greeting her adoring public while out at Fingerprints Music store in LB, California.

Fans were screaming at the top of their lungs and Cardi grabbed the megaphone to tell them she had their best interests in mind ... and they were immediately getting the show started INDOORS!!!

Friends who partied with and knew singer D4vd were under the impression Celeste Rivas was his girlfriend, and were shocked when news came out Celeste was only 14.

Sources who party in the L.A. music scene tell TMZ ... they saw D4vd and Celeste at parties and hangouts ... and it appeared to them they were a couple.

We're told some of them were under the impression she was a student at USC. The friends believed Celeste was around 19 years old and presented herself as such.

Metro Boomin has been found not liable in his civil sexual assault case, brought by a woman named Vanessa LeMaistre, who claimed the superproducer drugged and raped her during a studio session back in 2016. The jury trial concluded on Thursday after 3 days of deliberation ... both Metro and Vanessa testified in the case.

Vanessa alleged she sought comfort through a platonic friendship after losing a child, but claimed back in September 2016, she blacked out after consuming Xanax and alcohol and woke up to find Metro raping her.

She told the jury she realized she had been raped after ingesting Ayahuasca during a 2024 ceremony in Peru and wrote a note about it ... Metro's defense argued the case was nothing more than a shakedown for money.

Diddy's freedom is still up in the air ... but, he left his family with an encouraging message after his acquittal hearing today -- showering them with love and praise.

After the rapper's hearing to get his two Mann Act convictions thrown out ended, we're told he turned to the pews behind him -- full of his family including his mother, six of his children and more -- and told them he loves them, and they all make him super proud.

He specifically turned to his mom, Janice, blew her a kiss and told her she's beautiful ... before thanking everyone once again for showing up to support him.

Diddy's hearing on his motion to get the Mann Act charges thrown out started just a short time ago ... and, his lawyers are taking their argument from legal motions to real life -- firing off in a New York City courtroom.

The rapper's legal team -- led by Marc Agnifilo -- kicked off their argument by repeating to the judge what they previously stated in legal papers ... prostitution means one person paying to have sex with another person. They insist it doesn't refer to someone who pays to watch two people have sex, like Diddy did.

However, prosecutors responded by pointing out Diddy wasn't just going somewhere and sitting in a booth to watch two people get it on ... they say he reimbursed his ex-girlfriends for arranging the sexual encounters and derived sexual gratification himself from watching.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's baby girl Rocki was born just after midnight on Sept. 13 in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

We got our hands on the new birth certificate, and it shows the parents of three welcomed their little one at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

TMZ broke the exciting news Wednesday afternoon that the happy couple had welcomed their third child ... shortly after which they posted on social media their new bundle of joy's name is Rocki.