New York may be hip hop’s birthplace, but New Jersey rappers have plenty of rights to the legacy — just ask the Garden State All-Stars leading the charge for ‘MTV Unplugged’s resurrection. Last month, several Garden State rap pioneers such as Queen Latifah, Wyclef Jean, Redman and Naughty By Nature’s Treach, took over the Newark
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Play video content BACKGRID DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince reunited on stage for the first time in years last night in L.A. for the Grammys … a full-circle moment for the legendary pair!!! The dynamic duo performed a rendition of hits — “Brand New Funk,” “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” and “Summertime” — inside
Play video content TMZ.com Wyclef Jean is confident his group The Fugees are solidified in history, even with their lack of albums … they’ve been perfecting their craft since childhood. TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the ‘Carnival’ creator at LAX right before his L.A. leg as a part of Lauryn Hill‘s “Miseducation” 25th-anniversary tour
Play video content Jermaine Dupri entered the dissatisfied hip hop customer chat Monday — immediately after his protégé Bow Wow — by declaring war on the social media algorithms he blames for ruining the culture. The So So Def mogul arrived at his moment of clarity by watching a video of Jay-Z, posted by his
Play video content TMZ.com Doug E. Fresh is much more open-minded than most of his peers when it comes to artificial intelligence affecting the art … he’s straight up calling it “an enhancement” to human abilities!!! TMZ Hip Hop linked up with the beatboxing pioneer Wednesday in NYC, where he urged fans and artists not
Drake‘s new album is projected to basically go Gold in a week, but several people within the music industry still aren’t convinced his sound is the right direction for the genre. On Monday, both Juicy J and Wallo blasted the current state of rap from their respective angles — the Three 6 Mafia rapper skewered
Play video content TMZ.com Michael Blackson is feeling more confident about the power of Afrobeats music since the last time we talked to him — he’s now certain the wave will be at least as large as hip hop, if not bigger. We caught up with Mike at Kids in Africa Afrikicks — a charitable
Play video content TMZ.com Hip hop legends Layzie Bone and Xzibit are particularly riled up about the quality of today’s music, but unlike most haters, they’re at least offering solutions to go along with their customer complaints!!! They were part of a panel discussion Thursday night, moderated by Justin Hunte and organized by Layzie’s manager
Erica Mena won’t be on VH1’s airwaves anymore, ’cause she called a Black woman a monkey on one of their biggest reality shows … and the network’s fired her over it. The longtime ‘Love & Hip Hop’ fixture was cut loose from her current iteration of the popular show — this according to the official
Jermaine Dupri feels the city of Atlanta got a raw deal when it comes to commercialized celebrations of hip hop’s 50th anniversary — but Charlamagne tha God is asking why JD didn’t step up and put one together??? Last week, JD stirred up controversy by calling out brands for their lack of hip hop soirees
Hip Hop’s 50th-anniversary celebrations must’ve done little to impress Polo G or Yo Gotti … as they’ve both been speaking out about how the culture’s failing to inspire them. Interestingly enough, both rappers are promoting new projects — so, their criticism could either be a marketing ploy or just honest commentary. Either way, they’re not
Stevie J is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by reaching deep into his own mental crates to find you the greatest beats of all-time … to his ears, at least. SUBSCRIBE: http://tmz.me/wONe5NO About TMZ: TMZ has consistently been credited for breaking the biggest stories dominating the entertainment news landscape and changed the way
Play video content TMZ.com Stevie J is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by reaching deep into his own mental crates to find you the greatest beats of all time… to his ears, at least. We ran into Stevie Friday at LAX, and seeing as how this marks the actual day Kool Herc got
Play video content TMZ.com LL Cool J‘s involved in multiple celebrations this week to commemorate hip hop’s 50th anniversary — a full-circle moment for the legendary rapper who always knew rap music was going places!!! TMZ Hip Hop caught Uncle L out Tuesday in NYC, where he expressed gratitude his chosen profession blossomed into one
Play video content TMZ.com Momma Dee just wanted to do some shopping, but ended up in an ambulance … after someone allegedly slammed into her parked car, and then drove off. The “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star tells TMZ … she was going to a Sephora store in Atlanta Wednesday when she was injured
Juvenile isn’t taking news of being omitted from this year’s Essence Fest lineup well … and would rather New Orleans residents spend their money at the Donna Fest, where he and Mannie Fresh will be performing!!! On Friday, Juve ripped the popular summer shindig a new one on Twitter for its tremendous artist lineup being
Play video content Shaquille O’Neal is living up to his “Superman” moniker … just days after the NBA legend had his hip replaced, he’s already back in the gym working out! The Hall of Famer shared video of himself walking into a gym using a crutch on Sunday, before sitting down at a machine and
Play video content TMZ.com Kendrick Lamar‘s Grammy Award-winning collaborator Rance of 1500 or Nothin’ says rap music produced today is missing some serious must-haves for success. We spoke to Rance at LAX this week, and while he praised sampling for being the culture’s core creation process, he frowned upon new producers who don’t understand the
Play video content TMZSports.com Patrick Beverley‘s right — at least, that’s what Ja Rule is saying, telling TMZ Sports he believes Ja Morant is absolutely being poorly influenced by hip hop. The Chicago Bulls guard made waves earlier this week by sayin’ he believed rap and the culture surrounding it are contributing to Morant’s recent
Bill Bellamy thinks the Grammys have a diversity problem in their voting ranks, and that’s why — as he sees it — their final ballots on the major categories rarely match up with public opinion. SUBSCRIBE: http://tmz.me/wONe5NO About TMZ: TMZ has consistently been credited for breaking the biggest stories dominating the entertainment news landscape and
Play video content TMZ.com Bill Bellamy thinks the Grammys have a diversity problem in their voting ranks, and that’s why — as he sees it — their final ballots on the major categories rarely match up with public opinion. The “Top Billin'” podcast host and comedian was out in West Hollywood when we polled him
Play video content TMZ.com Al Sharpton is laying into individuals who blame hip hop culture for Takeoff‘s homicide, and says social media only fools you into thinking rappers are more violent than society, at-large. We caught up with Rev. Al Wednesday in NYC, where he pointed out hip hop is filled with artists who are
Method Man isn’t trying to hide his frustrations … not only over Takeoff’s death, but also over hip hop culture shouldering the blame for rap slayings. SUBSCRIBE: http://tmz.me/wONe5NO About TMZ: TMZ has consistently been credited for breaking the biggest stories dominating the entertainment news landscape and changed the way the public gets their news. Regularly
Jemele Hill says she’s had enough with rappers dying from gun violence … and wants to see folks come together to talk about how to stop it once and for all. SUBSCRIBE: http://tmz.me/wONe5NO About TMZ: TMZ has consistently been credited for breaking the biggest stories dominating the entertainment news landscape and changed the way the
Play video content TMZ.com Kanye West‘s downward spiral isn’t impacting his music on streaming platforms — not yet, anyway, and Ty Dolla $ign‘s supremely confident their “Ego Death” will be just fine. We bumped into Ty$ at Dash Radio in Hollywood, where he was all about showing off his freshly manicured nails — but we
Tee Grizzley can’t leave rap, the game needs him … so he tells TMZ Hip Hop, clarifying some recent comments that made it sound like he was retiring. SUBSCRIBE: http://tmz.me/wONe5NO About TMZ: TMZ has consistently been credited for breaking the biggest stories dominating the entertainment news landscape and changed the way the public gets their
Play video content TMZ.com Tee Grizzley can’t leave rap, the game needs him … so he tells TMZ Hip Hop, clarifying some recent comments that made it sound like he was retiring. The Detroit rapper appeared on Bootleg Kev’s podcast last week, emphatically signaling the end of his career himself — but, at LAX, he
While Diddy’s turning his focus to R&B, he’s leaving the door open for his heirs to control Bad Boy’s hip hop empire — and his son King Combs says he’s boldly stepping up to claim it. SUBSCRIBE: http://tmz.me/wONe5NO About TMZ: TMZ has consistently been credited for breaking the biggest stories dominating the entertainment news landscape
Adam Sandler‘s been walking around with a cane, and while it might look kinda swaggy, it’s not for show — it’s part of his recovery from going under the knife a few weeks back. We got photos of Adam out this past weekend in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood with the cane in his right hand
Play video content TMZ.com Fat Joe had a Latino appreciation post blow up in his face because fans thought he was insinuating hip hop was just as much Hispanic culture as it was Black. The post highlighted several Latino artists involved in hip hop’s earliest days, and though he never named them creators … the