TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

A$AP Rocky is finally getting his day in court ... entering a not guilty plea in a Swedish court, and his family's also there showing support.

A$AP's mother, Renee Black, was escorted through the crowd of reporters, photographers and onlookers outside the Stockholm courthouse Tuesday morning.

Once the trial began, the rapper's attorney told the judge A$AP is pleading not guilty to assault, and said his client was acting in self-defense.

The trial is continuing ... so check back here for updates. The trial could go for up to 2 more days, but it's unclear if prosecutors and A$AP's team will need that much time to present their cases.

As you know ... A$AP has been in custody since early July, getting detained after turning himself in to Swedish authorities following a street brawl in the nation's capital. He was officially charged with assault last week, and he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.

However, the prosecutor told TMZ he will NOT recommend the full 2 year sentence if A$AP is convicted. A panel of 4 judges will hear the case, and at least 3 of them must rule an assault was committed for a conviction. In the event of a tie, the prosecutor can ask for a new trial. If A$AP is convicted, a judge will decide his sentence a week later.

As we've reported ... the man who attacked Rocky's crew in Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though video appears to show the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, actually inciting the violence by harassing A$AP and his crew.

In the first video from the incident ... you clearly see Jafari strike A$AP's bodyguard in the head with a pair of headphones. Meanwhile, A$AP played peacemaker, trying to defuse the situation and saying no one wants to go to jail.

Nicki Minaj and her fiance took a big step toward the altar, because we've learned the couple just got a marriage license in Los Angeles, although it's all on the down low.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Nicki and Kenneth Petty took a trip together to the Bev Hills Courthouse Monday. Witnesses say they saw Nicki and her boo at the marriage license bureau window, and they got the paperwork they need to tie the knot.

Nicki and Kenneth were trying to keep a low profile inside the courthouse as they waited in line at window that read, "marriage licenses and ceremony appts. ONLY" ... and Kenneth paid for the license before they left. Nicki was wearing a ball cap, but it's hard to hide that knee-length bright red 'do.

It's interesting ... back in June, Nicki said on her "Queen Radio" show that she and Kenneth had already gotten their marriage license.

No word on when Nicki and Kenneth will make it official ... but typically the license is pulled shortly before the nuptials. A marriage license is good for a maximum of 90 days.

Nicki and Kenneth began dating last year after rekindling their flame from their teen years.

This will be Nicki's first marriage.

One of the men testifying against A$AP Rocky in Sweden -- a witness to the street brawl -- has his own serious legal trouble, but, mysteriously, his case seems to now be on the back burner.

As we previously reported, A$AP's alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari -- the guy in the video who got tossed like a rag doll -- was convicted of assault in 2016 for striking a guy in the face on the streets of Stockholm.

Now, we've learned Jafari's buddy, Dawod Hosseini -- who's set to take the stand in support of Jafari -- was just arrested this month for theft. In fact, Hosseini was busted 2 weeks AFTER A$AP was hauled into custody.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Hosseini was arrested July 19 for shoplifting two high-priced jackets from a Swedish clothing store. The docs also say cops found a knife on him during the arrest.

Hosseini's remained in custody ever since then, but he's scheduled to testify in Rocky's 3-day trial, which begins Tuesday. Sources familiar tell us Hosseini's own trial has been delayed just so he can weigh-in on A$AP's case, as a witness for the prosecution.

Ya gotta think both men -- Hosseini and Jafari -- will be vulnerable, to say the least, if the judge permits A$AP's attorneys to raise their records during cross examination. Remember, there's already the video showing Jafari using headphones to strike one of A$AP's bodyguards before the all-out brawl started.

This clip has it all ...

-- A fired up Lil Pump clappin' back at LeBron James haters.

-- Lil Pump showing off his brand new, expensive Louis Vuitton purse

-- Lil Pump giving away $100 bills to strangers in Beverly Hills because he feels like it!

ESSKEEEETIT!!!!!

The rapper was leaving Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills Monday night when we asked the massive NBA fan how he felt about people giving LeBron a hard time for celebrating on the court at his son's youth hoops game over the weekend.

"LEBRON CAN DO WHATEVER THE F*CK HE WANTS BECAUSE HE IS LEBRON JAMES, B*TCH!"

Pump also went to bat for Carmelo Anthony -- saying the guy deserves a spot on Team USA.

But, the best part of the video is when Pump flaunts his goodies from his Rodeo Drive shopping spree ... a super expensive designer hand bag that he drops on the floor because Pump DON'T CARE!!

And, the curbside free cash giveaway is fun too.

A$AP Rocky has fans here in the States going to bat for him -- but one chick might've taken it too far after she was arrested for storming the Swedish Embassy in D.C. ... and allegedly threatened to blow it up.

A woman named Rebecca Kanter was arrested on Tuesday after she allegedly caused a ruckus in the Swedish embassy here at home -- this a day after she allegedly threw a bunch of liquid on the front doors and said, "I'm going to blow this motherf***er up!"

The Secret Service issued a lookout warning for the lady on Monday after the alleged incident, and when she came back Tuesday ... she drew even more attention to herself by berating staff and a student group, trumpeting human rights rhetoric and seemingly arguing for Rocky's release. Authorities say she also kicked over a display and some furniture.

She was arrested on the spot and later booked for destruction of property and unlawful entry.

A video of what appears to be the woman surfaced online shortly after her outburst. You can hear her asking the student group where they're from, and saying she thinks it's important that they know about international human rights. The kids seem confused.

Lil Nas X has interesting plans lined up if he ends up topping Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's #1 Billboard record -- apparently, bathtubs and roses will be involved.

The MC was in NYC Friday visiting the East Coast Twitter offices -- and on the way out, a pap asked him about the looming feat that he's likely to achieve at the end of this upcoming week. If "Old Town Road" stays at #1 on the charts, he'll have gone 17 weeks straight.

At the moment, 'OTR' is tied with Mariah and Boyz II Men's '90s hit "One Sweet Day" and the Bieber-feature "Despacito," which also tied 'em at 16 weeks in 2017.

When asked how he'll celebrate, LNX sheds some light on how he'll shed a tear.

Watch ... Lil Nas says he's gonna be spending some time in a bath with the water works on -- but, luckily, not for as long as he usually sits and sulks.

Now, there's one other item on the docket for Nas X if he becomes the Billboard king -- and it has to do with how he'll deal with Mariah herself. The R&B queen has already said that she isn't worried about Lil Nas beating her record, saying ... "Darling, no."

Unclear if that means she's not stressing about it at all, or if she doesn't think 'Old Town' can beat her and the Boyz's streak. Either way, Lil Nas X says he'd have something for Mariah if it does in fact break the record.

Tyga is throwing a Hail Mary in a case where he was accused of royally screwing over a concert promoter, and wait till you hear how the promoter dissed him!!!

The rapper's on the hook for $65,000, because he promised Z Entertainment back in 2015 he would not perform anywhere in Vegas other than Z's venue, and he doubled-crossed them.

Fact is ... Tyga never even responded to Z's lawsuit so Z got a default judgment, which Tyga now wants the judge to set aside so he can properly defend himself.

Z says in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tyga's a deadbeat with FOURTEEN LAWSUITS filed against him. And, the unkindest cut of all ... Z refers to him as a "quasi-famous rap star."

True enough ... Tyga's had a list of creditors a mile long pounding at his door over the years ... from car dealers to landlords and lots in between. He makes plenty of money, but when it comes to writing checks ... well, he fires blanks.

Z now wants the judge to say "checkmate."

Rapper YBN Cordae is livin' the dream right now -- he's got a tennis superstar girlfriend, he made XXL's prestigious "Freshman Class" list, and he just dropped a debut album that's getting great reviews.

Yeah ... that's probably why the dude was so chipper when we saw him out in NYC!!!

As we previously reported ... the 21-year-old and Naomi Osaka -- #2-ranked tennis player in the world -- were getting close back in April and spending a lot of time together.

The young couple is officially official now (our source is pretty rock solid) ... but Cordae makes it clear he has to earn every dub ... at least on the tennis court.

Cordae says his tennis skills are improving ... but tells us Naomi doesn't take it easy on him.

FYI -- the YBN rapper just dropped his first project, "The Lost Boy." We gotta say, it's really dope ... and it's got features from huge names like Pusha T, Meek Mill, Anderson .Paak and Chance the Rapper.

Dude's winning on all levels.

Woodstock 50 has taken another body blow ... Jay-Z and John Fogerty are pulling the plug on the festival.

The event's supposed to go down in just 3 weeks, and this kind of news could cause a stampede.

It's all kind of come full circle but not in the way Woodstock would have wanted -- it was Fogerty, along with Common and festival founder Michael Lang, who announced back in March that Jay-Z would perform at Woodstock 50.

Jay-Z was the big get for W50. He was slated to close the 3-day festival, which has faced a devastating series of setbacks.

As we reported ... the major blow came back in June when Watkins Glen International -- an upstate NY racetrack where the event was supposed to go down -- pulled the plug. There were major money issues as well that dogged the festival.

The event's now being held at the Merriweather Post Pavilion ... an outdoor amphitheater in Columbia, Maryland.

Chance the Rapper is here to make sure you don't feel bad about all the money you've spent on Postmates ... because you probably can't come close to the huge tab he's racked up.

The rapper is one of Postmates' most dedicated customers ... because the company tells us he started getting deliveries way back in 2015 and he's since dropped more than $30,000, including $4,000 in tips!!!

Chance is being featured on a Postmates series, The Receipt, which profiles celebs who are big spenders ... sharing their strangest requests and favorite orders.

Baked goods keep Chance going in the studio ... his new album just dropped, and while he was working on "The Big Day," Chance kept his team fueled with fresh croissants, cake and coffee.

Chance's first order was for chicken wings from Harold's Chicken Shack on March 4, 2015, and since then he's racked up 632 orders for 1,992 items across 26 cities.

Lots of those orders were for Portillo's Hot Dogs in Chicago, with Chance getting delivery once every two days from Dec. 2015 to Jan. 2016 ... chowing down on a burger, fries and a drink each time.

Grub isn't the only thing Chance orders on the go ... he purchased a ton of board games for a pre-Grammys party in 2017 -- Uno, Connect Four and Twister -- and just last summer he ordered a $440 Apple iPad Mini.

Diddy and Steve Harvey's 22-year-old daughter were out and about in NYC again Wednesday night ... this time in matching outfits, further fueling dating rumors.

Diddy and Lori Harvey were strolling in SoHo around midnight ... and while Lori was all smiles, Diddy, who is 49, couldn't look more shocked running into paps.

As we reported ... sources close to Diddy shot down rumors back in March that they're not a couple, saying Lori's just a family friend and that's it.

These family friends have traveled the country ... showing up at Nobu in Malibu just last week, and a reggae festival in Miami back in March.

Lori famously dated and broke up with soccer superstar Memphis Depay last year, and it was pretty nasty. BTW, she also dated 25-year-old Justin Combs, Diddy's son.

No word on how Steve feels about the situation ... what an awesome "Family Feud" that would be!!!

A$AP Rocky has just been charged with a crime after spending weeks in a Swedish jail ... prosecutors just hit him with Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm stemming from a street brawl in the country's capital ... and if convicted he could spend 2 years behind bars.

The prosecutor said A$AP will continue to be held in jail pending a trial ... and the trial date has not been set, although it could be today. A rep for the prosecutor tells TMZ the trial will be held within the next 2 weeks. The prosecutor expects the trial will last 3 days.

Two members of Rocky's crew have also been charged with the same crime and they will also be held pending trial.

The Swedish prosecutor just boasted he had access to more information than people on the internet. He said he's reviewed video and also talked to witnesses, and determined the claims by Rocky and his 2 crew members of self defense and provocation didn't hold water, despite the fact the alleged victim is the one who unrelentingly harassed and attacked Rocky and his crew first.

The prosecutor says he also considered the alleged victim's statement, which he says was supported by witness statements. We're told the alleged victim admits striking A$AP's bodyguard with a set of headphones, but only after the bodyguard lifted him off the ground by his neck, so the prosecutor viewed the headphones attack as self defense. BTW, the lifting by the neck is not on video, and interestingly, if the prosecutor really felt the bodyguard was the aggressor he would have been presumably charged ... and the bodyguard has already been cleared.

The charge has been 3 weeks in the making ... A$AP has been in jail alongside two of his associates since turning himself in to Swedish authorities earlier this month. Prosecutors inadvertently played their hand last week, announcing they were going to charge the Harlem rapper ... and on Thursday the hammer finally dropped.

The only good news for Rocky ... he and his crew will not be charged with Aggravated Assault, a more serious crime which carries a 6-year prison sentence.

As we reported ... the man who attacked A$AP's crew in the streets of Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though he incited the violence and kept harassing Rocky until he eventually snapped.

In the initial video ... you hear A$AP attempting to diffuse the situation, playing peacemaker and saying no one wants to go to jail.

In video from the street brawl ... A$AP finally loses his cool, throwing his attacker to the ground and absolutely pummeling the guy.

The Swedish justice system is not bowing to pressure from the U.S. government ... with the Prime Minister essentially telling President Trump and the State Dept. to butt out after their attempts to free A$AP.

A$AP's mom thinks Sweden is out to get her son, and she believes it's because he's black ... even though A$AP himself says he won't make race an issue in his assault case.

The man at the center of the A$AP Rocky assault case -- the man who provoked the rapper and even attacked him before A$AP reluctantly snapped back -- was convicted of criminal assault in Sweden 3 years ago.

Mustafa Jafari, Rocky's alleged victim, was convicted of striking a man in his forehead and beating the victim's face back in 2016, when Jafari was 16 years old. It happened on the streets of Stockholm, the very place Jafari harassed and assaulted A$AP and his crew earlier this month.

Jafari was prosecuted and convicted of assault, and his sentence ... 30 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay his victim around $500 in cash.

Jafari was also convicted of 2 minor drug offenses ... one in November 2017 and the other in May 2018. He was ordered to pay a fine for both, but served no jail time.

As we reported, Jafari was the instigator in the A$AP Rocky incident -- he's the guy in the white shirt. Prosecutors have cleared him, claiming he was acting in self-defense.

Lil Nas X is using his popularity to jack old songs and rack up millions of views -- and dollars -- without rights to do so ... according to a new lawsuit.

The 20-year-old rapper -- who's been the hottest thing in hip-hop and possibly country this year -- is being sued, along with Sony, by a company called The Music Force for jacking the 1982 Bobby Caldwell song, "Carry On."

According to the suit ... X posted a track on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud that appropriated parts of "Carry On" without permission, and as of early July it had nearly 4 million YT views.

The Music Force alleges Lil Nas was "motivated by greed and malicious intent."

The company is also suing Sony because it recently signed the rapper to a record deal ... and it says it should made sure its artist got the song cleared.

The Music Force is asking for a whopping $25 million, claiming X has destroyed the value of its Bobby Caldwell song by jacking it.

We reached out to Lil Nas and Sony ... no word back so far.

Kanye West wants to be holier-than-thou when it comes to hawking apparel embossed with his now-famous Sunday Service, because he's asking the feds to allow him to corner the market.

Ye just filed legal docs asking for exclusive ownership of clothing, dresses, footwear, headwear, jackets loungewear, scarves, shirts, socks and clothing tops.

If approved, he'll get a trademark that gives his exclusive rights to sell the merch.

Kanye had a merch booth at Coachella during his Sunday Service on Easter Sunday. He sold hoodies for $165 and $225 a pop and socks for ... $50!!!

He took some heat from some folks on social media who felt it was untoward to make a buck on such a holy day.

The Sunday Service has become quite the thing ... riddled with celebs such as Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Kid Cudi and, of course, the entire Kardashian Klan.

Wendy Williams says rappers should absolutely follow the money if it leads them to Sweden ... she says there's no point in turning down shows in the country because of A$AP Rocky.

We got Wendy out in New York City Tuesday and she told us she's totally against the proposed rap industry boycott of Sweden ... because it's money over everything.

The beloved talk show host says rappers have to do what's best for them, and if that means booking shows in Sweden, so be it ... after all, she says they've got to pay their bills by any means necessary.

Wendy's stance on the potential boycott is opposite Slim Jxmmi's position ... the Rae Sremmurd rapper said Monday there's no reason for artists to perform in Sweden as long as A$AP is rotting in a Swedish jail.

Wendy wants A$AP freed, and she feels like he was baited into the street brawl that landed him behind bars ... but she doesn't see the sense in others hurting their bottom lines as a show of support.