TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Rihanna was finally able to get back to her favorite restaurant Giorgio Baldi for the first time in months ... and she decided to have some me time.

RiRi was snapped at the swanky Santa Monica Italian joint Friday night ... looking flawless as usual in a black trench coat.

Giorgio Baldi was among the few lucky spots spared amid the tragic Palisades fires, which ravaged L.A. in January.

Diddy's parties were legendary in Hollywood circles, and he looked like the king of the world in video from his 2010 New Year's party ... footage of which TMZ has just obtained.

The rapper hosted a soirée in Miami, Florida on December 31, 2009 to ring in the new decade ... and, video from the event serves as a reminder of just how popular all his bashes were.

Check out the clip ... the party is going down at a beautiful mansion with a massive pool in the backyard -- and tons of people gathered around Diddy, who's speaking to the assembled group through a P.A. system.

The second suspect in the murder of rapper G$ Lil Ronnie has been arrested ... TMZ has confirmed.

According to online records, 21-year-old Jakobie Russell -- the second person cops announced as a suspect in the shooting death of Ronnie and his five-year-old daughter -- was arrested Friday for capital Murder of multiple persons, along with assault of a pregnant person and assault causing bodily harm.

It's not clear where he was arrested ... but, he's being held at the Lon Evans Corrections Center in Fort Worth.

Big Sean's 2015 smash hit "IDFWU" is teetering on Diamond status, but the track almost didn't see the light of day ... that is, had he taken Beyoncé's advice over Jay-Z's!!! 🫣

Sean Don was a recent guest on NFL brothers' Equanimeous and Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast and said he considered bottling the biggest hit of his career after Queen Bey deemed it pretty disrespectful.

The Mustard-produced jam is a thinly veiled diss at his ex-girlfriend, the late Naya Rivera, after they split and Beyoncé suggested he add Nicki Minaj on the track to give the ladies a platform for their scorn to even things out.

Bhad Bhabie had a super scary Thursday afternoon ... three gunmen allegedly tried to storm inside the rapper's Los Angeles area home -- but she called police and the trio got out of dodge.

What's more, Bhabie's on-and-off BF Le Vaughn was also at her house, arriving there just minutes before the armed suspects attempted to break in through a side door, according to our law enforcement sources.

Our sources say either Bhabie or LV first spotted the perpetrators ... but it was Bhabie who called the cops. Police raced to the scene, but the trespassers were already gone.

S-Quire and Picture Perfect, the rapper and director behind the week's hottest rap music video, aren't celebrating the viral moment their video vixen turned out to be an NYPD detective ... she was such a pro, they hired her from a legit casting agency!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to both artists about their "Doin That" video, now infamous for Detective Melissa Mercado's thong-twerking and pole-dancing moves inside a strip club rented out for the video.

S-Quire says having the "cop rap video" is not a tag he wants on his jacket and reveals the onscreen chemistry he and Mercado shared was simply showmanship ... which you can see in the BTS footage below.

Getting R. Kelly on the phone from prison put podcasters April Smith and Patricia Dillard in a serious dilemma ... one where they risked backlash from the public, and even their own families.

As we reported, April and Patricia made the decision to post their interview with the convicted felon, which they did for their "Inmate Tea with A&P" podcast -- and during their chat Patricia, in particular, was feeling it when Kelly started singing.

The duo told us scoring the Kelly interview happened totally by accident ... they were interviewing a different inmate who mentioned Kelly was in the same prison, and he managed to get him on the line.

Tina Knowles says she's not looking into dating anyone ... but, if she decides to jump back in the dating pool, she says there's no way she's getting with anyone younger than her.

We caught up with Knowles at For The Love Of Our Children Gala -- the 10th edition of the National CARES Mentoring Movement's gala -- in NYC ... and, we had to ask her about her dating prospects since Kanye West shared a photo of The Game allegedly sliding into Tina's DMs.

TK says she's got no time for younger men ... 'cause she doesn't want to get compared to their mom -- and, she doesn't want to be "anyone's sugar mama."

Kevin Hart's new animated series "Lil Kev" gives viewers a glimpse into his Philly upbringing ... but listeners get a full-stop tour through Compton, thanks to its theme song creators -- DJ Quik and JasonMartin!!!

The series dropped on BET+ this week featuring a star-studded cast ... JasonMartin tells TMZ Hip Hop that the "Lil Kev" theme came about through a random convo he and Quik had while working on their "Chupacabra" album last spring.

Quik was fully immersed in album-mode and couldn't wrap his head around making a record for the TV show concept.

Tony! Toni! Toné! founding member and guitarist D'Wayne Wiggins has died, per a statement from the longtime R&B band.

The family released a somber statement on Instagram Thursday ... "With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D’Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones. Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer. Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.

The statement continues ... "D’Wayne’s life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California. He was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist, mentor and founding member of Tony! Toni! Tone! He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many.

Post Malone's heart is no longer taken by his fiancée, because TMZ has learned they're officially done ... and he's moved on with a new lady by his side!

We're told Posty and his ex separated toward the end of 2024 ... and he and his new boo, Christy Lee, have been seeing each other since at least the beginning of this year.

In a recent TikTok video, Christy and Post were all about the PDA -- they couldn't have looked more smitten, as Christy's hand was tightly wrapped around Post's arm on the upper level of a bar, while he spotted a fan down below and gave a friendly wave.

Soulja Boy has broken his silence on the death of his friend G$ Lil Ronnie ... in a heartfelt IG memorial showing off their good times together.

If you recall, Lil Ronnie's videographer Mello Music recently told us they took a trip to Cali back in December to kick it with Soulja Boy ... and the "Crank Dat" rapper vividly remembers the day they first met.

Soulja says he surprised Ronnie by revealing he knew who he was, despite Ronnie's indie rapper status, and the two quickly became friends ... and SB went on to feature Ronnie on a few of his albums.

R. Kelly may be behind bars ... but he proved his vocal chords are as free as ever during a rare podcast interview when he serenaded the audience by singing two snippets of his songs.

The disgraced singer -- who is currently serving a 30-year sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions -- appeared on the "Inmate Tea with A&P" podcast and performed part of his 1998 song "When a Woman's Fed Up" and later, some of his 2003 track, "Step in the Name of Love."

Kelly confirmed his conviction hasn't diminished his love for music, explaining ... "Singing is a beautiful disease that's uncurable ... I'm always singing."

A suspect in the murder of rapper G$ Lil Ronnie has been arrested ... TMZ has confirmed.

Forrest Hills Police Chief David Hernandez tells TMZ … Adonis Robinson -- a 24-year-old man -- was arrested in Livingston, Texas ... about 75 miles outside of Houston.

The Intelligence division of the FHPD was involved in the arrest ... though it's unclear how they tracked Robinson down.

Detective Melissa Mercado, an NYPD officer with 7 years under her badge, is going viral for taking her uniform off ... in favor of a bra and G-string to dance as a video vixen stripper!!!

New York rapper S-Quire released his "Doin That" music video at the top of February, but his views catapulted this week once Det. Mercado was recognized.

The video, directed by Picture Perfect and distributed by WorldStarHipHop, immediately opens up to shots of the cop's cheeks as she twerks on stage in an empty bar as S-Quire raps about p-poppin' and pole dancin'!!!

Here's further proof Fyre Fest 2 is officially on ... Antonio Brown says he's been booked to perform at the event.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers superstar -- who's turned into quite the rapper since he last suited up for an NFL team -- announced Thursday he's signed on to hit the stage at the newest Billy McFarland venture.

Brown, whose song "Put That S*** On" went viral back in 2022, promised in a video obtained by TMZ Sports that he'll entertain the masses at the newest iteration of Fyre Fest in Mexico when it all kicks off on May 30.