TMZ Hip Hop - Page 21

Diddy looks like he's leaning on his faith as he goes on federal trial for sex trafficking ... because he was reading from the Holy Bible in court.

The Bad Boy Records founder had a Bible at his table Monday and was reading scriptures before opening statements from the prosecution and his defense team ... according to folks in the courtroom.

Diddy had a lot of family supporting him, including a bunch of his kids, and the Combs family looked stoic as federal prosecutors laid out their case against him ... with the fam showing no emotion whatsoever.

Diddy's defense says jurors are going to hear about swinger parties and all sorts of NSFW topics in his sex trafficking trial ... but they say the jury is not there to judge Diddy for his sexual preferences.

Opening statements are underway, and the defense is ripping into the prosecution.

Diddy's defense attorney, Teny Geragos, is handling the opening salvo for the music mogul's side and she says the case is all about love, jealousy, money, and Diddy's private sex life ... scoffing at the idea that Diddy was engaging in sex trafficking and a racketeering conspiracy, as the feds claim.

Diddy made a sex worker urinate in Cassie's mouth during a "freak off" ... at least according to federal prosecutors, who came out swinging in court.

Opening statements are underway in Diddy's sex trafficking trial in New York City and the feds are laying out their case against the Bad Boy Records founder ... making some graphic allegations.

Assistant United States Attorney Emily Johnson is running point for the prosecution right now, and she told the jury Diddy forced Cassie to have sex with male escorts while he watched and recorded.

The federal criminal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs got underway with opening statements Monday morning shortly after the final jury pool was seated ... and we've got details about the 12 members and 6 alternates.

The jury consists of 8 men and 4 women, and the alternates are 4 men and 2 women. All are identified only by number and will remain anonymous. The jurors are not sequestered -- they'll be allowed to go home every night, with strict instructions to avoid news coverage of the trial and the internet ... and not to discuss the case with anyone else.

During last week's jury selection, we got some insight into each individual from their questioning on the stand and the questionnaire each filled out.

That Mexican OT showed he's fearless enough to pull off his own stunts -- by going head-to-head with a charging bull and walking away with all his limbs!!!

The Texas rapper took center ring as the special guest at Ultimate Bullfighters' Midnight Bullfight on Saturday in Ft. Worth, and tested his reflexes against one massive animal.

The "Johnny Dang" rapper was all smiles -- even when the bull was trying to gut him from the inside out. Thank goodness for his protective vest!!!

Alabama Barker's in full glam mode -- serving looks and confidence in a steamy swimsuit IG drop that has all eyes on her.

Feast your eyes on these snaps  -- Travis Barker’s daughter striking all the right poses in a skintight Pucci swimsuit, blending artsy flair with straight-up sizzle.

The swimsuit features a barely-there thong bottom, and Alabama clearly knows it's the star of the show -- hitting fans with a series of bold backside shots to seal the deal.

The full jury pool for the federal criminal trial in NYC of Sean "Diddy" Combs has officially been selected ... there are 12 jurors and 6 alternates and opening statements are set for Monday morning.

That pool has been whittled down from more than 45 candidates ... and we have the final list, approved by Judge Arun Subramanian.

This morning as court proceedings began, the prosecution and defense teams began calling out their choices of individuals to strike. Diddy's defense attorney Marc Agnifilo noted prosecutors struck 7 Black people, noting a "pattern." AUSA Maurene Comey pointed out the prosecution's reasons, including individuals' issues with law enforcement, knowledge of the case, limited English -- even one accused of having an "agenda." The judge denied the defense's challenge, determining the exclusions were not based on racial discrimination.

Diddy’s fam pulled up to court in full force Monday -- locked in, loyal, and leaving no doubt they’re riding with him as his criminal trial gets underway.

The rapper’s kids -- Quincy, Justin, and twins Jessie and D’Lila -- rolled up hand-in-hand to the NYC courthouse, with his mother Janice and baby mama Dana Tran right behind them.

None of them said a word as they walked in -- dodging questions and brushing past flashing cameras. Diddy’s legal team wasn’t far behind ... check out what they had to say in the video.

It's the second week of Diddy's sex trafficking trial and there are some big milestones on the schedule today ... including seating a jury and opening statements from prosecutors and the defense.

Jury selection is up first this morning ... there are 43 jurors still to go through and the goal here is to pick 18 from the huge pool -- 12 jurors and 6 alternates.

Diddy's defense says this should be quick and easy, and there are 16 preemptive challenges to pare down the jury pool ... 10 for the defense and 6 for prosecutors. These challenges allow for prospective jurors to be excluded without an argument from the other side.

Mark Geragos and Harvey Levin sound like an old married couple ... bickering over what really went down in chambers with the judge in the Diddy case.

As we reported, Geragos was called on the carpet for his comment on last week's "2 Angry Men" podcast, referring to prosecutors as a "six-pack of white women." Judge Arun Subramanian essentially said if he crosses the line again, he'd be open to citing him with contempt.

The Kardashian clan continues to grow and prosper ... and this Mother's Day we're celebrating the proliferation of Calabasas' favorite family.

The next generation began when Kim K and Kanye West got together and produced the first batch of offspring -- North West, Saint West, Chicago West and Psalm West.

Kim's sister Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick were next, with Mason Dash Disick, Penelope Scotland Disick, and Reign Aston Disick. Of course, Kourtney later found her true love, Travis Barker, and they welcomed Rocky Barker.

Judge Arun Subramanian will be an integral part of the Diddy's trial -- which should kick off in earnest Monday with opening arguments ... but, before he became a judge, he was just a civil attorney who really cared about his clients.

We spoke with Mary and Joel Rich -- a couple Arun represented in a lawsuit against Fox News after the network ran a story claiming their son leaked thousands of Democratic party emails to Wikileaks in 2016.

After they settled their lawsuit with the network, Mary and Joel say they wanted to take their legal team out to dinner in New York City to thank them for all their hard work ... and, Arun immediately agreed to come -- with one caveat.

Don't tell Nancy Grace that Diddy's jury should cut him a break for beating and kicking Cassie in the video jurors will watch next week ... she says what you see is EXACTLY the man he is.

Nancy appears on TMZ's new weekly series on Tubi, "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial," along with Harvey, Mark Geragos, Ashleigh Banfield and Eboni K. Williams.

Eboni suggests the defense will argue Diddy should not be judged by what he did on the worst day of his life. When Nancy heard that, she went ballistic, and everyone else joined in.

The courthouse at the center of the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial got a noticeable facelift over the weekend as crews prepared for the intense continued media spotlight in the coming days.

TMZ obtained video which shows workers repainting security barricades outside the Federal District Court in Lower Manhattan on Sunday. The crews were touching up areas all over the property, giving the site a cleaner, sharper look ahead of trial proceedings.

A fresh coat of black paint was applied to the front-facing barricades, where much of the media has been and will continue to be staged as the world watches.

Diddy is a friend who doesn't deserve to be abandoned ... so says celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who may or may not be representing him.

Geragos hedged, on the "2 Angry Men" podcast, whether he was among Diddy's pack of lawyers repping him in the criminal trial.

Harvey pressed him, ticking off a load of evidence pointing to Geragos being part of the team -- he was in the gallery all last week passing notes back and forth with Diddy and his lawyers, he went into chambers with lead attorney Marc Agnifilo and came out of chambers with an arm wrapped around Agnifilo's shoulder and he huddled with the defense team -- including his daughter, Teny Geragos -- in the 8th floor cafeteria. In fact, he was so involved, he didn't have time to press his rumpled suit.

3:22 PM PT -- We've got more details on A$AP Rocky's new bling ... with sources telling us this ring contains just over five carats of flawless white diamonds -- as well as more than 110 grams of 18 karat yellow gold.

Jason of Beverly Hills masterfully blended both satin and high-polish finishes all throughout this 3.5-inch tall ring ... using 0.8 milimeter chains to emulate Rocky's boo's free flowing hair.

We're told this isn't a new piece of bling ... 'cause Rocky ordered it a few years ago -- even before he and Rihanna started having kids. But, we gotta say ... it still looks good as new.

Rihanna may be singing about diamonds ... but A$AP Rocky is wearing them -- on a ring shaped just like his Grammy-winning partner.

Check out the masterpiece ... the "Fashion Killa" hitmaker is the proud owner of a gold ring featuring a statue modeled to look exactly like RiRi ... from her face to her rear end.

A$AP showed off the Jason of Beverly Hills design in a behind-the-scenes video with Vogue centered around his Harlem-inspired 2025 Met Gala look, and he could not keep his excitement contained when he picked up his unique accessory.