TMZ Hip Hop - Page 36

The first day of witness testimony in Diddy's sex trafficking trial is in the books ... and TMZ is recapping all the notable moments from a busy day in court.

After the full jury pool for the federal criminal trial was selected Monday morning -- 12 jurors and 6 alternates -- the prosecution came out swinging in their opening statement, claiming Diddy made a sex worker urinate in Cassie's mouth during a "freak off" sex party.

The feds allege Diddy forced Cassie and another woman to participate in "freak offs" with male sex workers ... and they also claimed Diddy got violent with the women and sexually assaulted his former assistant.

Cassie paid a male dancer to have sex with her while Diddy watched and Diddy told them they didn't have enough baby oil on their bodies ... at least according to the dancer's court testimony.

The prosecution's second witness in Diddy's sex trafficking trial Monday was a male dancer who said Cassie paid him thousands of dollars to have sex with her on multiple occasions at different locations, all while Diddy watched and directed the erotic sessions.

The dancer told the jury he and Cassie used baby oil every time they had sex. He also testified Diddy once complained about a lack of baby oil ... telling them to slow down and separate.

Diddy's been accused of a lot of industry hijinks leading up to his trial, but Wale wants his tie-in to the rumors to be dead -- this instant!!!

The D.C. rapper was out in Atlanta on "The Morning Hustle" radio show on Monday when he was blindsided by questions about the story where Diddy allegedly dangled Wale over a balcony by his ankles ... all because he pushed up on Cassie too hard in the studio.

Wale called the story "preposterous" and sounded visibly annoyed ... it's not the first time he's attempted to shoot down this rumor.

Lil Wayne's longtime girlfriend Denise Bidot is claiming the Young Money rapper kicked her and her daughter out of his house they had been living in ... on Mother's Day!!!

Denise took to IG to reveal Wayne broke the bad news -- and didn't have the guts to face her in person -- he broke up with her via text and sent movers to do the heavy lifting!!!

To add insult to injury, Denise then claimed she's been physically abused by Wayne in the past and has direct knowledge of other women he's beaten up.

A bunch of New Yorkers are straight-up celebrating not having to sit through Diddy’s sex trafficking trial -- and they’re making sure TMZ knows it.

Four dismissed jurors were thrilled to be off the hook -- telling us Monday outside the NYC courthouse it was a huge stress relief and they’re just glad they don’t have to miss work or lose a paycheck over it.

Catch the clip -- the first guy made it clear he was happy that it was outta his hands, especially since he knows how high-stakes it all is, having already seen the Cassie hotel beating video.

Diddy offered a hotel security guard a stack of money to keep quiet about the Cassie beating ... at least according to the guy's court testimony.

The first witness called to the stand in Diddy's sex trafficking case Monday was the assistant director of security at the InterContinental Los Angeles Century City at Beverly Hills Hotel ... and he was grilled about the infamous 2016 incident between Diddy and Cassie.

The witness, Israel Florez, says he got a report of a woman in distress on the 6th floor around 11 AM and checked the cameras ... and saw Diddy pacing back and forth.

Misa Hylton, the mother of Diddy's 2nd oldest son, Justin Combs, was among the Team Diddy family members showing support at his sex trafficking trial on Monday ... with a little extra assistance from a walker.

The 52-year-old fashion designer and stylist was spotted consulting with Justin outside the Manhattan courthouse in a plaid blazer and comfortable walking shoes.

You can see her moving slowly as she joined the rest of Diddy's family ... but she was quickly swarmed by paparazzi photographers as she hobbled along.

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.