TMZ Hip Hop - Page 13

SZA is sticking by her homegirl Megan Thee Stallion ... and telling Tory Lanez supporters to either get their man'z to file something in court or STFU!!!

The Diamond-selling R&B singer found herself in alignment with a post by social media legal influencer The Luncheon Lawyer on Tuesday ... which shades Tory's team for seeking public attention instead of alerting the government to the new evidence they've found.

SZA shamed all of Tory's delusional fans in the IG post ... "The density!!!!! I'm actually SO shocked at the amount of ppl fully comfortable bullying a woman that's proven to be a victim of assault ??! Like out loud where other ppl can see you ?? Lmao u finna be stupid OUTLOUD?”

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," tells us he's unsure why federal prosecutors called him as a witness in the Diddy trial ... because he says he never saw Diddy do anything that seemed illegal and thinks his testimony may have actually helped the defense.

"The Punisher" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him if prosecutors gave him any indication why they wanted to get him on the stand, because his testimony Tuesday left many people wondering how prosecutors thought it related to any of the charges against Diddy.

Hayes says he is still confused as to why his testimony was necessary ... telling us he let prosecutors know from the jump he didn't see anything that looked criminal during his sexual interactions with Diddy and Cassie.

Tory Lanez never said "dance, b****" to Megan Thee Stallion, but he did catch a raw deal in his shooting trial that got him 10 years in prison ... according to Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna.

The Sunshine State's first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday ... claiming there's never-before-seen evidence that proves Tory did NOT shoot Megan after a Hollywood Hills party back in 2020.

As to why a Florida politician is interested in a California case -- Luna says she became hip to Tory's plight through their mutual friend Amber Rose ... and as she began to dig deeper, she claims she's found several inconsistencies in the prosecution's arguments.

Prosecutors are calling an expert witness in the Diddy trial, a clinical and forensic psychologist who is telling the jury about why victims stay in abusive relationships, how they cope, the obstacles they face in leaving, and how their memories are affected by trauma.

Dawn Hughes took the stand Wednesday morning as the 11th witness called by the feds.  Prosecutors are presenting her as an expert witness who specializes in trauma and traumatic stress.

Hughes told jurors it's quite common for victims to remain in abusive relationships ... explaining there's all sorts of mechanisms that make victims feel trapped, and it's not just reserved to physical violence.

Chris Brown is out on bail, fresh out of jail, "Breezy Bowl XX" dreaming -- his recent legal drama won't affect his tour stops!!!

Shortly after the R&B megastar was granted a hefty $6.7 million bail in London court stemming from a 2023 assault charge in the UK, Breezy let his 144 million Instagram followers know he was heading from "the cage to the stage" -- beginning on June 8!!!

Chris was charged with grievous bodily harm for allegedly beating music producer Abraham Diaw upside the head with a tequila bottle, and the situation was jeopardizing his jam-packed itinerary.

Federal prosecutors just dropped another document dump of evidence presented in court at Diddy's sex trafficking and racketeering trial -- and the pics give us a window into the music mogul's lavish and kinky lifestyle on Miami's Star Island.

As you know, Diddy lived in a huge mansion on the island -- and Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon testified Tuesday he was the head of the operation that conducted a raid on the property in March 2024. Gannon told the court the feds confiscated loaded assault rifles, sex toys and bottles of lubricant.

Now, the feds have publicly released a mountain of photos showing exactly what items the feds recovered from Diddy's sprawling estate -- which, by the way, is pretty darn high-end.

Meek Mill felt the need to go on "public record" about Diddy parties he's attended ... amid the spiraling allegations being flung around the Bad Boy mogul's federal sex trafficking case.

Speculation about Meek's involvement with Diddy has run rampant since he was linked in producer Lil Rodney's lawsuit last year ... which has since had several key complaints tossed out.

On Tuesday, Meek called all allegations an attack on his brand before flipping to his experience at Diddy parties ... he's claiming the craziest thing he's seen is "coke vibes."

Testimony continues Wednesday in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC, where Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon has taken the stand to continue Tuesday afternoon's questioning.

After some back-and-forth between attorneys regarding proceedings, prosecutors announced Mr. Mescudi -- AKA Kid Cudi -- will not testify Wednesday ... he's expected to take the stand Thursday.

As the hearing got underway, Gannon was asked on the stand by the prosecution about details of the 2024 raid on Diddy's mansion on Star Island in Miami -- pictures from the raid were released into evidence overnight depicting drugs, guns and bedroom items.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky ate this after-dinner photo shoot in Cannes ... with RiRi flaunting her baby bump alongside her better half.

The power couple posed for pics underneath a bridge in the French city ... with a mural dedicated to the movie "Pulp Fiction" serving as their backdrop.

Rihanna's embracing a chic "Mother Earth" aesthetic ... baby bump pouring out the bottom of her crop top -- while Rocky's got his arms wrapped around her, grinning wide for the photo.

Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial is well into its second week in NYC ... and, more photos detailing Cassie's injuries have been entered into evidence -- capturing the brutal bruising she alleges Diddy caused.

The photos show Cassie sporting black, blue and yellow-green markings ... some on her thighs and upper arm.

In one pic, Cassie's rolling up her shorts ... showing an angry purple welt on the top of her thigh.

Rapper Rod Wave was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia Tuesday on 14 charges -- including aggravated assault involving the use of a firearm at his Atlanta-area home ... which cops say broke his previously granted bond.

Here's what went down ... RW was visiting his place on April 21 with his realtors and other associates after it had been burglarized. Police say he and one of his associates got into a verbal argument as they were carrying out items from the residence ... which is when a Glock 20 10mm semiautomatic pistol was pulled and fired.

The "Street Runner" artist allegedly fired 14 rounds in total -- 11 hit his associate's 2025 Mercedes G Wagon, 1 round struck his 2022 Rolls-Royce, 1 round hit the wall of his residence, and the final round has not been located, according to law enforcement.

Chris Brown can breathe a sigh of relief because he was just granted bail after his arrest for assault in the United Kingdom, TMZ has confirmed.

The R&B singer did not appear for a hearing in London's Southwark Crown Court Wednesday ... but a judge signed off on releasing him from jail, paving the way for him to begin his world tour in a few weeks.

The judge ordered Chris — who has not yet entered a plea -- to pay 5 million in British pounds as a security fee to the court, which translates to roughly $6.7 million in American dollars. We don't know the details of his bail conditions, but we'll update you once we get word.

Prosecutors seemed to be getting more testimony geared towards the racketeering charge against Diddy in the seventh day of witnesses on the stand ... but there were still some outlandish stories told in court too.

The wildest testimony came courtesy of a male exotic dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" ... he told the jury about his first meetings with Cassie and Diddy and talked about a book he wrote about erectile dysfunction, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

The 'Punisher' had a lot to say about kinky sex ... but there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone when it came to the criminal charges ... even though we'll give him his due as a very entertaining character.

Kendrick Lamar gave Dee-1 the greenlight to be a "party pooper" last year ... and the New Orleans rapper is doing just that by inserting himself into the middle of the raging lyrical war between Joey Badass and multiple West Coast MCs!!!

ICYMI -- and there's been a lot to catch -- Joey has released several diss tracks in the past few days, including one a few hours ago titled "The Finals."

Joey's diss back in January rubbed L.A. rappers such as Ray Vaughn, AZ Chike and Daylyt the wrong way, and they've all been firing back at him with spicy records of their own!!!

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," included his sexual experiences with Cassie and Diddy in his memoir about erectile dysfunction ... and it's very graphic.

Hayes took the stand Tuesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC and he told the jury he wrote about Diddy and Cassie in his book, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

He testified he did not name Cassie or Diddy in the book, instead referring to them as a married wealthy couple ... and we found the six pages where he talks about their sexual encounters -- and it's vivid, to put it mildly.

Kid Cudi's been name-dropped several times in witness testimony in the Diddy trial in NYC ... and the rapper will soon take the witness stand himself.

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to call Kid Cudi as a witness, possibly as early as Wednesday ... though based on the witness list for Wednesday, there's a chance Cudi's testimony may be pushed back to Thursday.

Cassie mentioned Kid Cudi a few times during her four days on the stand ... telling the jury Diddy freaked out when he found out she was seeing Kid Cudi.