TMZ Hip Hop - Page 5

Lauryn Hill had time today to inform her haters they'd been miseducated about her recent Essence Festival show, which started three hours late ... it wasn't her fault, losers!!!

Social media dismantled Lauryn after it was reported she left the stage last weekend at 3:37 AM to a very empty New Orleans Superdome ... but the festival organizers released a statement and took the blame for the super-delay, certifying Lauryn showed up on time.

Lauryn thanked EF for being the first promoter to ever acknowledge fault and released a rather lengthy statement of her own ... blasting critics who think she's ever been late on purpose.

Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, was laid to rest in Barbados on Tuesday after dying in May ... and Riri and A$AP Rocky were amongst the mourners paying their respects.

A glowing-and-pregnant Rihanna was photographed carrying their son, Riot, as Rocky trailed not too far behind as he hoisted up RZA as they entered the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, where the celebration of life was held.

It was a march of the R's ... Rihanna, Rocky, RZA, Riot -- even Ronald's fiancée, Rosemary, was spotted in the crowd.

D.L. Hughley says justice was served in the Diddy criminal trial, but he's ripping folks for celebrating the verdict ... telling us it's a morally bankrupt response.

The comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, and we asked him about some of the favorable reactions to Diddy being acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Folks outside the courthouse danced in the streets and poured baby oil on themselves when the verdict came back last week ... and D.L. says that's a horrible look.

Diddy is on a roll, legally speaking ... because he keeps racking up wins in court ... after outfoxing federal prosecutors, he's now dealing a major blow to one of his sexual assault accusers.

Here's the deal ... a woman named April Lampros sued Diddy last year, claiming he raped her multiple times in the 1990s -- but those allegations are no longer part of her lawsuit.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman's claims for battery, sexual assault and negligent infliction of emotional distress have been dismissed.

Cardi B was spotted getting sweated out by Stefon Diggs in a workout vlog posted today ... because reports of them breaking up are bogus!!!

A source close to the couple tells TMZ she and Stefon are not officially broken up ... in spite of the "Bodak Yellow" rapper wiping her IG slate clean of their romantic union.

Cardi seemed to make an attempt to clarify the relationship was still on ... by reposting a clip from his vlog of the two working out together while vacationing in Europe last month.

Mark your calendars ... Sean "Diddy" Combs finally has a sentencing date for his prostitution conviction in his federal criminal trial.

Judge Arun Subramanian just officially set Diddy's sentencing for October 3 ... the same day he originally proposed last week, when Diddy was convicted on two charges of transporting male prostitutes for sex.

Diddy will remain in custody until his sentencing date ... and by that time, he will already have been locked up for over a year ... and his time served will go towards his sentence.

Megan Thee Stallion's sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former cameraman is going forward ... much to the approval of Nicki Minaj, who's calling the whole thing Karma -- yes, with a capital "K."

Last week, a judge ruled Megan and Roc Nation couldn't drop the case after the cameraman supplied enough facts to keep the ball rolling ... prompting a snarky response from Nicki.

"What was the name of that law again???????? Karma’s Law?" Nicki wrote in a subliminal jab to the "Megan's Law" line Thee Stallion used in her Nicki diss track, "Hiss" last year.

Tupac Shakur's protégé Young Noble died by suicide with a gunshot to the head on the morning of July 4 ... TMZ Hip Hop has confirmed. The Outlawz rapper's wife told police at the scene he had been battling significant depression.

According to police records, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Gwinnett County officers responded to a 911 call at 9 AM on Independence Day after someone claimed to have seen a man lying dead in the pool of a country club in Snellville, a distant suburb of Atlanta.

Police say they saw a man in tan cargo shorts and a black T-shirt sunken at the bottom of the pool with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the right side of his head.

Here's the verdict sheet returned by jurors in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal criminal trial ... and you can see the check marks for "Not Guilty" on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Jurors reached their verdict Wednesday morning last week after a couple days of deliberations ... and they acquitted Diddy on one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of sex trafficking of Casandra Ventura and one count of sex trafficking of "Jane."

The 12-member jury -- 8 men and 4 women -- only checked "Guilty" on counts 3 and 5 ... which are both transportation for the purpose of prostitution, AKA the Mann Act.

Cardi B was living on a prayer at her latest Paris Fashion Week appearance ... because she showed up looking like a nun -- or a sperm cell -- depending on who you ask.

Check out Cardi's outfit for the Stéphane Rolland Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection show Tuesday at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées ... it's something else.

The "Bodak Yellow" rapper wore a white gown that made her look like a nun ... but the rest of her outfit gave off a different vibe entirely.

TikTok star Bryce Hall is making the move into the Hollywood big leagues with his first theatrical film release ... a moment he says 50 Cent tried to hold hostage -- to no avail!!!

We caught up with Bryce outside Sweet Butter Kitchen in L.A. on Monday, and he was stoked for the release this week of horror flick "Skillhouse" ... staking his claim as "First TikToker With a Feature Film."

Watch the clip -- Bryce says he hopes to see A-list movie stars "doing the dances on the red carpet" at his premiere, after he's gone to a bunch of theirs in the past.

Bianca Censori is back at it -- Bianca-ing like only she can, with a scorching IG drop that’s less photo dump, more thirst trap masterpiece.

The pics are snapped by hubby Ye himself -- and while there’s no full-on nudity, make no mistake, the flesh factor is high. Case in point: a dangerously low-cut white bodysuit putting her very generous assets front and center.

The Aussie bombshell is deep in her blonde girl era -- rocking an icy wig and striking pose after pose like it’s her full-time job.

Dwight Howard's wife, Amber Rose Howard, has filed for divorce ... just six months after she tied the knot with the ex-NBA superstar.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the rapper and reality star -- known widely as Amy Luciani -- requested the split from the basketball player at a Georgia courthouse on July 1.

Amber wrote in the docs "The marriage is irretrievably broken," adding, "there are no prospects for reconciliation."

Diddy's legal team is touting their huge victory at the federal criminal trial last week ... while blasting the latest lawsuit against the mogul, claiming he doused a man with his semen after masturbating into a Notorious B.I.G. shirt.

Attorneys for Diddy have now responded to the suit filed Monday by the John Doe plaintiff, who accuses Diddy of ejaculating into the garment and tossing it at him, causing semen to splash on his lap and arm.

The suit comes just days after Diddy was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges at his federal criminal trial in NYC -- though he was convicted of the lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Janet Jackson and Maxwell might have a little "Sumthin' Sumthin'" going on ... 'cause they turned heads when they arrived hand-in-hand at the 1,500th performance of "Cabaret At The Kit Kat Club" Monday evening in London!

Check out the photos -- they're beaming as they arrive at the famed Playhouse Theatre to view the show ... and they're certainly not trying to hide their PDA.

Just look at Janet ... she's grinning ear to ear and fully confident as she steps out with Maxwell in a white wide-legged pantsuit and slicked back hair. The "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" singer compliments her beautifully in a pinstriped suit and looks happy to be by her side.

Diddy masturbated into a shirt from the late Notorious B.I.G.'s wardrobe, ejaculated on the garment, and then threw it on another man's lap and arm ... getting semen all over the guy ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The music mogul is being sued by a John Doe who alleges a bunch of sexually deviant dealings with Diddy over the years.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the guy claims around September 2020 he was in a listening session with Diddy for a Biggie Smalls project when he says Diddy pressured him to take ketamine. He claims they went to a warehouse in Los Angeles where Biggie's clothes were in storage and Diddy provided drugs to everyone present. He says folks were running around the warehouse tripping on drugs.