TMZ Hip Hop - Page 8

Ari Fletcher is checking the internet after folks online called her a "deadbeat" mom ... saying social media has the whole grandma situation twisted.

The model addressed critics questioning why her son Yosohn, whom she shares with rapper G Herbo, lives in Atlanta with Ari's mother.

Ari says she "retired" her mom so grandma could double as Yosohn's nanny and homeschool teacher ... all while grandma's currently working toward her third master's degree.

12:32 PM PT -- Robert Kraft has fired back at Macklemore ... accusing him of crossing the line with antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.

Macklemore says Robert Kraft and a group of other stadium owners basically shut the door on him ... he claims the New England Patriots owner told Ed Sheeran the singer could not play at his venue if Macklemore was involved.

In a lengthy statement shared to Instagram on Monday, Macklemore says Ed told him Kraft called after the rapper's pro-Palestine comments at MetLife Stadium went viral ... with Kraft allegedly saying Macklemore would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium, which Kraft owns.

Macklemore claims Kraft then got other stadium owners on board ... and Ed was handed an ultimatum -- drop Macklemore or lose access to their stadiums.

12:51PM PT -- The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office tells TMZ ... Mikquale's official cause of death has been determined to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner was ruled a homicide.

Chicago rapper BloodHound Q50 was killed in a brutal early-morning ambush in Chicago -- with six masked gunmen allegedly surrounding the Tesla he was in and opening fire.

Q50 -- whose real name was Mikquale T. Cooper -- was behind the wheel of a white Tesla parked at a BP gas station in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood around 4 AM Sunday when he was gunned down, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Police say the 22-year-old had just arrived when a black Infiniti carrying two masked people pulled up alongside him. Around the same time, a silver Honda Accord with four people inside reportedly arrived at another pump.

Boosie Badazz is putting his $600,000 Trump pardon nightmare on national TV ... telling "60 Minutes" he thought dropping that kind of cash meant clemency was basically a done deal.

The rapper sat down for a "60 Minutes" investigation into so-called "pardon brokers" ... political operatives who charge huge fees while claiming they can get cases in front of President Trump.

Boosie says he handed Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl $600K upfront after being led to believe paying up would get him a pardon ... but no pardon ever came.

9:21 AM PT -- Macklemore has broken his silence after being dropped.

Macklemore is being sent home from Ed Sheeran's tour after catching major heat over his pro-Palestine onstage remarks ... and the show will go on without him.

Rolling Stone reports Macklemore has been dropped from the remaining tour dates ... after several venues allegedly told the tour they would not allow him to perform.

As TMZ previously reported, Macklemore caused a stir during Ed's MetLife Stadium stop earlier this month ... telling the crowd "Free Palestine" before performing his protest song "Hind's Hall."

Tupac Shakur's convicted murder mastermind Duane "Keffe D" Davis was apparently troublesome behind bars, collecting a slew of serious alleged violations before the murder trial ... and some of them involve violence.

TMZ obtained records detailing all of Davis' alleged bad behavior while incarcerated at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas from the time he was first arrested and booked on September 29, 2023 all the way through the start of the trial.

According to the documents ... in December 2025, Davis was being escorted back to his cell by a corrections officer after visiting with a loved one when he got into a brawl with another inmate in the dayroom. The docs say Davis and the other inmate engaged in mutual combat, grappling with each other and throwing punches.

Pretty Ricky member Spectacular Smith is being sued by an Arizona woman who claims he messaged her on Instagram to meet up before sexually assaulting her.

According to a new lawsuit obtained TMZ, a woman named Alexis Dieng filed a complaint against the rapper in August, alleging he contacted her in October of last year requesting recommendations for restaurants. Dieng claims Smith then cultivated her trust and arranged to meet her in person.

According to the suit, Smith provided Dieng with an initial meeting location but then changed the meet-up place to a residence in Maricopa County ... where she says she eventually arrived by herself around 10:30 PM the next day.

Dieng claims Smith initiated physical contact with her and then engaged in sexual intercourse with her without her consent.

Lil Durk's father, Big Durk, is celebrating his son's courtroom victory ... telling TMZ it's an incredible moment for the entire family.

Big Durk spoke with our cameras outside court Friday in downtown Los Angeles just minutes after a jury found Lil Durk not guilty on all five charges in his federal murder-for-hire case.

He tells TMZ he's "bursting with joy" and can barely contain his happiness ... adding the entire family is on a "high" following the verdict.

Lil Durk has been exonerated in his murder-for-hire case ... because a jury found him not guilty on all five charges.

After 3 days of deliberation, the jury returned a not guilty verdict regarding his alleged involvement in a fatal 2022 shooting in L.A.

As you know, prosecutors argued that Lil Durk had hired a hit team to kill rival rapper Quando Rondo ... but shot his cousin instead.

The former male escort suing Diddy and Cassie over alleged trauma from their freak-offs says he's got photos that will help prove his case ... claiming the images show him being flown out and put up in hotels for marathon sex sessions.

TMZ obtained new legal docs filed by Clayton Howard, the former sex worker turned law student who testified in the Diddy criminal trial, as he tries to save his lawsuit against the former couple.

Clayton submitted an amended lawsuit with photos attached. He says the first photo was taken on December 16, 2016, and shows the view from a seat on a plane. During the trial, prosecutors revealed how Diddy would hire male escorts and fly them across the country to have sex with Cassie while he watched and gave instructions, so this seems to be what Clayton's getting at.

Kodak Black has beaten the rap again ... this time, prosecutors decided NOT to charge him in a drug trafficking case ... one day after another criminal case was also dismissed in the Florida.

On Friday, prosecutors filed docs saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the rapper possessed contraband during a November 2025 police encounter in Orlando. According to an arrest warrant, police say they found a pink bag with MDMA and $37K, as well as "numerous documents" with the name Bill Kapri -- Kodak's legal name.

Cops say the bag looked like the same one that appeared in one of Kodak's Instagram posts. At the time, Kodak was not arrested, but, after further investigation, police busted him this past May and booked him for drug trafficking. Police say the MDMA they found in the bag weighed 25.34 grams -- well over the trafficking weight of 14 grams.

But now prosecutors say they will not be filing charges in the matter. 

Former "No Jumper" host 4xtra has been arrested for attempted murder ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD booked the rapper -- real name Resan Bingham -- Wednesday morning on the attempted murder charge.

Police records show 4xtra's bail has been set at $1 million.

As of now, it doesn't appear any court date has been scheduled. He's currently being held at LA's 77th Street police station.

Rappers NBA Ben10 and OG3 Three were arrested Thursday morning in connection with a Texas shooting earlier this year, TMZ has learned.

FBI Houston Spokesperson Connor Hagen tells TMZ ... 6 people were arrested by the FBI and their partner agencies this morning in Louisiana and Texas ... including the rappers.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the arrests are related to a shooting at Confessions restaurant in Houston from back in April.

5:31 PM PT -- Sexyy Red's lawyer Jason Lampert tells TMZ … “The claims asserted in this case are baseless and completely without merit. Red categorically denies these allegations and looks forward to defending herself in court.”

St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red could be on the hook for a $5 million default judgment in a case filed against her by her child's grandmother ... who claims the artist goaded fans on social media to beat her up!

Nicole Barnes claims that, in addition to sharing her address, Sexyy asked her large social media presence to "kick the door in" and conduct acts of violence at Nicole's home ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Nicole says she had to leave her home ... and that Sexyy's actions put her in immediate danger.

Cassie's mostly kept to herself since testifying against Diddy during his sex trafficking trial ... but she did make a rare public appearance recently -- showing up to a classy London premiere.

The singer-songwriter attended the "Mobland" showing Thursday -- about a week before the wide release of the show's much-anticipated second season.

Cassie stunned in a low-cut gray dress while posing arm in arm with Alex Fine, who donned an all-black ensemble. The pair flashed small smiles for the camera.

Kodak Black is off the hook in one of his criminal cases after prosecutors charged him with fleeing and resisting arrest during a traffic stop in Florida.

On Tuesday, a Broward County judge granted Kodak's motion to dismiss the case, saying prosecutors produced no evidence supporting the charge that the rapper tried to elude police officers. As a result, the judge dismissed all charges against Kodak and closed the case.

Kodak's powerhouse attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... "We are glad the court signed the order granting the motion to dismiss. This case was not a fleeing and alluding and we demonstrated that fact through the video and deposition of the deputy."