TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

A$AP Rocky's trial is winding down ... but, tension between Rocky's team and prosecutors keeps heating up -- 'cause in the middle of closing arguments, A$AP's lawyer and the state engaged in a war of words.

Joe Tacopina -- the defense counsel for Rocky -- delivered more of his ending remarks Friday morning ... during which he repeatedly claimed A$AP Relli, Rocky's former friend turned assault accuser, perjured himself.

Prosecutors took issue with the terminology ... and, prosecutors objected to the language during the argument -- though the judge ultimately allowed it.

Gene Allen -- a rapper and actor who appeared in a few well-known flicks in the 1990s including "House Party" and "What's Love Got to Do with It?" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

One of Gene's family members tells TMZ ... Gene, known by his nickname "Groove," passed away suddenly Wednesday at his home in Maryland. We're told this was a result of a medical emergency

We're told Groove's passing came as a complete shock to the family ... though we're told no foul play is suspected.

Tekashi 6ix9ine says a ghoulish package was delivered to his Florida home Thursday ... a fake casket emblazoned with the name of his slain nemesis King Von, TMZ has learned.

The rapper told cops the bizarre incident went down last night at his mansion, while he was making music at a recording studio in Miami.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi's brother was hanging out at his home when someone dropped off the black box in the shape of a coffin along with a bouquet of flowers and a pet box.

Drake cooked up an R&B beef on his new album with PartyNextDoor -- as he finally addressed the Kendrick Lamar aftermath while going back to treating Joe Budden like a punching bag!!!

After several tracks for the ladies, Drake saved the 2024 Rap Wars topic for the end of the track "Gimme a Hug" but still scoffed hard at the thought of Kendrick filling his shoes if Lamar's lyrics had actually leveled him.

Drake coldly raps ... "Funny how it's only bitch n****s that are waiting on the boy's obituary/'Cause if I die, it's these n****s that become the sole beneficiary/And what the f**k are they gon' do with it? Head of girls up at twenty-nine, on stage twerkin' with a dictionary" --  a clear knock of K. Dot's witty lyrics in a strip club setting.

The latest Diddy lawsuit comes from a model who claims he drugged her, and offered her a safe place to rest ... but then held her against her will and sexually assaulted her for hours.

The lawsuit, filed anonymously, claims Diddy and the woman met at a VIP party in 1999 which he was hosting in NYC. The first part of her allegation fits the bill of dozens of other lawsuits ... she claims he handed her a drink during the event, and she felt "extreme drowsiness" and could barely stand.

However, what allegedly happened next is slightly different ... the plaintiff claims she told him she needed to leave because she was feeling woozy, and Diddy suggested she sleep at his house, and assured her nothing would happen. She says she also told him she was married, and did not want to hook up with him.

Kanye West needs a new muse ... because his relationship with Bianca Censori is donezo.

Ye and Bianca have split and are heading hurtling towards a divorce ... according to the Daily Mail, citing a source close to the rapper. A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ  both sides have reached out to divorce attorneys.

The split comes on the heels of Kanye and Bianca's controversial appearance at the Grammys and Ye's antisemitic, hateful and misogynistic social media rant, where he declared himself a Nazi and praised Adolf Hitler.

Kandi Burruss is using her R&B expertise as a member of Xscape to help the next generation of singers blossom, and it's paying off ... her artists Psiryn just became the first girl group to top a Billboard R&B chart in two decades!!!

Kandi tells TMZ Hip Hop she heavily stressed to Psiryn the importance of building strong relationships when doing radio promo ... being friendly, engaged, and bringing great energy to the stations goes a long way!!!

The three-woman outfit clearly understood the assignment and made an impression ... their debut single "Sober" is the first hit from a girl group to top the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart since Floetry told the world to “Say Yes” back in 2003!!!

Kandi signed Psiryn to the Kandi Koated Entertainment imprint last year and says the consistent radio play is responsible for the song's meteoric boost to No. 1.

Up-and-coming artists take notes, and not a load off ... Kandi tells us she pushed Psiryn to put on their pro faces, even when they were worn out.

Kandi says ... "Even when you’re exhausted, you have to push through because this is what you asked for. Staying professional, present, and making a lasting impression is key, and I’ve seen them really take that to heart. It makes a difference.”

Diddy forced a woman to consume a drink and then sexually assaulted her in a Los Angeles nightclub, telling her to "take that s***" ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The Bad Boy Records founder is being sued by a Jane Doe who claims he sexually assaulted her in November 2016 at Club Playhouse in Los Angeles.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the woman claims Diddy approached her in the club and offered her a drink, and when she initially refused he told her, "Bitch, I am not asking you. Drink that s*** and shut the f*** up."

Rihanna's showing support for her man A$AP Rocky while his trial comes to an end ... pulling up to court on the day closing arguments are set to take place -- with her two kids in tow.

The singer-songwriter hopped out of a black SUV in front of the courthouse Thursday ... wearing a black leather jacket while her security held an umbrella to keep her out of the rain.

Her two children -- RZA and Riot -- came along with RiRi ... the first time they've been spotted going to court throughout this whole ordeal.

Hilary Duff and her husband Matthew Koma are changing the lives of Holocaust survivors ... 'cause the money from "F*** Ye" T-shirts they're selling is going to help survivors get mental health treatment.

We spoke with Masha Pearl, Executive Director of The Blue Card -- an organization that prioritizes helping survivors of the Holocaust connect with resources they desperately need.

Pearl says Koma's making good on his promise to donate the proceeds from the shirts to the charity ... and, she says she's super thankful he and his actress wife are jumping into the fray to fight antisemitism.

Jodeci lead singer K-Ci had to take a time-out because of a serious health scare -- after going down with a bout of pneumonia!!!

We're hearing he's alright, but Jodeci is canceling this weekend's tour dates as a precaution.

K-Ci's manager Michael Paran tells TMZ, K-Ci was hospitalized for pneumonia and has since been released and is at home resting with antibiotics. Phew!

Drake and PartyNextDoor's new album hasn't even dropped yet but it's already being accused of plagiarism ... fans think Drizzy took a big swipe from Freddie Gibbs' "$$$" album!!!

On Thursday, Drake and Party premiered the track list on the back cover art of their Valentine's Day drop, "$ome $exy $ongs 4 U" with cartoonish rabbits brandishing dollar signs.

Fans immediately drew comparisons to Freddie's album -- and the Grammy-nominated rapper agreed with the rabbit ripoff.

Gillie Da Kid is revealing police told him the Philadelphia-area teen basketball phenom, whose killing made headlines last month ... was the triggerman in his own son's murder!!!

The "Million Dollarz Worth Of Game" podcast host was on "Club Shay Shay" on Wednesday proudly repping his Super Bowl-winning Eagles -- but things got dark when Shannon Sharpe brought up Noah Scurry, the 17-year-old hooper who was gunned down in January, despite being smart enough to have his school's highest SAT scores!!!

Gillie says the bullets that killed his rapper son YNG Cheese in June 2023 weren't meant for him -- the 25-year-old was simply in the wrong time and place when a drive-by occurred.

Kanye West's biggest haters and supporters are waging a merchandise war in a global online marketplace ... and it's all been set off by his controversial swastika shirt.

The messy scene is playing out right now on Etsy, where the anti-Kanye crowd is giving Ye the finger with some new gear ... while his stans are combining his name with a hate symbol, and slapping it on merch.

The deepfake video showing celebs wearing shirts emblazoned with a Jewish Star of David drawn on the back of a hand giving the bird to "Kanye" is providing some inspiration here ... someone took the idea and ran with it, copying the shirt from the A.I. video and hawking it online.

Cardi B is blaming President Trump for some serious wear and tear on the fancy heels she wore to the Super Bowl ... and she wants her deported uncle returned to the country as payback.

The "I Like It" rapper says Trump's presence at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans created a super tight security situation, which she says forced her to walk a long way in her $3,000 Christian Louboutin heels.

Cardi says Trump and his Secret Service detail resulted in the VIP golf cart transportation courtesy service being cut off early ... so she had to walk further than she anticipated, and her red-bottom heels took a beating.

2 Chainz says Kendrick Lamar name-dropping him to make Drake look bad via his mega-hit "Not Like Us" had no effect on him ... from where he sits, it was just a lil' hip hop wordplay!!!

On Tuesday, 2 Chainz broke his silence on the Grammy Award-winning shoutout that put him in the crosshairs of rap's biggest beef ever.

2 Chainz was one of several Atlanta rappers Kendrick Lamar used as an example of Drake's so-called culture-vulturing below the Mason-Dixon line ... but as many music heads have already noted, Kendrick was leaning into Chainz and Drake's 2012 banger "No Lie" when he rapped on "NLU," "2 Chainz say you good, but he lied."