TMZ Hip Hop

9:17 AM PT -- We now have new information on Kanye's shocking appearance ... with court officials telling us they had rows ready for him in the regular overflow room -- but the room became very crowded before he got there.

To accommodate him, the court opened a second overflow room ... where he sat for about 10 minutes before he bounced.

9:04 AM PT -- Kanye definitely knows how to make an entrance ... and, a very quick exit, too -- 'cause he left Diddy's trial after only about half an hour.

Kanye West's comments about supporting Diddy during his federal sex trafficking trial weren't just empty words ... 'cause he just showed up at court to support the embattled mogul.

Our cameras were rolling when Ye arrived at the federal courthouse in Manhattan Friday ... hopping out of a black car in an all-white outfit.

He shook hands with a couple people out front, then headed toward the security check-in, but, before he got to the door, he ran into Christian Combs -- Diddy's son -- dapping him up on the way in.

Diddy's ex-assistant says his boss was like a hungry bear during the "freak-offs" ... 'cause he says he needed to have a special snack at the ready meant to increase libido -- a whole lot of honey.

Jonathan Perez -- Diddy's assistant from December 2021 until he was arrested in September 2024 -- took the stand Friday and described setting up rooms for what he and Diddy's staff called "king nights" ... another term for the infamous freak-offs.

Perez says the point of setting up the rooms was to make sure Diddy had whatever he needed for 12 to 24 hours without having to bother anyone ... this included gathering food, liquor, music, red lights, condoms and lubricant.

The 23rd day of testimony in the federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs in NYC began with testimony from a law enforcement agent who conducted the raid on the disgraced music mogul's L.A. estate in 2024.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Andre LaMon took the stand and answered questions from the prosecution first ... he said he works in the L.A. office of the Human Trafficking Unit, and has executed as many as 50 to 60 search warrants during his career.

LaMon was asked about photos of evidence seized in a raid on Diddy's L.A. estate last year, which were shown to the jury. LaMon testified agents found a total of 200 bottles of baby oil, along with 900 bottles of Astroglide, in various locations at the residence, and some lingerie.

Kanye West, one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' only remaining celeb supporters, is in NYC ... opening the door to the possibility he'll head to federal court to back his guy.

Ye and his wife Bianca left an event Thursday evening in the Big Apple -- he was rocking white denim from head to toe, while the missus was back in black ... matching trench coat and stiletto-heeled boots.

Normally, he's dressed more casually and she's, well ... nearly naked. We're told they had attended a graduation ceremony -- hence, the upgraded fits.

Diddy's ex-girlfriend has finished her testimony ... providing more details about her alleged fight with Diddy, and the party she attended that she says made him angry.

"Jane" took the stand again Thursday to shed more light on the physical altercation she says occurred between herself and the music mogul back in June 2024.

Remember, Jane testified earlier this week about an incident where she says she pushed his head into a marble counter and threw candles at him before hiding behind several locked doors -- all of which she alleges he kicked in.

R. Kelly and Diddy have something in common ... both men have been accused of racketeering and sex trafficking -- and even though the two aren't exactly friends, Kelly says he feels for Diddy, who's currently on trial, and says Black entertainers as a whole are under siege by the feds.

TMZ caught up with one of Kelly's lawyers, Beau Brindley, who spoke to us about his famous client, who was just placed in solitary confinement after receiving death threats from white supremacists in a federal prison in North Carolina.

Brindley points out Kelly and Diddy are not friends -- and "far from it" -- but Kelly still has sympathy for Diddy over his current situation ... as everyone knows, Diddy is facing decades behind bars if convicted on racketeering, sex trafficking and other charges at his federal criminal trial in NYC.

Snoop Dogg has taken a blow to his family tree ... his beloved French bulldog Juelz, who Wiz Khalifa famously brought into his life.

On Thursday, Snoop revealed Juelz had bounced to Doggy Heaven, leaving him with a mountain of memories to mourn over.

Wiz gifted Juelz to Snoop for his 43rd birthday in 2014, and they've been road dawgs ever since ... the perfect companion to his other Frenchie, Frank.

Ananda Lewis left her mark on the entertainment world in her short time on Earth ... a feat Bill Bellamy says he's fortunate to have witnessed in person!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the tenured comedian on Thursday, just as the reality of Ananda's death after a lengthy breast cancer battle had set in.

Ananda passed away yesterday and Bill says he always referred to Ananda as his "little sister," but certified she had a big aura.

Diddy's ex-girlfriend says she watched an unnamed woman have sex in front of a party full of people in Las Vegas ... all while an unidentified rap icon flirted with her.

"Jane" was back on the stand for another day of testimony Thursday ... and, she answered questions about a January 2024 trip to Sin City to hang with the unnamed rapper -- described by her as a legend and icon in the industry -- and his wife or girlfriend at a birthday party.

Jane says she flew on the rapper's private plane -- Diddy was unaware because they were on a break at the time, she adds -- and met up with a group of people when they touched down, including Antoine ... who she says was a male escort who knew the rapper and his wife or girlfriend.

Sean "Diddy" Combs chose a unique pet name for his ex-girlfriend ... lovingly calling her his "crackpipe" -- and now we have the strange audio of the moment he gave her the one-of-a-kind term of endearment.

Listen to the audio clip ... the music mogul is apparently raving about the time they spent together during an early 2023 getaway to Turks and Caicos. He gushes ... "You are the crackpipe. That’s my new name for you: crackpipe. Or should I call you CP?"

He laughs at himself -- seemingly amused by the pet name -- before going on about their time together and encouraging his former lover to "stay in the light" and rest up.

There's one person who might be taking Wednesday night's Game 3 results harder than the actual Oklahoma City Thunder players -- rap mogul Jay-Z, who lost a whopping $1 MILLION after the Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

TMZ Sports reported ahead of the series the 25-time Grammy-winning artist was so confident in OKC's chances against the Eastern Conference champions, he placed the hefty wager through the Fanatics Sportsbook that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. would hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy after five games.

We're sure Hov was sweating just a little bit after Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot in Game 1 ... but when the Thunder stormed back the next contest, his bet was looking solid again.

Ananda Lewis, a popular host from the MTV "veejay" era in the late '90s ... died on Wednesday after a lengthy breast cancer battle.

The news was broken by her sister Lakshmi on Facebook, who celebrated the end of Ananda's suffering in an emotional post.

Lakshmi tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Ananda died from stage 4 breast cancer at 11:35 AM on Wednesday while in hospice at her Los Angeles home.

Lakshmi tell us she braved the diagnosis for 6 years and even tried out some conventional/some unconventional treatments ... choosing her own path.

We're told her family has heard from a lot of celebs already who want to speak on how Ananda influenced their careers and handled her interviews so well with them at her memorial, which will be in a few weeks.

Lakshmi tells us Ananda's 14-year-old son graduated middle school today ... a terribly bittersweet day.

Diddy apparently needed companionship in the days after Cassie Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against him ... this according to a conversation he had with "Jane" just days later.

According to a new evidence exhibit filed in the case, the rap mogul and Jane had a conversation recorded by Kristina Khorram -- an employee often referred to as Diddy's chief of staff -- on November 19, 2023. The date is significant … as it is just three days after Cassie filed her lawsuit and two days after Diddy quickly settled for $20 million.

Diddy asks Jane not to send him any texts ... fearing anyone who reads them may misinterpret their communications.

Diddy's trial finished up its 21st day of testimony ... with the mogul's ex returning to the stand to talk more about their relationship -- and how she used the prospect of freak-offs to persuade him.

The rapper was back in court in Manhattan Wednesday, where "Jane" -- the pseudonym his ex-girlfriend is using to testify against him -- was asked questions by Diddy's defense about loving texts she sent to Diddy after freak-offs.

In one, she told him she had so much fun ... adding that her love was "unconditional" and "for life."

Newly minted podcast pals Fat Joe and Jadakiss made this upcoming Father's Day super special for 70 fathers -- and their families -- who all had their lives altered and impacted by the criminal justice system.

We got video of Joe and Jada gathering at Sei Less restaurant this afternoon for a private luncheon featuring an array of dazzling dishes ... chicken satays, crispy wontons, Beijing chicken, vegetable lo mein spring rolls, just to name a few of the goods.

The NYC hot spot's co-founder Dara Mirjahangiry -- along with Joe, Jada and REFORM Alliance -- all teamed up for the encouraging engagement.