TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

The first week of testimony in the Diddy trial is in the books ... and Cassie is finally off the stand.

The singer testified Friday for the fourth straight day, starting off with cross-examination from Diddy's defense team ... and lots of texts were read to jurors, including one where Cassie told Diddy she wasn't a "rag doll" after the hotel beating incident.

Cassie also referenced an affair she had with an NFL player and told his defense she didn't hate Diddy and actually had love for their past.

Cassie is off the witness stand after 4 days of testimony and she says it was an extremely challenging week ... but also empowering and healing for her.

The singer's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, read a statement from Cassie outside the Manhattan courthouse Friday after she walked out of the witness box for the final time in Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial.

In her statement, Cassie says ... "I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors, and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from abuse and fear."

Several cast members from HBO's acclaimed series "The Wire" are admitting they really had to watch their backs when they had to walk through the garden ... those Baltimore rats were the real criminals!!!

On Friday, "The Breakfast Club" celebrated the show's 23rd anniversary with Tray Chaney, who played Poot; Anwan "Big G" Glover, who played Slim Charles; Hassan Johnson, who played Wee-Bey Brice; and J.D. Williams, who played Bodie Broadus.

The crew shared vivid memories of their time on set, including always having to fend off city rodents during scenes.

Cassie just revealed she's expecting to receive a roughly $10 million settlement from the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles ... the same hotel where surveillance cameras captured Diddy beating her in the hallway.

The singer testified about the settlement during questioning from Diddy's defense attorney Anna Estevao in the rap mogul's federal sex trafficking trial in NYC Friday.

Cassie said she was in talks with InterContinental Los Angeles Century City at Beverly Hills Hotel and agreed to the $10 million settlement at some point in the past month.

Babyface Ray has been an integral part of Detroit's hip hop stock rise in the past few years and he isn't being humble about his contributions ... he's carving his own name on the 313 Mt. Rushmore!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Babyface Ray outside LAX this week and he tells us he fits all the criteria to be immortalized in his city -- along with Eminem, Big Sean and the late Blade Icewood for his Mt. Rushmore picks.

And just like Sean, Ray's also delusional hopeful that the Lions and Pistons will win championships next year!!! Gotta root for the home team.

While Babyface did acknowledge Detroit would need a few hundred Mount Rushmores to properly honor its music history, he reveals he's excited to hear from a most valuable transplant ... Pistons star player Cade Cunningham!!!

Ray says he and Cade have a mutual studio engineer and he's been told the stuff in the vault has been fire ... so it's only a matter of time before they cross-over styles.

Cassie Ventura is trying to close some loops on her testimony as she answers questions from prosecutors after being grilled by Diddy's defense attorneys ... and she's now told the jury Diddy threatened to release a sex tape if she didn't participate in a freak-off.

Prosecutors asked Cassie what Diddy did on a flight home from France ... and she testified Diddy played her a video of her having sex with an escort.

The feds asked Cassie what Diddy said he would do ... and she testified he told her he would release the tape.

Cassie and Diddy stayed in touch after they broke up, and while she was dating her now-husband Alex Fine ... and she says she had consensual sex with Diddy after the time he raped her.

More exchanges between Cassie and Diddy were just shown in court Friday while Diddy's defense attorney Anna Estevao was finishing up cross-examining the singer.

Cassie testified the last time she had sex with Diddy was September 27, 2018 -- after Cassie alleges Diddy raped her following a breakup dinner -- and the next day she told him she had a great time with him.

Diddy defense attorney Anna Estevao seems like she's trying to imply that Cassie believed his alleged 2018 rape may have been related to bipolar disorder.

The issue was brought up in court Friday when Estevao was asking Cassie about what she told investigators about Diddy allegedly raping her in 2018 after they had a conversation at dinner about breaking up.

Estevao asked Cassie what she told investigators ... and Cassie said Diddy was acting "nice but strangely" at dinner and "wasn't in his right mind" because when she asked him to stop raping her he did not respond.

If Diddy needs a couple hours to take his mind off his ongoing criminal trial, he will be allowed to watch the Knicks' pivotal playoff game Friday night, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells us ... Diddy will have access to a television with basic cable after he heads back to MDC Brooklyn following the conclusion of Friday's court proceedings.

It's, of course, unclear if the 55-year-old will tune in -- he's obviously got a lot bigger things on his mind at the moment -- but he was known to be a Knicks supporter during his time as a free man.

Cassie Ventura says she sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder after struggling with her mental health ... getting treatment for traumatic memories.

The singer is being cross-examined in court by Diddy's defense team, and she testified Friday she once spent 45 days at Willow House in Arizona in early 2023 ... explaining therapists there helped her recall memories as part of trauma therapy.

Diddy's defense attorney Anna Estevao said the treatment center works with folks who are experiencing sex compulsion and love addiction ... but Cassie says she was NOT treated for those conditions.

Cassie Ventura says she doesn't have any hate in her heart for Diddy ... and she actually has love for their past.

The singer is being cross-examined in court Friday, and Diddy defense attorney Anna Estevao straight-up asked Cassie if she hated Diddy now.

Cassie testified, "I don't hate him."

12:39 PM PT -- Soulja Boy and Ray J have officially teamed up and promised to deliver an anti-DDG stream ... to embarrass their newfound common rival.

DDG has been relatively mum about his ongoing issues with ex-Halle Bailey ... but he held a stream to thrash both Soulja Boy and Ray J for inserting themselves into his business!!!

The embattled DDG called the industry fake, but called Soulja Boy and Ray J even faker for trying to be streamers and clout-chasing off his domestic situation to build their viewership.

Cassie Ventura is testifying about a now-imprisoned sex worker who claimed, way back in 2018, he was Diddy's sex slave ... and while everyone thought he was crazy back then, he seems vindicated now.

Diddy's attorney Anna Estevao grilled Cassie about male escort Jonathan Oddi, and a 2013 incident where she suspected Oddi had recorded one of their freak-off encounters. In court, Estevao played an audio recording of Cassie threatening a DJ she believed had possession of that video.

She's heard berating him to prove he really had the video -- "If you have it pull it up or I will kill you, and he will kill you again." The "he" appears to be referring to Diddy.

Cassie Ventura just testified on the stand at the Diddy trial that she once stepped out on the rap mogul with an NFL player.

The 38-year-old made the revelation as a Diddy attorney was questioning her about one of the many toxic encounters she had with her former boyfriend during their tumultuous relationship.

Anna Estevao stated to Cassie that back in 2016, Combs took her phone after he suspected she had been unfaithful to him with an NFL athlete. Cassie testified that she recalled the incident -- but did not reveal the man's identity.

8:57 AM PT -- The jury was shown more text exchanges between Diddy and Cassie, this time from April 2010 regarding freak offs.

A text from Cassie reads ... "I want to talk to you about something tomorrow. Going to sleep. Love you."

Diddy responded ... "Is it going to stress me out? What is it about."

Cassie: "Freak-off. It can wait. It's not a big deal."

Diddy: "Now you don't want to do it anymore. Oh, I already know. You are so predictable."

Cassie: "Really? OK. Since that's definitely what it was, we'll leave it at that then, since I'm so predictable. Have a good night."

Diddy: "Whatever, Baby. I'm not going to play no games with you and you ain't gonna keep shutting me down."

Cassie: "I'm not shutting you down. I never do. If anything, it's always the other way around. I wasn't going to say I didn't want to do it anymore."

7:30 AM PT -- After the "rag doll" text, the jury was then shown a text exchange between Diddy and Cassie referencing the weekend of the InterContinental Hotel beating.

A text from Diddy reads ... "I felt that way from Friday. What are you doing."

Ventura responded ... "Not a good vibe. We need a different vibe than Friday."

Diddy: “F*** Friday lol. I don’t even want to do that again."

Cassie: "Lol true." Following more texts, the exchange ends with Ventura writing "Love you."

The assault caught on camera in the hotel hallway is time- and date-stamped March 5, 2016 -- a Saturday. Testimony has confirmed some of the former couple's alleged "freak-offs" lasted for 12 hours or longer. It is unclear exactly what the text exchange is directly referring to.

Cassie is back for her fourth day of testimony Friday in Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial in NYC -- today is her second day being cross-examined by the defense -- and the rap mogul's former girlfriend is once again answering questions about text exchanges from the relationship.

Jurors were shown a text message Cassie sent to Diddy on March 10, 2016 ... 5 days after the infamous incident at the InterContinental Hotel in L.A. captured on security video, showing Diddy beating Cassie in a hallway.

"When you get f***ed up the wrong way you always want to show me that you have the power and you knock me around. I’m not a rag doll, I’m someone’s child," the message reads.

Diddy prosecutors are pulling the baby card to limit the defense counsel's cross-examination of Cassie to the end of today.

Here's the deal ... federal prosecutors filed a letter with the court Friday in an attempt to prevent the defense's questioning of Cassie on the witness stand from spilling into next week.

Prosecutors say the reason is simple ... they don't want to risk that the judge might be forced to declare a mistrial if the very pregnant Cassie suddenly goes into labor and can't continue her testimony.