TMZ Hip Hop - Page 24

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky ate this after-dinner photo shoot in Cannes ... with RiRi flaunting her baby bump alongside her better half.

The power couple posed for pics underneath a bridge in the French city ... with a mural dedicated to the movie "Pulp Fiction" serving as their backdrop.

Rihanna's embracing a chic "Mother Earth" aesthetic ... baby bump pouring out the bottom of her crop top -- while Rocky's got his arms wrapped around her, grinning wide for the photo.

Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial is well into its second week in NYC ... and, more photos detailing Cassie's injuries have been entered into evidence -- capturing the brutal bruising she alleges Diddy caused.

The photos show Cassie sporting black, blue and yellow-green markings ... some on her thighs and upper arm.

In one pic, Cassie's rolling up her shorts ... showing an angry purple welt on the top of her thigh.

Rapper Rod Wave was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia Tuesday on 14 charges -- including aggravated assault involving the use of a firearm at his Atlanta-area home ... which cops say broke his previously granted bond.

Here's what went down ... RW was visiting his place on April 21 with his realtors and other associates after it had been burglarized. Police say he and one of his associates got into a verbal argument as they were carrying out items from the residence ... which is when a Glock 20 10mm semiautomatic pistol was pulled and fired.

The "Street Runner" artist allegedly fired 14 rounds in total -- 11 hit his associate's 2025 Mercedes G Wagon, 1 round struck his 2022 Rolls-Royce, 1 round hit the wall of his residence, and the final round has not been located, according to law enforcement.

Chris Brown can breathe a sigh of relief because he was just granted bail after his arrest for assault in the United Kingdom, TMZ has confirmed.

The R&B singer did not appear for a hearing in London's Southwark Crown Court Wednesday ... but a judge signed off on releasing him from jail, paving the way for him to begin his world tour in a few weeks.

The judge ordered Chris — who has not yet entered a plea -- to pay 5 million in British pounds as a security fee to the court, which translates to roughly $6.7 million in American dollars. We don't know the details of his bail conditions, but we'll update you once we get word.

Prosecutors seemed to be getting more testimony geared towards the racketeering charge against Diddy in the seventh day of witnesses on the stand ... but there were still some outlandish stories told in court too.

The wildest testimony came courtesy of a male exotic dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" ... he told the jury about his first meetings with Cassie and Diddy and talked about a book he wrote about erectile dysfunction, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

The 'Punisher' had a lot to say about kinky sex ... but there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone when it came to the criminal charges ... even though we'll give him his due as a very entertaining character.

Kendrick Lamar gave Dee-1 the greenlight to be a "party pooper" last year ... and the New Orleans rapper is doing just that by inserting himself into the middle of the raging lyrical war between Joey Badass and multiple West Coast MCs!!!

ICYMI -- and there's been a lot to catch -- Joey has released several diss tracks in the past few days, including one a few hours ago titled "The Finals."

Joey's diss back in January rubbed L.A. rappers such as Ray Vaughn, AZ Chike and Daylyt the wrong way, and they've all been firing back at him with spicy records of their own!!!

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," included his sexual experiences with Cassie and Diddy in his memoir about erectile dysfunction ... and it's very graphic.

Hayes took the stand Tuesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC and he told the jury he wrote about Diddy and Cassie in his book, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

He testified he did not name Cassie or Diddy in the book, instead referring to them as a married wealthy couple ... and we found the six pages where he talks about their sexual encounters -- and it's vivid, to put it mildly.

Kid Cudi's been name-dropped several times in witness testimony in the Diddy trial in NYC ... and the rapper will soon take the witness stand himself.

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to call Kid Cudi as a witness, possibly as early as Wednesday ... though based on the witness list for Wednesday, there's a chance Cudi's testimony may be pushed back to Thursday.

Cassie mentioned Kid Cudi a few times during her four days on the stand ... telling the jury Diddy freaked out when he found out she was seeing Kid Cudi.

Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon is detailing the March 2024 raid on Diddy's Miami estate ... and he testified the feds found assault rifles, loaded magazines, sex toys and some brand-name lubricant.

Gannon told the NYC jury he was the special agent in charge on the ground for the raid ... and the operation was assigned to his unit because the investigation featured human trafficking allegations.

He said about 80 to 90 agents were involved in the search of Diddy's 20,000-square-foot property on Star Island ... with the feds using an armored vehicle to break through the front gate, and deploying boats to make sure nobody tried to flee the waterfront home.

Halle Bailey's temporary domestic violence restraining order against her baby daddy DDG is in full effect, and DJ Akademiks thinks it's a looming death sentence for the streamer/rapper ... it impedes his right to bear arms!!!

We previously broke the story ... Halle accused DDG of causing her multiple bumps and bruises -- and standard protocol for the DRVO prohibits the possession of firearms, ammunition and parts.

Ak says he's concerned for DDG's safety and launched a fiery attack on Halle and Roc Nation, even making the point that she's putting her own 1-year-old son in danger by disallowing DDG from keeping himself safe in public.

50 Cent is still highly entertained by Diddy's trial and the magic of A.I., but he can't believe the details spilling from the case ... especially the deets involving Cassie's mother!!!

Following the revelation on Tuesday that Diddy once caused Cassie's parents to take out a $20K home equity loan for "her daughter's safety," 50 digitally donned an all-white "Free Diddy" -- a conversion from the all-black ensemble he rocked the previous day.

In court, Cassie's mother claimed Diddy threatened to release a sex tape after Kid Cudi popped into the dating picture -- and 50 questioned if the tactic was even legal to begin with.

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," is testifying for the prosecution in the Diddy trial ... telling the jury about the first encounter he had with Diddy and Cassie ... saying the couple hired him to create a sexy erotic scene for them.

Hayes says he was first hired in 2012, when a woman called and booked him for a midnight gig at the Trump International Hotel in New York City. He says he was hired to perform a striptease for a group of people but when he got to the room, he says it was just Cassie in a bathrobe and a wig.

He told the jury Cassie told him that she and Diddy -- neither of whom he recognized at the time -- didn't want him to dance and instead wanted him to create a sexual scene with baby oil.

Regina Ventura, Cassie's mother, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday to testify in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC ... and she revealed some shocking details about her daughter's relationship with the incarcerated defendant.

On the stand, Regina confirmed her daughter dated Sean "Diddy" Combs after the singer had signed with Bad Boy Records -- she recalls meeting Diddy in 2006, and says her daughter and Diddy started dating, then moved to Los Angeles.

Prosecution asked Regina to read a December 2011 message to her from her daughter. Regina related Cassie informed her Diddy had threatened to release a sex tape and intended to go after Cassie and Mr. Mescudi -- AKA Kid Cudi, who Cassie began seeing during a break in her relationship with Diddy.

Barack Obama's name is finding its way into the Diddy trial ... because Diddy's former personal assistant says his boss used to take ecstasy pills shaped like Obama's mug.

David James, who worked for Bad Boy from 2007 to 2009, testified for the prosecution Tuesday and told the jury he saw Diddy with a bunch of different pills, including one with a very specific feature.

James said one of the pills was ecstasy in the shape of a former president's face ... and when prosecutor Christy Slavik asked him straight up, "Which former president?," James responded, "Barack Obama."

David James, a former personal assistant to Diddy, says his boss once gave him some ironic advice ... warning him not to get violent with women.

During cross-examination from Diddy defense attorney Marc Agnifilo, James admitted he got into a physical altercation with one of Diddy's former chefs, a woman named Jourdan Atkinson.

James told the jury he got upset with Chef Jourdan at Diddy's home on Star Island in Miami after she tried to tell James how to do his job, offering a suggestion on where to take Diddy. He said he grabbed her by the wrists and told her to "stay in her f****** lane."

David James, a former personal assistant to Diddy, is continuing his testimony in the disgraced rap mogul's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC Tuesday, and he told the jury about a harrowing incident in L.A. involving another titan of the music industry.

James was asked about a 2008 incident at a Mel's Diner, a restaurant in L.A., involving former rap mogul Suge Knight (who's currently in prison for an unrelated crime). James described driving a Lincoln Navigator SUV to get cheeseburgers, accompanied by a man named D-Roc.

James testified D-Roc recognized Suge Knight at the location, and went over to talk ... but Knight apparently didn't recognize D-Roc, who said "I'm Biggie's boy," referring to slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. (who was murdered in the city in 1997).