TMZ Hip Hop - Page 12

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.

Atlanta rapper Silentó, of "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" fame has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the 2021 shooting death of his cousin.

The DeKalb County District Attorney announced on Wednesday that the 27-year-old rapper, born Ricky Lamar Hawk, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, as well as concealing the death of another -- Frederick Rooks III.

As we told you, DeKalb County Police found Rooks suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, with bullet casings at the scene.

Charlamagne Tha God says Hitmaka sounded like an absolute jackass discussing the Diddy and George Floyd cases ... strong opinions without knowing the facts never make a compelling argument!!!

"The Breakfast Club" co-host was in disbelief on Wednesday when he ran back Hitmaka's recent interview during the BET Awards weekend and decided he deserved the "Donkey of the Day."

Hitmaka told Loren LoRosa he feels Diddy needs to be released from prison because he was just "high and freaky" and incorrectly declared Jeffrey Epstein received house arrest in comparison to Diddy's flight.

Diddy's ex once suggested the possibility of a freak-off to get Diddy to ditch his date ... this according to her testimony.

"Jane" is back on the stand for another intense day of cross-examination ... and, Diddy's legal team asked her about a text she sent where she seemed to be using the mogul's turn-on to get him to do what she wants.

Diddy's lawyer, Teny Geragos asked Jane about a night when Diddy was hanging out with Yung Miami on vacation.

Nicki Minaj has Lil Wayne's back in his beef with the NFL and Jay-Z on their latest collab -- and also found time to fire back at Shannon Sharpe!!!

Wayne just released his "Carter VI" album -- without any features from Nicki but the two convened on Tuesday night with the remix for one of the songs, “Banned From NO.”

Nicki apparently has been waiting on the perfect moment to clap back at Shannon for his "Nicki who?" remarks a year ago and she leaned into her backhanded lyrics on social media ... “If I send a pic of Shannon, you ain’t that Sharpe!!!"

Diddy's ex-girlfriend was back on the stand Tuesday in the 20th day of witness testimony in the music mogul's federal criminal trial ... and she got testy with Diddy's defense team.

In a tense exchange, "Jane" got short with Diddy's defense attorney, Teny Geragos, while testifying about her jealousy over a Chanel bag Diddy gave to another woman while they were in a relationship.

Geragos asked Jane if she got a Chanel bag and Jane shot back, "I only got trauma." Geragos asked Jane about a Bottega Veneta bag and there was a verbal gasp in the courtroom when Jane retorted, "I'm sure you have one."

R. Kelly says his life is in immediate danger behind prison walls, and his legal team has filed an emergency motion seeking his immediate release!!!

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the Pied Piper's attorneys claim they have evidence that outlines a murder-for-hire plot involving prison officials and another inmate to have him whacked inside the North Carolina penitentiary where he's serving his 30-year sentence for sex crimes.

Kelly's legal team submitted a sworn statement from a terminally ill inmate and Aryan Brotherhood gang leader named Mikeal Glenn Stine, who explicitly claimed authorities offered him his freedom to spend his last days on the outside -- in exchange for murdering the singer.