Hip Hop

5:15 PM PT -- The State of Missouri followed through with the execution by lethal injection, and Marcellus Williams was pronounced dead at 6:10 PM CT.

Busta Rhymes is going to bat for a Missouri man who's scheduled to be executed later today -- but hip hop's Dungeon Dragon insists the state's ignoring evidence as time runs out.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Busta's PSA on behalf of Marcellus Williams, the inmate whose life is at the mercy of Gov. Mike Parson ... who could still issue a stay of execution. However, he recently rejected the inmate's clemency request for life in prison.

Busta passionately argues the DNA evidence prosecutors later discovered should be more than enough to vacate Williams' execution, and facts -- not politics -- should guide Gov. Parson to seek justice.

A Tribe Called Quest assumed their rightful place in the Rock Hall of Fame earlier this year ... and Consequence is celebrating with a trip to Icebox ATL for a custom chain immortalizing the group!!!

The piece is simply titled "TRIBE" but similar to the group's layered musical catalog, there's more to it than meets the naked eye.

We're told the sparkling 2.75 center medallion features 1494 stones hand-set into ATCQ's iconic logo, which packs on over 40 carats of white and black diamonds and gemstones ... while its encased with over 100 grams of pure gold!!!

Cons is set to deliver his new album "Nice Doing Business With You" on Friday, and a custom chain full of hidden jewels is right up his alley. He's still a lyricist first and will be dropping gemstones over beats by Kanye West and himself.

T.I. and Boosie Badazz recently partnered together for some impromptu parenting ... after realizing their sons wanted to shoot a music video while flaunting firearms!!!

On Tuesday, never-before-seen footage of T.I. and Boosie crashing King Harris and Tootie Raww's music video set and blasting them over all the repercussions the guns could bring them down the line.

The clip begins with Boosie explaining how he had just been telling Tip the boys were making positive strides in the music -- only to be shocked by the violent content they were trying to push.

Diddy's seven children are still firmly in their father's corner despite his arrest, indictment and some serious allegations against him.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … all of Diddy’s kids are supportive of him and stand behind him, adding they love their dad and think he's a great father.

We're told all Diddy's sons and daughters have wonderful relationships with him and will continue to maintain those relationships ... even though he's in custody after being indicted on sex trafficking, kidnapping and racketeering charges.

Diddy is being sued for rape and now his latest accuser and her attorney, Gloria Allred, are speaking out against the music mogul.

Gloria and Diddy's accuser, Thalia Graves, held a news conference Tuesday in L.A. ... just hours after she filed a lawsuit against Diddy, alleging he raped her back in 2001 at the Bad Boy Records studio in New York City.

She almost immediately started sobbing as she told the media about the trauma -- physical and mental -- she says she's suffered since the alleged rape.

TMZ broke the story ... Graves claims she was 25 years old and dating one of Diddy's Bad Boy executives in '01 when Diddy lured her to his personal lounge, and office and raped her on a pool table after slipping something in her drink that altered her consciousness.

Diddy and a friend viciously raped a woman at the Bad Boy Records studio in New York City, and recorded the sexual abuse on video ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

A woman named Thalia Graves is suing Diddy, claiming she's had suicidal thoughts since Diddy and his head of security Joseph Sherman violently raped her back in 2001 ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

In her suit, Graves claims she was 25 years old and dating one of Diddy's employees when he lured her into a meeting with him and Sherman alone, where she says they sequestered her and gave her a drink "likely laced with a drug that eventually caused her briefly to lose consciousness."

Ashanti is wasting no time snapping back to her vacation bod in the gym after giving birth in August ... but still found a way to supply her newborn with plenty of breast milk!!!

The R&B princess returned to the gym on Tuesday for Day 3 of her comeback but realized there was still milk in her jugs she needed to pump out.

Lucky for Ashanti, the elliptical machine gave her the perfect motion to squeeze out the rest of the milk and burn calories at the same time!!!

12:59 PM PT -- OMG Girlz and their attorney just released a statement to TMZ, reveling in their big win.

“First and foremost, we’d like to thank God for seeing us through this tough battle. We’d also like to thank our attorneys, John Keville, Chante Westmoreland and Rob Green and the entire Sheppard Mullin team for their diligent work and perseverance on this case. It has taken us over four years to get vindication for MGA’s unlawful appropriation of our trade dress and likeness, and we are grateful to the jury for their attention during the case and their ability to see the truth through all MGA’s distractions.

"We hope this case makes companies think twice about taking an artist’s intellectual property without their permission. We will continue to create our music and grow our signature style for our fans. We love all of you for your support!”

John Keville of Sheppard Mullin and lead counsel for the Harris family also added ...
"T.I. and Tiny did what any parent would have done—used their resources to stand up for their kids. We were proud to represent the OMG Girlz, Tiny and T.I. who had the courage to stand up for themselves. They fought a billion-dollar corporate bully with grace, perseverance, and a determination to stand up for themselves and other creatives and because of that a remarkable jury did the fair, just and right thing by holding MGA FULLY ACCOUNTABLE.”

T.I. and Tiny emerged victorious in their lawsuit against toy company MGA Entertainment -- and if the award stands, the couple will be a whole lot richer as a result.

A jury awarded the music duo a whopping $71 million after their weeks-long trial wrapped up Monday after finding MGA violated the intellectual property rights of their teen pop group, OMG Girlz ... according to Rolling Stone magazine.

The jurors reportedly agreed that "L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls" infringed on the trade dress and misappropriated the name, image, and likeness of the all-female group that T.I. and Tiny formed in 2009.

Angel Reese's WNBA season might be over due to a wrist injury -- but she's still making highlights ... check out a clip from Usher's concert Sunday night, she briefly stole the show!

The Chicago Sky star hit up the Intuit Dome for one of Usher's big Los Angeles shows ... and at one point, the R&B legend cruised over to her table and began serenading her.

You can see Usher -- rocking a fur coat with no shirt -- stood in front of the hooper ... and belted out, "There Goes My Baby."

A resurfaced video of Diddy introducing his "adopted" daughter has folks concerned for the girls' well-being in the wake of Diddy's arrest and indictment ... but we've learned he was never her father, despite his claims.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Diddy never legally adopted the little girl, Ava, from the 2020 video, despite claiming on Instagram Live he adopted her because he wanted her to have a "Black parent."

The footage seems relevant, especially in the wake of all the sex trafficking allegations against Diddy, but our sources say the whole thing was a skit and has been overblown by concerned fans.

Lil Baby is giving a Beverly Hills teen ultimate bragging rights ... because the rapper performed at the dude's Bar Mitzvah.

Sources tell TMZ ... the rapper was hired to perform at the Bar Mitzvah held by oil and gas entrepreneur Matt Pouldar, who spent a ton of money to give his first-born son, Shane, the celebration of his dreams.

Check out the vid ... Lil Baby performs surrounded by a hyped crowd, who raps almost every word alongside the A-lister.

The man found guilty of murdering rapper PnB Rock learned his fate in court today ... and it will be a long time before he has any chance of getting out of prison.

Freddie Trone, who was convicted on one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of second-degree robbery, was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday where a judge sentenced him to 31 years to life in prison.

Another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Trone was painted as the murder mastermind by prosecutors ... prosecutors said he sent his teenage son inside the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant to rob PnB Rock and drove the getaway car after the deadly burglary.

Diddy's arrest and subsequent indictment are bringing a renewed look at some of his famous White Parties from back in the day in the Hamptons ... where the champagne flowed and women lost their tops.

Check out these images from Diddy's White Parties in 1998 and 1999, which he hosted over Labor Day Weekend in the Hamptons.

Diddy's lording over the event from above in one striking image ... and spraying champagne on a couple of topless women in another shot.

The trial of Young Dolph's alleged murderers is off to a bombshell start, as one of the accused shooters confessed on the stand, and even implicated his co-defendant.

While testifying Monday, Cornelius Smith admitted he was indeed the man seen firing the semi-automatic weapon in the November 2021 surveillance footage that captured the Memphis rap superstar's murder.

According to Smith, he had no emotions at the time he took Dolph's life, he was simply attempting to line his pockets with cash -- $100,000 to be exact, paid by Yo Gotti's now deceased brother Big Jook, who, himself was murdered in January.

Jay-Z and Damon Dash's tug-o-war over rights to the "Reasonable Doubt" album is getting more complicated -- New York City's now entered the chat, accusing Jay of intentionally sabotaging the auction of the album's rights.

Over the weekend, Dame took to social media to read docs filed by NYC lambasting Jay-Z for deflating enthusiasm for the auction ... which will sell off Dame's one-third share of the album.

In new docs, the NYC Department of Social Services straight up claimed Jay-Z was "poisoning" the auction through public statements indicating Dame's piece of "Reasonable Doubt" would revert back to Jay in 2031. The City claims that's not how it'll work per the recording deal Jay-Z signed, and insists rights for 'Reasonable' will remain with Roc-A-Fella until 2098.

Music journalist Touré says he's uncovered new context to Diddy's downfall ... claiming the rap mogul's drug use fueled him to throw X-rated "Freak Off" parties.

We caught up with the writer Monday on "TMZ Live," where he reflected on his connection with the Bad Boy Records founder, and how he believes drugs changed Diddy's mindset over the years.

As Touré put it ... Diddy was a different person decades ago, describing the rapper as "extremely sharp, motivational, [and] very strategic" in the early days of his career. While Touré didn't get into specifics, he did say he thought Diddy's mind had been "clouded" for the last 15 years.