TMZ Hip Hop - Page 25

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.

Diddy seemed to predict his own downfall 25 years ago, talking openly about the wild parties he loved to throw -- long before his recent arrest and indictment last week.

In a resurfaced 1999 interview, Diddy made it clear the whole point of his parties was just to have a good time, and he was determined to keep them rolling -- permits or not -- despite authorities trying to shut him down or even arrest him.

Diddy told ET, "They're going to be shutting them down. They're going to probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time."

Romeo Miller says Diddy will have his day of reckoning -- in court and with God -- but adds the youth should be taking notes ... on what not to do with the clout you create!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Romeo out in WeHo this week and the prince of No Limit Records did something rare in showbiz these days -- he actually discussed Diddy's sex trafficking case in public.

The feds put Diddy in handcuffs last week in a NYC hotel, and Romeo wants young people to use the shocking scene as a teachable moment.

The 3 men charged with murdering Young Dolph are now on trial, and it kicked off with a bombshell allegation about who was behind the 2021 shooting.

During the opening statements, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman accused the late Big Jook -- brother of Young Dolph's rival, Yo Gotti -- of being responsible after he offered $100,000 to anyone who would kill Dolph to end their ongoing rap feud.

Hernandez Govan, Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith are all charged with first-degree murder where they plead not guilty.

Diddy's arrest and subsequent indictment have not deterred his fans from listening to his music ... in fact, he's seen a spike in streams in the wake of the controversy.

Luminate, a data and analytics company, claims the rap mogul's expansive music catalog has seen an over 18% increase in streams in the week since he was put in handcuffs at the Park Hyatt in midtown Manhattan.

TMZ broke the story ... the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested last Monday, 6 months after his Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided in connection with a sex trafficking investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Usher's hitting back hard, saying "No, No, No!" to those speculating he’s hiding something in the wake of his former mentor Diddy's arrest ... especially after his X posts mysteriously vanished over the weekend.

The singer had an explanation for the social media wipeout ... writing on the platform Sunday evening, "Account got hacked and damn y'all ran with it! 😂😂😂."

Usher sidestepped the Diddy drama but seemed to make it clear he’s got nothing to hide. He wrapped up the post by promoting his next show, saying, "See you tonight at Intuit Dome✌🏽👀✌🏽."

Chingy suddenly became the center of hip hop political collusion over the weekend when he was announced as the master of ceremony at an upcoming Republican rally -- a gig that's still happening despite a social brouhaha!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Chingy's rep Scott Adkins, who says the "Right Thurr" rapper is still on board to perform during the Log Cabin Republicans' "Red, White and Rock" event on September 29 ... going down at Kid Rock's Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse!!!

MAGA leaders Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are the official headliners but Scott clarifies the event is not a Donald Trump presidential rally nor will the RNC nominee be making an appearance.

A resurfaced clip from "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is raising eyebrows ... with Khloe Kardashian spilling the tea about attending one of Diddy’s notorious parties, casually name-dropping that Justin Bieber was also in the mix.

In the clip from 2014, Khloe told sister Kourtney, "I got on a plane at 5:30 AM. Well, this party ... I think half the people there were butt-naked ... You would have loved it!"

When Kourtney asked who was with her, Khloe casually rattled off the guest list ... mentioning she was with a bunch of pals -- Diddy, Quincy, and Bieber, who was 20 at the time.

Ray J is coming clean about Diddy's notorious parties, but he says there's nothing to see in terms of criminal behavior.

The singer was interviewed by Chris Cuomo on NewsNation's "CUOMO" — and he gave a window into his decades long relationship with Diddy, zeroing in on what the feds say were illicit soirees.

Ray J told Cuomo he and other entertainers frequently attended Diddy's gatherings, yet he never saw any sex trafficking or other serious crimes as detailed in the federal indictment against the music mogul.

UFC fighter Colby Covington showed off his moves Saturday by putting Lil Pump in a choke hold, and you see the rapper gasping for air as CC continues to hold his grip.

At a point, you see Lil Pump's body go limp, but Colby doesn't let go. Pump struggles at first to free himself, but at a point, his body fails and his eyes widen.

It's unclear how long Colby had Pump in the hold. The video starts with Covington choking Pump, and you see the UFC fighter tighten his grip. That lasted for around 10 seconds before Covington released the hold.

Cardi B is back in action, because she took to the streets with 2 of her kids on a shopping trip, and it's super sweet!

Cardi, 6-year-old Kulture and 3-year-old Wave hit up a store in NYC and zeroed in on some Hello Kitty hair ties.

The mother of 3 -- the newborn wasn't there -- was playing to the photogs, telling Kulture to smile for the cameras.

Janet Jackson's pushing a conspiracy theory about Kamala Harris' race ... parroting claims Donald Trump made about the VP a couple months ago -- claiming she's not Black.

The music legend sat down for a chat with The Guardian, published late Friday, when the interviewer asked her about the upcoming election and how she felt about possibly having a Black woman in the White House.

In response, JJ replies that she heard KH isn't actually Black ... and, instead she's Indian -- a claim DJT made during a disastrous conversation at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention in July.