TMZ Hip Hop - Page 12

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.

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✌🏽👀✌🏽."