TMZ Hip Hop - Page 9

Akon may sing about being "Locked Up," but the singer has no feedback for Diddy as he sits in jail ... telling us the justice system will work the situation out.

We caught up with the recording artist at LAX, where Akon avoided commenting on whether Diddy has been targeted for his success as a Black man ... a defense his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has made since the rap mogul's arrest.

Akon hinted the idea was all a "defense mechanism" -- but emphasized it wasn't his place to comment.

Diddy's still got people on his side as the allegations and lawsuits pile up ... and the latest show of support comes courtesy of the mother of his youngest child.

Dana Tran, who has a daughter with Diddy, was spotted Saturday for the first time since his indictment ... and she was showing off her "LOVE" ring as she played with their little girl.

Dana and Diddy's daughter, Love, is turning 2 years old in a couple weeks ... but it doesn't look like daddy's going to be there, because he's behind bars in New York as he awaits trial on sex trafficking, kidnapping and racketeering charges.

Damon Dash says there's a lot of things about Diddy that he didn't know, even though they go way back ... and a lot of what he's finding out now is unsettling.

The Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder was in New York on Monday when photogs asked him about Diddy's arrest, indictment, jailing and the mounting lawsuits.

Damon says a lot of the allegations facing Diddy are disturbing ... especially given the fact they've known each other for a long time.

Rich Homie Quan's talents are still shining bright even after his death ... thanks to the release of the music video for his posthumous single, "Song Cry."

The late rapper started filming the video before his sudden death earlier this month -- so the end result, which dropped Monday, mixes in pre-recorded footage with clips from his funeral, making it an emotional ride.

The video is a celebration of Rich’s life, packed with moments that capture his party spirit ... and you’ll spot familiar faces like Boosie Badazz and D.C. Young Fly popping up, keeping the vibe lively and honoring all the good times they shared together.

8:46 AM PT -- Lil Reese's attorney Carl Moore tells TMZ … "Mr. Taylor vehemently denies these false accusations. We look forward to his day in court."

Lil Reese is in police custody nearly 2 weeks after an arrest warrant was issued over allegations he punched and strangled a former girlfriend … TMZ has learned.

According to arrest records ... the rapper was booked for aggravated assault of a family or household member in the early hours of Monday morning and was subsequently denied bond.

An eyewitness tells TMZ … the Chicago drill rapper swung by The Address nightclub in Houston, Texas Sunday evening, where LR had a run-in with authorities. We’re told officers were already at the club … though, it’s unclear why they were stationed at the hotspot.

Kanye West was spotted chillin' at a wrestling match in Japan, where he crossed paths with wrestler La Dinastia Wagner -- and naturally, the internet went wild over the unexpected encounter.

In a fan clip from Monday’s Pro Wrestling NOAH event in Tokyo, Wagner made his way into the crowd and pointed at someone in particular -- turns out, it was Kanye!

You can spot Wagner giving a fist bump to the person next to Kanye before heading over to Ye himself for the main event.

Lil Pump is continuing his attacks on Taylor Swift for endorsing Kamala Harris for president -- sporting a new t-shirt with a not-so-subtle message.

The rapper -- and avid Donald Trump supporter -- uploaded a pic to Instagram Saturday, showing him and a fan in white shirts with red lettering that spelled out the words, "F*** Talor Swift."

Knowing Pump, the misspelling of Taylor's first name was totally on purpose to troll her even more. The photo appears to have been taken in Hong Kong, where Pump is currently on his world tour with a concert scheduled for Sunday night.

Diddy could remain behind bars for a year or maybe more as he awaits trial, but that's not breaking his spirit ... it's quite the opposite, at least according to his lawyer.

Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, appears in a new TMZ Studios documentary -- "The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment" -- which has just dropped on Tubi ... and we asked him about his client's state of mind in jail.

Agnifilo says Diddy's remaining remarkably positive and isn't letting the indictment weaken his resolve. Instead, Agnifilo says Diddy is so focused on his defense, it's actually giving him a form of strength and confidence that will help him deal with being behind bars for an extended period.

Diddy will fight his legal case to the bitter end ... because his lawyer says a plea deal won't fly with his client.

Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, appears in TMZ Studios' new documentary -- "The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment" -- available to stream now on Tubi ... and, he says his client will fight this case not just for himself, but for others in a similar position.

Agnifilo says Diddy says he's innocent ... so, he sees no reason to take a plea deal -- even if prosecutors offer it.

Even Big Freedia admitted their bounce lost some of its spring when Lil Wayne was snubbed and denied the headline halftime spot in his hometown New Orleans Super Bowl ... and turns out the entire city is feeling the burn!!!

We interviewed Big Freedia on 'The TMZ Podcast' and word in the 504 streets is that everyone in New Orleans is sad for Wayne -- especially since he attempted to put things into existence months ago ... but ended up gutted when Kendrick Lamar got the nod.

Big Freedia told hosts Charlie Neff and Wyld Young there's still hope ... Kendrick could easily share stage time with Wayne in February and all would be right in the world ... and wards.

Diddy's grand jury is still looking into the allegations against him ... hearing from at least one more sex worker about their alleged relationship with the mogul, and it's possible it could lead to new charges.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the grand jury is absolutely still convened, and this week it heard testimony from a male escort who said he's interacted with Diddy in the past.

We're told the testimony covered Diddy's alleged outreach to the escort and his willingness to participate in a "Freak Off."

Jason Martin is responding to the last 24 hours of post-Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake madness and raging war for the West Coast ... Toronto rapper Top5, Adin Ross, Akademiks -- all challengers are welcomed!!!

On Friday, JM fired off the song "Kill Switch" -- boosted by fellow Cali artists Daz Dillinger and MyGuyMars -- warning everyone that it's "on onsite" and closed the song echoing Kendrick's "Euphoria" commentary about outsiders emulating their culture.

The song comes directly after the threats hurled in a recent livestream hosted by Ak and Adin to welcome Top5 home.

Chino XL's family has broken their silence around his sudden death in July ... revealing the veteran rapper died of suicide.

His family is hoping to turn the tragedy into a healing and preventable moment for anyone battling mental illness, and released a statement Friday.

The statement reads ... “With the most profound sadness imaginable, we share the news that our beloved father decided to end his own Life. It’s been the most painful and personal experience of our lives but in honor of Suicide Awareness Month, we decided to share this truth. Dad would hope that this news may help someone else stay alive.”

DaBaby avoided any jail time after a wacky 2020 music video shoot allegedly turned violent -- and now he's officially settled the civil case with the homeowner he was accused of assaulting.

We obtained court docs Friday showing the Diamond-selling rap star and Gary Pagar -- the California man who owned the home of the Stunna 4 Vegas' "Play You Lay" music video shoot location -- reached a global settlement on the entire ordeal.

They're asking the courts to nix all future conference dates so they can ink the final settlement papers and put the whole thing to bed.

Blac Chyna's mom, Tokyo Toni, is calling foul on her daughter's ex-BF Twin Hector's allegations ... saying she was the one who left him with gnarly injuries ... not Blac, as he claims in his lawsuit.

Tokyo is fired up in a social media video as she declares she was the one who "beat his motherf***in' ass" -- adding she had warned Hector she'd be rolling into L.A. specifically to settle the score for messing with her and Blac.

Tokyo is fired up, taking major offense to Hector’s claim that Blac was the one who did him dirty ... straight-up saying it makes zero sense, especially since Blac’s petite in stature.

Beyoncé went 0-for-17 at the People's Choice Country Awards despite her staggering number of nominations ... and her consolation prize is an onstage shoutout from Shaboozey.

Queen Bey was up for more awards Thursday than any other female artist ... but she walked away empty-handed, losing categories like People's Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Female Artist.

Beyoncé's country album, "Cowboy Carter," is right up there with Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish releases ... at least as far as commercial success goes ... but the financials aren't translating to awards.