TMZ Hip Hop - Page 7

Lil Durk is facing a legal slugfest, with the feds claiming he's the mastermind behind a murder-for-hire plot ... and his attorneys are convinced it's a classic example of prosecutors grasping at straws with some street-savvy rap lyrics because they don't have a real case against the rap star.

The Chicago rapper's attorneys -- Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, of The Findling Law Firm, P.C., along with Jonathan Brayman, and Christy O'Connor -- tell TMZ Hip Hop ... "When you see an artist’s rap lyrics quoted as 'evidence' against them, it is a glaring indication that there is no real evidence against that person."

According to the feds, Durk detailed the steps that led up to the August 2022 murder of rival Quando Rondo's cousin Saviay'a Robinson on Babyface Ray's song "Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy" when he rapped ... "Told me they got an addy (gooo) / Got location (gooo) Green light (go, go, go, go, go) / Look on the news and see your son, You screamin’, 'No, no' (p***y!!!)"

Diddy's defense team is coming out swinging against the prosecution ... accusing the federal government of unfairly spying on him amid his ongoing detention.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... the rap mogul's legal team says the feds have trampled Diddy's constitutional rights and hindered Diddy's ability to fairly prepare for his upcoming trial while behind bars.

As the lawyers put it ... the feds flagrantly invaded Diddy's confidential communications with his attorneys -- once again calling into question the raid on the Bad Boy Records founder's cell at MDC Brooklyn.

BigXthaPlug had zero tolerance for a couple of fightin' fans disrupting his show in Los Angeles last night -- and had security swiftly throw both of the dudes out, so fans could enjoy the show!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of BigX on his sold-out Take Care Tour at The Regent in DTLA … performing the fan-favorite track “Law & Order” -- you know, the one that borrows its bounce from the series Ice-T helped build.

The Dallas-born rap star didn’t even get to his “woo-wop” rhymes when he spotted a couple guys scrapping and immediately stopped the show for some law & order on his terms!!!

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have been dating for years, and it certainly shows because they're now super comfy and very loving with each other in the public eye.

Just check out video, obtained by TMZ, which captures the singing icon and the rap star attending Wednesday night's 38th Footwear News Achievement Awards in NYC.

The event celebrates the most influential people in the footwear biz — and A$AP snagged a Collaboration of the Year Award with Puma for their work together.

Diddy will be getting his freak on over Christmas -- but it's not what you think -- his federal jail is giving him several options to play sports and games ... with a special holiday spread.

Our sources in the federal government tell us inmates at MDC Brooklyn -- where Diddy is being held as he awaits trial in his sex trafficking case -- will be able to participate in some friendly competition on Christmas Day ... including card games and dominos.

In addition to a Spades tournament and a dominos competition, Diddy and his fellow inmates will also be able to take part in a 3-on-3 basketball tourney ... and a soccer competition.

Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh responded to Kendrick Lamar's "wacced out murals" lyrics ultimatum about protecting Black women with fine-tuned sarcasm -- by challenging the star rapper's past defense of Chris Brown and R. Kelly on his resume!!!

The latest episode of their Flagrant podcast came in hot gunning hard at Kung Fu Kenny with jokes ... Kendrick's "GNX" opener called out Schulz for poking fun at BW stereotypes -- and the track is currently blazing high on the Billboard Hot 100!!!

Schultz scoffed at the notion Hip Hop is a safe hub for BW, given the amount the term "bitches and hoes" pops up in lyrics ... but the comedian didn't stop there.

Hercy Miller -- Master P's son -- was arrested last month, after he and a pair of his Southern Utah University men's basketball teammates allegedly stole a couple of refrigerators from outside their school's bookstore ... but their coach is adamant it's all "a huge misunderstanding."

According to court documents, obtained by KUTV, the theft occurred at the SUU campus in Cedar City, Utah back on Nov. 11.

The docs state that Hercy and two other Thunderbirds players, Brock Felder and Peter Dadson Jr., were seen on surveillance video nabbing the coolers from the SUU Bookstore, before loading them into two separate cars.

Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla owned part of the year with their "Hot Girl Summer" tour -- and Billboard is recognizing them as the hottest one-two punch of female rappers for 2024!!!

The chart-thumping publication crowned GloRilla as the hottest, followed by Meg at the No. 2 slot, above the likes of Latto, Sexyy Red and Doechii ... pretty impressive considering Glo was Meg's tour opener!!!

The Houston hottie started the year scorching with her first solo No. 1 hit -- the "Hiss" diss aimed at Nicki Minaj and her self-titled album.

Drake had to fend off the "20-v-1" attack in the 2024 Rap Wars -- but the battles didn't hurt his Spotify streams ... he's maintained his place on the throne for all rappers!!!

On Wednesday, Drake came in as the closest rapper to Taylor Swift's record-breaking Spotify Wrapped, making him the platform's top Hip Hop draw for the 8th year in a row!!!

While The Weeknd's fusion pop and Bad Bunny's Latin trap ranked higher overall ... Drake was the platform's most-streamed rapper on the Global and United States artists charts.

Drake aimed a couple jabs at Mustard on a live stream chat last night … turning Kendrick Lamar’s viral shoutout on their newest collab totally AGAINST HIM!!!

YouTuber Los Pollos TV was ranting about Kendrick's current No. 1 record "Squabble Up" being a terrible follow-up listen to Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” album.

Drake wasted no time and hopped in the chat to throw shots at Mustard’s weight, typing, "CUSTAAAAARRRRD" ... and then adding another zinger, "We need a donut emoji in the chat🍩"

Diane Warren ain't about that drama -- she’s shutting down the Beyoncé vs. Taylor Swift debate, saying both are icons in their own right, no matter what the polls claim about who's reigning supreme.

ICYMI, Billboard crowned Queen Bey as the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, and Swifties weren’t having it, calling it a total robbery, even though Taylor snagged the No. 2 spot.

But legendary songwriter Diane Warren weighed in Tuesday, saying there’s no competition -- they’re both G.O.A.T.s in their own way!

Tinashe is showing off some of her tropical explorations in Costa Rica ... she just dropped some pics on social media this week and it looks like it was a holiday event to remember.

The R&B singer was taking her adventuring seriously, while clearly having the time of her life as she experienced all the outdoor fun. She didn't elaborate on where she went ... but her Instagram pics tell the story -- she titled the post "Giving thanks 🤍" -- safe bet a Thanksgiving getaway was the theme.

From taking a dip in a spring, to hanging upside down zooming on a zip-line, Tinashe was decidedly not lounging around the hotel pool the whole time -- though she did find time to do some of that.

Drake's claiming UMG and others steered the masses toward Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" diss to spite him, but Apple Music is reporting fans couldn't get enough of the song ... so much so, it's their biggest song of the year!!!

Apple Music rolled out its Top Songs of 2024: Global and Replay recap on Tuesday and the verdict is in ... "Not Like Us" conquered their Global Daily Top 100 the moment it dropped in May, where it spent 6 weeks at the top.

Benson Boone's “Beautiful Things," Sabrina Carpenter’s "Espresso," Shaboozey’s "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" and Taylor Swift’s "Cruel Summer" rounded up the top 5.

It wasn't really a mystery ... when you take Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga out of the equation ... it was pretty clear Billboard would name Beyoncé the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century ... and that's exactly what it just did.

Billboard ran through all of Bey's achievements in music, including "Countdown" and "Love on Top." It's all pretty impressive.

They also directly addressed putting Bey at the No. 1 spot over Taylor ... who is technically the bigger artist based on numbers alone.

Eminem's mom Debbie Nelson has died following a battle with advanced lung cancer, TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us Debbie passed away due to lung cancer. She died last night in St. Joseph, Missouri. TMZ has confirmed her death with Eminem's rep, Dennis Dennehy.

Debbie's diagnosis was first revealed in September ... and reports at the time said she didn't have long to live.

Jay-Z's cannabis brand Monogram isn't affiliated with The Parent Company. This money-bleeding weed hub was recently discovered to have blown through $575 million in cash ... and hasn't been linked for a couple of years!!!

A source tells TMZ Hip Hop, "Jay-Z stepped away years ago and it just went up in a mess” ... with an official separation timeline of December 2022 and is currently owned by another LLC.

Jay and Monogram launched an aggressive campaign beginning in 2020, promising a premium cannabis experience ... but still were accused of selling overpriced mid in the market.