TMZ Hip Hop - Page 2

Joe Budden's podcast co-host QueenzFlip is defending his friend in the wake of the rapper's lewdness charge ... and he says the incident won't harm their work.

We got QueenzFlip in New Jersey and our photog asked him about Joe's alleged naked event from last month ... the one where his neighbors claim he showed up at their door in his birthday suit.

QueenzFlip says Joe's always going to be good in his book and he's brushing off the incident ... chalking it up to JB's sleepwalking.

12:05 PM PT -- In an incident report obtained by TMZ ... the unidentified victim says he was holding a bottle of water when he was pushed from behind at the show, splashing water onto the stage, dousing BigXThaPlug. The victim says BigX looked at him "with a real mean face," prompting someone from the rapper's team to punch him.

The victim told cops other members of the crew allegedly jumped off the stage and struck the victim as many as 50 times over 5 minutes as he covered up in a fetal position on the floor, and he says he was kicked and stomped ... all requiring hospitalization for cuts and bruises. The victim claims 2 gold chains and a pair of $2,000 Cartier sunglasses were stolen during the melee.

BigXThaPlug and his crew cleaned a fan's clock during his sold-out "Take Care" tour, and TMZ Hip Hop has their showdown -- and ensuing brawl -- all on camera!!!

Multiple sources tell us one particular guy in the crowd was heckling BigX during the rapper's Seattle stop on Dec. 8 ... obnoxiously causing a scene as the "Amar" hitmaker was onstage.

A line was drawn when the heckler threw water at BigX ... and the top-heavy rapper and his crew hopped off the stage to defend themselves.

Trae Tha Truth has been looking for his missing daughter for months, and now they've finally been reunited.

The Houston rapper tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he got a call at 8 AM on New Year's Day informing him that his ex -- the mother of his 6-year-old daughter Truth -- had been arrested in El Centro, California on child endangerment charges ... a development that led him to his kid.

Trae tells us he hopped on the next flight to San Diego from Texas and drove over 100 miles to the small town near the U.S. border with Mexico ... where he was reunited with Truth.

Looks like Offset's not having any trouble in the dating department amid his well-publicized breakup with Cardi B ... he was just spotted shopping with a new lady in Dubai.

Offset was booked for big-money shows in Dubai for New Year's, performing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ... and our sources tell us he took Atlanta-based model Melanie Jayda along for the ride.

The couple hit up a Chanel store in the UAE city on New Year's Day, strolling along with $100K worth of merch.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori are starting off 2025 with a BANG!

Just check out these photos of the ultra-famous couple -- known for making splashy appearances everywhere they go around the planet.

Bianca, in particular, knows full well how to make tongues wag with her sexy outfits that typically cover very little of her amazing body while she's out in public.

Coi Leray has a lot to look forward to in 2025 ... the rapper is pregnant and expecting her first child with boyfriend Trippie Redd.

The daughter of rapper Benzino shared her big update on Instagram in honor of the New Year, uploading several pictures of her growing baby bump.

Diplo was trippin’ — literally — during a CNN interview to ring in 2025 — and his back and forth with hosts Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper was one for the history books.

The famous DJ made a virtual appearance on CNN’s "New Year’s Eve Live" with Andy and Anderson who were standing alongside each other in Times Square waiting for the ball to drop.

Check out the video … Andy kicked things off by asking Diplo about the most conventional place where he had done LSD.

Platinum producer RoccStar thinks VH1 is due for some changes in its 'Love & Hip Hop' schedule ... mainly putting him and Hollywood back on primetime and giving the Miami series the boot!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with RoccStar in L.A. as the last of 2024 wound down, and we got an explanation on why 'L&HH' has been missing from the Thirty Mile Zone since 2019 ... RoccStar says the network didn't want to pay anyone!!!

Omarion, Soulja Boy, Jason Lee, and of course, Ray J & Princess Love were among his 'L&HH' counterparts -- but RoccStar remembers himself being a ratings draw.

Joe Budden was charged earlier this month ... after authorities claimed his neighbor saw him outside their apartment on Ring Camera footage -- completely naked.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Budden was charged on December 4 in Edgewater, New Jersey for lewdness.

The Edgewater Police Department released a statement on December 30 about the incident after news of the charge broke online ... explaining officers were called to an apartment complex in the area at approximately 7:21 AM.

Jay-Z's attorney says there are a bunch of holes in the rape lawsuit against the rapper ... and he's looking to have the case thrown out.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... Alex Spiro, the lawyer representing the rap mogul, says he's gearing up to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against Jay-Z ... claiming the statute "Jane Doe" is suing under didn't even take effect until after the alleged sexual assault ... and can't be applied against the rapper retroactively.

As Jay-Z's attorney puts it ... the statute was enacted in December 2000 -- 3 months after Jane Doe claimed she was sexually assaulted by Jay-Z and Diddy at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.

Drake won't be hard to spot Down Under next month on his upcoming tour run in Australia ... his new "Anita Max Wynn" gemstones will be hogging all the light in sight!!!

Celebrity jeweler Jason Arasheben, CEO of Jason of Beverly Hills, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... "Having done a number of Owl pieces for Drake, I was excited to work with him on a pendant of his alter ego. Just as the cartoon holds more meaning than meets the eye, so does the pendant."

"The back features all the dates of his Australian tour with a secret compartment revealing the Toronto skyline."

Mariah Carey might be vibing to some Silk Sonic tones ... 'cause she was out in Aspen with one half of the band -- and, she and Anderson .Paak certainly kept dating rumors alive.

The Queen of Christmas grabbed dinner at Duemani restaurant with the singer-songwriter and other close pals in the popular celebrity holiday spot in Colorado Sunday ... wearing a svelte black dress and a beautiful piece of jewelry wrapped around her neck.

.Paak kept it classy in a long gray coat and fashionable hat ... flashing a winning smile as he exited the restaurant -- while his hand's in hers!

SZA has the No. 1 album in the country going into 2025 ... but she focused her attention Monday at the section of her rabid fanbase always talking about her body size!!!

After one of her fan pages posted a now-deleted throwback to the "S.O.S." singer wanderlusting during the 2020 quarantine, another fan remarked on her BBL surgery and weight gain, saying they missed that earlier era of her career ... and that set SZA off.

Like most people, SZA says the COVID-19 epidemic was hard on her, having lost her grandmother, and depression eventually took over, and she was working out a lot and not eating.

Bhad Bhabie appears to have had a change of heart and is back with her baby daddy Le Vaughn -- after she said she was breaking up with him for allegedly hooking up with Alabama Barker.

The "Gucci Flip Flops" rapper posted an Instagram video Sunday night, showing her and Le Vaughn enjoying an intimate moment ... with her guy leaning in to kiss her neck. In her post, Bhabie wrote, "Forever my baby," with two heart emojis.

However, Bhabie was singing a very different tune earlier this month when she posted a video on social media blasting Alabama for allegedly linking up with Le Vaughn.

Tina Knowles is well aware some are popping off over Beyoncé's Netflix Christmas Day halftime show performance ... and she's not having it.

As you know, Beyoncé took the stage at the Texans-Ravens game earlier this week in her hometown of Houston ... but of course, there were some -- such as Dave Portnoy -- who bashed the show and the superstar.

Momma Knowles recently took to Instagram to clap back at haters, saying in part ... "It is mind-boggling to me that you would take your precious Christmas day and watch a performance of someone you hate and you don’t think has talent so that you can go talk ish about it later😂😂."

11:03 AM PT -- OG Maco's family has released a statement, summarizing the rapper's life and career as a "testament to resilience, creativity and boundless love."

OG Maco passed away last night surrounded by family in a Los Angeles hospital, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The "U Guessed It" rapper had been hospitalized since December 12 after suffering a gunshot wound to the head. Sources close to the situation tell us Maco's coma took a turn and he went into critical condition, and he was unable to be revived.

Doctors had been struggling to get a proper brain scan in attempts to flush out all the toxins in Maco's system since he was admitted earlier in the month.