TMZ Hip Hop

Afroman says he forgives the Ohio law enforcement officers who sued him for mocking them in music videos after they raided his home ... but that doesn't mean he will shy away from performing the songs.

The rapper tells TMZ ... he'll continue to play the two songs at the heart of the lawsuit he just beat in court ... "Lemon Pound Cake" and "Will You Help Me Repair My Door."

Afroman used home security footage of the raid in the music videos ... and the sheriff's deputies sued, claiming the tracks caused them mental distress.

Afroman can finally put this years-long drama behind him ... because he was found not liable in a defamation lawsuit brought against him by Ohio's Adams County Sheriff's deputies he'd mocked in a video after they raided his home.

Wednesday, a judge read the verdict, saying ... "In all circumstances, the jury finds in favor of the defendant. No plaintiff verdict prevailed."

The rapper -- legal name Joseph Foreman -- got emotional as the verdict was read, crying tears of relief. Outside the courthouse, he told WKRC-TV ... "I'm just happy that my supporters, America, and the jurors didn't go for it."

Jay-Z is ready to run this town ... announcing Wednesday he'll be playing some massive shows in NYC this summer.

Roc Nation posted on X that the rap legend will be taking over Yankee Stadium for two nights at the end of July.

Jay's sets will celebrate some major milestones -- the 30th anniversary of his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" and the 25th anniversary of "The Blueprint."

Over the years, we've seen a variety of Mystikal's mug shots, but one flew under the radar ... and now we've got our hands on it, and we think it's a perfect time to trot it out after the rapper recently pleaded guilty to rape.

Check out this never-before-seen 2010 photo of Mystikal -- real name Michael Tyler -- snapped by the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. In the pic, Mystikal looks clean-shaven and baby-faced ... unlike his gritty appearance these days.

A rep for the sheriff's office tells us ... Mystikal was convicted of sexual battery of the infirm in June 2003 and incarcerated for several years until his release from prison in January 2010. After leaving prison, Mystikal registered as a lifetime sex offender, but his current status is "inactive" since he's once again incarcerated and not a danger to the community, the rep says.

Desmond Scott’s ex Marissa Springer is spilling on their whirlwind fling ... and says from the jump, he was throwing some serious money at her and spoiling her like it was no big deal.

Marissa sat down with TMZ’s Charlie Neff and told us things escalated fast ... claiming the very next day after we broke the clip of their steamy make-out session, he handed over his credit card and told her to go wild.

Check the clip -- she breaks down exactly what she bought and whether she hit the $25K limit he gave her -- but now says it all feels a little different in hindsight. Marissa suspects the shopping spree may have been hush money, especially since he was in the middle of a very public split from his wife Kristy Scott ... and didn’t even show up for the spree himself.

Rick Ross respects hustle ... but he's saying Remy Ma has gone too far! The Biggest Boss is going after Remy and her network for a movie that he says rips off his nickname and music.

ICYMI ... Remy is planning to release a film called "The Biggest Boss" on her platform, The Remy Network. Now -- according to a letter sent by Ross's attorneys and obtained by TMZ -- Rick is claiming the project features the unauthorized use of his music and trade name and demanding they halt the project from going forward.

Not only that ... Ross says it's confusing fans into thinking he has something to do with the movie, citing comments on social media.

Bands will make you dance, and Sexyy Red and Woah Vicky are missing their pants! All jokes aside, which lovely lady with cash money is doin' it for ya?!

The question here is: Who'd You Rather?!

VOTE NOW!

After you cast your vote, can you assemble the Woah Vicky puzzle?

Emotions have been running high in the civil trial brought by the Ohio sheriff's deputies who raided Afroman's home back in 2022.

On Monday, sheriff's deputy Lisa Phillips broke down in tears while being shown a music video Afroman made titled "Licc'em Low Lisa" ... that appears to feature an actor portraying the officer simulating oral sex on another woman.

In courtroom footage, Lisa is seen visibly crying while the 13-minute video played. Afroman's lawyer had objected to playing the video, but the judge ultimately allowed it.

The court also played Afroman's 2022 music video "Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera," where he raps "Lieutenant Licc'em Low Lisa ate my ex-wife just like pizza" as home security footage seems to show Lisa walking through his house during the raid.

Afroman's day in court has finally come ... the rapper took the stand in his lawsuit filed against him by the Adams County Sheriff's deputies who raided his Ohio home back in 2022.

In the lawsuit, the deputies claimed Afroman used their likenesses -- which were apparently captured on his home security cameras -- without their permission in the songs and merch he's made about the raid.

But in a new trial video posted by WCPO-TV, the "Because I Got High" singer insists he was just exercising his "right of freedom of speech as an American."

In fact, he turned it back around on the deputies, saying on the stand ... "all of this is their fault."

The artist continued, testifying ... "If they hadn't wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit. I would not know their names, they wouldn't be on my home surveillance system, and there would be no songs ... my money would still be intact."

In his testimony, Afroman said the deputies tore down his door and didn't pay for it. He also claims they still owe him money they seized in the search.

Here's where the deputies say they're having a problem ... after the raid went down, Afroman made the song "Lemon Pound Cake" about the ordeal and included his security footage in the music video.

Then there's his track "Will You Help Me Repair My Door" ... which consists entirely of various shots of the raid, as well as an alleged photo of the search warrant that seems to show it was issued for drug trafficking and kidnapping.

In court, Afroman stood by his use of the videos, testifying ... "I had to do what I had to do to repair the damage they brought to my house."

The rapper has posted several other music videos on YouTube, name-dropping the deputies he says were involved in his raid ... and it seems he's been continuing to post these kinds of videos as recently as yesterday.

Gunna got duped into performing at an X Games concert by shady concert promoters who lured him to Colorado with promises of a huge payday that never came ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Gunna's touring company claims it agreed to have the rapper perform at an X Games event in Aspen back in January ... and signed a contract guaranteeing him $500,000 the night of the gig.

The company claims the agreement called for an additional $250,000 payment if he didn't get the $500K by the first deadline ... but it claims Gunna hasn't seen a dime and has been getting the runaround ... despite the fact Gunna did his part and performed at the X Games event. And there are even more concerns about the promoters ...

Mustard is on a roll! The famous DJ and music producer just scored a big win against his ex-wife, Chanel Thierry, in their nasty custody battle ... TMZ has learned.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, Mustard -- legal name Dijon McFarlane -- will be able to make final educational decisions for their 3 children until August 2026, after he complained in papers that Chanel was making disparaging comments about him online.

In the papers, the judge determined that at least some of Chanel's recent social media posts were in direct violation of a previous order to refrain from speaking in a "negative, disrespectful, or derogatory manner to or about the other parent in a child's presence or within hearing distance of the child." As a result ... Mustard has now been awarded tie-breaking authority over educational decisions concerning their kids -- Kiylan, Kauner and Kody.

Cardi B's next collab might not be in the recording studio! Sophie Rain tells us she wants to get the Grammy winner to link up with her on OnlyFans.

We caught up with the 21-year-old content creator in Beverly Hills on Monday, where she filled us in on her biggest fantasy.

When we asked which celebrity she would be most excited to work with, she didn't hesitate ... "Cardi B would be sick. I love Cardi B!"

A$AP Rocky was spotted for the first time in public since Rihanna was at home during a frightening incident when her house was shot up earlier this month ... and we have the pics.

The rapper was snapped carrying a large red leather bag over his shoulder, pairing a graphic jacket layered over a hoodie, as he walked down a New York City street Sunday night ... one week after the shooting.

As you know ... Rihanna was at home with their 3 children when an assailant fired multiple rounds into her Los Angeles house on Sunday, March 8.

Doja Cat has revealed she's been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) ... and is "struggling" with it after living with the condition for years.

The "Paint the Town Red" hitmaker discussed her condition in a candid TikTok shared Friday ... telling fans she thinks it "caught up" with her after being taught to pretend to be someone she's not as a kid ... and living with an "I'll get it done" mentality.

It's all in the clip ... she notes the struggle with BPD has been going on "probably forever" and that it's been "agonizing." But, she says she's been in therapy for years and is "so relieved and so proud" of how far she's come.

Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are arguing his sentence is far too harsh ... accusing the judge in a new legal filing of punishing him for crimes for which he was acquitted.

The rapper's legal team filed an appeal Friday in which they point out a jury found Diddy not guilty of sex trafficking and RICO charges ... yet Diddy received a sentence his lawyers say is roughly four times higher than normal for his prostitution-related Mann Act convictions.

Diddy's lawyers blast his 50-month sentence as a "perversion of justice."