TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

Offset will NOT be prosecuted by Georgia for gun possession -- the charges have been dropped, but they were only dropped so the feds could continue an even bigger investigation.

The Clayton County D.A.'s office tells TMZ ... prosecutors dismissed all charges on July 1 against the Migos rapper. However, according to docs, the D.A. decided to stand down at the request of the U.S. Attorney's Office. Turns out the feds are in the middle of an investigation ... and that's the only reason Offset was pulled over in the first place.

In docs, county prosecutors say the feds were concerned if they took Offset to trial for gun possession they'd have to tip their hand about information related to a larger investigation. Prosecutors aren't disclosing what that investigation is about, but say pursuing Offset's case "would alert other potential future parties to the investigation and evidence that may support federal charges against said parties."

TMZ broke the story ... Offset was slapped with a felony gun possession charge back in April. It had been the latest fallout stemming from his arrest last summer in Atlanta. He was also facing 2 separate charges -- possession of weed and making an illegal lane change, both misdemeanors.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say ATF agents contacted officers in Clayton County, asking them to pull over Offset's vehicle, if there was probable cause, and identify all passengers.

Prosecutors say the probable cause was failing to maintain his lane and tinted windows. ATF merely wanted to know who was in the vehicle -- but when Clayton Co. officers smelled weed, they decided to search the car ... leading to Offset's arrest for gun possession.  

As we told you first ... Offset's lawyer said he believes the rapper was targeted because he's rich, successful and black. Based on these new docs, though, Offset might have an even bigger problem ... with the federal government.

Nicki Minaj says she can't in her right conscience perform in Saudi Arabia later this month, so she's dropping out of the event ... due to personal concerns about human rights violations there.

The rapper made the announcement Tuesday, saying ... "After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest."

She added, "While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression."

Nicki was set to hit the stage there on July 18, but groups like the the Human Rights Foundation and others lobbied her to pull out in protest of the country's restrictive laws.

Women were only recently allowed to drive and attend sporting events in stadiums, but gender segregation is still a thing in Saudi Arabia. Same sex relations are also outlawed there.

Cardi B's sworn legal enemy is turning up the pressure by claiming the rapper assaulted her -- even though they were never in the same room -- and by dragging the FBI into their battle.

Latasha K is the blogger Cardi sued earlier this year for accusing Cardi of being a drug abusing prostitute with an STD. Tasha countersued Cardi for slander, but now she just amended that lawsuit to claim Cardi caused harm to her unborn child.

Tasha's new claim of assault centers on alleged threats made by Cardi and Skeemo ... Cardi's former roommate and BFF. In the suit, Tasha says Skeemo posted "violent messages" about her on social media. 

As for Cardi ... Tasha claims the MC encouraged gang members to "handle" her ... which Tasha took as a violent threat. If that wasn't enough, in the suit, Tasha says Cardi referred to her as a "dumb ass b*tch" and a "hoe" multiple times on IG.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Tasha was in the first trimester of a "high-risk pregnancy" at the time of the alleged threats, and she says doctors put her on mandatory bed rest.

Although she's not suing Skeemo, Tasha says his alleged violent threats scared her enough to call in the FBI ... but according to her, the agency simply told her to move if she was so concerned.

Tasha says she took their advice and moved -- which is why she's suing Cardi for moving expenses as part of her $3 million lawsuit.

We've reached out to Cardi's camp for their response to the new allegations ... no word back yet.

Snoop Dogg says it's about damn time Team USA women's soccer team got paid like the "sorry ass f*cking men" ... saying our champions are getting the shaft. 

After Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and the rest of the U.S. Women's National Team beat up the Netherlands to win our 4th World Cup, Snoop Dogg fired up his IG to go off on the pay disparity. 

In his video, Snoop is referencing a report that said the U.S. women's soccer players only made $90,000 per player in bonus money for reaching the quarterfinals ... while the men would have made $500k for reaching the same stage. 

After winning the whole thing, the U.S. women's team will reportedly walk away with $260k per player ... while the men would have banked $1.1 mil each. 

Snoop is furious with the pay gap -- noting they're the BEST in the world at what they do ... while the U.S. men didn't even qualify for the World Cup in 2018. 

"The sorry ass f*cking men from the U.S. soccer team, they ain't ever won sh*t, ain't gonna ever win sh*t, can't get out the f*cking first round," Snoop said. 

"Man, PAY THEM LADIES!"

Snoop added, "The women should be getting $500k per athlete. Snoop Dogg says so."

Obviously, his numbers are a little off ... but you get the point. 

Kodak Black has a new photo straight from the pen -- and it's not even an updated mug ... just a cheesin' KB letting us know he's hanging in there.   

The Florida rapper had someone post a fresh pic of himself Sunday from behind bars, and you can see he pretty much looks exactly the same as when he went in. Maybe longer hair, hard to tell though. He also seems to be in good spirits ... on the surface, anyway.

We only say that because Kodak added a somewhat ominous caption to his IG post -- which someone must've thrown up on his behalf while visiting. He writes, "The Streets Thin Na Cuz Everybody Gettin Hung .. Lawyers Sittin Back Suckin All A Ni*** Funds."

Unless he's griping about tax dollars that are going to the state of Florida in prosecuting his case -- hey, he might be -- it sounds an awful lot like Kodak's not happy with his defense team.

He might have a reason to be peeved -- a lot of stuff has NOT been going his way since he got arrested in May for allegedly making false statements on gun applications. He asked a judge, through his attorneys, to let him out on bail so he can deal with his other legal sitch down in South Carolina, but the court ruled in the prosecution's favor, saying he's a risk. 

The feds have also linked guns Kodak allegedly purchased with those false applications to a shooting that happened in March. His lawyers have called BS, but it looks like the case is moving forward as it stands ... which will presumably get resolved during his trial in September. 

Cardi B wigged out during her concert in London, and she's now issued a plea for the safe return of her faux hair!!!

Cardi was amazing on Friday headlining the first night of London's Wireless Festival, and she got so amped during her performance she ripped her wig off her head and hurled it into the crowd.

Cardi continued, wearing only a wig cap.

Thing is ... she's having some regrets, and wants it back. She tweeted her plea, but the jury is out on whether the fan who caught the flying hair will return it, keep it, or cash in on e-Bay.  

So far ... radio silence. Judging from social media, the sentiment is that Cardi needs to go wig shopping before her next concert. 

YG says he had absolutely nothing to do with a high-speed chase through the streets of Los Angeles involving an SUV registered in his name ... an incident that started with a deadly police shootout.

The Compton rapper tells TMZ ... "I was nowhere near the scene of this incident and had been in a recording studio all day in Hollywood. I was there until after midnight on the Fourth of July and didn't learn of these events until after they happened."

Our sources say YG is the registered owner of the black Cadillac Escalade that was involved in Wednesday night's pursuit, which began with a deputy-involved shooting in Compton. The SUV had aftermarket bulletproof glass and armor. We're told the Escalade is a company car, and YG did not know the car was being used at the time.

Police say they were initially called to apprehend a reckless DUI suspect, but detectives then responded to a deputy-involved shooting after an innocent bystander was caught in the crossfire and shot dead at the scene.

Following the deadly shootout, a high-speed chase ensued and the pursuit finally came to an end in Inglewood. 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says more shots were fired during the chase, with suspects shooting at deputies and a Sheriff's helicopter, which was not struck by bullets. 

Police say one deputy was shot during the pursuit and suffered minor injuries from a gunshot wound, and he was treated and released. According to multiple reports, a patrol car's windshield was peppered with bullets. 

At least one person was detained, and another suspect remains outstanding.

A$AP Rocky is in even more trouble than we thought, because Swedish authorities have just made it clear ... they have no plans to release him anytime soon.

Swedish prosecutors are asking a judge to allow them to hold A$AP Rocky and members of his crew for 2 weeks, while they investigate the alleged assault Tuesday for which he was detained. Swedish authorities are normally allowed to keep people for only 3 days, so they are clearly gunning for him.

And, there's even more ominous news. As you know, authorities jumped into action after a video surfaced of A$AP and his crew pummeling a guy on the street, leaving him battered and bloodied.

But then, another video surfaced, showing the alleged victim harassing A$AP and hitting his bodyguard with a set of headphones. The guy was harassing A$AP and his crew for about a half hour before they had enough.

A$AP actually tried to be a peacemaker ... telling the guy, "We don't wanna fight y'all. We don't wanna go to jail."

It's unclear if authorities saw that second video before they jailed A$AP, but they have seen it now. What's really significant ... Swedish prosecutors tell us they are releasing the bodyguard now due to "insufficient evidence" but they are not releasing A$AP. That suggests the second video doesn't do it for prosecutors, and they still view this as an assault.

This is really serious for A$AP ... if convicted, he faces 6 years in prison.

DaBaby's facing a second lawsuit in less than two weeks ... this time from a promoter who is pissed the rapper bailed on a gig after his crew allegedly beat the crap outta another rapper.

Nothing To Something ENTertainment is suing DaBaby claiming it's out tons of cash after the rapper bailed on a scheduled gig back in May at Centro Night club in Lawrence, MA. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the promoters say they paid DaBaby up front and also shelled out thousands to promote the performance but the rapper dipped out before it even began.

As we first reported ... DaBaby's posse beat another fellow rapper to a pulp, sending him into a coma. The alleged victim, Don Trag, had also been scheduled to perform at the same venue. His family told us Trag just wanted a pic with DaBaby, who turned him down.

Sources close to DaBaby had said Trag was overzealous ... and when Trag kept getting turned down, he started talking smack. That's when DaBaby's crew unleashed a beating. Trag sued DaBaby for injuries to his head, neck and spine. The promoters are now going after DaBaby too.

Celebrity prisoners spending their July 4th holiday behind bars will chow down on an Independence Day spread like the rest of us ... filling their bellies with fatty foods.

TMZ's obtained prison menus from across the nation, and locked-up celebs Kodak Black, Suge Knight, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Michael Cohen are being treated to some pretty standard All-American fare ... mostly burgers and hot dogs.

Here'a a breakdown of their Fourth food options:

The Situation and Michael Cohen at New York's FCI Otisville:

-- Hamburgers, french fries, baked potatoes, sliced onions, pickles and fruit

Sitch is 6 months into his 8-month sentence for tax evasion, so this could be his last holiday meal behind bars. Not so for Cohen. President Trump's former personal attorney is just 2 months into his 3-year sentence for tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Suge Knight at San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility:

-- Hot dogs, cheeseburgers, crinkle-cut fries, cucumber onion salad, watermelon and chocolate milk

Suge is serving a 28-year sentence after striking a plea deal last year in his murder case. Remember, he's been on the inside since 2015 ... so he knows the game by now. No fireworks.

Kodak Black at FDC Miami:

-- BBQ roast beef, sliced beef sausage, hamburger buns, baked beans, mac and cheese, potato salad, sliced onions, sliced pickles and cheesecake

A$AP Rocky is under arrest in Sweden for a street fight and now faces a very serious charge -- this despite video that seems to show he and his team were NOT the aggressors.

Law enforcement in Stockholm tell us ... cops busted A$AP on suspicion of aggravated assault. TMZ broke the story ... the rapper and his team got into the brawl last weekend.

We posted the first video of the incident, showing Rocky and his entourage tossing a guy and punching him.

Witnesses told us the fight started because the man was hounding A$AP and his team over a pair of headphones he claimed they had broken.

However, AR later posted a nearly 3-minute long video which showed the man had actually broken his headphones when he smashed them on the head of A$AP's bodyguard. Even after that clear first shot was taken ... Rocky is seen on camera playing peacemaker, trying to calm the situation.

It appears the fight erupted several minutes later when the man continued to hound A$AP and co., and after a woman claimed the man had groped her butt.

We're told Stockholm cops can now hold Rocky for up to 3 days while prosecutors determine whether to charge him. If they do, he's looking at the possibility of up to 6 years in a Swedish prison.

We're told 3 other people were also arrested ... 2 on suspicion of aggravated assault, and 1 for suspicion of assault. It's unclear what their relationship is to A$AP.

Shaquille O'Neal just dropped the music video for his EDM track with NGHTMRE and Lil Jon ... and it's a crazy combo of headbanging, Ferraris and ... doing taxes??

Hell yeah!!!

DJ Diesel -- AKA the biggest DJ on the planet -- teamed up with the L.A. producer and crunk rapper for the perfectly titled banger, "BANG," which was originally released back in February.

The song alone will make you want to flip your desk over and quit your job ... and now that the video came out this week, we get to enjoy watching Shaq and the gang rage their faces off and goof around.

Seriously ... the dudes go from spa days to arcades to playing hide-and-seek ... and a bunch of live shots from Ultra Music Festival in Miami in between.

Of course, Shaq's been spending his time on the 1s and 2s in recent years and gaining the respect from fellow DJs like Diplo, who told us back in February the NBA legend is "killin' it" in his new career.

Lil Nas X had clearly been thinking about coming out as gay for a long time, and the best evidence of that is the cover of his debut album ... a cover that was in the works for weeks.

Lorenzo Sozzi, who designed the cover with the rapper, tells TMZ ... Lil Nas X had a vision of the art for the album -- the rapper leaving a dystopian world for a futuristic world -- so X actually put out an open call to artists to come up with his vision, and Sozzi is the one who nailed it.

Lil Nas had some edits, though, and sometime during the creative process ... he instructed Sozzi to add a rainbow flourish to one of the buildings on the album cover. Nas never told Sozzi why he wanted to add the rainbow, but he was adamant about it.

Now, here's what's really interesting ... Nas released the album cover art on June 15 -- 2 weeks ago, but he didn't come out until June 30. Looking back, it's clear, at the very least, the cover of X's "7" was a big clue he was gay, but he never explained further until his Glastonbury concert this past Sunday.

TMZ broke the story ... Nas was so moved by the crowd -- 180,000 strong -- showing him so much love, he went back stage, picked up his phone, and told the world he is gay.

A$AP Rocky tried his best to calm things down moments before he and his crew got into a crazy brawl with a guy who ended up getting battered and bloodied.

New video shows the rapper wanted no trouble with a guy who kept following him over the weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. The video starts with A$AP's massive bodyguard telling the guy to take a hike, but the guy didn't listen. He kept harassing A$AP's group, and eventually used his headphones to swing on the bodyguard. You can hear them shatter on the bodyguard's head. 

Check out the vid ... you can see Rocky put his left hand over the guy's shoulder and tell him, "Listen, listen. We don't wanna fight y'all. We don't wanna go to jail." At one point, Rocky also looks into the camera and says "We don't want no problems with these boys. They keep following us. Look at them." 

As you know by now ... A$AP's patience ran out. TMZ posted the video of Rocky and co. pummeling the guy. When the dust settled, Rocky and his crew were long gone and the guy was knocked out on the ground.

Law enforcement sources told us they're looking into the incident and reviewing video. 

Lil Nas X is not going to be ostracized by the rap community simply for coming out ... at least according to record executive and producer Irv Gotti, who says times are a changin'.

We got the Murder Inc. Records honcho in New York City and ask him about the industry's reaction to the rapper announcing he's gay. Irv tells us it ain't that big of a deal ... not these days, anyway. 

As we first reported ... the 20-year-old "Old Town Road" sensation felt inspired to tell the world his truth Sunday night after performing in front of a MASSIVE crowd in England, going on social media on the last day of Pride month to announce he's gay. 

Irv, who's produced tons of hits for hip-hop titans over the past 25 years, says it would've been much harder for Lil Nas X to come out back in the day ... but now, it's not too shocking.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner says it's "AWESOME" that Lil Nas X has come out as gay -- telling TMZ Sports, "I think it's real big!"

28-year-old Griner is openly gay -- she's engaged to longtime girlfriend Cherelle Watson -- and knows first hand how tough it can be to come out when you're a big star under the microscope. 

But, the 5-time WNBA All-Star says she's especially impressed with the "Old Town Road" artist for not letting homophobes and negative gay stereotypes (especially in the hip-hop world) stop him from going public about his sexuality. 

"I just think it's awesome he did that," Griner says ... "takes a lot of bravery."

Griner says it's 2019 and people should be able to love who they want to love and be who they want to be without fear of a backlash ... and she thinks Lil Nas X is helping to achieve that goal. 

"I think it's real big ... kudos to him."