TMZ Hip Hop - Page 50

A$AP Rocky's saying good riddance to Sweden FOR GOOD and never looking back ... assuming everything goes according to plan.

Rocky left Sweden hours after the judges in his assault case decided to let him out of jail while they noodle on their decision, which is expected on August 14. A$AP returned to the U.S., and he won't have to return for the reading of the verdict, because it will be a written ruling.

All signs point to Rocky being acquitted. Prosecutors tried to keep him in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk. The judges could have ordered him to stay in Sweden but they gave him the all clear to leave the country. That smells like a not guilty verdict.

Our sources say if the verdict comes in as expected, Rocky will never go back to the home of IKEA.

He never said the arrest was racially motivated -- at least not for public consumption -- but a lot of people, including his mom, think that's exactly what's behind his arrest and prosecution. As we reported, Snoop and Quavo say they had similar experiences with Swedish cops, and Snoop also said good riddance to the country.

The rapper said during his testimony he won't seek any money from the Swedish government for wrongful prosecution, because he can easily earn back his profits from canceled concerts. Smart move ... more incentive for the judges to find him not guilty.

Rocky's lawyer says he believes he did enough to show the judges his client acted in self-defense and the attack on the alleged victim was not overboard or premeditated ... as the prosecution alleged.

A$AP Rocky got a HUGE assist Friday from 2 eyewitnesses to the beating that landed him in jail and Swedish criminal court ... because both said they were clear -- they did NOT see Rocky strike the alleged victim with a bottle.

The bottle is the centerpiece of the prosecution's case. They claim Rocky severely injured the alleged victim by hurling a bottle at him ... which they say was excessive force and unjustified. Rocky admitted Thursday he picked up a bottle but denied he ever threw it.

Nicki Minaj is about to change her identity -- adding her beau's last name to her own -- and officially making her Petty.

Nicki and Kenneth Petty marched into a Beverly Hills courthouse earlier this week and got a marriage license. Sources close to the couple tell us Nicki -- whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj -- will be known as Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty.

As for the wedding, it's a mystery ... but there are clues. Several of her close friends flew into L.A. Tuesday, the day after she and Kenneth got their marriage license. The friends stayed in town for less than a day and flew out again. They were all staying at 2 swanky WeHo hotels.

It's possible the wedding went down that day, but we're not sure. It's also possible they could get hitched this weekend. Her mentor, Lil Wayne, has a couple days off from his Blink-182 tour and our sources say he plans to be in L.A. Saturday and Sunday.

Cardi B's worldwide stardom will put her in a precarious position when she sits for a deposition next week -- and that's why she wants the judge to keep the whole matter confidential.

Cardi is in a legal dogfight with her former manger -- he sued her, then she sued him -- and in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, her attorneys say her monumental achievement as a world-renowned rapper makes her vulnerable to a feeding frenzy from both the public and the media.

Her team says if the video of her deposition, as well as the transcripts, get out to the public, it could harm her case ... and expose private details about her life and finances.

Additionally, they've got serious Internet meme concerns. As they put it in docs, if the material gets out "it is highly likely that any such video will be reproduced and edited (and possibly manipulated) into out-of-context video clips and GIFs of her testimony."

As we first reported ... Cardi's ex-manager, Shaft, claims he transformed her from an Instagram wannabe to a global celebrity. Shaft sued Cardi for $10 million in April 2018 ... and then she countersued him for $15 million.

One of Shaft's more significant claims -- he says his contacts and personal team of writers and producers are responsible for her first massive hit, "Bodak Yellow."

Lil Uzi Vert says people who think he shaded Lil Nas X -- including X himself -- are tripping and just don't understand etiquette on Twitter ... where sending a heart is all that's required.

Allow us to explain -- Lil Nas was trending, again, this week when he shared a screenshot of his DM asking Uzi to collab with him on a "Panini" remix ... but getting no reply. Fans accused Vert of leaving X on read ... a clear sign of disrespect, or at least indifference.

But, Lil Uzi tells us he did reply by sending a heart, which suggests he's interested ... and if Lil Nas X wants to collab, Uzi says he's all for it.

Uzi's kinda got a point for not hitting X back with a longer reply ... Uzi says they've never met. Sounds like that's about to change though.

We also had to ask Uzi about the flashy new (but used) $1.7 million Bugatti he debuted at his blowout birthday bash. He's still flaunting it, but not down to talk price. Umm, spoiler alert? Sorry, Uzi.

Lil Uzi Vert broke the bank celebrating 25 years of life ... throwing a lavish birthday party in NYC and dropping over a million bucks for a luxury car that used to belong to Floyd Mayweather!!!

The Philly rapper pulled out all the stops Wednesday night for his bday bash ... partying the night away with celeb friends and tons of smokin' hot babes at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge.

Jordyn Woods, Wale, Gunna, Casanova, Bernice Burgos, Pop Smoke, Shiggy, DJ Clue and a bunch of others turned up ... and Uzi was literally looking like a kid in a candy store, because guests chowed down on candy sushi, cotton candy, popcorn and pretzels.

Uzi rolled up to his party in style ... hopping out of Floyd's former Bugatti. We're told Uzi dropped $1.7 million on Mayweather's whip, and he threw down another $20,000 to get the car rush-delivered from Los Angeles.

Lil Uzi bought the 2012 Bugatti Grand Sport from celebrity car broker RD Whittington ... and we're told it's the same car Floyd got before his 2017 superfight against Conor McGregor.

The Bugatti looks a little different now ... thanks to some sweet custom work by CarEffex, which tricked it out with a $10k custom wrap.

BTW ... when Floyd first copped the Bugatti, he threw down $3.3 MILLION. So, Uzi got a steal.

Back to the party ... Lil Uzi Vert guzzled champagne and there were Uzi-themed cocktails, courtesy of D'usse. He cut into a birthday cake decorated in diamonds and dollar bills -- the party theme was "Dripping Green & Diamonds."

Speaking of diamonds ... as you can see in the pics, Uzi was rocking tons of new ice from celeb jeweler Eliantte. Gotta have that bday bling!

The guy who knocked out Future's bodyguard with a flying blindside punch claims there's more to the story than the video shows ... and he was just protecting his friends.

As you'll recall ... the bodyguard was attacked last week at the Ibiza Airport after an altercation between the rapper and a group of guys carried over onto the street.

The man who threw the punch, Marcus, tells TMZ ... he and his buddies had just landed and noticed Future, so one of his pals asked for a picture. He claims Future responded with, "Suck my d**k."

Marcus admits his crew fired back at Future with some rudeness of their own, but says they were ready to leave and let it go ... but the bodyguard wasn't.

He claims the rapper's hired muscle followed them outside to the taxi line, and kept insulting and harassing them -- and even said he'd die for Future -- before inviting them to come around the corner to fight. Marcus' point is the guy was practically begging for it.

Marcus says the bodyguard continued to follow them in a threatening manner, and because he's a big guy and they didn't know what he was capable of ... he launched a preemptive strike.

The Brit also denies there was anything racially charged about the incident, and says his friends at the airport were predominantly black ... including the guy who shot the video. He's insistent he personally didn't drop any racial slurs.

As we told you ... Future's bodyguard isn't pressing charges for the assault and the Civil Guard of Spain will not investigate unless somebody does. Marcus claims he and his friends were detained by airport police shortly after the incident ... but were cut loose once cops reviewed security footage.

A$AP Rocky's bodyguard absolutely choked the hell out of the alleged victim in Sweden -- it's clear as day in this surveillance video -- but the video also presents a flaw in the prosecution's case.

This video was captured before the street brawl broke out, AND before the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, threw a punch at the bodyguard. It's pretty brutal ... the massive hired muscle grabs Jafari by his throat, lifts him off the ground and tosses him down the street.

What's puzzling is ... why clear the bodyguard? When prosecutors announced Jafari would not be charged for punching the bodyguard, they said he was acting in self-defense. Sooo, if he's defending himself, why not charge the guy attacking him? Especially when there's such clear video evidence like this.

Moments after the choking, Jafari swung a punch at the bodyguard and then hit him with his headphones.

Kanye West is bringing an incredible architectural concept to the hills of Calabasas -- doing studies and developments to change the industry -- and the prototypes are now springing up with an eye toward making them new age homes.

Sources familiar with the project tell TMZ ... Kanye is building dome-like structures that are prototypes for a new type of home ... homes he believes will break the barriers that separate classes ... namely, the rich, the middle class and the poor.

We got the first images of Kanye's plan to revolutionize housing. The project sits on a portion of land Kanye bought a few years back ... 300 acres in all. His plan is to create a housing community, but until now the butcher paper covered the canvas -- it was a well-guarded secret.

Construction crews have been hard at work at the Calabasas site for weeks ... with trucks, cranes and dozens of workers coming in and out. The dome-like structures each stand around 50 feet high.

Our Kanye sources say the project is in an "early state" but the vibe is there ... to make new housing communities the world can enjoy. We're told Ye and his team are studying dwellings "from every period of man's existence on earth." Those who have visited the property say the proportions feel otherworldly.

Kanye has been an innovator in music, touring and is the founder of the billion-dollar Yeezy brand ... and has now ventured into land development.

We're told the domes and living spaces will be "dynamic" ... something that has become Kanye's stock-in-trade. The Calabasas home he shares with Kim is considered an architectural masterpiece with what some have called a revolutionary use of space.

Cowboys fans should be pointing the finger at the NBA for Ezekiel Elliott's holdout this month ... so says Too Short, who tells TMZ Sports, basketball players "f*cked up" the NFL!!!

The rapper was standing outside of Bootsy Bellows in L.A. ... when he decided to drop the "f*cking truth" about NFL contract holdouts to our camera guy.

And, yeah ... dude says it's all Adam Silver's fault.

"The f*cking truth is that basketball f*cked everybody up in the head!"

Too Short says all the wild deals NBA owners have given out to mediocre players throughout the past couple seasons has poisoned NFL players who think they deserve MILLIONS now.

"Everybody was like, 'You get $100 million! You get $100 million! You get $150! You get $180! You get $220!' It's f*cked up, now!"

Too Short added, "Athletes are like, 'It's f*cked up. You gotta give us our money!'"

Bad news for the NFL ... it seems to be working -- 'cause Michael Thomas' holdout in New Orleans just ended with a new, 5-year $100 MILLION deal ... and most think Zeke's holdout will end in a similar way.

Cardi B did not take the stage in Indianapolis Tuesday because of a security issue that threatened the rapper's safety as well as the venue she was supposed to perform at ... TMZ has learned.

Cardi was supposed to perform at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indy, but less than an hour before the sold-out show was scheduled to begin, the concert was postponed ... leaving tons of fans angry, upset and wondering what the hell was going on.

Cops put out a release saying, "This evening, there was a scheduled concert at Bankers Life. We were notified of an unverified threat to the artist and the artist canceled this evening’s concert - there is no immediate threat to public safety, this not an active incident. Ongoing investigation."

The venue says Cardi's show has been rescheduled for Sept. 11.

Cardi was inside the venue for soundcheck prior to the show, and posted a message to her fans after the announcement, issuing a heartfelt apology.

Cardi had another show postponed earlier this year in Baltimore ... but that was because she couldn't perform due to health issues from her recent plastic surgeries.

Logic is getting ready to walk down the aisle again ... because we've learned he and his fiancee just got a marriage license.

Sources close to the rapper and Brittney Noell tell TMZ ... the couple took a trip to a courthouse earlier this month and got the necessary paperwork to tie the knot.

No word on when they'll make it official -- or if they already have -- but licenses are typically pulled shortly before the nuptials. A marriage license is good for 90 days ... so the clock's ticking.

Logic and Brittney have been keeping their relationship very private. It looks like she had her bachelorette party in San Diego back in June ... and you can clearly see her engagement ring in some photos from her bachelorette weekend.

Brittney's done some modeling and she's got her own clothing line ... so Logic has quite the catch.

As we first reported ... Logic and Brittney met in early 2018, and he took her with him on a private jet for a show in Vegas in April, shortly after pulling the plug on his marriage to Jessica Andrea.

TMZ broke the story ... Logic finalized his divorce with Jessica in September, and he got to keep their home in Tarzana.

A$AP Rocky is finally getting his day in court ... entering a not guilty plea in a Swedish court, and his family's also there showing support.

A$AP's mother, Renee Black, was escorted through the crowd of reporters, photographers and onlookers outside the Stockholm courthouse Tuesday morning.

Once the trial began, the rapper's attorney told the judge A$AP is pleading not guilty to assault, and said his client was acting in self-defense.

The trial is continuing ... so check back here for updates. The trial could go for up to 2 more days, but it's unclear if prosecutors and A$AP's team will need that much time to present their cases.

As you know ... A$AP has been in custody since early July, getting detained after turning himself in to Swedish authorities following a street brawl in the nation's capital. He was officially charged with assault last week, and he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.

However, the prosecutor told TMZ he will NOT recommend the full 2 year sentence if A$AP is convicted. A panel of 4 judges will hear the case, and at least 3 of them must rule an assault was committed for a conviction. In the event of a tie, the prosecutor can ask for a new trial. If A$AP is convicted, a judge will decide his sentence a week later.

As we've reported ... the man who attacked Rocky's crew in Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though video appears to show the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, actually inciting the violence by harassing A$AP and his crew.

In the first video from the incident ... you clearly see Jafari strike A$AP's bodyguard in the head with a pair of headphones. Meanwhile, A$AP played peacemaker, trying to defuse the situation and saying no one wants to go to jail.

Nicki Minaj and her fiance took a big step toward the altar, because we've learned the couple just got a marriage license in Los Angeles, although it's all on the down low.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Nicki and Kenneth Petty took a trip together to the Bev Hills Courthouse Monday. Witnesses say they saw Nicki and her boo at the marriage license bureau window, and they got the paperwork they need to tie the knot.

Nicki and Kenneth were trying to keep a low profile inside the courthouse as they waited in line at window that read, "marriage licenses and ceremony appts. ONLY" ... and Kenneth paid for the license before they left. Nicki was wearing a ball cap, but it's hard to hide that knee-length bright red 'do.

It's interesting ... back in June, Nicki said on her "Queen Radio" show that she and Kenneth had already gotten their marriage license.

No word on when Nicki and Kenneth will make it official ... but typically the license is pulled shortly before the nuptials. A marriage license is good for a maximum of 90 days.

Nicki and Kenneth began dating last year after rekindling their flame from their teen years.

This will be Nicki's first marriage.

One of the men testifying against A$AP Rocky in Sweden -- a witness to the street brawl -- has his own serious legal trouble, but, mysteriously, his case seems to now be on the back burner.

As we previously reported, A$AP's alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari -- the guy in the video who got tossed like a rag doll -- was convicted of assault in 2016 for striking a guy in the face on the streets of Stockholm.

Now, we've learned Jafari's buddy, Dawod Hosseini -- who's set to take the stand in support of Jafari -- was just arrested this month for theft. In fact, Hosseini was busted 2 weeks AFTER A$AP was hauled into custody.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Hosseini was arrested July 19 for shoplifting two high-priced jackets from a Swedish clothing store. The docs also say cops found a knife on him during the arrest.

Hosseini's remained in custody ever since then, but he's scheduled to testify in Rocky's 3-day trial, which begins Tuesday. Sources familiar tell us Hosseini's own trial has been delayed just so he can weigh-in on A$AP's case, as a witness for the prosecution.

Ya gotta think both men -- Hosseini and Jafari -- will be vulnerable, to say the least, if the judge permits A$AP's attorneys to raise their records during cross examination. Remember, there's already the video showing Jafari using headphones to strike one of A$AP's bodyguards before the all-out brawl started.