TMZ Hip Hop - Page 6

Ray J returned to "TMZ Live" on Wednesday to remind everyone he's a card-carrying member of Team Diddy -- and is even disputing the 2 fed counts Puff was found guilty of!!!

The way Ray J sees it ... Diddy was entangled in consensual freak-offs and should NOT be punished by jail time.

Prosecutors are actively arguing that Diddy is an ultraviolent menace to society -- but Ray J's predicting his homie's prison release by the end of business day, where he'll charter a plane to Miami and exhale for the 4 of July weekend!!! (We learned later in the day the judge denied bail, and Diddy will remain locked up until his sentencing hearing, scheduled for October.)

Joe Tacopina is taking a victory lap at the expense of federal prosecutors ... because he's always said the racketeering and sex trafficking charges against Diddy didn't add up -- and a jury agreed.

The famous defense attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and ripped prosecutors for bringing what he says were trumped-up charges against Diddy.

Joe, who's been banging this drum for months now on our weekly series on Tubi, "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial," says the evidence and testimony never pointed towards racketeering or sex trafficking.

Cassie's worried about what Diddy might do to her if the judge lets him out on bail prior to his sentencing ... and, she's asking the judge to make sure she never finds out.

The singer-songwriter submitted a letter to the court Wednesday requesting the judge not allow Diddy to head back into the world before he's sentenced for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Cassie and her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, say Diddy is "likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case" -- including Cassie herself.

Funk Flex isn't letting Cassie off the hook despite her immunity in Diddy's RICO trial ... considering the "Me & U" singer received a huge payout in exchange for her silence years ago!!!

On Wednesday, the Hot 97 disc jock exploded on Cassie and her attorneys ... picking apart her "victim" label, while also acknowledging she and her family experienced a hardship.

Flex recalls seeing Cassie give off good energy at a young age, but thinks the lines blurred once her relationship with Diddy got underway.

Diddy's supporters are beginning to draw lines in the sand -- and Jay Electronica's standing firmly on the side that wants the Bad Boy mogul free ASAP!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Jay-E on Wednesday as he casually blended in amid the calamity outside the courthouse in Manhattan ... although his two huge Great Danes most definitely stood out!!!

His reaction was tamer than most -- Jay's mostly a man of few words, but he tells us he was outside the building to support his longtime pal Diddy, and he never had a doubt his boy would come out on top.

Diddy's son Christian "King" Combs was bursting with energy after learning his dad was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges, and burned off his excitement with a round of push-ups!!!

KC was spotted a couple blocks away from the courtroom after the verdict on Wednesday, and you can see him beaming with enthusiasm as he thanked fans for their thoughts and prayers.

You can also hear the sounds of his recently released joint EP with Kanye West, "Never Stop" ... a project that has new meaning now that Diddy could be coming home soon if he's granted bail.

Prosecutors are vehemently opposed to letting Diddy out on bond ... they say his convictions for the Mann Act make him a violent criminal.

The feds just fired off a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian outlining the reasons why they say he should remain in custody pending sentencing for his conviction on two counts of transportation of prostitutes across state lines.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say Diddy is trying to use the Bail Reform Act to get released on bail pending sentencing ... but they say detention is mandatory for Diddy based on the crimes for which he was found guilty.

The Diddy case started with prosecutors claiming he was a racketeer and sex trafficker who was blowing up cars and distributing drugs ... but now it's been reduced to transporting prostitutes across state lines -- and his team says that's not enough to keep him locked up before sentencing.

Diddy's legal team just fired off a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian outlining the reasons why they say he should be released from federal custody.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's defense says the jury "unambiguously rejected the government's allegations that Mr. Combs ran a years-long criminal enterprise or engaged in sex trafficking -- the core of the government's case."

Diddy had a message for his family after skating on the most serious charges in his criminal trial ... "I'm coming home."

After the not guilty verdicts for racketeering and sex trafficking were read in court Wednesday, Diddy turned around in his seat and nodded to his family and told them he would see them soon.

Diddy's mom, Janice Combs, was seated behind him in the gallery ... along with his three daughters and his sons Christian, Justin and Quincy ... plus Dana Tran, the mother of his youngest child, and a bunch of extended family members.

Boosie Badazz thinks race played a big part in Diddy's allegations going all the way up to fed court ... but he's still happy the Bad Boy didn't get the book thrown at him!!!

Soon after the verdict was read, Boosie took to IG for a somber celebration -- he feels Diddy was indeed guilty of domestic violence, but not the exact charges trumped up against him.

Boosie told his followers he's tired of seeing influential Black figures get dragged through the legal ringer and firmly believes if Diddy were white, he'd have the support of White America and be given the benefit of doubt.

Diddy's team is preparing for his possible release by ramping up security at his Miami estate, where he would return if he's allowed out while awaiting sentencing … TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … within the last couple of hours, the music mogul's team began making arrangements for his potential return -- including increased security measures at his waterfront estate on the exclusive, guard-gated Star Island.

We’re told security has been beefed up both at his property and at the entrance to the island, as media and paparazzi have already started swarming the area in anticipation of his release.

Diddy will still need to wait to receive his sentence ... but, the jury's role in the process is done -- and, they have officially pulled an Elvis and left the building.

Multiple cameramen captured the jury leaving the federal courthouse in Manhattan in a black van with opaque windows, mostly hiding their faces. However, our reporters on the scene assure us these are the 12 people who decided the rap mogul's fate.

The van rolled out past the photogs and over a removable barrier ... before joining the rest of the busy NYC traffic.

The final verdict in the Sean "Diddy" Combs federal criminal trial is in, and it's NOT GUILTY on 3 of the 5 counts -- they acquitted him of racketeering, sex trafficking of Cassie and sex trafficking of Jane.

He's only been convicted on counts 3 and 5 ... which are both transportation for the purpose of prostitution, AKA the Mann Act. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each of those counts.

Wednesday morning, about an hour after jurors arrived and went straight into the jury room, the foreman sent a note out to Judge Arun Subramanian telling him they'd reached the unanimous verdict.

12:36 PM PT -- Aubrey took to Instagram with a lengthy statement regarding the Diddy verdict. She clearly doesn't agree with the jurors' decision and says that she is heart broken for Cassie and the other victims.

Diddy's former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day was none too pleased with him being found guilty of only 2 of 5 counts in his federal criminal trial -- to the point where she may need a barf bag!!!

Aubrey was glued to CNN when Diddy was offered some breathing room after learning he wouldn't be sent to prison for life ... a verdict that Aubrey claimed had her tasting vomit, over her sadness for the victims.

Aubrey was optimistic ahead of the trial and voiced heavy support for Cassie and others ... and was in discussion with Homeland Security at one point -- but ultimately didn't testify at the trial.

Dawn Richard is absolutely unimpressed with the outcome of Diddy's trial ... calling his 2-count conviction a "disappointment" in a statement via her attorney, Lisa Bloom.

However, Bloom notes the criminal charges he faced in his federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial are different than the civil claims they filed against him, adding ... "We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn."

Remember ... the former Danity Kane member sued the disgraced music mogul back in September 2024 for sexual assault and battery. She also accused him of depriving her of food and sleep during her time on his MTV reality show "Making the Band."

Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal criminal trial has come to a shocking -- to some -- conclusion ... and despite his acquittal on sex trafficking charges ... Cassie Ventura vowed to keep fighting for survivors.

Cassie's lawyer Doug Wigdor said in a statement ... his client “paved the way” for Diddy to be found guilty on counts 3 and 5 -- which are both transportation for the purpose of prostitution, AKA the Mann Act. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each of those counts.

Wigdor commended Cassie for filing a civil complaint in November 2023 against Diddy ...  opening the floodgates for the criminal case that, again, resulted in some convictions ... and a slew of lawsuits filed by other alleged victims.