Tag: tmz hip hop

Jean Knight — most famous for her hit ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ — has died … this according to reports.

An unattributed press release purporting to be the soul singer and New Orleans native’s obituary is making the rounds online — and if it’s to be believed … it says JK passed away last Wednesday, although the circumstances surrounding her death are unclear for now.

Knight’s 1971 song is easily her biggest claim to fame, but it’s a huge contribution to music and pop culture. ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ not only performed incredibly well on the charts when it came out — including five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 — but it ended up being featured in numerous films and TV shows.

Just a handful of series that used ‘MBS’ … ‘Family Guy,’ ‘black-ish,’ ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Everwood’ and ‘The Deuce’ — just to name a few. On the movie front, it got played in Will Ferrell’s ‘Semi-Pro.’ Beyond that … the track got remixed/sampled a ton over the years.

Some of that notable acts who flipped this gem … Heavy D & The Boyz, Eazy-E, TLC, Queen Latifah, Everclear, Girl Talk, Beastie Boys and John Legend. ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ had also been covered a handful of times … famously by Precious Metal, Lyn Collins and many others.

Jean had recorded lots of other songs throughout her career … but none ever reached the success of ‘Big Stuff.’ Some of her other notable singles … “My Toot Toot,” “You Think You’re Hot Stuff,” “Carry On,” “Helping Man,” “Do Me,” “Jesse Joe (You Got to Go)” … and more.

She was 80.

Tiffany Haddish got up in front of a crowd to crack jokes less than a day after getting arrested for DUI — and when she was asked about it point blank, she leaned on comedy.

As we reported … TH was scheduled to perform at the Laugh Factory in Long Beach Friday — this after a set she’d done the previous night in L.A., before getting busted by Beverly Hills cops the following morning — and TMZ obtained audio from part of that Long Beach show.

Take a listen to how Tiffany responded when an audience member asked about what happened “last night” … obviously referring to her getting led away in handcuffs Friday AM.

Tiffany doesn’t really cop to anything — including the alleged DUI — but she does say her prayers for a man in uniform were certainly answered … something the crowd ate up. In other words, she rolled with it and made the whole thing into a well-delivered punchline.

Like we told you … Tiffany left her Long Beach gig in the backseat of an SUV Friday evening, and it looks like she had some friendly company with her. What’s interesting is that earlier in the day, she was in jail after getting taken in and booked earlier that same morning.

Tiffany is alleged to have been found asleep at the wheel in Bev Hills — and cops say they found probable cause to take her in on suspicion of DUI … and her arrest is on video.

Outside of this set, Tiffany hasn’t talked about the DUI arrest publicly.

TikTokers are hitting Target to prove the big box store’s Black Friday deals may not be what they seem — showing off some sticker prices as being equal … regardless of the day.

There’s a viral trend on the app right now — namely, Gen Z’ers going to their local bullseye center and wading through the Black Friday sales that were going on yesterday. Based on what they’re capturing though … they seem to be suggesting clever marketing is afoot.

Check out the video and you’ll see what we mean … in at least three instances, people are removing the “Black Friday Deals” signage — which features one price — and revealing the price tag that’s covered up in the background. In the examples seen here, they’re the same.

One girl hit a pallet with TVs, and the Black Friday mark-down has it pegged at $429. But when she removes the holiday price card, the regular card behind it has a matching number. In other words, she’s suggesting there is no real deal at play here … just new cardstock.

Another dude does something similar, but over in the clothes section … where he peels back a sticker price for a pair of pants — which then shows it’s been upped in price from $25 to $30 … so, the guy’s implying Target’s price-gouged to make it seem like folks are saving.

While most people are wise to this sorta thing — companies tweaking prices and signage to capitalize on a holiday — these young’ns apparently think they’ve uncovered Watergate! 😅

Susan Sarandon‘s son thanked his mom’s supporters after her controversial Israel-Palestine speech, but one thing is really bugging him … the darn video being shown of her breasts on social media.

Miles Robbins posted a message on X, addressing his issue with Susan’s bosom overshadowing the message she’s trying to send about the Israel-Hamas war. As you know, Hamas rules over the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Robbins said, “Ok I’m really grateful to see people on Twitter defending my mom amidst a new era of McCarthyist blacklisting but can you PLEASE stop using the clip of her getting her hair done with her honkers out.”

In the 12-second clip, the actress is sitting in a chair wearing a bra that barely covers her boobs with one supporter on X remarking, “susan sarandon uncompromised and absolutely thriving.”

Another defender said, “From the River to the Ds, you will never censor Susan Sarandon’s shakers.”

Recently, Susan got herself into hot water after she spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in NYC, saying, “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.”

Her agents at United Talent Agency were so angered by her statements they dropped her.

No Biggie, but you can snatch up a piece of hip hop history with signed fingerprint cards from the arrests of rap’s greatest icons … which are now up for sale.

Momentsintime.com — one of the nation’s leading autograph dealers — has listed two unique pieces of music memorabilia from rappers Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. … earning its new owners some major street cred in exchange for a colossal $225,000 per item.

Check it out … Tupac’s fingerprint docs — which list him under his real name, Lesane Parish Crooks — stem from his 1995 arrest … for which he served 9 months of his 1.5-year sentence after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a female fan named Ayanna Jackson.

Meanwhile, Biggie also makes history with his arrest fingerprint docs … the first-ever piece you can snag of him signing off by his real name, Christopher Wallace.

With the ’95 arrest season in full swing, Biggie was also booked then for a robbery and aggravated assault charge in Pennsylvania … but the robbery charges were later dismissed.

Chaka Zulu won’t be charged for the fatal shooting in June 2022 that left one man dead outside an Atlanta restaurant — prosecutors are dropping the case after Chaka insisted he fired in self-defense.

On Wednesday, Fulton County prosecutors released a statement to WSB-TV outlining their decision not to indict Chaka, who is Ludacris‘ manager, over the incident.

“The Atlanta Police Department made an arrest on charges determined at a standard of probable cause, which is their duty in this and all cases The District Attorney’s office investigates cases to determine what can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt at trial … Our investigation of the facts and analysis of applicable law indicates that this is an appropriate resolution of this case based on the standard of proof required. Because the defendant is now involved in a pre-indictment diversion program, we will not comment further about the matter at this time.”

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story … surveillance video we obtained showed Chaka and a group of several men, including the slain Artez Benton get into a skirmish outside Chaka’s Apt4B restaurant and not too long after, fists were thrown and shots were fired.

Chaka’s lawyer Gabe Banks also sent a statement to the local pub … thanking D.A. Fani Will and her team for their thorough investigation and saying the music industry vet would be focusing on the “nurturing of his family” while also expressing sadness for the loss of life.

Potentially huge development in the A$AP Rocky assault case … prosecutors just showed what they claim is video of him holding a gun before allegedly shooting former fellow Mob member A$AP Relli.

The video was played in an L.A. courtroom Monday afternoon, and prosecutors say that’s Rocky in the clip holding a gun during a physical altercation with Relli.

LAPD detective Frank Flores took the stand, and testified cops obtained the video during the course of their investigation. The prosecution also showed still photos from the footage to bolster their claim it’s A$AP Rocky with a gun.

Rihanna‘s baby daddy was in court as prosecutors made their case against him … wearing a dark blue suit, black glasses and black facemask, remaining stoic throughout the explosive testimony against him.

Prosecutors also played a separate clip of what they say are 2 gunshots … though there’s been no video of the alleged shooting itself. Relli claims Rocky shot his hand.

Police body cam video was also shown in court … and it shows at least 7 officers arriving at the scene of the alleged shooting and canvassing for evidence … they never find the weapon.

As we reported… Relli claims he had beef with Rocky leading up to the alleged incident, and he testified Rocky put a gun to his stomach during a heated exchange.

Relli previously testified Rocky didn’t shoot right then and there, instead claiming the bullets started flying shortly after they separated. He says Rocky took off running and left him on the street after firing about 4 shots.

While cops say they didn’t find any shell casings, Relli claims he came back to the scene later that night and recovered a pair of 9mm shells. Rocky’s lawyers grilled him over the claim, asking how he could easily find casings when the cops could not.

Nick Hogan‘s fresh DUI arrest is opening some old wounds for the family of the man who was severely injured in the guy’s 2007 crash — and they think Nick hasn’t learned his lesson.

TMZ talked to John Graziano‘s mother, Debra … who says she isn’t surprised over Nick’s latest bust — telling us he appears to have been as careless now as he was almost 20 years ago when he got into another car wreck as a teen — which changed her son’s life forever.

While it remains to be seen if Nick will be formally charged in this new case … Debra says she believes his past incident with John — who suffered severe brain damage in ’07, riding passenger alongside Nick at the time — should be factored into whatever happens here.

To Debra, the fact Nick got popped again all these years later shows a “total lack of respect for what (he) did to another person’s life and you’re still driving reckless.”

She adds, “I can only pray that at some point in his life, while he still has the chance, that he turns his life around. Until then I hope no one else gets hurt.” Debra goes on to say that the ’07 accident and the saga that followed continues to take its toll on her/her loved ones.

Debra says, “I grieve the virtual loss of my son on a daily basis. I thank God daily that at least I have John here with us at home.” She says while John has lost most of his ability to function normally, she’s grateful he’s alive and surrounded by people who care about him.

Kesha‘s apparently showing solidarity with Cassie after her allegations against Diddy — ’cause she dropped a key lyric in her most famous song … that mentions him by name.

The singer was performing live in L.A. Saturday night … and while she was crooning to her smash hit single, ‘TiK ToK,’ folks noticed a change in the wording — right from the beginning, too. Of course, that track starts like this … “Wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like P. Diddy.”

What Kesha sang at the Hollywood Palladium, though, was different … she said, “Wake up in the morning’ feelin’ just like me.” In other words, she completely dropped Diddy here.

Interestingly enough, Kesha did the same on her Friday night show in Oakland. The Oakland performance of ‘TiK ToK’ looks incredibly similar to the L.A. gig — but we did some digging and as it turns out … Kesha’s stage design/lighting is exactly the same for this song at her shows lately. So, basically — there’s no doubt she changed the lyric twice this weekend.

What makes this stand out even more is the fact that just a few days ago — before Cassie filed her lawsuit — Kesha was performing in Denver, which you can see in the YouTube video above … and there, the Diddy lyric remained.

Long story short … it seems Kesha is taking a stance on the issue, which is notable considering she has long labeled herself a survivor of alleged sexual assault — having infamously accused Dr. Luke … which he vehemently denied and sued her over.

In the end, they settled their legal battle and Kesha said, “Only God knows what happened that night. As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened.”

That saga was arduous in and of itself … but seemingly pertinent to the decision Kesha’s making here about Diddy. Like we said, he too has outright denied Cassie’s allegations — accusing her of a money shakedown … this before coming to terms out of court a day later.

The guy who called 911 to report finding “Extreme Weight Loss” star Brandi Mallory in her car, told dispatchers he was keeping his distance … ’cause he doesn’t mess with dead folks.

TMZ obtained audio of the 911 call and you hear the dispatcher ask the caller if he’s with Brandi … prompting him to quickly reply, “Nooo, she’s in her car. I don’t do dead people.”

The audio also includes the caller, who owns a nearby deli, describing Brandi as being motionless and unresponsive in her car, which was in the parking lot of a strip mall where he runs his biz.

TMZ broke the story … cops say Brandi was last seen alive Nov. 8 when she parked her car, went into a Chipotle to grab food, and then returned to her car and never drove off or exited the vehicle.

The deli owner told cops he realized something was off after noticing Brandi’s car sitting in the parking lot for hours on end … and that’s when he checked on her and decided to dial 911.

Bill Maher has an interesting take on us Americans — we have way too many opinions on stuff that doesn’t matter, and maybe we should all shut the f*** up.

The ‘Real Time’ host made people think Friday night — think back just a few decades when we could consume news without making every story a battle cry about something we know little or nothing about.

Bill’s got a point … take Kylie Jenner, who posted she stands with the people of Israel and then almost immediately took that post down. As Bill says, that’s kinda the opposite of standing with.

Get this — 59% of us buy or boycott products based on the company’s political or social views … views that have nothing to do with the product itself. Just ask Anheuser-Busch or Target.

Bill says there’s virtue in having NO opinion because the more we draw lines in the sand, the more divided we become.  As BM grouses, Thanksgiving has become a time when family and friends can gather together and fight about Donald Trump.

The new Speaker of the House dropped a huge batch of videos recorded inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 — and some conspiracy theorists will, no doubt, say they prove confirmation bias.

Speaker Mike Johnson just released a massive cache of surveillance footage from inside the Capitol that was shot on that fateful day — and you can imagine, it shows varying moments of activity as demonstrators broke in and stormed the premises.

Yes, there are instances when rioters are casually strolling through the grounds once they get inside … and in some cases, they’re actually walking right past police officers and other security personnel — which, obviously, isn’t a great look for law enforcement.

You can even see some elected officials shuffling through the halls … and they’re not necessarily sprinting as they’re being escorted by armed guards. Par for the course — a ton of conservative personalities are latching on to this as evidence Jan. 6 wasn’t actually an insurrection … but rather, a peaceful protest that’s been blown out of proportion.

While those conservatives might think their point is made in this video dump — fact is, there’s even more video — which we’ve all seen — depicting the utter chaos and violence that actually unfolded.

There are countless videos of rioters squaring up and fighting cops outside — with batons being swung, and mace being sprayed. Also not in dispute, Capitol Police officers lost their lives in the line of duty that day … and one protester, Ashli Babbit, was shot and killed inside. So, this wasn’t some kumbaya get-together.

It’s interesting that Rep. Johnson — who’s known to be very Donald Trump-friendly — was the one who ended up releasing these. Previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy had a lot of pressure on him to do the same before he was ousted, but ultimately never did.

News flash … lab-grown diamonds are REAL diamonds and there’s really no difference between man-made rocks and their natural counterparts … according to a famous jeweler.

Jean Dousset, a descendant of Cartier founder Louis Francois Cartier, joined us on “TMZ Live” Friday and schooled us on lab-grown diamonds … explaining why they are indeed a diamond in every sense of the way.

JD says even the most seasoned gemologists cannot tell the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds … and they’re both graded on the same scales under the same rules and principles.

It’s pretty interesting to consider … seeing as there’s controversy surrounding engagement rings these days. Based on what Jean’s telling us here, it sounds like a man would be able to safely pass off a lab-grown diamond engagement ring as a natural one and the woman would never know.

Of course, Jean says most couples are shopping together for rings nowadays and he’s not advocating for people to get engaged on a lie … but the window of opportunity is definitely there.

Jean’s got his own jewelry store in West Hollywood and this year he started selling only lab-grown diamonds. He’s previously designed engagement rings for Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria and Amy Adams and says couples can get more bang for their buck with lab-grown diamonds.

Drake and J. Cole are looking to rack up A+ reviews for their expanded “It’s All a Blur” tour … they intentionally selected towns with booming college campuses!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Hip Hop both Drizzy and Cole wanted to dedicate their stage energy to the fans who truly drive up their numbers — the younger generation!!!

There’s also the addition of dates in Lexington, KY where Drake’s beloved Wildcats play … and State College, PA, home to Penn State, but Cole won’t be at that one

They also set out to pay homage to the communities that embraced them early in their careers … Drake has proclaimed Columbus, OH to be his 2nd home since his debut “Away from Home” tour and the city’s Schottenstein Center now has TWO dates after being shut out from the ‘Blur’ tour’s first leg.

Memphis also gets a make-good date after the FedEx Forum reportedly wasn’t prepared for all the tour’s glitzy decorations, but the stage should be ready to go come March!!!

Canadian fans were initially upset the tour was announced without any dates in their area but we’re told the 2nd leg is designed primarily to service cities who missed out last time.

Samuel Haskell Jr., the son of powerful Hollywood agent Samuel Haskell Sr., has just been charged with the murder of his wife and in-laws.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced the charges Monday — Haskell Jr.’s being hit with 3 counts of murder in the death of his 37-year-old wife, Mei, and her parents … 72-year-old Gaoshan Li and 64-year-old Yanxiang Wang.

If convicted, Haskell Jr. could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Remember, a dismembered human torso was found in a garbage bin last week by a homeless person in Encino … and as we reported, video obtained by TMZ showed Haskell Jr. and some day laborers arrive at his home and carry out garbage bags into a truck.

One of the workers said they were told the bags were full of rocks, but the crew got suspicious … and checked one of the bags, which the worker said contained body parts. They returned the bags to Haskell and called 911.

Bebe Rexha has waded into the never-ending debate over who’s the better femcee between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B … and from her POV, it’s no contest when it comes to raw talent.

The singer sounded off — in a very respectful way, of course — on an IG Live she did this weekend … where she and a pal went back and forth on the merits of the argument, and BR ended up landing mostly Nicki’s camp in terms of who she prefers as the queen of rap.

Check out how she breaks this down … Bebe seems to think Nicki’s longevity and quality as been top-notch for a long time, plus she admires the fact that she writes her own rhymes.

Bebe’s friend here jumps to defend Cardi in the same breath, noting she’s quite talented too … but concedes that it’s well-known she doesn’t always put pen to paper for her own lyrics, and might outsource that part of the job at times.

Both of them say this isn’t meant to pit the two ladies against each other — which they say happens far too often, for no reason other than to rile up one another’s respective bases.

With that said … Bebe makes it clear, she simply likes Nicki’s rapping ability more — but notes she does appreciate Cardi’s personality and authenticity more than anything.

As we all know … Nicki and Cardi have had beef in the past, and every now and then — there seems to be jabs taken from either side online … but more so among their fans.

Blueface was roasted online for proudly showing off his new fiancée Jaidyn Alexis‘ home cooking … which had culinary critics mocking the millionaire for eating like he was “living paycheck to paycheck.”

Digging into homemade pasta topped with cheese singles and a basic side shredded salad, the rapper likely didn’t expect to be dragged by online foodies … who schooled him on shredded cheese and real, non-plastic plates for a more indulgent dining experience.

The salad wasn’t let off the hook either, as one person likened it to old pencil shavings — while others simply encouraged Blueface to “throw away the whole stove and whatever else she used to make this concoction.” Ouch.

In one statement that hit a little close to home … someone wrote, “I see why he cheats,” in reference to his turbulent relationship with ex-Chrisean Rock.

Elsewhere, the home cooking was branded as “prison food,” … which Blueface may get all too familiar with if he breaks the terms of his 3-year probation for a Vegas shooting.

Gal Gadot plans to host a screening this week that’ll show off nearly an hour of nonstop carnage undertaken by Hamas in Israel … but it’s being slammed by a Jewish org in the U.S.

The Israeli actress is said to be lending a hand to director Guy Nattiv in airing a roughly 45-minute film, of sorts, called “Bearing Witness” — originally compiled by the Israeli Defense Forces … and which depicts graphic footage and images of Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage.

The whole point of this is to showcase what really happened there that day — this amid a lot of skeptics and others who’ve alleged Israel is planting false flags to justify their retaliation in Gaza. Reports of beheaded Israeli babies, for instance, have been scrutinized.

Of course, it comes a month after the initial attack … and since then, Israel seems to have lost some public support as its campaign in Gaza continues. That’s looming here, too.

The first screening of “Bearing Witness” is supposed to go down sometime this week at an undisclosed location — and according to reports, upwards of 120 people have been invited. L.A. is first, and based on the reception … more screenings might happen down the line.

In terms of reaction to this … there’s been a lot of pushback from pro-Palestine supporters — but interestingly enough … she’s also catching flak from an activist organization called Jewish Voice for Peace …which, FWIW, pegs itself as anti-Zionist.

Its L.A. chapter tells TMZ … they consider this screening to be a “propaganda event,” going on to say it simply won’t tell the full picture of this war — including what’s happening right now in Palestine … namely, thousands of innocent civilians being killed in the crossfire.

JVFP-LA says this type of material only serves to “[fan] the flames of war and genocide” … adding, Israel is undermining its own mission of trying to save hostages still being held by Hamas through their brutal tactics. In other words … they’re not on board with Gal and co.

Echoing that sentiment is another org — this one explicitly being pro-Palestine — called Alliance for Middle East Peace, which tells us … “There has been some very disturbing denial and obfuscation of the terrible crimes committed on October 7th. It is understandable that there would be a wish to prevent that denial from becoming more widespread. However, this needs to be balanced by the fact that we are dealing with increasingly traumatized people — both in the region and around the world — who have been exposed to images, both in the attacks in Israel and now the airstrikes in Gaza, that they cannot unsee.”

They add, “This is particularly worrying for children and young people. ALLMEP is focusing efforts on repairing relations between Israelis and Palestinians and furthering peace. Which is ultimately how we can prevent shocking scenes such as these from ever occurring again.”

An ALLMEP source further tells us they think Gal — an ex-IDF soldier herself — is being used by the Israeli government to push an agenda — hoping to use her Hollywood connections to spread their message in hopes of winning a “proxy war” in the court of public opinion.

We’re told ALLMEP acknowledges atrocities were committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 — but says the real solution to ending the violence lies in showing off the bloodshed in its full scope … both from Israel and Gaza. With all that said, Israel’s position has been clear all along — their citizens were butchered, and making Hamas pay in a surgical method is virtually impossible.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t have the Secret Service protecting him, as he would like, so he’s running to a judge for help after a guy twice tried to unlawfully enter his home.

The 2024 presidential candidate is seeking court-ordered protection from a man named Jonathan Macht, who police previously identified as RFK Jr.’s home intruder.

RFK Jr. beelined it to court Monday and filed for a temporary restraining order against Macht … according to online records. It’s unclear if a judge signed off.

TMZ broke the story … Macht was arrested last month after cops say he twice attempted to get inside the Brentwood home where RFK Jr. lives with his wife, Cheryl Hines.

Remember … cops said Macht got over the fence and into the yard before being detained by RFK Jr.’s security until police arrived to arrest him.

Law enforcement said the guy was released from custody, only to come back to the RFK Jr.’s home the following day, leading to another arrest.

What’s more, Kennedy’s campaign claimed the guy asked to speak with RFK Jr., who we’re told was home at the time of both incidents.

Kennedy’s team says they’ve alerted Secret Service about Macht several times in recent months, labeling him an “obsessed” individual.

But as Cheryl told us on “TMZ Live,” Kennedy has struck out in multiple attempts to get Secret Service protection, despite his strong numbers at the polls and his family’s tragic history.

C-Knight — an original member of rap group The Dove Shack — is fighting for his life, with his loved ones waiting on some key tests before any next steps … TMZ has learned.

The MC’s father, George Lee Washington Blount Jr., tells us his son was hospitalized on Oct. 18 as a result of a scary blood sugar level — which we’re told stems from his diabetes. Blount says that while C-Knight was receiving dialysis, he somehow suffered a stroke.

In addition to that, we’re told C-Knight went into cardiac arrest … and that his heart stopped, with him needing to be resuscitated by doctors. At that point, Blount says C-Knight was placed on life support — but Blount says even more health issues surfaced amid all this.

Since the stroke and cardiac arrest … we’re told C-Knight has been in an unresponsive state, and that the medical staff has told the family there’s no signs of progress they’re detecting.

As for where things stand now … Blount tells us they’re waiting on a crucial MRI scan to be done, which will tell if them if there’s any notable brain activity. We’re told the family believes he can battle back and recover from this … despite how grim it looks at the moment.

In the case that the scan shows no brain activity — which is the worst case scenario — we’re told his family plans to keep him on life support for the time being … and will weigh their options. For the time being, they’re praying for a miracle, hopeful he can pull through.

The Dove Shack only released 2 albums, but they’re both memorable … especially for their impact on the West Coast G-Funk movement in the ’90s, which was spearheaded by Snoop Dogg and Warren G — both of whom are familiar with these guys, and friendly with them.

The other members, 2Scoops and Bo-Roc, are obviously tight with C-Knight — and Bo called for everyone to send their thoughts and well-wishes his way as CK tries to bounce back.