In The Field

One of the men convicted in the 2002 killing of RUN-DMC's DJ, Jam Master Jay, just had his murder conviction overturned last week -- a big surprise for Darryl McDaniels!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the legendary DMC walking our way in New York City on Monday, and he didn't even let us finish our sentence ... he had just heard the news!!!

On Friday, a U.S. District Judge granted Karl Jordan Jr. an acquittal on the murder charges handed down in Feb. 2024, citing an overall lack of evidence.

Noah Schnapp says the "Stranger Things" cast and crew had tears in their eyes when they filmed the final episode of the hit Netflix series ... and he's expecting fans to get emotional when the finale drops.

We got Noah in New York City on Tuesday, and our photog asked him if the tears were flowing when the final 'ST' season was wrapping up.

Embattled actor-director Justin Baldoni is holding up as well as anyone could amid his messy court battle with Blake Lively ... at least according to his attorney Bryan Freedman.

We caught up with Freedman just as he was walking out of a hearing for the case in NYC today. He told us Baldoni is looking forward to reaching a positive resolution to the case.

According to Freedman, Baldoni is a "wonderful" and "meaningful" person, and "We're hopeful that when he gets the right result here, slowly he'll be back to the great man that he was."

Rising country music star Tucker Wetmore is feeling the love from the ladies lately ... and the singer tells us it's all in the moves he dishes out on stage.

We spoke with Tucker at LAX as he's preparing to perform at Dick Clark's New Year’s Rockin' Eve this year. He has thoughts about women sliding into his DMs and the endless TikTok admiration of his gyrating dance moves in concerts.

Check the clip ... when asked if he’s planning out his best moves to impress female fans, Tucker laughs and tells us it’s not conscious ... "I just move. I don't know how to explain it."

Danny Trejo had some sage advice when we caught up with him Wednesday afternoon at the L.A. Mission ... no matter what, don't lose hope.

The 81-year-old movie star chatted with us while volunteering to help families struggling this Thanksgiving. He says helping people has been key to his happiness.

He told us, "The more I can do for people, the better my life gets."

Ice-T is cooling folks off about the chatter over his lighter "Law & Order: SVU" screentime ... telling us straight up, it’s not drama -- it’s the budget.

TMZ caught up with Ice as he and wife Coco -- who celebrated daughter Chanel’s 10th birthday at New Jersey’s American Dream Mall on Saturday -- and he told us SVU bosses basically had to pick who got the bigger budget ... his Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, or Kelli Giddish, AKA Detective Amanda Rollins.

While we might feel a little offended on his behalf that they didn't choose him, Ice says it’s all good ... the cutback means more family time, more side projects -- and he even dropped some inspo: "Give me free time, I find free dime."

LeBron James was quite the football player in high school ... but how about football?? USMNT player Diego Luna tells TMZ Sports he woulda been a BEAST on the pitch in his prime!!

There's always an athlete claiming they could dominate another sport ... so when we ran into Luna at LAX this week, we had to ask which American jock could actually pull it off for the Red, White, and Blue.

"LeBron man, put him up top," Luna said. "Scoring goals, just bossing people around. That would be pretty sick."

No frontin' here from Alex Pereira.

The UFC champion openly admits Jake Paul would be a challenging fight in a boxing ring, before adding it's all pointless talk ... 'cause the MMA superstar is under contract with Dana White's organization!

TMZ Sports was at Monster Energy's launch party for "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7" on the Intrepid aircraft carrier in NYC when we ran into Chama ... and asked about his back-and-forth with The Problem Child, who has since officially signed on to fight Anthony Joshua.

Chris Eubank Jr. isn’t sugarcoating a thing -- there's REAL bad blood heading into his rematch with Conor Benn ... telling TMZ Sports he straight-up doesn't respect the guy.

The sequel to Eubank Jr. vs. Benn is slated for November 15 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UK -- a must-watch for any boxing fan, but especially if they tuned in to the first fight on April 26.

Eubank Jr. (35-3) guarantees Part Two will be better ... 'cause he's promising to take his opponent out in "devastating fashion."

Blair Underwood says he's taking his love for bison to a new level ... because he just bought a bison, and he's raising a herd just like cattle.

We got the veteran actor at LAX, and our photog asked him about his latest venture.

Blair says he and a couple others have banded together to raise six bison, which he playfully calls his new "six-pack."

Lance Bass says the only way a potential *NSYNC biopic is ever getting off the ground is if he's a producer ... and he's already got an idea for how to tell the band's story.

We got Lance at LAX on a rainy Friday afternoon, and our photog asked him about a much-talked-about biopic that hasn't quite gotten off the ground.

Lance says it may well happen down the line, but he explains why there are some major hurdles to clear.

Booming alternative act BLK Odyssy is clarifying that he appreciates having his music spotlighted on Joe Budden's top-rated podcast -- even with The Weeknd and Travis Scott comparisons attached -- even if he doesn't agree with them!!!

BLK Odyssy dropped his new album on Friday and caught up with TMZ Hip Hop outside Wasteland on Melrose Ave, where he laughed off his most viral moment to date.

Joe was singing Odyssy's praises on the pod, when his co-host Ice remarked he sounded like "House of Balloons"-era Weeknd music ... in which Joe sprinkled in a little LaFlame garnish for extra measure.

You never know what or who you're going to see on the TMZ Celebrity Tour ... and one bus full of lucky folks will live on forever in a Meghan Trainor music video ... because she included us in the final cut for "Still Don't Care."

Meghan was filming the music video for her new single last week in Beverly Hills, and our tour bus drove by while she was shooting a scene on the corner of Beverly Drive.

She stopped our tour and hopped on the bus to take selfies with everyone on board ... and brought her camera crew with her.

Young Thug was standing tall at the GQ Men of the Year 2025 Party last night like a guy who has strong swimmers ... that know how to hit their target!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Thugga on Thursday evening outside the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and asked why Mariah didn't hit the "1995-themed" event ... he says she had a show!!!

Mariah's also preparing for her "Hearts Sold Separately" Tour in 2026 and may just be on stage with a protruding belly -- Young Thug tells us he just put a "baby in her!!!"

Boosie Badazz will be facing a judge later this month when he's sentenced in California for gun possession ... but he's still making the most out of his November with a birthday album release with NBA YoungBoy!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Boosie today at Amy Ruth's chicken and waffles hut in Harlem, and we took a few minutes to remember Alaicha Johnson -- the young fan whose funeral Boosie performed at in October, after being contacted by her family.

Alaicha abruptly died from cancer and didn't get to see Boosie when he popped up in Detroit ... but the Louisiana rap star tells us fulfilling her last wish was his honor!!!

Salt-N-Pepa are riding high following their grand induction at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- and are hinting the party won't stop ... because they'll be touring next year!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Pepa and Spinderella outside Jennifer Hudson Studios in  Burbank this week, and they were beaming in light of their massive accomplishments through hip hop culture.

The group took their lumps internally just like any long-running act, but Spin tells us they've displayed a solid sisterhood to the world to cap off their 40-year history.