Music

The infamous state prison Jay-Z, Yo Gotti and several others blasted for inhumane treatment of inmates has now been labeled unconstitutional by the federal government.

The Department of Justice came down hard on Mississippi's Parchman State Prison Wednesday in a 59-page report that calls out inadequate mental health treatment, failure to roll out sufficient suicide prevention measures ... or protect inmates from prison violence.

Jay's Team Roc lawyers filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of the prisoners after horrifying videos showing the conditions inside Parchman were posted online. Gotti, who grew up not far from the prison, was particularly outraged ... and the DOJ agrees the prison needs a major overhaul.

The report says Parchman's conditions "violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution" -- basically, barring state prisons from doling out cruel and unusual punishment.

Gotti tells TMZ, "I'm grateful for the U.S. Department of Justice's thorough report to hold the Mississippi Department of Corrections accountable for the cruel and inhumane treatment of the incarcerated population."

Rapper Pooh Shiesty is going away for a 5-plus year stretch for a South Florida shootout -- and, considering what he could have gotten, he's actually happy with that number.

Pooh, whose real name is Lontrell Williams, was facing more than 8 years in prison, if prosecutors got their way -- but his attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... the government's calculations were off.

Cohen says they asked for no more than 63 months, which is exactly what the judge gave him.

Pooh was busted for an October 2020 shootout involving himself and several other men. The incident went down in a Miami-area condo parking lot ... and it left 2 men injured.

Police had surveillance video that showed all the violence play out, with Pooh armed with an assault rifle in the middle of the action ... as he sat in a McLaren sports car.

He eventually plead guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Cohen tells us, "We are going to file a motion for any time he spent in state prison on the same crime to get him additional credit for time served."

A$AP Rocky was arrested as he flew into LAX Wednesday morning ... TMZ has confirmed.

Eyewitnesses at the airport tell TMZ the rapper flew in to Los Angeles from Barbados on a private jet, where he was met by cops at the terminal and taken away in handcuffs. We're told he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with a gun.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the arrest stems from a November 6, 2021 incident, where an alleged victim claimed Rocky shot at them 3 or 4 times -- grazing his left hand -- NBC News was first with the info.

Unclear exactly where the alleged shooting happened ... Rocky performed at Complex Con in Long Beach on November 7, Rihanna was in attendance.

As we told you, Rocky and a pregnant Rihanna have been living it up in her native country, jet skiing (while RiRi watched with binoculars) and hanging with friends and family.

TMZ broke the story ... a recent Twitter rumor that the two had split because he cheated was 100% not true -- and evidence that all is good between them was shown in the vacation pics where they're clearly having a great time.

It's unclear when Rihanna's expected to give birth, but has said she's in her third trimester. The couple announced the pregnancy back in January.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has a No. 1 record with Nicki Minaj, but even that accomplishment isn't stopping the rainbow-haired rapper from publicly calling BS on her.

6ix9ine is reacting to his "TROLLZ" collaborator's demand for her Barbz to drive up the YouTube numbers on her new Fivio Foreign record, "We Go Up" ... and he thinks it was an insane request.

"Crazy" was his actual choice of words.

It's doubtful Tekashi meant any "malice" toward Nicki when he sounded off via DJ Akademiks Instagram. It's just interesting because he claimed on "TMZ Live" that he only responds to drama; never instigates it.

He even went so far as to deny having any hate toward Lil Durk, the late King Von or even Fivo ... despite a ton of lyrical evidence to the contrary. So, why stir the pot with Nicki over her Fivo collab???

No doubt, Nicki's had a topsy-turvy relationship with her infamous legion of fans, and on today's episode of "TMZ Hip Hop" the crew addressed her latest attempt to press them into action.

Whether you agree or disagree with the approach, it appears to be working. At the time we posted, the video had 1.4 million views and was No. 1 on YouTube's trending charts.

Drake can rest a little easier for the next few years, now that a judge has granted his request to prevent an allegedly deranged fan from contacting him or his family.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... Drake's attorneys, Larry Stein and Ashley Yeargan, were in court for Tuesday's hearing, which ended with the judge approving a 3-year restraining order.

The alleged stalker was not in court, but will be served the order. As we reported, Drake's been dealing with this woman for a while now -- she was arrested for trespassing at his Hollywood Hills estate in 2017, and she even attempted to file a $4 billion defamation suit against him ... as if the Certified Lover Boy was the one harassing her.

The court determined the woman was "given timely and proper notice" to give her side of the story – for instance, explaining the email she allegedly sent Drake, saying "put a bullet through your head now bitch."

Wiz Khalifa's been very active on the music front this year and, naturally, he's keeping that going for 420 ... by dropping a huge streaming treat for fans.

The diamond-selling rapper's throwing it back to his earlier days as a mixtape master, and unleashing his 2012 project Taylor Allderdice (named after his Pittsburgh high school) on streaming services for the first time.

Originally released on March 13, 2012 ... the album had top-notch features from Rick Ross, Wiz's then-wife Amber Rose, Juicy J and production from Cardo and longtime collaborators ID Labs: E. Dan, Sledgren, Sayez and Big Jerm.

Today being a national holiday -- for Wiz, anyway -- he told his 36 million Instagram followers he's celebrating with some Khalifa Kush and a gym session.

The project's host – Genius correspondent and rapper Rob Markman – tells TMZ Hip Hop he was so high out of his mind (how'd that happen?!), he doesn't remember actually saying "It's Rob Markman on Twitter – send ya hate mail" to open the project.

"Wiz had a lot of things to get off his chest and basically told me to ask him any and everything and not to hold back," Rob says. "So we interviewed for well over an hour— Juicy J was there, Smoke DZA was there, Chevy Woods was there, Will was there, and there was a TON of weed. It was a good time."

Antonio Brown didn't shy away from his Bucs blowup on his new rap album ... in fact, the NFL player dropped multiple bars about his famous Tampa Bay exit on several tracks.

AB posted the album -- called "Paradigm" -- on Wednesday morning ... and in two songs, he referenced his Jan. 2 shirtless tirade at MetLife Stadium.

In the songs "Business Boomin" and "Put That S*** On" ... he rapped about the way he quit on his team during the Bucs vs. Jets tilt.

"Sorry, ran up off the field," AB sang in the "Business Boomin" track. "I’m boomin'. Gotta get my money. I'm boomin'."

"Walk out your bitch life like I walked off the field or something," he sang in the "Put That S*** On" track. "AB, why you make the G.O.A.T retire? What's your deal or something."

DaBaby -- who's featured on the "Business Boomin" song -- also brought up the incident ... rapping at one point, "I throw off my shirt like AB, I don't wanna play for your team."

Brown also poked fun at his infamous failed trade to the Buffalo Bills in 2019 ... rapping in "Put That S*** On" ... "Buffalo skin on my coat, she think I play for the Bills or something."

Overall, the album shows the receiver is serious about the craft ... and has some dope features Fivio Foreign, Young Thug, Jacquees and Keyshia Cole, who did a music video with AB for "Don't Leave".

Of course, Kanye West might've been a major influence on this project ... especially since the award-winning rapper/producer has been spotted with AB in the studio numerous of times.

Cheech & Chong are celebrating 4/20 in the only way they know how -- smoking a fat blunt -- while puff, puff, passing with cops in a new music video.

The iconic comedy stoner duo is teaming up with Doggface, the viral Fleetwood Mac skateboarder from 2020, for his first rapping debut in "Low Rider" ... blazing up a fatty in the video, and prompting a visit from police.

The video's release date is April 20, the unofficial marijuana holiday, so naturally, the police actors start sharing the blunt with Cheech, Chong and Doggface, some real reefer madness.

Doggface's first song -- titled "Low Rider" -- is Klypso's and it features War and another well-known stoner, Snoop Dogg, who doesn't shy away from smoking on camera either.

George Lopez even makes a cameo ... parking it up too!!!

As we first told you ... the music vid was filmed over 4 days at Snoop's compound and a Burbank studio and cost around $300k to produce, with Snoop getting nearly $100k, and a big chunk going to production.

The song is a stoner's spin-off of the original (by War) and the celeb cast makes sense ... remember, Cheech and Chong played the OG "Low Rider" in their iconic movie, "Up in Smoke" ... and the tune doubles as the theme song for George's self-titled sitcom, "George Lopez."

Tom Parker's wife broke down in tears as she said her final public goodbye to her beloved husband ... telling people at his funeral The Wanted singer fought like a warrior during his 18-month cancer battle.

Tom's bandmates, Jay McGuiness, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran and Nathan Sykes were the pallbearers and carried his coffin into the London church.

Tom's widow, Kelsey, led a cortege with 3 black horses before the service ... as hundreds of mourners lined up in the streets for the procession. Fans paid their respects and watched the funeral on big screens outside the church.

Kelsey gave the eulogy, and told the crowd she would raise their 2 kids with the values that were important to Tom. She broke down in tears after saying although she and Tom were together for 13 years, she felt as if they lived 1,000 years together.

As we reported, Tom died last month after a battle with brain cancer. He was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma back in October 2020.

Tom's friends and bandmates shared heartfelt memories ... including his bandmate Max George, who said he was like a brother.

Here's Johnny Depp ripping a page from Michael Jackson's book ... cracking a window and waving to cameras and fans on his way into court.

Johnny appeared to be in good spirits Wednesday morning as he pulled up to a courthouse in Fairfax, VA for his second day of testimony in his defamation case against Amber Heard ... rolling down his SUV window and flashing a thumb up from the back seat.

The hand gestures out the car window are very reminiscent of MJ ... remember, during Michael's criminal trial way back in 2009, he cracked his SUV window from the back seat and flashed a peace sign to a sea of paparazzi.

Johnny was also bumping reggae music as he hopped out of his ride in a suit and strode into the courthouse ... where his ensuing testimony included some shocking claims against Amber.

Kendrick Lamar is a man of the people -- the rap superstar hit up the Dodger game and sat with fans in the stands on Tuesday ... just days after announcing his highly-anticipated album.

The pgLang rapper has been the talk of the town since revealing he's got a new project coming next month ... and despite all the hype surrounding him, Kendrick managed to show his supporters appreciation by mingling with them at the game.

Of course, K. Dot is rarely out in public and hardly has a social media presence ... so whenever he's seen out and about, it's always a big deal for fans.

The Dodgers' broadcast made sure to highlight Kendrick's surprise appearance ... showing him on the big screen in left field as the crowd cheered for the SoCal native.

Lamar has hit up Blue Heaven on Earth in the past -- in 2015, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Carl Crawford ... and it was a much better throw than some of the recent celebs who've been tapped to do the tradition (we're looking at you, 50 Cent, Conor McGregor, and Dr. Fauci).

It's been an exciting few months for Kendrick -- he performed during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. As always, Lamar had the visuals and aesthetics on point and he performed two of his classics -- "m.A.A.d city" and "Alright."

Kendrick's next album is expected to be his last one with Top Dawg Entertainment -- the lyricist previously announced he was leaving the TDE label.

Tiffany Haddish has something cooking in the kitchen -- but it ain't a comedy thing, it's music ... and she says she's hoping she can make it pay dividends.

The comedian/actress dished about her new musical endeavor to a photog Tuesday night out at the Mint Room Studios in Glendale, where it appears she was in the middle of some recording sessions for a collection of original tunes she's pulling together.

Before you run off thinking Tiff's about to drop an album, listen to the clip first ... because she makes it clear there's no such project in the works, although she is laying down tracks.

As TH explains -- these songs aren't for streaming, per se, but more so for TV and film use. Tiffany obviously understands where the dough is in the biz, and it ain't in traditional music releases ... but more so in residuals, which she's trying to cash in on right now.

No word on what exactly her vibe feels like or how these songs might sound -- but we DO know Tiff can carry a tune ... and we're also hearing she's recruiting the likes of Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and even Beyonce for this project of hers. So, let your imagination run wild.

Josh Groban isn't ditching his mask in the air, despite the new rule allowing people to fly without covering their mouth and nose ... and he has reasons why.

We got Josh at LAX Tuesday, and he puts it plainly -- his voice is his livelihood, so extra protection is needed.

Josh acknowledges he may be in the minority -- people on his flight were cheering when the captain came on and said masks were no longer required. But, Josh has a different, personal point of view ... partly because of his parents. There's also the business of touring that makes going maskless problematic.

A federal judge ruled Monday the CDC's mandatory mask policy on planes was illegal. The Justice Dept. has said if the CDC wants to appeal they will oblige. For now ... no masks.

Jack Harlow's on top of his game and at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart thanks to his new single “First Class” -- but some fans, critics and industry execs wonder if race is playing a role in his success.

Of course, Jack's hit samples Fergie’s 2006 multi-platinum track, “Glamorous" ... and we all know it absolutely blew up on TikTok, which definitely helped it grab the top spot.

Still, Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence "Punch" Henderson sparked a debate Tuesday on Twitter by proclaiming Black artists have to be more exceptional compared to their White counterparts.

Even though "Punch" never mentions Jack by name, the twitterverse got his point.

He also seemed to reference Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "The Heist" album beating Kendrick Lamar's "good kid, m.A.A.d. city" at the 2014 Grammys as an example.

The debate came up on Tuesday's episode of TMZ Hip Hop ... as our DJ Hed and Rodney Rikai challenged each other on what's really fueling the Kentucky-born rapper’s rise to the top.

Great convo, and you gotta check out the clip, because they actually answered this hypothetical: IF Jack were a Black rapper, whose career would his most resemble???

Dave East and Saweetie fans, pay attention!

All in all, Jack is having a renaissance year within a still blossoming career. His new album "Come Home the Kids Miss You" is set to drop May 6, he’s starring in the "White Men Can’t Jump" reboot ... and he's fresh off a KFC campaign that benefits several social justice and youth groups.

Nicki Minaj is straight up threatening her most hardcore supporters, aka the Barbz -- if they don't start watching her new video with Fivio Foreign, she might scrap any album plans!

Onika unleashed the vid Tuesday for her New York drill anthem, “We Go Up,” with Fivio ... and while it features plenty of "outside energy" Nicki thinks it's lacking online energy.

Directed by Andre "Drevinci" Jones, the clip connects hoods from Queens and Brooklyn and has Nicki stunting in a pink Lamborghini -- but sounds like Nicki's unimpressed with the number of views it's gotten to this point.

She issues a warning to the Barbz that she'll be inside real quick if the vid doesn't blaze up the YouTube charts -- meaning, she'll shelve her upcoming 5th studio album.

It doesn't appear to be a drill. She even wanted fans to know she was channeling Meryl Streep's ice cold "Devil Wears Prada" character.

While drill music is undoubtedly the hottest subgenre in hip hop, Nicki isn't hopping on the wave – she sorta helped bring it to prominence.

Back in 2014, she did a feature for a then-little-known G Herbo (who was rapping underneath the name Lil Herb) on the song "Chi-Raq," a direct ode to Chicago drill.

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna are doing the ultimate love bird thing that an expecting couple could while on vacation -- soon-to-be Mama Bear looking on as dad takes on Mother Nature.

The singer/fashion mogul was taking in the sights Tuesday down in her native Barbados -- notably, the sight of her baby daddy ripping and roaring through the ocean just outside their vacay home while mounted on a jet ski.

Check it out ... Rihanna is surrounded by some friends/fam, checking in on A$AP with a pair of binoculars as he navigates the choppy waters solo. Seems like she was impressed by what she was seeing, and likewise ... he was pretty happy too. Each of them were all smiles.

Of course, RiRi is heavily pregnant -- it looks like she could pop any day now -- so she definitely wasn't going to join on this particular excursion.

No worries, because A$AP was able to manage just fine on his own ... and before long, he reunited with his lady on land and they headed back inside together. If you didn't believe your eyes before this weekend, you can believe this -- they're very much together.

We'd already been told there was no truth to them splitting over alleged cheating -- it was nothing more than a Twitter rumor that took off like wildfire -- but the proof is in the pudding now that they're in each other's company again, looking super boo'd up, per usual.

Like we said, the future parents aren't just putting on a united front in paradise ... they very much are a united front, for realsies.