Music

A$AP Rocky dodged a guilty verdict this week, but one juror isn’t personally letting him off that easy -- saying she believes a crime may have been committed, but other factors kept him from being convicted.

Freelance journalist Nique Laclaire spoke with a juror after Rocky’s not-guilty verdict Tuesday, and the woman revealed some jurors -- made up of 7 women and 5 men -- did believe the alleged prop gun was actually a real firearm ... but "Unfortunately they didn't have enough evidence to convict on the charges that were handed down to us."

The juror said it was "kind of a little mysterious the way it disappeared and they couldn't produce it as evidence."

A$AP Rocky went out to celebrate his big legal win last night with his partner and baby mama Rihanna, going straight from the drab courtroom to a fancy dining room.

Photogs caught up with Rocky and Rihanna outside the restaurant Gravitas in Beverly Hills Tuesday night, hours after a jury acquitted the rapper on two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic weapon ... and the couple was all smiles.

Rocky was clearly feeling the weight lifted off his shoulders, thanking bystanders with genuine emotion who congratulated him on his legal victory. Asked how he felt now it's all over, he said ... "Amazing."

6:05 PM PT -- Rihanna just reacted to Rocky's verdict on Instagram writing ... "The glory belongs to God and God alone!

She added ... "Thankful, humbled by his mercy!"

The verdict in A$AP Rocky's assault trial was just announced -- Rocky has been found not guilty.

Rocky's partner and mother of his two sons, Rihanna, was sobbing, and gave Rocky's defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, a big hug. As the jurors exited one by one, Rocky said to them ... "Thank you for saving my life."

Outside the courtroom, Rocky thanked God and the jury for allowing him to be a free man ... telling reporters and fans he was happy to put the legal saga behind him.

Rihanna was there by Rocky's side, just as she was in court ... when he jumped into the gallery to hug her after the verdict was read. Rihanna did not talk to reporters and after some brief comments from Rocky, the couple meandered through a throng of reporters and escaped in their black SUV.

Joe held court after his client left and ripped the prosecution and its star witness A$AP Relli ... saying Relli, not Rocky, is the real criminal here ... claiming Relli perjured himself multiple times during the trial and urging the D.A. to go after Relli next.

Tacopina said he was happy for Rocky, RiRi and their two kids ... relaying the family is ready to move on from the trial.

The Los Angeles jury began deliberations Tuesday morning after closing arguments were completed Friday afternoon ... the rapper was charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon, and Rocky would have faced a possible 24-year prison sentence if he were found guilty.

A$AP Rocky -- legal name Rakim Mayers -- was arrested in 2022, accused of firing a gun at former associate and friend A$AP Relli outside a hotel in Hollywood in 2021. Rocky turned down a plea deal from prosecutors last month.

Rocky's defense attorney, Joe Tacopina, maintained his client could not have shot Relli -- legal name Terell Ephron -- because Rocky only carried a prop gun with him at the time. Relli testified his knuckles were scraped by a bullet.

Relli's testimony got heated at times ... with fireworks popping off between himself and Tacopina.

Rocky chose not to testify ... though his voice was heard in court when he yelled at his pal A$AP Twelvyy "Don't say!!!" when prosecutors asked him on the stand what "AWGE" stands for. AWGE is the name of Rocky's creative agency with "Fight Club"-level secrecy rules attached to it.

Rihanna played a background role in the proceedings -- prospective jurors were asked during the selection process whether they'd heard of A$AP or Rihanna, listened to their music, or downloaded any of their songs. A jury of seven women and five men were selected ... none of them Black.

Diddy's ex Cassie says she has another bun in the oven!

Cassie hopped on Instagram Tuesday to announce she's pregnant with her third child, posting a photo that shows off her baby bump with her two other kids -- Frankie and Sunny --  kissing her belly.

In the caption, Cassie wrote "#3" with a pregnancy emoji, indicating the number of children she now shares with hubby Alex Fine, who she married in 2019.

So, Zach Bryan walks into a bar … okay, maybe you’ve heard this joke before, but a new video obtained by TMZ shows the country superstar delivering a punchline we didn't expect.

Here’s the deal -- The “I Remember Everything” singer was at a bar Monday night in NYC's West Village, where he was invited to play pool with some other patrons ... but things got heated, and it was all captured on Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

Zach and his crew ran into the group around midnight, and after playing about 3 rounds of pool -- all of which Zach lost -- things start to get testy.

Rick Buckler, the drummer for the legendary rock band The Jam, has died after a brief illness.

His death in Woking, UK was confirmed on X by his former bandmates, with Paul Weller reflecting on their journey from bedroom rehearsals to achieving more than they ever dreamed -- saying what they created still stands the test of time.

Rick's other former bandmate, Bruce Foxton, called him a great drummer whose innovative beats helped shape their iconic songs, including "Going Underground" -- and he also expressed how grateful he was to have had the chance to work with him as much as they did.

Nicole Scherzinger's over the NYC chill, so she’s reflecting on her recent time in Hawaii, where temperatures were through the roof!

The singer was smokin' hot in her blue bikini, flaunting her envy-inducing toned figure as she dropped some sizzling IG snaps, posing up a storm on the beach.

It wasn’t just a photo op for Nicole -- it was a full-on spiritual experience. In her caption, she explained she was carrying the serenity of the moment with her while in freezing NYC.

Michael Jackson's estate has issues with an auction house planning to sell his unreleased music to the highest bidder.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll is auctioning off some cassette tapes with never-before-heard MJ songs ... and the late singer's estate is blasting the sale as a "sad attempt by an auction site to mislead the public."

The auction item features two cassette tapes with 12 unreleased tracks Michael worked on in the late 1980s and early '90s ... before his "Dangerous" album. Gotta Have Rock and Roll is putting the tapes on the auction block with an $85,000 starting bid, and they expect the sale price to land between $150K and $200K.

Conor McGregor's girl band, Sweet Love, tells TMZ Sports it wants to make some sweet new music ... with Ne-Yo!

Honey, Jasmine, Maya and Venice -- the quartet that just inked a new deal with McGregor's Green Back Records -- said they'd love to work with a plethora of big-name artists ... but Ne-Yo might just be No. 1 on their list.

The women -- alongside their manager, Blair -- explained Venice is a huge fan ... and after Ne-Yo gave them a follow on their IG page recently, they told us they wouldn't mind merging Sweet Love with the "Sexy Love" singer!

LeBron James is apparently hitting the "skip" button on the new Drake album ... instead, the King was busy bumping one of Kendrick Lamar's classic projects during a workout with his daughter!!

James shared the exercise videos on his Instagram Stories on Monday ... just a day after the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in the Bay Area -- which he sat out due to an injury.

James -- who has been on the receiving end of some shots from Drizzy lately for supporting K. Dot -- strengthened his allegiances with the "Not Like Us" rapper amid the beef ... by blasting tracks from "good kid, m.A.A.d city" as he got in a sweat with his youngest child, Zhuri.

Travis Scott is being dragged to court by a man who claims one of the rapper's security guards violently injured him ... but Travis' camp says the lawsuit is bogus.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a man named Omar Muhanna claims he was outside a "concert venue" where Travis performed when one of Travis' security guards made violent physical contact with him.

The guy claims he did nothing to cause or provoke the alleged assault and battery ... which he says happened August 17, 2024 in Manhattan and resulted in serious and permanent injuries.

Drake's not letting up on NBA star DeMar DeRozan ... a fan proved the beef is still going strong after seeing his jersey get tossed!!!

The Boy was performing during his first Sydney show of his "Anita Max Wynn" Australia tour Sunday when a DeRozan jersey was flung in his direction as he performed "Rich Flex."

After straightening out the wrinkles and realizing it was a DD jersey, Drake switched sports and spiked the shirt like a football straight off the stage!!!

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are head over heels and living large -- because TMZ has learned they dropped millions on a dreamy Beverly Hills mansion.

Multiple real estate sources tell TMZ ... Selena and Benny went all-in on a Spanish-style pad with 7 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms in December -- for a jaw-dropping $35 million!

The resort-like grounds come with multiple structures, including a library and a grand swirling staircase. Outside there's a glass greenhouse solarium, a fitness center, and a pool.

Marlon Wayans created his "creth-head" jab at Soulja Boy to TMZ in real-time and the funnyman is taking a step further ... using the powers of artificial intelligence to rip the "Crank Dat" rapper a new one with a honky talk diss track!!!

The beef has been festering for days and Marlon continued his viral onslaught on Soulja Boy's career by hopping into his arena ... labeling him a two-bit wonder with his A.I.-generated country tune.

Flavor Flav also catches a stray on the song to describe SB's appearance ... "Soulja Boy's on crinack and meth / I can smell it on his breath ... He'll suck on caulk just for that rock / He look like Flavor Flav without the clock / He's the c*** that jumped over the moon."

Famed Mexican singer Paquita la del Barrio has died ... TMZ has learned.

Her death was announced on her official Instagram page Monday. Paquita la del Barrio, which translates to "Paquita from the hood," was long known as a powerful figure against the machismo culture in Latin America.

The Grammy-nominated singer became infamous for songs that stood up to and defied men, such as "Rata de dos patas," which translates to "Walking rat with two feet."

Jay-Z and Beyoncé look like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders .... because they were all smiles in their first public appearance since his rape accuser dismissed her lawsuit.

The power couple ventured out for dinner Sunday night in Beverly Hills, grinning from ear to ear outside the famous Italian restaurant Cipriani.

It's the first time we've seen HOV and Bey since the unnamed woman accusing him and Diddy of rape filed legal docs in federal court to voluntarily dismiss her lawsuit against the music moguls.