Megan Thee Stallionis all smiles just days after her EP dropped ... and she's adamant it'll hold her fans over until THE BIG ONE drops.
We got the Houston rapper out over the weekend leaving Coach in NYC and she tells us it's been nothing but love since she dropped her 9-track EP, "Suga," on Friday. She's adamant it's gonna hold her fans over until her big album drops.
When that'll happen is unclear. Remember, Megan's label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, went to court and filed a motion to try and stop her from releasing her new music ... but in the end, it was Megan who notched the W in that battle.
BTW, Megan also had some strong feelings about Coachella after we asked her about the festival's uncertainty. Pretty clear where she stands. Problem is ... best-case scenario for Coachella now is a delay until October.
Coachella's fate appears to be hanging in the balance as the county it sits in just confirmed its first case of coronavirus.
Riverside County public health officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser made the announcement Sunday, saying RC is under a public health emergency because of a patient who's considered a "presumptive positive for coronavirus" after being tested by the Public Health Office.
Even more alarming ... the hospital this person is being treated at -- Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage -- is a mere 25 minutes from the Coachella festival site in Indio, CA. So, very close to home.
Kaiser says his team is assessing whether the infected individual has been in contact with others and whether more people might've been exposed. He also says no decisions have been made on the safety of future public events, and that he'll evaluate on a case-by-case basis.
As of Thursday, Kaiser had said he had NOT instructed the honchos running Coachella or Stagecoach to pull the plug -- but in light of this new development, that could change.
Riverside is the latest county in SoCal to declare a public emergency -- Orange and Los Angeles counties have already done so, as a handful of confirmed cases have been discovered in both.
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If Coachella -- which kicks off its first weekend of festivities on April 10 -- is indeed canceled, it'll be a huge blow to the music community. Headliners like Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean were announced this year, and tickets have already gone on sale.
And, of course, in light of SXSW being axed just last week because of the coronavirus ... it feels like it could very much become a reality here on the West Coast too. We've reached out to Goldenvoice -- the company behind Coachella -- for comment ... no word back yet.
Aqua's got a New Year's resolution that will surely have their legion of fans fired up ... a gig at next year's Coachella.
Singers Lene Nystrom ('memba her?) and Rene Dif and keyboardist Soren Rasted tell TMZ ... the band's set its sights on playing at Coachella next April ... which would be about 2 months before the Dutch-Norwegian band kicks off its '90s nostalgia tour.
How the band's gonna get it done is TBD ... but it's making a strong case for itself well ahead of Coachella announcing its highly-anticipated lineup. And, if it helps, the band -- famously known for its 1997 worldwide hit, "Barbie Girl" -- will be in the neighborhood.
Aqua recently announced it's making pit stops in 5 cities in Canada next June. Aqua's headlining and they'll be joined by fellow Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys and Ace of Base's Jenny Berggren.
Aqua's undoubtedly excited to get back onstage next year but they make it crystal clear -- they've set their sights on Coachella. Check out the vid ... Lene tells us they'd fit in PERFECTLY 'cause, y'know, all the sex, drugs and rock & roll.
The group's ambitious goal is NOT far-fetched. Remember, a precedent's been set after 'NSYNC (sans Justin Timberlake) performed with Ariana Grande this year during weekend one.
Aqua -- which hasn't performed in the U.S. since the late '90s and teases about possible new music in the horizon -- is no stranger to syncing up with Lance Bass & co. -- they not only toured together, Lene says 'NSYNC's one of the bands they traveled with the most in the 90s.
RZA is stoked to see the guys from Rage Against the Machine rocking again -- but he wants to see another reunion that involves them and his Wu-Tang Clan.
We got the Wu leader at LAX and asked how he felt about Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha putting their band back together to hit the road and play Coachella. RZA says it's the perfect time for their return, 'cause there's plenty to rage about these days.
He also brought up some unfinished biz with Rage that he wants to address -- wrapping up the tour their groups weren't able to complete 20 years ago!!!
Yes, believe it or not ... the Wu-Tang Clan actually got its touring feet wet with a co-headlining national tour with Rage Against the Machine back in 1997 ... but it was cut short after RZA and the fellas pulled out due to internal conflict among its members.
Welp ... RZA says he wants to run it back and finish out what they couldn't all those years ago. In fact, he's already got a point of contact on how to pull it off.
Cue up that 'Ain't Nuthing Ta F*** Wit' remix and slap it loud and proud -- assuming RZA can get his way, that is, and make a big reunion even bigger.
Former 'Bachelor' contestant Amanda Stanton is blowing it as a social media influencer ... so claims the luxury boutique that's suing her for failing to do the simplest task.
According to new legal docs ... Moonstone Vintage LA says it gave Amanda a very pricey gift -- a Chanel purse worth $3,249 -- and in exchange, she would pimp the store out to her 1.2 million Instagram followers. Pretty standard social media quid pro quo.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Moonstone claims Amanda failed on the pimping part. As they say, it ain't easy. The boutique says not only did Amanda fail to tag them in her post from Coachella ... but she kept the purse.
As a result, it's suing Amanda for $4,996 ... the cost of the purse, plus shipping and handling expenses.
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Amanda requested the rare, vintage, black leather quilted mini backpack as a last-minute accessory for her Coachella trip earlier this year.
Our sources say the store personally delivered it from Santa Monica to the desert. And, while Amanda did post with the purse ... she tagged several other companies, but NOT Moonstone.
Adding insult to injury ... Amanda posted a second pic with the mini backpack and again didn't tag the company. Two days after her initial post, Amanda did finally tag Moonstone ... but the boutique's now saying too little, too late.
A rep for Amanda tells TMZ ... "There was miscommunication between Amanda and the brand. Amanda didn’t have full confidence in what she was advertising, and was trying to negotiate with the brand to cancel the deal. We are working to settle this privately."
A big rapper says Coachella's to blame for an unprovoked attack by the music festival's security that left him with with some serious and lifelong injuries ... thus, a new lawsuit.
Belly just filed against the famous festival, claiming it caused the incident by hiring a security company that WAILED on him back in April 2018 while Belly's friend, The Weeknd, performed on the main stage. According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Belly claims approximately 25 security guards pummeled him without cause.
Belly -- who performed at the festival earlier that night -- says he had all the necessary credentials to access all areas on the grounds ... including the most exclusive and restricted VIP sections.
Belly -- who enlisted the firebrand of attorney Ben Meiselas -- says he was headed to a backstage VIP area, when out of nowhere, security bum rushed him and repeatedly grabbed, punched, kicked and choked him. The brutal attack was all caught on video.
Belly says the attack left him bruised, battered, concussed and nearly unconscious. He claims he suffered permanent physical and mental pain and trauma. Belly -- who is also suing Coachella's organizers and the security firm it hired -- wants a ton of money, but he wasn't specific.
We've reached out to Coachella's organizers. So far, no word back.
Kanye West wants to be holier-than-thou when it comes to hawking apparel embossed with his now-famous Sunday Service, because he's asking the feds to allow him to corner the market.
Ye just filed legal docs asking for exclusive ownership of clothing, dresses, footwear, headwear, jackets loungewear, scarves, shirts, socks and clothing tops.
If approved, he'll get a trademark that gives his exclusive rights to sell the merch.
Sad news ... one of the 7 puppies dumped in a trash bin by a woman in Coachella has died.
The Riverside County Animal Services said the puppy died Wednesday after it couldn't recover from last week's traumatic experience. As we reported ... a woman was caught on video throwing a bag filled with the 3-day-old puppies into a dumpster on an incredibly hot day in the desert town.
Fortunately, a Good Samaritan rummaging through the dumpster found them and alerted authorities.
The Animal Services said, "The little one might have been on the bottom of the bag when the woman dumped the puppies into a trash bin." A volunteer taking care of the puppies wrote on Facebook, "He was just so weak and held on for as long as he could."
The volunteer went on to say ... "When I got him he was pale and kind of flat looking, so I think he was the cushion that saved his siblings. As the lady threw them in the bag, i think he was at the bottom and took the hit when all of his siblings landed on him."
The Riverside County Animal Services released a video Thursday showing the 6 remaining puppies that continue to recover.
As you know ... Deborah Sue Culwell, a 54-year old resident of Coachella, is facing 7 felony counts of cruelty to animals. If convicted on all counts, she could get up to 7 years in prison. Her disgusting actions pissed off just about everyone ... including Lisa Vanderpump.
There was an unwanted guest running amok at Coachella this year ... herpes.
According to honchos at HerpAlert -- an online diagnosis and treatment website for the STD -- there's been a huge spike in folks looking to get treated for herpes in the communities surrounding the famous music festival.
HerpAlert's been in business for 2 years now, with doctors issuing prescriptions to pharmacies after people submit photos of their, umm ... situation, for medical pros to review. The turnaround time is blazing fast, it only takes about 2 hours.
We're told the site has seen a massive surge in folks seeking prescriptions for herpes since Day 1 at Coachella. A whopping 1,105 cases have been reported in Indio, Palm Desert and Coachella Valley -- and also L.A., Orange and San Diego counties where most of the concertgoers live.
HerpAlert tells us they typically handle 12 cases a day in Southern Cali ... but during the first 2 days of Coachella, the site serviced almost 250 patients!!! The biggest previous spike was during Oscars weekend 2018, when they got a mere 60 cases a day.
Bottom line ... what happens in Coachella might stay with you. For life.
Building Kanye West's man-made mountain for his Sunday Service at Coachella was no easy feat ... as evidenced by the MASSIVE army putting in work in this awesome time-lapse vid.
As we first reported ... more than 50k people attended Ye's service last weekend in the Coachella campground. The event lasted a couple of hours and it brought out some heavy hitters ... from the Kardashian family to Chance the Rapper, Donald Glover, Kid Cudi and more.
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But, leading up to the massive event was Kanye's main designer's company at work. John McGuire owns TrasK House, which worked around the clock to build the man-made mountain. You can see in this incredible time-lapse video, tons of workers hauling equipment to complete Kanye's raised alter.
You see tractors pushing dirt like crazy to build the mountain ... followed by a crew laying out the sod to complete the magnificent look.
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As you know by now ... Kanye and his choir performed numerous Gospel songs and he also debuted a new track called "Water" and played classics like "Jesus Walks."
Justin Bieber jumped the gun at Coachella when he said an album was coming soon ... 'cause TMZ's learned it's actually gonna be about another year before a full set of new tunes is ready.
Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the Biebs got caught up in the moment when he said "album coming soon" after wrapping up his Sunday night surprise performance with Ariana Grande. Yes, he has been working on new music, but that tease for a new album immediately cranked up fan anticipation.
Great marketing, for sure, on JB's part -- and while he HAS recorded a few songs already ... we're told he's still working on creating a new sound.
Of course, the bottom line is he actually IS recording ... and doing so when everything's coming up Justin. We're told he feels very centered, and he's excited about getting back in the studio grind.
Remember ... Bieber hasn't released a solo of his own for more than 3 years -- his "Purpose" album dropped way back in November 2015. He told the Coachella crowd he hadn't performed in like 2 years and seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed, his words, getting his groove back.
He was also recently featured in Lil Dicky's new single "Earth" -- the one where he plays a baboon. It was Justin's first collab since "No Brainer" was released last July.
Goes without saying ... Justin's new album is already highly anticipated.
Kid Cudi just wrapped up a very busy weekend at Coachella, but he still found time to feed the needy ... with a huge assist from Postmates.
The rapper got things started off on the right foot in the California desert Friday night by ordering $10k worth of Popeyes chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes and fries to provide to the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.
The delivery service dropped off a carload of food to the shelter, which serves hundreds of homeless people in Indio ... and they all got a nice hot meal this weekend thanks to Cudi's generosity.
The good vibes kept going for the rapper, too -- he performed a set at Coachella Saturday night and was part of Kanye West's Sunday Service for Easter the next morning.
No word if Cudi enjoyed any Popeyes himself this weekend, but Saturday was 4/20, so ...
The numbers for Kanye West's Sunday Service are officially in ... and an astounding 50,000 festival-goers woke up early to go and watch the ceremony.
Coachella production sources tell TMZ organizers just tallied everyone who attended ... and it more than surpassed expectations. We're told over 50k were there ... with an A-list guest list that included the entire Kardashian family, Chance The Rapper, Donald Glover, Lizzo, Kid Cudi, DMX and more.
The event -- a culmination of Sunday Service performances from the past several weeks -- stole the show this weekend ... and reviews have been insanely positive.
In a touching moment at the end of the show, Kanye was seen hugging Marcus Hyde, the family's former photographer who nearly lost his life in a horrible car accident last year, as well as his mother.
Coachella averages about 100k total attendees every weekend, so for half to show up just for 'Ye is a really big deal.
Justin Bieber did something Sunday night at Coachella that he hasn't done in 2 years ... perform.
The Biebs jumped onstage during Ariana Grande's set to close out her show and sang "Sorry." He said, "I had no idea I was going to be on a stage tonight." We had heard rumblings for a week it was probably going to happen.
Nevertheless, he stole the show and thanked Ariana for sharing the stage.
As for his hiatus, Bieber told the crowd, he hadn't performed in "like 2 years, so I had to get my groove back, had to get my swag back, you know what I'm saying."
Looks like Justin's about to drop an album ... he as much as told the crowd that before leaving the stage.
4:05 PM PT -- We got the full rundown of all the big names at the Service, and the list is massive. Along with those already mentioned ... Justin and Hailey Bieber, Lil Pump, Willow and Jaden Smith, 2 Chainz, Tame Impala, Donald Glover, Kid Cudi, Jerrod Carmichael, Jermaine Dupri and Idris Elba were all in attendance.
11:50 AM PT -- Kanye's Service has wrapped up ... after an upbeat and emotional couple hours with a lot of help from his friends.
The final hour featured DMX giving a prayer, Chance the Rapper performing "Ultralight Beam" and a huge rendition of "Jesus Walks." At one point it looked like several members of the choir, including Kanye, were moved to tears.
Kylie and Travis were apparently feeling it too ... and were moved to a little PDA. Happy Easter, everybody!
11:05 AM PT -- Though the Service kicked off at 9 AM, Kanye wasn't revealed on Coachella's fisheye lens stream 'til about 9:50, and he didn't get on the mic for another hour after that ... when he performed "All Falls Down." He followed it up by premiering his new song, "Water," with Ty Dolla $ign.
He's also rocking purple hair.
Not that Ye hasn't been busy the whole time -- he's been dancing, playing piano and directing the choir ... while tens of thousands of festival attendees gather around. The show is still going too.
Kanye West is ready to preach his version of the gospel for all the folks at Coachella ... and TMZ will be streaming live when it begins at around 9 AM PT.
Ye will host his Sunday Service, which has become a thing in L.A., attracting lots of celebs. It's more music than preaching, which may be a reason why some not-so-religious people have become believers. Kim Kardashian West was getting the family ready to attend bright and early.
A brand new stage was set up in the campground for Ye, and everyone with a wristband is welcome.
The Sunday Service will feature a massive choir, orchestra and, we're told, other surprises. In weeks past he's performed both gospel songs as well as some of his hit songs.
During a recent service ... Kanye paid homage to Nipsey Hussle by playing audio of Nipsey delivering inspirational thoughts. It was one hell of a show.
Idris Elba has settled into his new role as a DJ, looking relaxed and confident as he played to a packed house Saturday night at Coachella, Week 2.
The crowd crammed into the Yuma tent as they watched Idris prepare to start his set. It's fun to watch him fire up, talking to the crowd and futzing with his equipment.
Everyone loved it ... it's turned out to be a highlight of the festival, which has come under fire for going way too pop this year.
Kanye will probably steal the show a little later Sunday morning with his Sunday Service ... TMZ will live stream the Easter festivities beginning at 8:30 AM PT.
