Coachella

11:40 AM PT -- Ariana's single, "7 Rings," has apparently broken a streaming numbers record -- the most streamed song on Spotify within the first 24 hours, according to her manager Scooter Braun.

She still hasn't directly responded to the accusations of ripping off Princess Nokia and other black artists for her new track, but it seems like people are digging the song regardless.

Ariana Grande smiled but had nothing to say about claims she ripped off another artist in the creation of her latest song, "7 Rings."

We got Ariana Friday night in L.A. leaving Rockwell Table and Stage, and had nothing to say about Princess Nokia's claim the lyrics to "7 Rings" are way too similar to her song, "Mine," from her mixtape "1992."

Ariana's lyrics -- “My wrists, stop watchin’, my neck is flossin’ / Make big deposits, my gloss is poppin’ / You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it / I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it."

Nokia's lyrics -- “Rock my many styles then go natural for the summer / Hair blowing in the Hummer / Flip the weave, I am stunner / It’s mine, I bought it / It’s mine, I bought it.”

Ariana perks up a little when we congratulate her on Coachella, waving as she drives away in the night.

Gucci Mane, Lil Pump and Smokepurpp are performing together for the first time at Coachella under the stage name Gucci Gang ... and we're told the trio will use the gig as a springboard to become rap's next big thing.

Sources close to the rappers tell TMZ ... Gucci Gang is in talks for future performances beyond Coachella. We're told they'll soon be working with some of the hottest upcoming artists, producing tons of new tracks.

Lil Pump was just seen in the studio with superproducer Scott Storch and surging artist Blueface ... and we're told they're working on a future collab for Gucci Gang.

When Coachella announced its lineup featuring Gucci Gang, everyone thought it was a typo for Gucci Mane or Lil Pump, but it turns out this new group has been in the works for years.

Pump and Smokepurpp have been buds for close to 7 years, and Gucci Mane has been a major influence on Pump's career. Pump and Gucci collaborated in 2017 and '18 ... and we're told the trio first started calling themselves Gucci Gang as a joke, but it's since morphed into a full-fledged group.

12:17 PM PT -- So, maybe it wasn't such a flub after all ... a rep for Coachella just got back to us and says "Gucci Gang" is, in fact, correct ... and now the photo of Gucci Mane has been replaced with one to include Lil Pump and Smokepurpp. Looks like something new for festival goers.

Gucci Mane, meet Gucci Gang -- the name he'll apparently be performing under at Coachella this year ... according to Coachella promoters, anyway.

There's a major typo on Coachella's website right now, which calls the Atlanta rapper "Gang" instead of "Mane." The error, which was published in the lineup announcement Wednesday night and hasn't been fixed yet, threw a lot of music fans for a loop -- namely, having them wonder ... who the hell is Gucci Gang???

At first, people thought it might be a new rap group featuring Lil Pump -- ya know, 'cause of his song "Gucci Gang" -- but when GM's image was attached to the name in a more detailed breakdown of the lineup, it became clear someone just screwed up.

Unless, of course, there's something like an undeclared name change going on ... but we seriously doubt it.

We reached out to Coachella and Gucci ... neither's gotten back to us yet.

Originally Published -- 7:15 AM PST

Ariana Grande is a hard left turn for Coachella, but it's a turn that was made consciously and involves women, empowerment and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Sources connected with production tell TMZ, choosing Ariana to headline the festival was a little tricky. There have only been 3 other women who headlined -- Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Bjork -- and Beyonce's appearance last year made it all the more daunting to choose a female artist who would not stand in Bey's shadow.

We're told the pick was designed to showcase female empowerment, noting Ariana has been through hell recently but always managed to pick herself up and move forward. Our sources say everyone involved in the decision believes Ariana can measure up to Beyonce ... and they believe it will resonate especially with women. As one source put it, "Ariana is inspirational, and millions of people, particularly women, will connect with her."

They also note Ariana has an international audience, and the media and social media pickup the announcement has generated proves the point.

Ariana Grande will headline this year's Coachella music festival along with Tame Impala and Childish Gambino.

Coachella released its lineup Wednesday night and revealed Ariana will be the final performer of the event ... which goes for two weekends outside Palm Springs, California. Other acts include Kid Cudi, Zedd, Khalid, Pusha T, Solange and Weezer.

Grande is coming off a massive end to 2018, with her single, "Thank U, Next," and plenty of headlines including her broken engagement with Pete Davidson and death of her ex, Mac Miller.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye was in negotiations as one of the festival's headliners but ultimately decided against it because he wasn't allowed to design his own stage.

Coachella sees more than 100,000 people attend per weekend each year.

Kanye West will NOT be performing at Coachella in April, because negotiations fell apart ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us, the sticking point was the stage. Kanye made it clear he wouldn't perform on a traditional 60x40 foot stage because it was "artistically limiting." Goldenvoice, which produces the festival, would not allow the stage to be altered or removed for Ye's performance. In the end, we're told Kanye passed.

As one source put it, "These 40x60 stages are so archaic. It's the same type of stage on which Shakespeare's works were performed hundreds of years ago."

A Kanye source says after the Saint Pablo tour, Ye wants to give groundbreaking performances. As you know, the Saint Pablo stage moved over the crowd, and Kanye loved it.

For its part, Goldenvoice was not going to disrupt the festival and compromise the other acts to accommodate Kanye.

Mel B's still months away from officially getting the band back together on tour, but she's already hopeful the Spice Girls can add a couple more stops ... including in the USA.

We got Scary Spice at LAX Friday, and our superfan cameraman peppered her with questions about the upcoming reunion tour ... set to kick off in Dublin, Ireland in May 2019.

Mel tells us the song she's most excited to perform on stage with the Girls -- sans Posh, but she says it's all good -- and you better believe she still knows all the dance moves to "Stop."

As of now, the 2019 tour only includes a handful of venues in Ireland and Great Britain -- ending with 3 shows at Wembley Stadium -- but Mel tells us what she really, really wants is to join the famed Glastonbury Festival at the end of June.

They're reportedly "in talks" to make it happen.

Kourtney Kardashian's ex-boyfriend Younes Bendjima is being sued after he allegedly attacked a security guard at Coachella who refused to let him enter the restroom with Kourtney.

Mario Herrera says he was working the music festival back in April and stationed at the single-gender male restrooms. According to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Herrera says Kourtney attempted to enter the restroom and Herrera told her that was not permitted.

Herrera claims that sent Younes into a rage, causing him to pick Herrera up, slam him against a wall and shout expletives.

The lawsuit claims Herrera's injuries were so bad, he had to be treated at a hospital. He's suing for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. Herrera's lawyer, Jack K. Kechichian, tells TMZ ... "Being a celebrity does not excuse bad conduct. You can't go around hurting people who are just doing their job and that’s all Mr. Herrera was doing, his job."

You'll remember back in March, Younes was caught on surveillance video outside Delilah in West Hollywood attacking a staff member as Drake and Odell Beckham Jr. looked on. A lawsuit has not yet been filed in that case.

Mike Posner's still coping with the loss of Avicii, and says the world-famous DJ's death has been a harsh reminder for him -- nothing lasts forever.

We got the singer at LAX Thursday and asked him how he feels about his hit track, "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" -- known for its mention of Avicii in the second line -- now that he's gone. He tells us it definitely has a much deeper meaning now ... and will always make him think of Tim.

Mike also says he wants his friend remembered for his music above all else, because that's the highest honor for musicians ... and what he hopes for himself. He shares some fond memories of working with Avicii, too ... even on the never-released stuff.

The Destiny's Child reunion is still going strong post-Coachella because all three ladies stepped out together Tuesday night in L.A. for a fashion event.

Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams attended the Dundas traveling pop-up store opening in West Hollywood. Beyonce wore the designer threads for her 2017 Grammy performance.

It's not unusual for Kelly and Beyonce to hang together offstage, but Michelle rarely tags along. She's there, but hard to spot ... in the back.

While it's unclear if Jay-Z asked to touch Cardi B's baby bump at Coachella this past weekend, it's also likely she doesn't mind -- 'cause she didn't seem to object then ... or now.

We got Cardi and her fiance, Offset, Monday leaving Mastro's in Bev Hills, where our photog asked when her baby was due -- but, more importantly, whether she signed off on Jay reaching down to quickly cup her belly in the front row of Beyonce's concert Saturday.

Cardi stays mum on that detail. But what is clear here is that she's fully baring her pregnant body in public now, and looking fantastic while doing it.

Jay-Z appeared to give Cardi B and her forthcoming baby his blessing this weekend during round 2 of Beyonce's Coachella set ... a belly rub and prayer hands says as much, anyway.

Jay was spotted getting up close and personal with Cardi in the artist section early Sunday morning around 12:45 AM, after he'd performed a duet with his wife on stage.

He affectionately grabs her arms and then places his hands on top of her ever-growing baby bump. Cardi was seated during the interaction -- ya know, 'cause she super pregnant ... AND about to perform for the second weekend in a row BTW. Girl needs her rest.

Not quite as many celebs who took in Coachella week 2, but there were still plenty.

Check out our gallery ... lots of people came to watch Beyonce, including Marilyn Manson, David Byrne, Tinashe, Tyler the Creator, Tash Sultana, Jamie Foxx, Nile Rodgers and Borns.

Beyonce's performance was awesome as usual, and this time she brought out J Balvin who performed "Mi Gente."

Beyonce did not disappoint at Coachella week 2 ... it was as good as week 1, with a bonus.

Bey brought out a surprise guest ... J Balvin, who performed "Mi Gente."

The set list was basically the same as week 1, but there were new celebs in the audience, including Jessica Alba and Vanessa Hudgens.

Beyonce and sister Solange had a dance-off ... a definite fan favorite.

The biggest difference from week 1 ... 4 new outfit changes and this time all the backup dancers changed from yellow to pink. Destiny's Child, Solange and Jay Z all changed it up in the wardrobe department from week 1.

Mally Mall says the folks who run Coachella better lawyer up quick ... 'cause they're asses are about to get sued over the brutalization of Belly.

We got the producer Saturday night at Lucky Strike bowling alley in Hollywood and he doesn't need more information ... he says the video is enough proof to trigger a lawsuit.

As we reported, Belly was in the crowd at The Weeknd's performance during Coachella week 1 when around 10 security guys started pummeling him. It's unclear if Belly was injured.

We had reached out to the folks at Coachella to find out what Belly had done, but got no response.

Belly had performed earlier in the day ... as a matter of fact, he posted that it was the best performance of his life, adding, "No negative bulls*** can steal my joy."

Belly was the recipient of several flying fists from security guards during The Weeknd's performance at Coachella ... even though the rapper performed at the fest earlier in the night.

Belly -- who actually has a hit song with The Weeknd -- was in a line of people walking from the sound booth to the VIP area near the main stage while The Weeknd was singing "The Hills" ... according to witnesses.

For whatever reason, about 10 men who appear to be Coachella security staff start PUMMELING Belly ... and don't let up for several seconds. The video's wild.

Belly isn't letting it get him down, though. He just tweeted, "No negative bulls**t can steal my joy" and added earlier ... "I'm great y'all. I love you." He also got a shot in at the guards who went after him, saying ... "20 of you p***ies couldn't take me off my feet."

We're told police were not involved in the incident -- by the time they showed up everyone had dispersed and no report was taken.

We reached out to Belly and Coachella organizers about the fracas ... so far no word back.