Controversial S#!T

Daz Dillinger is fully denying Suge Knight's allegation Dr. Dre cheated Tha Dogg Pound producer straight outta his rightful credit for Snoop's "Doggystyle" -- and, it's a very aggressive denial, at that!

Daz posted a video calling Dre the "best producer in the world," and suggested Suge was still salty over Snoop's purchase of his once beloved Death Row Records.

Suge recently spoke to TMZ Hip Hop and claimed Dre approached Daz right before "Doggystyle" was released, and convinced him to sign over his writing/producing rights ... so, the album would be better promoted with Dre's celebrity attached.

Daz says he never signed any contract and also accused veteran music industry exec Alan Grunblatt of shady business. Alan was president of eOne Entertainment when the company acquired Death Row ahead of Snoop's buy-in and Daz claims they were all fumbling the bag.

Tha Dogg Pound legend swore on "the streets" Suge was lying and also called for him to get beat up ... presumably by a fellow inmate in the CA state prison where he's serving out a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

Lizzo looked as happy as ever pullin' up to Anna Wintour's pre-Met Gala dinner, but it's an awkward situation, considering Lizzo had some harsh words about last year's event.

The singer was all smiles Sunday night in NYC, walking into Wintour's private pad ... for dinner with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Penelope Cruz and many other A-listers.

While she looked thrilled, she might have been gearing up to face the music. ICYMI, Lizzo went on Instagram Live and totally trashed 2022's Met Gala last May ... complaining about everything from the booze to the photogs snapping pics.

She filled her fans in on how unglamorous fashion's biggest night really is, at least to her ... first complaining about the "long f***ing line" she had to wait in. She added there was no place to sit, either -- saying "B***h? Can we get some chairs or some drinks or some hors d'oeuvres?"

It didn't stop there, though ... once she finally got in, a waiter told her they only had red or white wine, which sent her through the roof while looking for some tequila. BTW, she was supposed to rock a flute solo during her red carpet debut but claims she only did part of it -- adding the paps were heckling her.

The Met Gala's going down Monday night, and since she went to Anna's party ... ya gotta imagine she's also going to the Met.

So, the world's dyin' to know -- will Lizzo get served some tequila, or will she bring her own?!

Paul Stanley says we're confusing our kids by teaching them about gender identity and sexuality at too young of an age -- which he thinks is dangerous, and not to be trifled with.

The KISS rocker took to Twitter Sunday with an unprompted statement about this topic -- a culture war hot-button issue that has largely consumed the country and seems to only be getting more contentious by the day.

He writes, "There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it."

PS adds, "There ARE individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice but turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative or believing that because a little boy likes to play dress up in his sister’s clothes or a girl in her brother’s, we should lead them steps further down a path that’s far from the innocence of what they are doing."

Lastly, "With many children who have no real sense of sexuality or sexual experiences caught up in the ‘fun’ of using pronouns and saying what they identify as, some adults mistakenly confuse teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous fad."

Kelsea Ballerini's CMT Music Awards performance with drag queens had social media, and some country music fans, up in arms -- but, turns out, it was barely a blip on the FCC's radar.

You'll recall, the country singer had 4 queens from "RuPaul's Drag Race" share the stage with her at this year's awards ceremony -- and she was facing a lot of online backlash for involving them in her number.

However, TMZ has obtained the complaints filed with the Federal Communications Commission regarding Kelsea's moment ... and there were only two. For comparison, the FCC received 103 complaints about Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show.

One came from Texas, complaining about "drag queens on a family show." The other came from Alaska, saying children shouldn't be exposed to drag, adding ... "We are no longer able to watch this station. We have children in our home that have no business being exposed to this filth."

As we reported, sources told us Kelsea stood by her performance despite all the flak she caught for it. We're told the appearances were fully planned, and it was Kelsea's idea to call in the drag backup.

Jennette McCurdy owes Josh Peck and his podcast partner for scrapping their debut episode at her request -- so says Josh Peck ... who's now catching flak over this.

The ex-Nickelodeon child star is trending this weekend over an episode of his pod, 'Good Guys,' that aired earlier this month ... which the internet is just learning about right now. The reason he's getting dragged -- JP, according to some, comes across as a bit of a jerk.

Here's the context ... Josh and his right-hand man, Ben Soffer, are talking to Tana Mongeau -- who brings up Jennette's memoir from last year, in which she addresses some childhood trauma she went through at the hands of her family and Nickelodeon execs back in the day.

Tana praises Jennette for speaking her truth -- something Josh/Ben say they also tried to do by having her on as their first guest in August ... in an episode that was never released.

Josh and Ben are giving themselves pats on the back for being "good guys" and nixing the episode after Jennette apparently asked them to (unclear why). However, after some time passed, Josh says he reached out to her again in hopes of getting her back on for a redo.

He says it seemed like she'd inexplicably blocked him -- after which, he says he felt like a little quid pro quo was in order since they did her a solid. Twitter doesn't agree, though.

You can go through the "Josh Peck" trend for yourself to see how people are tearing into the guy -- but bottom line ... they feel like he sounds entitled and completely insensitive here.

JoJo isn't as concerned as the rest of the music industry when it comes to AI-generated tracks, saying folks should learn how to use the technology as an advantage ... cuz it's not going anywhere.

We caught up with the singer in NYC Wednesday where she spilled her thoughts on the uptick of robots in music ... which has taken the internet by storm as of late.

JoJo says the concept is actually pretty interesting, and could have some benefits to be used in the studio for harmonies and backgrounds. As far as JoJo is concerned, there's no stopping AI tunes, so people should figure out how to use 'em.

Of course, not all artists see it like JoJo. Drake's label ripped the idea after multiple AI-generated Drizzy tunes began trending. Before that, Universal Music Group had to remove an AI song featuring Drake and The Weeknd.

Other artists like Khalid agree the technology is inevitable, but unlike JoJo, he's not a fan.

An ex-principal -- who was forced to resign after her school showed off the naked David statue to students -- made the trek to Italy ... and was welcomed with open arms.

Hope Carrasquilla paid a visit to the famed Accademia Gallery museum in Florence Friday with her family in tow -- this after the city's mayor had invited her to come see David for herself following her unceremonious ousting last month ... which he called outrageous.

Cecilie Hollberg -- Accademia's director -- gave Carrasquilla and her brood a VIP tour of the place ... which, of course, included an up-close view of Michelangelo's iconic artwork.

She said hosting them was a pleasure, adding ... "I am happy to be able to welcome her and introduce her to the beauties of our museum, besides showing her the David, a sculpture that, I repeat as I have said, has nothing to do with pornography. It's a masterpiece, it represents a religious symbol of purity and innocence, the victory of good over evil."

Carrasquilla also met with Mayor Dario Nardella ... who spoke out on her situation in March, when she got the boot from Tallahassee Classical School. Nardella rolled out the red carpet for her, it seems, and again defended her amid the controversy.

He writes, "A few weeks ago she was attacked for showing her students Michelangelo's David. Today it receives from @comunefi an award in the name of art and culture. Art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect. Welcome Professor Hope Carrasquilla!"

If you hadn't heard ... Carrasquilla stepped down after parents expressed outrage over their children being shown images of David's nude body during a lesson plan on the Renaissance in front of sixth graders. They felt it was inappropriate, and were mad they weren't given a heads-up. In the end, Carrasquilla took the fall ... telling local media she was "saddened."

It's just the latest instance of parents flexing their rights over their children's curriculum in public schools there in Florida ... which has been an ongoing issue for a few years now.

Mila Kunis may just be tapped to play The Thing in the new "Fantastic 4" movie -- that is ... if you buy a rumor that's running rampant on Twitter this morning.

A movie insider named @MyTimeToShineH -- who's credited with getting scoops before trade publications, and generally being in the know on superhero news -- sent the bird app into a frenzy Friday when they claimed Mila was in talks to portray a female version of Ben Grimm.

Grimm is the name of the dude in the comics who becomes The Thing ... a giant orange rock figure who fights crime alongside Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman and the Human Torch.

MTTSH writes, "They are looking at Jewish actors, both male AND female for The Thing in Fantastic Four. Mila Kunis is one of them." They added that the director of the upcoming 2025 flick, Matt Shakman, insisted Grimm be portrayed be a real-life Jewish actor ... as the character is explicitly depicted as Jewish in the comic books, albeit in later iterations.

Now, in case it went over your head -- The Thing is a male character ... and has always been portrayed as such. Whether it was Chuck McCann in the '90s cartoon, Michael Chiklis from the 2000s flick, or Jamie Bell from the 2010s version -- The Thing's known as a guy.

Now, however, based on this report -- or gossip, more like -- it sounds like Marvel's possibly looking to switch things up with a little gender swap ... or at the very least, considering it.

As you might imagine ... Twitter users, by and large, aren't reacting well to the news. The jokes are flying -- and the consensus seems to be, if Kevin Feige and co. go down this road, much of the fanbase will turn their backs on the studio ... as they view this as a step too far.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a woman replaced a role usually played by a man -- it notably happened in "Ghostbusters" ... and more recently, in 'Black Panther 2' and "She-Hulk." among other examples. Point is ... it's been done before, and sometimes with success.

As for Mila potentially being eyed for the job ... she wouldn't be half bad. Big star with name recognition and a good range of films under her belt, including action movies and comedies.

Suge Knight says his upcoming TV series will portray his version of the truth about how some of Death Row's biggest records were made ... allegedly without Dr. Dre's involvement.

Suge tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Daz Dillinger's latest interview -- where he claimed he got $2.5 mil out of Suge -- is just Daz "running his mouth." However, he has his own story to tell about Daz, alleging Dre convinced Tha Dogg Pound producer to sign over rights to Snoop Dogg's classic "Doggystyle" album.

As everyone knows, Dre is credited with producing that iconic project, but Suge claims it was really Daz who ghost-produced it.

Speaking from a CA state penitentiary, Suge told us the record distributor wanted Dre's name on Snoop's debut album for visibility purposes. That record came after Dre's legendary "The Chronic," so having him produce would be a huge boost for "Doggystyle."

Suge claims he advised Daz to reject Dre's proposed buyout ... but Daz went through with it anyway. We reached out to Daz for his side, but haven't heard back.

Suge says his version of the "Doggystyle" backstory is what viewers will see in the upcoming BLK Prime TV series chronicling his life. He also assured Daz his DGPC twin Kurupt will get some shine for being a ferocious MC in the violent Death Row era.

Suge, who's doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter, takes umbrage with how another blockbuster record in Dre's catalog, "California Love," was depicted in 2015's "Straight Outta Compton."

The Oscar-winning film shows Dre and Tupac Shakur organically creating the 1996 hit collab in-studio, but Suge alleges he actually orchestrated the song's creation ... because Pac and Dre were beefing at the time.

He credits DJ Quik for thinking up the song's iconic chorus when at the infamous 1995 Source Awards in NYC, and he later recruited the late Roger Troutman to sing the phrase on his voicebox.

Suge cosigned on veteran rapper J-Flexx's claims he penned Dre's verses for the classic tracks "Keep Their Heads Ringin'," "Natural Born Killaz" and, of course, "California Love."

Chance the Rapper and his wife Kirsten have had fans fearing they're heading toward a split for the last couple of weeks ... but that couldn't be further from the truth.

A rep for the Grammy winner acknowledges there's been some drama involving videos of Chance and twerking dancers, but summed it up by telling TMZ Hip Hop ... "Everyone has their moments, but they're all good."

If you recall, it was Chance's 30th birthday celebration during Jamaica Carnival on April 16 that got us to this point. He was all smiles in a viral video of a woman grinding on his lap.

Kirsten later posted a cryptic Maya Angelou quote about married people failing to grow up, and Chance fanned the flames by rapping about his love for twerking on Vic Mensa's newest song.

Chance opted not to face his internet critics head-on, and instead, posted a Bill Burr stand-up clip about the complexities of marriage, and how guys are typically a step behind women!

Chance and Kirsten tied the knot back in 2019, and he frequently shouts out his wife, and his love for her, in his songs.

Kanye West is deep in audition mode for his upcoming fashion show -- Yeezy Szn 10 -- but this time around, he's seeking out bald models to show off his latest garb.

Ye held his auditions in DTLA Thursday ... and we're told those trying out were to have shaved heads and dress in all black. We're told hopefuls got in line as early as 7 AM, and some waited until 3 PM for a chance to be chosen.

The rapper rocked a unique shirt after auditions wrapped, too -- one given to him by a disabled person who came in to audition.

Unclear what Kanye's got up his sleeve for his fashion line's 10th season, but the guy's clearly got representation in mind while crafting the new show.

BTW -- we saw Kanye jammin' out to his own track last week at Jerry Lorenzo's Fear of God fashion show at the Hollywood Bowl ... donning his signature full-head mask alongside his wife, Bianca.

Latto is coming clean about her experience with plastic surgery ... copping to getting "a little work" done after her recent bars made Coi Leray's body shape a trending topic.

The "Big Energy" rapper was discussing the downside of going under the knife on her '777 Radio' show on Apple Music, but says in her case, her procedures were done correctly as people often think she's au naturel.

However, Latto gave a stern warning to her cohost Brooklyn Nikole and all other young girls looking to fix "little tweaks" to find a healthy appreciation for their bodies because they'll end up obsessing over trips to the surgeon and can never please everyone.

Latto says her surgery still hasn't stopped her from editing pics or having wardrobe malfunctions but says being in the public eye since age 16 forced her hand.

Latto's recent Nicki Minaj diss "Put It On The Floor" angered Coi when she rapped that her blunts were bigger than the "Players" rapper, but the two have since made up ... with Coi apparently capitalizing on the moment.

Jack Harlow dropped his new album "Jackman" on Friday and made a bold statement -- proclaiming himself to be the best white rapper since Eminem burst onto the scene!!!

On the album's 2nd track, "They Don’t Love It," Jack references Em's famous "Lose Yourself" line about his mother's spaghetti with the lyrics ... "The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters/And hold the comments 'cause I promise you I'm honestly better than whoever came to your head right then" ... and then goes on to rap about how he outworks all his Caucasian competition!!!

Obviously, there have been several white rappers who have cut through since Em -- MGK, Millyz, Marlon Craft and Action Bronson are just a few who've been honing their craft, but doesn't matter ... Jack says he's better!!!

As we previously reported, Jack's 3rd project aimed to put the lyrical spotlight back on him after his sophomore album was labeled too commercial ... and judging from the early reviews, the music is meeting fans' expectations.

Boosie Badazz is backpedaling like Deion Sanders in his heyday after very openly calling T.I. a snitch.

The unfiltered rap star repositioned his stance in a new interview with VladTV Thursday ... admitting he jumped to conclusions without having his facts straight.

Boosie publicly bashed T.I. for claiming he snitched on his cousin after he died ... a podcast moment T.I. later revealed to be a joke — and provided the paperwork to prove it.

The rift derailed the release of their joint album ... but when we spoke to T.I. on the matter, he wrote of Boosie's comments as "misspeaking."

Boosie tells Vlad he and Tip have a long positive history and their sons are also good friends ... and felt bad about how he handled the situation.

Coach Monica Aldama, known from the hit Netflix series "Cheer," is pushing back on the claims and lawsuit against her ... saying in no way did she try to silence one of her cheerleader's claims of sexual assault.

Aldama tells TMZ ... she's "heartbroken by the false allegations" made against her by former Navarro College and cheer squad member Madi Lane -- adding the safety of her students is a top priority.

Aldama says she worked "year after year" to keep Navarro Cheer a safe space, adding she'd never remain silent about sexual assault claims "if I were aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the Cheer program."

Navarro College, which is also getting sued by Lane, echoed Aldama's denial -- with a rep telling us it's prepared to "vigorously defend itself in court."

As we reported, Lane claims she was sexually assaulted by a fellow teammate in 2021 during her freshman year ... saying she brought it to Aldama's attention, but was allegedly told, "If you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want."

As Pras waits to find out his sentence after a guilty verdict in his federal fraud trial ... he's also waiting on his Fugees bandmates to publicly show him any support.

Both Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, rightfully, joined the world in publicly mourning artist/activist Harry Belafonte after his death on Tuesday, but one day later their IG accounts were bare of any reference to Pras' trial and verdict.

The Fugees' last album, 1996's "The Score," sold more than 22 million copies worldwide ... but the group never got on the same page to record a follow-up. A 25th-anniversary tour to celebrate the project was scrapped last year due to Pras' legal drama, so it's possible there's a rift between them after all that drama.

As we reported, Pras was found guilty of spearheading a multimillion-dollar political conspiracy alongside Malaysian fugitive Jho Low.

The trial included high-profile testimonies from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- but to date, there's been no reaction from Lauryn or Wyclef.

On the other hand, Chuck D is being extremely vocal ... the Public Enemy frontman launched into a tirade Thursday, ripping apart what he calls a hypocrisy on Pras' accused crimes.

Ironically, Chuck also found time to memorialize Belafonte -- sharing the late icon's many virtues with TMZ Hip Hop when we spotted him at the airport.