Killer Mike's legal troubles are behind him ... 'cause TMZ has learned he's officially off the hook for his pre-Grammys arrest, as long as he keeps his nose clean.
Prosecutors in the L.A. City Attorney's Office tell us they will not be filing charges against Mike for his confrontation with an event security guard, back in February, which led to his citizen's arrest.
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We're told he successfully completed his city attorney hearing ... after which he agreed to do some community service with a non-profit organization of his choice.
Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is one of the hottest tracks on the planet, and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. says a diss track winning a Grammy might not be conventional ... but now it's definitely possible!
TMZ Hip Hop spoke with the Grammy czar Monday at LAX, where he told us he's been feeling the cultural avalanche of "Not Like Us," just like everyone else is.
K. Dot shot the music video in Compton over the weekend, and its release will inevitably breathe new life into the song -- which, while being extremely danceable, is still primarily, a huge shot at Drake.
Carol Burnett's a living legend who's going to live on forever ... 'cause she got the cement treatment at TCL Chinese Theater while some of Hollywood's biggest stars looked on.
The actress-comedian dipped her hands and feet into wet cement outside the Hollywood landmark Thursday ... an honor only bestowed upon H'wood's brightest stars -- and, ya gotta see everyone who attended.
Of course, there's Carol -- who looks great for 91 BTW -- with her hands down in the muck, big grin on her face, but also in attendance are Bob Odenkirk, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, and one of the few people perhaps more famous than even Burnett ... Dick Van Dyke.
Elton John didn't feel "Hakuna Matata" while working on the "Lion King" ... 'cause one of the movie's stars says he had serious gripes about some of the flick's original choices.
Nathan Lane -- the Broadway star and voice of Timon in the hit 1994 flick -- spoke with Entertainment Weekly for an interview published Friday ... where he revealed the Academy Award-winning song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" was originally supposed to be sung entirely by his character and Ernie Sabella's Pumbaa.
The way Lane explains it ... when Elton found out he voiced his displeasure, saying he wrote the song because he wanted to have an epic Disney love ballad under his belt -- and "didn't want it to be sung by the rat and the pig."
Amy Winehouse's biopic "Back to Black" left out a viral moment ... cutting her dig at Justin Timberlake right before she won her Record of the Year Grammy.
The new movie -- released this week -- touches on some of the biggest moments of AW's life including her famous 2008 Grammy performance and win ... but, apparently, it leaves out the moment just before her victory.
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If you don't remember ... Amy live streamed from a studio in London for the show -- and, when Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole read out the names of the RotY competitors Winehouse reacted negatively to JT's album name.
50 Cent seems bored with the lack of Diddy headlines since the federal raids, so he's switching up his daily quota of petty for another of his favorite targets ... Jay-Z.
Perhaps, attempting to reignite their rivalry, 50 slapped an unflattering super close-up pic of Jay on IG Wednesday, and jabbed at him with an unsubstantiated wild theory -- that Diddy's legal trouble is the real reason Jay shuttered the annual Roc Nation brunch on Grammy weekend.
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He laid it out in his caption ... "Jay in hibernation he ain’t coming outside till this shit with puff blow over, no brunch, no lunch, No dinner. LOL 😆 IM ALL YOU GOT IM OUTSIDE!"
Travis Scott says while many of his contemporaries have turned their back on the Grammys -- he's still holding out hope he can snag one ... 'cause he still finds they hold value.
The rapper got brutally honest on a new episode of LeBron James' show 'The Shop' -- where he basically said that he's frustrated he hasn't won a coveted statuette in his career ... despite having been nominated a whopping ten times already.
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TS says he knows a lot of people in the music biz -- including Drake, The Weeknd and others -- have thrown up two middle fingers at the Recording Academy ... but he isn't there yet.
Beyoncé took Dolly Parton's most famous hit about begging a woman to stay away from her man and switched it up -- going on the offensive ... and invoking the notorious "Becky."
It was one of many surprises on Bey's new album "Cowboy Carter" -- with her track "Jolene" not necessarily being a pure cover of DP's iconic song ... but more so a remix, where she drastically changed the lyrics and shifted the focus over who the song is really about.
Whereas Dolly's version is quite literally pleading with a woman named Jolene -- who's portrayed as a beauty who's seducing Dolly's fictional husband -- Bey did the opposite ... and fired off warning shots to this "Jolene" and told her to steer clear from her own hubby.
Beyoncé is adamant her "Cowboy Carter" isn't a country album, but Azealia Banks needs further convincing -- the outspoken artist is so on one, her rant is overshadowing the album announcement on social media!!!
Azealia's unloaded on Bey in the past, but is now convinced her ex-Black Girl Superhero is putting on a do-si-do front for Caucasian Grammy voters just to snag that elusive Album of the Year award.
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In an audio recording, she also accused Beyoncé of kowtowing to Taylor Swift, and claimed she's no longer setting trends in the music industry.
Azelia basically wrote a short story that reads, in part, "Wow we didn't even try to put even a little effort into a more artistic title?"
She then referenced Beyoncé performing "Daddy Lessons" with The Chicks during the 2016 CMAs -- "Ur always sharing ur platform with white women who are so jealous of you but have such a long history of sabotaging other Black womens careers."
Bey's got the most Grammy wins ever, but no AOTY ... a point her hubs Jay-Z infamously made during the last Grammy gala.
AB made several more points of her own ... she labeled Bey's outfits as "White woman cosplay" and the entire "Cowboy Carter" rollout as "pick me stuff" -- a.k.a. smoke signals for white audiences to single her out.
She also blames Jay for "overstrategizing" the artistic vision, and said Kelsea Ballerini and Carrie Underwood can make better music in their sleep!!!
Bey's milestone of becoming the first Black woman to go No. 1 on the country charts also got smeared in her face ... Azealia notes tons of Black country artists have been grinding for years, but don't have Bey's advantage and the funds to get their tunes the traction they need.
Azealia's pissed she's not getting the "B'Day Bianca Bardot Beyoncé" ... but as the Overstragetizer might say, just buy her old albums if that's what you want!!!
Beyoncé insiste en que su "Cowboy Carter" no es un álbum country, pero Azealia Banks necesita algo más para convencerse, y ha estado despotricando en redes sociales contra la diva.
Azealia ha criticado a Bey en el pasado, pero ahora está convencida de que su ex superheroína afroamericana está dando pasos sus siguientes pasos artísticos en una dirección complaciente con los jueces caucásicos de los Grammy, con el fin de obtener el escurridizo premio al Álbum del Año.
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En una grabación de audio, también acusó a Beyoncé de doblegarse ante Taylor Swift, y afirmó que ya no está marcando tendencias en la industria musical.
Azelia básicamente escribió una pequeña historia que dice: "Vaya, ¿ni siquiera intentamos poner un poco de esfuerzo en un título más artístico?".
Luego se refirió a Beyoncé interpretando "Daddy Lessons" con The Chicks durante los CMAs 2016: "Siempre compartiendo su plataforma con mujeres blancas que están tan celosas de ti, pero tienen una larga historia de sabotear otras carreras de mujeres negras".
Bey tiene el mayor número de victorias en los Grammy, pero no el disco del Año. Recordemos cuando su marido -Jay-Z- apareció en la gala de los Grammyhace poco para decir lo que piensa al respecto.
Azalealia continuó, etiquetando los trajes de Bey como "cosplay de mujer blanca" y todo el despliegue de "Cowboy Carter" como "pick me stuff".
También culpa a Jay de "sobreestrategizar" la visión artística, y dijo que Kelsea Ballerini y Carrie Underwood ¡pueden hacer mejor música mientras duermen!
El hito de Bey de convertirse en la primera mujer afroamericana en llegar al número 1 en las listas de country también le explotó en la cara. Azealia señala que toneladas de artistas negros han trabajado duro durante años, pero no tienen la ventaja de Bey y los fondos para obtener que sus canciones tengan el mismo impacto.
Diddy's former producer -- and latest accuser -- filed a lawsuit with damning sexual misconduct allegations ... but just a few weeks ago, he fundraised for this same suit, and made no mention of the alleged sexual assault he detailed in his complaint.
Back on February 7 ... Rodney Jones -- aka, Lil Rodmadeit -- posted an IG confessional that flew under the radar before his very public lawsuit hit the press Monday, and the video is an attempt to raise money from his followers to pay for a suit against Diddy.
In the video, Jones lamented over not being able to revel in Diddy's 'LOVE' album's Grammy nominations -- because he claimed he'd been screwed in royalties and publishing ... and alleged that Diddy had refused to pay him what he says was owed.
He goes on to indicate that he plans to launch a legal battle against Puff, and notes that he'll need funds to fight him in court -- and that's where his GoFundMe comes into play.
Two days before this video went up, Rodney had started a GFM campaign -- the title of which reads ... "Help Me Sue Sean 'Diddy' Combs" and it had a $50k goal. In both the description of his GoFundMe and in his clip, he makes no mention of the alleged sexual assault he claims he endured at the hands of Diddy/his associates while working for him.
It's all interesting in hindsight ... ya gotta wonder why he might not have addressed these claims of his a few weeks ago ... when he was literally trying to raise cash for this lawsuit.
As we reported ... Rodney claims Diddy forced him to sleep with sex workers and watch gay porn -- and even floats the possibility that he was drugged at one point ... but the bulk of the complaints online earlier this month were geared towards his business dealings with Diddy.
At the time of this writing, his GFM has only raised $1,500 of his $50,000 goal.
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Unclear how Jones was able to pay for his legal counsel but obviously -- the suit was filed.
Diddy has denied all of Rodney's allegations ... as have some others who were named.
Flavor Flav fue corregido rápidamente por Miley Cyrus cuando accidentalmente la llamó Gwen Stefani y recibió una bofetada en la cara, pero todo en buena onda, dice.
El rapero de Public Enemy habló sobre el incidente en un reciente episodio de "Just B con Bethenny Frankel", donde reveló que se encontró con Miley hace varios años, cuando ella y Gwen aparentemente tenían cortes de pelo similares.
Flav dijo que estaba muy emocionado de conocer a Gwen y corrió hacia ella, pero en realidad terminó hablando accidentalmente con Miley en su lugar.
Él dice que Miley Cyrus actuó super cool y le siguió la corriente durante la conversación, mientras él alababa todo el trabajo de Gwen Stefani. Fue embarazoso para Flavor Flav cuando su amigo le dijo más tarde que en realidad era Miley.
Flavor Flav dice que fue directamente a disculparse con ella, añadiendo, por supuesto, que la conocía y también a su padre Billy Ray, y ahí fue cuando recibió la bofetada en la cara.
Él dice que el momento no creó ninguna animosidad, en cambio, él y Miley se rieron e incluso se reunieron en el backstage de los Premios Grammy de este año.
Pero, Miley no pudo resistirse a darle a Flav un poco de reproche por el error en su identidad.
Se hizo viral un video de su encuentro donde los dos aparecen abrazándose mientras Miley bromea que solía llamarla siempre Gwen, una señal de que esto aún está en su mente.
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Nos alegramos de ver que las cosas están bien entre Flav y Miley, pero puede que quiera quitarse sus gafas de sol para evitar futuras confusiones
Flavor Flav got corrected quickly by Miley Cyrus when he accidentally called her Gwen Stefani ... getting a swift slap to the face -- but one all in good fun he says.
The Public Enemy rapper talked about the incident on a recent episode of "Just B with Bethenny Frankel" ... where he revealed he ran into her several years ago when she and Gwen apparently had similar haircuts.
Flav said he got super excited to meet Gwen and ran up to her ... only to find himself accidentally speaking to Miley instead.
He says MC played it super cool, just going along with it during the convo as he lauded her for all of GS' work ... an embarrassing moment for FF when his friend later told her it was actually Miley.
Flavor Flav says he went right up to Miley to apologize, adding of course he knew her and her dad Billy Ray ... which is when he got the smack right across his face.
He says the moment didn't create any animosity ... instead, he and Miley laughed off the moment, and the two even met up backstage of the Grammy Awards this year.
But, Miley couldn't resist giving Flav a little bit of guff over the past mistaken identity.
A video went viral from their meetup which showed the two hugging it out while Miley joked he always used to call him Gwen ... so, clearly this is still stuck in her mind.
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Glad to see things are good between Flav and Miley ... but, he may want to take his signature shades off to avoid future mix-ups.
Darius Rucker es un gran fan de que Beyoncé pruebe otros géneros, dice que le encanta su nueva música country y espera que finalmente le consiga el codiciado Grammy al Álbum del Año.
El legendario cantautor -que es uno de los pocos artistas negros que ha irrumpido con éxito en el country- estaba en el aeropuerto de Los Ángeles el miércoles cuando un fotógrafo le preguntó acerca de la última oferta de Beyoncé, "Texas Hold 'Em".
Darius es bastante breve y preciso en sus comentarios. Dice que le gusta el nuevo giro de la Diva.
Dice que "THE" es una gran canción e incluso le desea buena suerte a su manera sobre la perspectiva de la incursión de Beyoncé en la música country finalmente le gana un premio Grammy por Álbum del Año, algo que todavía falta dentro de los logros de Bey.
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Recordemos que Jay-Z hizo un gran alboroto sobre la ausencia de Beyoncé durante su discurso en los Grammys de este mes, por lo que mucha gente se pregunta si un álbum de country podría cambiar las cosas.
Por supuesto, Beyoncé va a tener que vencer a Taylor Swift -entre otros- para ganar el gran premio (Artista del Año). Taylor también tiene un nuevo álbum y Darius se refirió a ella.
El camarógrafo le pregunta a Darius si cree que Taylor debe volver al country. A lo que responde que Tay Tay debería sacar el tipo de música que quiera, lo mismo para Beyoncé.
Una última cosa que Darius abordó aquí sobre Bey y el country, son los comentarios feos de John Schneider de la semana pasada, cuando hizo comparaciones con un perro que marca su territorio.
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Al igual que muchas personas, está de acuerdo en que las palabras de John estaban impregnadas de un trasfondo racista, y dice que la música country no pertenece a un grupo pequeño. Sobre la cuestión de si Beyoncé es un "pararrayos", Darius se burla de esa idea también en esta entrevista.
Resumiendo, Darius está apoyando los deseos de Beyoncé de entrar en la música country.
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Aquí está la esperanza de que su consigna calme a los haters, porque parece que hay un montón de ellos, y a los ojos de Darius, están haciendo un gran alboroto por nada.
Darius Rucker is a big fan of Beyoncéjoining his genre ... saying he's loving her new country music, and hopes it finally lands her a coveted Album of the Year Grammy.
The legendary singer-songwriter -- who's one of the few Black artists who's broken through into country successfully -- was at LAX Wednesday when a photog asked him about Beyoncé's latest offering, "Texas Hold 'Em."
Darius is fairly brief and succinct in his review -- but he's clear ... he's digging Bey's twang.
He says 'THE' is a great song and even throws good luck her way over the prospect of Beyoncé's foray into country music finally earns her a Grammy award for Album of The Year ... something that's still missing from Bey's mantle.
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Remember ... Jay-Z made a big stink about Beyoncé's lack of an AOTY award during a speech at this month's Grammys, so lots of folks are wondering if a country album will get Bey over the hump ... Darius included.
Of course, Beyoncé's going to have to beat out Taylor Swift -- and others -- to win AOTY ... Taylor's got a new album coming out too, and Darius actually addresses Taylor too here.
The cameraman asks Darius if he thinks Taylor should go back to country -- something that another bystander next to DR actually weighs in on before has a chance to. As for Darius, he says Tay Tay should crank out whatever type of music she wants ... ditto for Beyoncé.
One last thing Darius addressed here about Bey and country ... namely, John Schneider's ugly remarks about her last week -- when he likened her to a dog marking its territory.
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Like many people ... he agrees that John's words were laced with a racist undertone -- and he says gatekeeping country music is absolutely silly. On the question of whether Beyoncé is a "lightning rod" ... Darius scoffs at that notion as well in this interview.
Long story short ... Darius is all for Beyoncé getting into country music -- he's definitely a fan.
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Here's hoping his cosign quiets down the haters who are riled up ... 'cause there seems to be a lot of 'em, and in Darius' eyes -- they're making a big fat fuss over a whole lotta nothing.
Joe Budden thinks Travis Scottand Playboi Carti stunk it up at the Grammys big time -- 'cause their rock star shtick failed to read the room ... and made 'em seem like brats.
ICYMY, Travis and Carti performed their explosive collab "FE!N" mid-show -- complete with the rager-style, flame infernos that made his 'Circus Maximus' tour such a big deal. They were throwing around chairs and smashing stuff onstage ... mostly Travis though.
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Some might argue it gave the Grammys a little flair when the room can be known to be a bit stuffy -- but there are many who feel like TS was lashing out for losing at the show after Killer Mike swept all the Rap Grammys this year, leaving his "Utopia" album in the dust.
Regardless of the reason for the tantrum, JB doesn't wanna hear any of it ... on his episode "Business Decisions," he argued that Trav and Carti were nothing but a pair of "bozos" who made fools of themselves in the presence of beautiful women and buttoned-up men.
He also roasted Carti like a marshmallow for hitting the stage in a mask and then wondering why fans didn't go crazy ... "Playboi Carti looked confused. Like, ‘Y’all don’t know who I am?’ No, n**** You got a f***ing mask on! Who the f*** are you under there? You are not at SXSW anymore!!!"
Joe added, "We can’t recognize you bozos by the stocking mask you’re wearing. I hate these n*****, man ... all of ’em!!!”
Both Travis and Carti were exposed without the "little white kids" going apes*** in the crowd, Joe argues -- saying their act was better suited for the muddy stomping grounds of Coachella.
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BTW, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Layzie and Flesh-n-Bone recently told us similar ... there was no reason not to expect an OG like Killer Mike not to win the awards. Joe agrees.
Tough criticism, no doubt -- but considering how seemingly out of pocket their set was ... perhaps JB has a point here. FWIW, Trav and PC haven't addressed the whole thing.
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