Music

The man responsible for spinning tunes on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' tells us Ellen has more than earned the right to walk away from her TV commitments if she wants ... but he's confident she wouldn't stay off the air forever.

We got tWitch Friday afternoon at LAX and asked about his boss' decision to possibly step away from her daytime talk show when her contract runs out in 2020 ... and tWitch rattles off all the good things Ellen's done for the world and says that's justification for her to retire whenever she pleases.

tWitch and Ellen have gotten close over the years ... remember, since 2014 he's been setting the vibe on 'Ellen' and pumping up the crowd, plus he's her featured sidekick on "Ellen's Game of Games."

Soulja Boy tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to start his own Esports franchise in 2019 -- with teams competing in Fortnite, Overwatch and more ... and his mentor is none other than Ninja.

Soulja made headlines this week after he announced his own video game console -- the SouljaGame Consule, which will reportedly house more than 800 classic games from Nintendo and PlayStation.

But, Soulja says he's looking to make an even bigger dent in the video game world -- launching his own organization to rival giants like Team Liquid and 100 Thieves.

"We're gonna be finding talent, hiring talent," Soulja says ... noting plans to create squads for Fortnite, Call of Duty, Counterstrike and more.

As for Ninja, Soulja says gaming's biggest star is one of his good friends and has taught a lot about the business.

But, he also knows hiring Ninja to play for him would cost a FORTUNE.

21 Savage teamed up with his boy Offset ... to help him in his quest to win back Cardi B.

The rapper was performing at the Rolling Loud Festival in L.A. Friday and Offset joined him on stage. That's when 21 got the whole crowd to make a pitch to Cardi on behalf of her estranged husband ... and just take him back already.

As we reported ... Offset celebrated his 27th bday at the club later in the evening without Cardi, but wanted to let her know he's still shining brightly.

Earlier in the night, though ... he was begging for his wife to take him back, making it clear his birthday wish is forgiveness and reconciliation.

10:00 AM PT -- Ariana's ex, Pete Davidson, has jumped into the conversation, saying ... "Bravo Kanye West for standing up for yourself and speaking out against mental health. I can't explain to you enough how difficult and scary it is to be honest about stuff like this."

He adds ... "We need people like Kanye. No one should ever point fingers at you for your bravery in speaking about mental health. I'm seriously disgusted."

Before Pete posted his message, Ariana tweeted ... "last thing. stop weaponizing mental health. everyone."

Damn.

9:15 AM PT -- Ariana's replied to Kanye on Twitter, saying ... "with all due respect, i don't need to use anyone to promote anything. period." She adds it was just a joke comparing men and women, but did apologize for being insensitive and sent her well wishes to him.

Some fans were quick to say Ariana needs to retract her apology since she didn't owe him one ... to which she replied, "potentially triggering him? nah regardless of how i feel about a situation, i can also care about their mental health."

Kanye West is jumping all over Ariana Grande for making fun of his war with Drake and adversely affecting his mental illness.

Ariana did indeed make fun of the Kanye and Drake feud Friday, minimizing what Kanye says was a physical threat by Drake to him and his family. Ariana joked about "grown men arguing online," grousing it was taking attention away from her new single.

Ye fired back that he knew Ariana "said this to be cool and didn't mean no harm," but he still felt it was shading him. Fair point.

He goes on to say, "All of this foolishness weighed on my mental health so @arianagrande ..." In another post, he says, "No one would ever choose to end up in a mental hospital and diagnosed with a mental disorder but god chose me to publicly go through this journey and it is beautiful."

If we dare to interpret ... Kanye seems to be saying Ariana -- for whom he says he has love -- knows full well he's bipolar yet she jumped into the fray for pure self-promotion and in the process upset him.

It's interesting ... Kanye never called out Miley Cyrus. Ariana not only tweeted the guy fight was a distraction for the release of her single, but it also did the same for Miley. And, Miley was quick to respond by also making light of Kanye's fight with Drake. Yet Ye was silent on Miley.

We got Kanye in New York City Friday and asked him about the nature of the threat Drake leveled against him and his fam, but he was mum. We tried finding out from various Kim and Kanye sources all day long exactly what Drake said, but everyone is locked up tight as a drum.

Remy Ma and Papoose are now proud parents ... after an emotional struggle to have a child.

Remy gave birth to a baby girl Friday night, after going through what her hubby said was a "tough labor."

The 38-year-old Remy and 40-year-old Papoose have not revealed the name, but have been calling the little girl, "The Golden Child" ... shorthand for a miracle baby.

Remy has made no secret about the difficulty they've faced in have a baby. She revealed last year she'd recently suffered a miscarriage and had been taking steps to ensure a successful pregnancy.

The little girl joins their blended fam ... Remy has an 18-year-old son named Jason, and Papoose has a 15-year-old daughter named Dejanae, along with 2 other older children.

Drake isn't taking any chances in his escalating feud with Kanye West -- he's adding extra security outside his SoCal mansion because they live in the same hood!!!

Our sources in Hidden Hills -- where the Wests and Drizzy all lay their heads -- say Drake's crib has at least 2 new guards standing watch outside the gate to his driveway. We're told it's no coincidence the security was added the day after his war with Ye erupted with tweets and an alleged threatening phone call.

If you didn't know, their homes are verrry close to each other -- we're talking just a half-mile. Not much of a buffer zone. In addition to the added muscle, we're told there's an SUV stationed just inside Drake's front gate.

It's interesting ... Kanye claims Drake is the one who started making threats, but Drizzy's the one beefing up his home security.

Quavo is giving himself an early Christmas present that's taking a huge bite out of his bank account ... because he just dropped an insane amount of dough on some new chompers.

We got the Migos rapper out Friday night showing off a new set of grillz, which we're told he spent nearly $250,000 on and got hand-delivered just in time to flaunt this weekend at Rolling Loud in Los Angeles.

Quavo enlisted celebrity jeweler Johnny Dang for the pricey project, and Johnny tells us it's the most expensive pair of grillz he's ever made!!!

Here's what a quarter million dollars gets ya ... 125 flawless baguette cut diamonds -- 17.5-carats each -- settled in 18-karat white gold with an invisible diamond set. Johnny says the grillz took 6 months to make, an eternity by his standards, because he had to specially cut each diamond to fit each tooth.

Quavo got his new ice tray Friday, with Johnny flying from Houston to L.A. for the special delivery. That's the kinda customer service $250k gets ya.

Johnny killed two birds with one (diamond) stone because he also delivered this grill to Post Malone.

The last surviving member of LFO wants to keep the late Devin Lima's legacy alive ... and he can think of nothing better than to publish previously unreleased music just in time for the holidays.

Brad Fischetti tells TMZ ... he just released "Xiles Xmas" and "Hip Hop Reindeers." The 'Reindeers' track is a tribute to all the artists who influenced LFO over the years -- from Snoop Dogg and Andre 3000 to Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls and Tupac. Meanwhile, 'Xiles' pulls at the heartstrings -- it's about spending Christmas alone while missing that special someone.

BTW ... both tracks are also gonna be available on iTunes and Spotify.

Brad says releasing the tracks fulfilled 2 purposes ... for starters, he and Devin talked about releasing the track shortly before Devin passed away after losing his battle with stage 4 cancer. Secondly, Brad felt it's a great way to remember his pal.

Check out the vid ... Brad says Devin's fingerprints are all over the new tracks. And, it's unclear what's next for LFO -- Brad says the group is gone as we know it since former lead singer, Rich Cronin, died in 2010. Nevertheless, he's optimistic the new music will set the band's legacy in stone.

Tyrese is weighing in on Kanye West and Drake's beef and wants to know -- how you gonna act like that? And on social media, no less!!!

We got the singer leaving Avra Friday in Bev Hills and he says there's no reason for Kanye and Drake to be feuding on Twitter when "they live literally 2 blocks from each other." If anyone knows about beefing with someone on social media and how bad of a look that is, it's Tyrese.

Remember ... Tyrese went after The Rock for being selfish. When the dust settled ... Tyrese was the first one to publicly say beefing was straight-up unprofessional.

Tony Hawk didn't just slap his name on his "Skate Jam" video game -- he personally picked the soundtrack ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The skating legend just dropped the mobile game on Thursday -- continuing his legendary Tony Hawk video game empire ... and it's dope.

Not only does the game look sick -- and Tony approved the gameplay -- he made it his mission to load it up with sick music ... the same way the other game always deliver when it comes to the soundtrack.

Tony says he selected bands like Interpol, Cold Cave, Frontside Hanni El Khatib, Se Vende and more -- but there was a big challenge.

The game was being developed on the sly ... so, he wanted to contact the bands but didn't want to risk letting the secret out.

In the end, it all worked out ... and the game is dope as hell.

We have a winner in Travis Scott and Tekashi69's battle for the top of the album charts -- and Billboard says it's Travis ... but admits it was ridiculously close.

A spokesperson for Billboard tells TMZ ... "In a historically close race, after a rigorous review of the process and the methodology by which the No. 1 ranking on last week’s Billboard 200 album chart was awarded to Travis Scott’s ‘Astroworld,’ we concluded that no correction was warranted.”

You'll recall ... Travis' album was named #1 for the last week in November, but then Nielsen -- which compiles the sales data for Billboard -- said there was some discrepancy that it believed opened the door for Tekashi's "Dummy Boy" to take the top spot.

In essence ... they demanded a recount.

Now, Billboard says there was no need for the recount, and is going with the original data.

Bottom line ... Tekashi loses again. As if his federal indictment and jailing wasn't bad enough.

8:05 AM PT -- We just got Kanye out in NYC, and he's a LOT less chatty than he was Thursday night on Twitter. We asked him about the threats Drake made and he flashed us a big smile before sprinting to his car.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian claim Drake has threatened to hurt their family -- and they're warning the rapper that if anything happens ... there will be hell to pay.

Long story short ... Kanye claims Drake called him on the phone Thursday and threatened physical harm.

"You threatened the safety of me and my family," Kanye posted on Twitter ... adding, "Never threaten north saint and Chicago’s dad bro."

Kim Kardashian entered the fray at 2:30 AM on Friday morning -- saying, "Drake Never threaten my husband or our family. He paved the way for there to be a Drake."

She added, "My husband is the most brilliant person, the most genius person that I know. He has broken so many boundaries, everything from music, stage design, fashion and culture and will continue to change the world."

So, how did this whole thing start?

Kanye posted a screenshot of his phone on Thursday that allegedly showed that someone from Drakes's team had reached out to clear one of Ye's songs for a project.

Kanye was upset because Drake has taken shots at him in various tracks recently -- yet still reached out to use his music -- and Kanye felt Drake was being a fraud.

Then, the Twitter storm began ... with Kanye going off on his issues with Drake.

"Been trying to meet with you for 6 months bro," Kanye said ... " You sneak dissing on [Travis Scott] records and texting [Kris Jenner] talking bout how’s the family."

Kanye says Drake eventually called him to talk Thursday night -- but it didn't go well.

"Drake called trying to threatened me."

Kanye then issued this warning -- "So drake if anything happens to me or anyone from my family you are the first suspect. So cut the tough talk."

Kanye said Drake is running around like he's 2Pac with no regard for human life or Kanye's family and acting like he's a hardcore gangster.

"You trying to be a bully. I never been bullied in my life and I never will be. That’s why I made it this far in a pink polo."

Despite the anger, Kanye tried to issue an olive branch at one point -- "I’m Ye bro Remember that I love you I would never intentionally hurt you That’s what I’ve been saying to you."

"You would be so sad if anything ever happened to me."

"I’m up for talking. We need to show all of these fans that black men can@talk without someone ending up dead or in jail."

"You are disrespectful to all people with mental health conditions so this is an opportunity for growth."

Drake hasn't said much publicly -- only posting some emojis on Instagram showing some crying/laughing faces.

Kanye has seemingly calmed down and is now at a meeting at J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.

Guessing this situation ain't going away any time soon.

Stay tuned ...

Cardi B just seems over it ... 10 days after announcing she's calling it quits with Offset.

Cardi was walking through JFK Airport in NYC Thursday night looking kinda down and exhausted while talking on her phone. Girl was still rocking her Balenciaga, though.

You can understand why she might be feeling run down -- she's been on the go almost nonstop since the breakup -- performing a bunch of shows, while also dealing with all the drama involving her estranged husband. Traveling during the holidays can't help either.

We broke the story ... Offset wants to spend Christmas with Cardi and their baby girl, Kulture, and hopes to bring lots of presents for his girls to help smooth things over. We're told Cardi hasn't decided yet whether or not to allow it.

Offset's made it crystal clear he wants his wife back, but so far Cardi's standing her ground.

12/14 8:50 AM PT -- According to court records, Pump and his manager entered a not guilty plea for the misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct through their attorney.

12/14 6:50 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources now confirm Pump's story. The baggage handlers who were putting luggage in the baggage compartment smelled a strong odor of weed coming from a bag labeled Garcia -- Pump's government name. The captain then went to Pump and the rapper felt the pilot was being accusatory. The pilot eventually kicked Pump and his manager off the plane for being disruptive and it continued to get contentious in the terminal when cops were talking to them, so both were arrested for disorderly conduct. The bag, which was owned by a member of Pump's crew, was opened and NO DRUGS were inside.

6:15 PM PT -- A source connected with Pump tells TMZ, no drugs were found. The source says TSA flagged a bag that smelled like weed and was "mistagged." Agents questioned Pump, who insisted he was not carrying drugs. The source adds no drugs were found in the bag, which another person in Pump's crew said was his. Pump was arrested along with his manager because they allegedly became disorderly during the argument with TSA agents.

Lil Pump's flight to L.A. was cut short -- as in, he never got off the ground because TSA allegedly found drugs in his luggage ... TMZ has learned.

Pump was flying from Miami Thursday afternoon, and our sources say he and his crew had all boarded the flight, but before it pushed back from the gate ... a flight attendant told them there was a problem.

We're told Pump and co. were booted off the flight, and cops met them in the terminal to question Pump about what 2 airline sources said were drugs found in a checked bag with his name on it.

The flight was delayed over an hour, and we're told cops are talking to Pump right now.

Story developing ...

Nicki Minaj's new beau is the ultimate bad boy -- and has been for quite some time, including while he was behind bars.

Kenneth Petty's inmate disciplinary history, obtained by TMZ, shows Nicki's BF was written up 18 times from 2006 to 2013 while he was serving time for a manslaughter conviction in New York.

Some of Petty's violations were major -- he got slapped with 2 violent conduct violations in 2010 for threats and fighting. Before that, he also racked up another fighting violation, and 5 violations for disobeying a direct order.

He got off to a ROUGH start too ... just one day after he entered the prison he got tagged for creating a disturbance.

There was also a 2009 incident where he was cited for 9 separate violations, and got 4 months in solitary as punishment. Mostly though ... he lost phone, recreation and commissary privileges for bad behavior.

As you know, Minaj's BF was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995 when he was 16. He served almost 4 years for that ... before the 2006 manslaughter conviction.

Still, the man did his time ... and our Nicki sources say she believes Kenny -- an old flame from Queens -- has changed, and she's happier than she's been in years.

Pauly D is doubling down in his love for Jersey by committing to another 2 years of melting your face off with epic tunes.

Sources tell us that PD -- who, if you've forgotten, is a world-renowned DJ -- has struck a deal with Caesars Entertainment to continue his residency at The Pool After Dark at Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City ... where he's been behind the turntables since first signing with them in 2012.

The extension is for two years, and we're told it's valued in the 7 figures. There's more ... Pauly is signing up for 16 shows total -- 8 in 2019, and another 8 in 2020.

Pauly tells us ... "The Pool After Dark at Harrah’s Resort continues to be 'the' place in Atlantic City to party." He adds ... "I could not be more excited to continue the tradition of providing guests an unforgettable experience. The past six years have been surreal and I couldn’t have asked for a better family than Caesars Entertainment."