Music

One of R. Kelly's alleged victims is putting out a challenge to the singer if he is, in fact, telling the truth -- take a lie detector test ... and do it live on national television.

We spoke with Asante McGee -- one of the women who made allegations against Kelly on "Surviving R. Kelly" -- and she tells us the first thing that needs to happen to save other girls she claims are trapped in his clutches is simple ... folks need to wake the hell up.

She says his longtime fans must stop supporting and pull the shudders back to see what's really going on -- and, after that, hold him accountable for his alleged crimes.

Then, Asante pivots to her big request ... that R. Kelly undergo a polygraph on TV, where the results can be seen live ... and no funny business can go down.

Remember ... Asante was one of the first targets of a now-defunct Facebook page, "Surviving Lies," which painted her as a liar with "evidence" it claimed proved she'd told conflicting stories about Kelly.

Facebook removed the page entirely, shortly after it went up.

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.

R. Kelly really should off himself in the wake of the Lifetime docuseries, but he should wait until after he gets sent to prison ... so says Daymond John, who clearly has strong feelings about this.

In what might be the harshest take yet on "Surviving R. Kelly" ... the "Shark Tank" star absolutely tore into the R&B singer Sunday, tweeting Kelly should kill himself -- but not before being convicted for his alleged crimes. He joined us on "TMZ Live" to explain his anger.

Daymond, who has 3 daughters, tells us the docuseries struck a nerve, and he couldn't help but react in such a strong manner -- namely, suggesting Kelly take his own life.

According to Daymond ... the punishment fits the (alleged) crimes. He says based on what he saw on Lifetime, Kelly must've poured millions of dollars in covering his tracks for all these years. Daymond also says this is the final straw for Kelly in his eyes ... and he needs to atone one way or another.

Check out his take ... it's definitely one that isn't easy to swallow, which is something a lot of celebs are dealing with in the wake of the docuseries. Daymond touches on race here too, speculating on whether this alleged cover-up would've gone on for so long for white victims.

He also credits the #MeToo movement for spurring this outpouring of confessions, and encourages more people to come forward and share their stories.

For the record ... R. Kelly has denied all the allegations against him thus far.

Originally Published 9:26 AM PT

1:27 PM PT -- The page has been pulled after posting alleged text messages between Kelly and one of the young females, where she repeatedly called the singer, "daddy." A spokesperson for Facebook tells us, "The Page violated our Community Standards and has been removed."

The rep continues, "We do not tolerate bullying or sharing other’s private contact information and take action on content that violates our policies as soon as we’re aware.”

R. Kelly is vowing to expose his accusers for what he calls blatant lies being spewed on Lifetime's docuseries -- and he's going down the list one by one ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Kelly tell us he and his camp are in the middle of launching a new website called survivinglies.com, which we're told will attempt to expose all of his accusers as liars as well as reveal their true motivations behind their allegations.

For now ... there's a Facebook page dedicated to the new cause -- the site itself is not live yet as of this post.

It appears R. Kelly's first target is Asante McGee -- one of the women who's spoken out and claims was one of Kelly's "sex slaves" ... but his team has put out a video that they say contradicts her story.

The Facebook page links to a YouTube video which claims Asante's daughter has debunked her mother's claims of sexual abuse and control at the hands of Kelly in a leaked phone convo with her BF, allegedly telling him she often raved of a luxurious lifestyle and the perks of being with him.

We have not independently verified the identities of either person in this audio -- this is just what R. Kelly's page is claiming. It also goes on to list Asante's previous arrests and claims she's in cahoots with Joycelyn Savage's father to extort the singer.

As we reported ... tons of celebs have spoken out against Kelly in wake of the six-part docuseries that aired last week. Kelly has denied all the allegations.

Regarding this new mission of his ... there are a lot of accusers to get through. Buckle up, folks.

As the saying goes ... a picture of Cardi B's worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is why a photographer says she's suing VH1 and BET's parent company ... TMZ has learned.

The above shot of Cardi was taken by Rebecca Fay Walsh and, in her lawsuit, Rebecca says she noticed Cardi use it in a social media post in September 2018. But then, Cardi's post -- WITH Rebecca's photo -- showed up on vh1.com and bet.com.

That's a big no-no in Rebecca's book. According to the suit, neither outlet got the photog's permission to use her photo. She wants Viacom -- the parent company of VH1 and BET -- to fork over a minimum of $150,000 for each use of the shot.

Daz Dillinger has been indicted on 2 felony drug charges for the marijuana bust that went down at his Georgia home ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Tha Dogg Pound rapper was indicted back in December for possessing over an ounce of weed and also liquid THC. Both charges are felonies, and Daz is now facing as much as 25 years, if he's convicted.

Daz was originally facing 13 felony drug charges after cops say they found 117 grams of ganja, including in several cigarillo packets and a green mason jar, and a bunch of THC oil during the September bust at his home in Powder Springs -- about 20 miles outside Atlanta.

R. Kelly is free to pick up the phone and get back in touch with his kids -- so says their mother and his ex-wife ... who claimed she was a victim of his on Lifetime's docuseries.

A rep for Andrea Lee Kelly tells TMZ ... she is NOT against Kelly attempting to contact their three children -- Jay, Joann and Robert Jr., most of whom are adults now -- while also claiming they as a family haven't heard from him in months.

That said ... we're told Andrea acknowledges that the children are all grown now and fully understand the accusations being leveled against their dad in "Surviving R. Kelly." Her rep tells us she'd have to see if the children are interested in rekindling a relationship with their father first.

BTW ... we're told none of Kelly's kids watched the six-part docuseries -- much like their father.

What's interesting about Andrea's openness toward a re-connection here is that she appeared to take a firm stance against her ex-husband on 'Surviving' -- calling him a monster, accusing him of abuse ... but, ultimately, denying any direct knowledge of his alleged misdeeds.

Even weirder ... there's a video circulating online of Andrea joyously playing her baby daddy's song, "Happy People," in which she appears to mock Kelly's haters.

A lot of people called her out about this too, and to that Andrea's rep tells us ... "This (video) in no way should be perceived as an extension of support for R. Kelly, but should be viewed as a statement of her strength and not having been defeated."

Kanye West is swinging for the fences as he works on his new album in Miami ... because we've learned the music mogul is bringing together a hip-hop dream team to deliver huge hits.

Ye's lineup of talent is insane -- we're talking Lil Wayne, Migos, Timbaland and 2 Chainz. He's also working with rising stars Tee Grizzley and YNW Melly.

After working on 5 albums last year ... Yeezy's keeping his foot on the pedal in 2019, and the roster of heavy hitters makes it clear lots of people are dying to collab with Mr. West.

We're told the Miami recording sessions are a big reason Ye surprised Kim Kardashian with their new $14 million condo on South Beach.

The superstar couple looked over the moon Friday on their new balcony, as Kanye took a break from producing beats with Timbaland and Weezy to lock lips with wifey.

Our sources say Kanye and Kim plan to split their time between L.A. and Miami. The new South Beach pad is in a super exclusive building dubbed "Billionaire Beach Bunker" -- so, that should effectively remove any potential sting from coast-to-coast travel.

Quavo knows the way to a woman's heart, because he's lavishing his rapper girlfriend with some custom diamond jewelry ... and the super sweet gesture cost him a fat check!

We're told the Migos rapper ordered some cute snowflake bling as a Christmas gift for Saweetie ... and he hit up Icebox in Atlanta for the diamond pendant and chain, which we're told carries a price tag of around $75,000!!!

Our sources say the snowflake jewelry is loaded with baguette diamonds, just like Quavo's new $250k diamond grillz. We're told Quavo rolled into Icebox right before Christmas to personally scoop up the bling.

Snoop Dogg's got thoughts on the government shutdown and a message for furloughed workers who might still be team Trump after this ... Trump doesn't care about ya.

Snoop posted a hilarious video this weekend in which he directly comments on the shutdown that's now in its 16th day with no end in sight. He says everyone who works for the government that aren't being paid right now must reconsider their POTUS pick in 2020.

He goes on to say that any federal worker who still votes Trump in a couple years are some "stupid motherf***ers." He says furloughed employees are being treated unfairly, and the fact that DT can't (or won't) come to a resolution can only mean one thing ... "this punk motherf***er don't care."

The MC urges potential Trump voters to seriously reconsider and even makes an appeal to blue-collar workers whom he says are still suffering.

Snoop ends with one last F-U to Trump ... at least he's consistent on that front.

R. Kelly did not watch a single minute of the docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly," that has now put him in the eye of a ferocious storm ... TMZ has learned.

Sources in day-to-day contact with R. Kelly tell TMZ, the singer is "disgusted" by the series, which makes shocking allegations against him including sex with various underage girls, physical abuse and mind control. People interviewed say he's running a sex cult.

The sources say R. Kelly views the series as a "vendetta" against him by producers and others who have hated him throughout his professional career.

We're told R. Kelly's team downloaded him on the various people who appeared on the show and he claims he doesn't even know half of them. He claims the other half hate him for various personal and professional reasons.

R. Kelly also claims there were various people who wanted to go on camera and defend him but producers shut them out.

The sources say R. Kelly is resolute -- as one source put it, "He's going to sue everybody who had anything to do with this."

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting in touch with God ... by having a choir sing some of Kanye's songs and calling it a "Sunday Service."

KKW has been posting a ton of videos on her Instagram story throughout Sunday morning which shows Kanye leading a full choir in what appears to be a private studio, as they sing old and new tunes of his, like "Heard 'Em Say," "Father Stretch My Hands," "Lift Yourself," "Reborn" and others.

Interestingly enough ... we didn't hear "Jesus Walks" in any of her posts.

Kim tweeted about the gathering, saying, "Our new Sunday Service is starting. Check out the rehearsals on my Instagram stories." She didn't add much context to what the "Sunday Service" entails or when exactly it's starting ... but it seems they're ramping up for a church venture of some sort.

BTW ... Kid Cudi's in the studio too, as is baby Chicago -- who's big enough now to get her groove on.

Tank is going on a full offensive blitz against R. Kelly -- saying he can't separate the music from the monster after watching Lifetime's docuseries.

The R&B crooner posted a lengthy message on social media Sunday, in which he skewered Kelly and what Tank calls his "facilitators" ... including Kelly's team, record company, promoters, and radio stations. He says what he saw on "Surviving R. Kelly" made him come to a realization he wishes he would've reached sooner ... he believes Kelly's accusers.

Tank goes on to say that his 3 daughters will not allow him to continue supporting Kelly, adding that he "choose(s) the lives of these young black girls!" He says enough is enough, and that he's sick to his stomach from the allegations made against the R&B legend ... whom Tank calls a musical genius which so many other artists have tried emulating.

He also ends on an ominous note, claiming there are other men guilty of the same crimes Kelly is being accused of ... adding that society should not let them slip through the cracks.

Tank's firm stance on the issue comes after Lifetime's special wrapped Saturday. A lot of celebs are speaking out against R. Kelly ... including Jada Pinkett Smith.

Jada Pinkett Smith is really upset there's a spike in R. Kelly's record sales in the wake of the Lifetime docuseries about various alleged sexual misdeeds, and is wondering out loud if black women matter.

The actress posted this video Sunday, wondering how R. Kelly's streaming numbers have spiked after a parade of people made shocking claims on "Surviving R. Kelly."

Jada's asking for some feedback ... if she's missing something -- specifically, do black girls not matter enough?

Tons of R. Kelly fans have been defiantly supportive of him, tweeting out messages all weekend like, "Still listening." Based on the reported numbers, they clearly are.

Chance the Rapper says he was taken out of context a while back when he said he didn't believe R. Kelly's accusers because they were black women.

Chance did indeed make that comment on Lifetime's docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly," but the full statement is a little different. He said, "We're programmed to really be hypersensitive to black male oppression, but black women are exponentially [a] higher oppressed and violated group of people just in comparison to the whole world. Maybe I didn't care because I didn't value the accusers' stories because they were black women."

He went on ... "Usually, n***** that get in trouble for s*** like this on their magnitude of celebrity, it's light-skinned women or white women. That's when it's a big story. I've never really seen any pictures of R. Kelly's accusers."

Diane Warren is a big, a huge fan of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for her Donald Trump battle cry, "Impeach the motherf*****!"

We got the legendary songwriter Saturday night at an art exhibition at the Art of Elysium in Los Angeles ... and she couldn't have been more hyped up about Tlaib's comment.

Although some Dems and others have criticized Tlaib for her tone, Diane thinks Tlaib's words are more than fair game ... after Trump cracked jokes about grabbing women by the p***y.

You gotta hear Diane ... she's been down in the dumps over Trump for the last 2 years, but with the Democrats now controlling the House, it sounds like she sees it as a new dawn.