Music

Bobby Beausoleil -- one of Charles Manson's followers who's been in prison for murder for almost 49 years -- is on the verge of getting out, and he might have a Lady Gaga documentary to thank for helping his case.

If you don't know, Beausoleil's not considered part of the Manson "family," but he was an associate and was convicted of first-degree murder in 1970. Despite an initial life sentence, he was recommended for parole by a California parole panel earlier this month ... after being rejected 18 times before.

According to transcripts from his parole hearing, Beausoleil was asked several questions about his music and art in relation to his connection to Manson, and he made it clear ... his art stands alone.

To prove his point ... Beausoleil pointed out the soundtrack he provided for the 1972 short film "Lucifer Rising" was sampled in the 2017 documentary about Lady Gaga, "Gaga: Five Foot Two."

Beausoleil told the parole board ... "The Lady Gaga documentary used a portion of it ... and it has been used in other films." He added ... "It is respected on its own merits as art ... I think it is important to try to see it as something that is not representative of something that is related to Manson."

We looked into it, and his story checks out ... 2 tracks from "Lucifer Rising" were used in the Gaga doc, and Bobby is credited as the writer.

It's unclear if Lady Gaga had any input about the musical selections for the doc -- which was directed by Chris Moukarbel -- but we reached out to her rep ... no word back so far.

11:15 AM PT -- The Game's brought Kylie Jenner into the mix, too ... and apparently did it on the same track.

DJ Akademiks shared another clip of Game's song Saturday, in which he raps about taking care of Kim's youngest sister. The lyrics go ... "Her sister made a billion in makeup. I used to make her Frosted Flakes when she wake up."

Still no response from Kanye or anyone in the Kardashian-Jenner clan ... but now there's another layer.

The Game had plenty of people in his ear telling him to drop the graphic lyric about sex with Kim Kardashian West ... but the rapper stuck to his guns, despite risking very personal relationships with the Kardashians.

Sources close to Game tell us ... the single he just unveiled was wrapped weeks ago. The line that's causing friction ... "I held Kim Kardashian by the throat, n****. I made her swallow my kids until she choked, n****."

We're told before debuting the track, Game had both close friends and business partners urge him to 86 the Kim lyric -- because of a possible/likely ferocious reaction from Ye -- but he wouldn't budge.

Our Game sources say he was advised, at the very least, to reach out to Kanye before dropping the track, but Game didn't feel a heads-up was necessary. We're told that, at the end of the day, Game chose to rap his truth regardless of the consequences.

You'll remember ... Kanye came down hard on Drake and Nick Cannon last year for bringing up ANYTHING about Kim Kardashian.

Can't imagine the Game lyric is sitting well with Ye. So far, no reaction.

A few lucky DMX fans working at a Maryland gas station were among the first people to see the rapper after he got out of prison, and when they asked for a photo he replied ... "X Gon Give it to Ya!"

Folks at the Royal Farms store in Frederick tell TMZ ... DMX and his crew of about 20 pulled in Friday night around 7 PM to gas up and grab some goodies. We're told everyone immediately recognized him and he was super friendly to the staff ... agreeing to snap several pics before they took off.

We broke the story ... DMX became a free man again Friday after he was released from federal prison in West Virginia. He completed a one-year sentence for tax evasion. He was first seen out in public post-prison with his son and fiancee, grabbing breakfast at a local spot.

1/26 1:00 PM PT -- Michael Jackson's estate has responded to the "Leaving Neverland" premiere by slamming it once more, saying, it "isn't a documentary, it is the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death."

The estate claims the director intentionally avoided interviewing people who could attest that Jackson treated children with respect and never harmed them "so he could craft a narrative so blatantly one-sided that viewers never get anything close to a balanced portrait."

Jackson's estate refers to Robson and Safechuck as "admitted liars" and accuses them of trying to "achieve notoriety and a payday by smearing" Jackson.

For what it's worth ... Wade and James have claimed they were not paid for "Leaving Neverland."

1/ 25 1:15 PM PT -- Emotional Robson and Safechuck took the stage after the film and were given a standing ovation. They did a brief Q&A, and let the audience know just how important getting everything out was to them.

12:40 PM PT -- We're told there's a lot of emotional testimony from Wade and James in part 2, especially talking about coming to terms with their abuse and revealing it to their families.

At one point, Wade breaks down in tears describing having visions of Michael abusing his own kid. He talks about going to therapy and telling his family the truth. We're told some members of Wade's family has contempt for his mother for allowing the abuse to happen. James' mom also appears on camera and talks about her guilt.

Some of the evidence in the film used to support the allegations against Michael include "love notes" to both boys along with voice messages. We're told despite the upsetting nature of the film, the audience applauded at the end.

12:05 PM PT -- Part 2 heavily focuses on Jackson's case and trial, and how he allegedly treated Wade and James in the process. Both claim Jackson made legal threats, and Wade eventually decided to testify in Jackson's defense because he says he was scared of the repercussions if he told the truth.

James says he refused to testify and Jackson got mad and threatened him, but that was the last time they spoke.

11:30 AM PT -- We're told the second part of the documentary opens with Jackson's allegations surfacing publicly for the first time in the '90s, and later moves on to his 2003 arrest for child molestation.

It also details the lives of both James and Wade after their time with Jackson, and how they dealt with his arrest and their connection to the case.

11:10 AM PT -- Someone watching the preview tells TMZ ... the doc is airing in 2 parts. The first hour of part 1 features Safechuck's testimony, including his story about how Jackson befriended him and his family before the alleged sexual abuse began.

We're told Safechuck gives very graphic details of the abuse and sex acts, which he claims happened at Neverland and Jackson's home in Century City. He says the abuse started when Jackson taught him to masturbate in a hotel room in Paris.

There's also a lot of footage of James and Michael together, and we're told James shows the jewelry MJ allegedly bought him as rewards for sex acts.

The second hour of part 1 features Robson's account of how he won a dance contest to meet Michael, who then convinced him and his mom to move to L.A. to be closer to him.

We're told both James and Wade claim the abuse felt normal to them because Jackson coached them on how to keep a secret. He allegedly had drills with them, and had alarms go off so the boys knew to put clothes on when people would approach at Neverland.

Both men say the abuse got worse as they got older and Jackson introduced them to pornography. They claim that's when he began having anal sex with them.

The mothers of both men are also featured in the doc and talk about how they trusted the pop singer, but were blinded by his fame. We're told there's also mention of Macaulay Culkin -- allegedly, Michael would tell the other boys he was his favorite.

We're told part 2 just began ... opening up with when allegations first started surfacing about Jackson.

The explosive Michael Jackson documentary is about to be unveiled, and the 2 accusers at the center of the doc -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- just entered the theater for the premiere of "Leaving Neverland."

Both men say MJ molested them when they were kids. The Michael Jackson Estate has come out swinging, calling both men liars and even excoriating HBO for agreeing to run the documentary.

Police were out in force in Sundance for the premiere, but only a handful of protesters were present.

We got Robson -- who has become a famous choreographer with credits that include directing Britney Spears music videos -- Thursday on his way to Sundance, and he did not necessarily endorse a mute Michael Jackson movement. He said his participation in the movement goes way beyond MJ.

There's a Q&A session after the screening, and it's possible opposing sides may face off. We're there, so stay tuned.

Kevin Hart had a visceral reaction to our photog who asked if there was any equivalency between Michael Jackson and R. Kelly.

We got Kevin Friday night in WeHo leaving The Nice Guy, and we wanted his take on whether people would react to "Leaving Neverland" the same way they did to "Surviving R. Kelly." Kevin seemed to visually show a combo of shock and disdain ... but wouldn't elaborate.

As we reported, the 2 accusers featured in the MJ documentary -- Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- were front and center for the premiere of the MJ doc Friday at the Sundance Film Festival. It was so emotional people in the audience were sobbing.

Kelly Rowland has a ton of respect for Gladys Knight -- but tells TMZ Sports she would NOT have made the same choice to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Of course, Rowland is playing Gladys Knight in the BET series, "American Soul." She's previously talked about what an "honor" it is to play the 74-year-old singing legend.

So, with Knight at the center of the NFL controversy -- we asked the former Destiny's Child singer what she would have done if the NFL asked her to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the big game.

Rowland tells us ... she would have turned them down -- though, she doesn't go into detail.

As we previously reported, there's been a backlash from stars like Nick Cannon and Common who have told us they wish stars like Travis Scott would pull out of the Super Bowl over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Despite the criticism, Knight has doubled down on her decision to perform -- saying she hopes to use the Super Bowl platform to unite the country.

Rowland has worked with the NFL multiple times in the past -- in fact, she performed with Beyonce at the Super Bowl back in 2013.

Chilli from TLC says R. Kelly has been dead to her for decades ... because she knew he was trouble way back in the '90s when he put a ring on a teenager.

We got Chilli Friday in Atlanta where she told us she's been muting R. Kelly ever since he married Aaliyah in 1994 -- when he was 27 and she was only 15. Chilli says that was the first red flag, and from then on she's considered him a "monster."

While Chilli has always refused to work with Kelly, there ARE some people she's dying to get in the studio with ... Weezer! Turns out she loves the band's new album of covers.

As you know, Weezer covered TLC's smash hit, "No Scrubs" ... and Chilli is totally feeling their version. As she puts it, the guys in the band ain't no scrubs for covering the legendary jam.

7:50 PM PT -- Jay-Z sold his share in Roc-A-Fella back in 2004 and no longer has any involvement in the company. A source close to Kanye makes it clear, there's absolutely NO beef with Jay in filing the new docs.

Kanye West is suing Roc-A-Fella Records -- the company once owned by Jay-Z -- and EMI, the company that helped him launch his career ... because he says he's owed a lot of loot.

Ye filed 2 lawsuits Friday ... one against Roc-A-Fella, claiming he signed an exclusive recording agreement with the company. The suit is heavily redacted, but he's asking for a declaration of his rights over a dispute he's having and he wants money.

Kanye also filed a lawsuit against EMI April Music, claiming they owe him over a music dispute.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, in 2003, the year before he came out with his breakout album, "College Dropout," he signed a contract with EMI. The suit claims by the end of 2011, Kanye had written solely or with other writers more than 200 songs and gave the rights to those songs to EMI.

Those songs include some of the most influential and successful songs in his catalog, although the suit isn't specific.

The suit is heavily redacted, although it says there is a dispute and he wants a judge to declare his rights under the contract -- presumably for money.

Kim Porter, the mother of 3 of Diddy's children, died from a form of pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County Coroner's office released the cause of death as lobar pneumonia -- which is an inflammation of an entire lobe of the lungs.

According to the report, Kim had gotten a massage from her goddaughter the day before she was found dead, and watched movies with family members until going to bed at 11:30 PM. The report lists that as the last known time she was alive.

Her goddaughter saw her at 8:30 AM the next day, but thought Kim was still sleeping ... so she left for work. The report says housemates checked on Kim again at 11:30 AM. When they found her unresponsive, they called 911.

There were unopened or partially opened bottles of water, Pedialyte and sports drinks on Kim's nightstand. There were also antibiotics -- a Z-pack -- a bowl of tomato soup and some Tylenol.

TMZ broke the story, Kim was found dead in her Toluca Lake home in November. Sources close to Kim told us the model was battling the flu and complained she wasn't feeling well the day before she was pronounced dead at her home.

Two days before her death, Kim had called her doctor saying she didn't feel well and had no appetite. The report says a nurse made a house call to give her a saline solution drip infused with vitamins. The next day, Kim complained to doctor she had a streak of blood in her phlegm.

The toxicology report says there were no narcotic drugs or alcohol in her system.

Kim was laid to rest in her home state of Georgia with an elaborate and moving funeral, which Diddy planned. He also delivered a very emotional eulogy during the service.

Kim was 47.

Kanye West is putting his own spin on getting lined up ... because he just debuted his new hairdo, and it's pretty wild!!!

Kanye showed off his new look Friday as he arrived at his office in Calabasas ... and as you can see, he's sporting fresh cut lines all over his head.

Looks like Yeezy's barber has some serious skills ... because he's got Ye's dome looking straight-up like a tiger print. Rawr!

It's interesting ... Khloe Kardashian busted out a new "Kanye For President" ball cap on Thursday, but we're guessing Ye won't be rocking the lid for a little bit ... he wouldn't want to cover up his new swag.

Kanye's been known to switch up his hairstyles in major ways over his career -- basically experimenting with everything from bald to blonde -- and, we gotta say, we're digging this new 'do!

The Game gets very graphic about his sexual history with Kim Kardashian West on a new track, and even includes an apology to Kanye.

The rapper held a listening party Thursday night for a new album which includes a song with these lyrics -- "I held Kim Kardashian by the throat, n***a. I made her swallow my kids until she choked, n***a."

The lyrics are gonna be a big deal -- not just because Kim might be pissed, but because Kanye will almost definitely go nuclear. We already know he doesn't take kindly to other dudes talking about his wife ... especially in a sexual manner.

Last year, he blasted Nick Cannon for doing it during an interview, and called out Drake for not squashing speculation she was Keke in "In My Feelings."

Game's lyric about Kim is followed by the line, "I should apologize cause Ye my folks, n***a."

Based on his history, we're guessing Ye won't give a crap about that apology.

For the record, Game and Kim did date in the past. He once claimed, on a track, to have banged all 3 Kardashian sisters, but they said he's lying -- he's only 1 for 3.

Danielle Bregoli is the face of a new augmented reality billboard promoting her Snapchat series ... and the interactive ad features Danielle talking all kinds of smack ... on you!

The first of its kind, "Bhad Bhillboard" is a sight to behold -- in the heart of L.A.'s Sunset Strip -- and hear, thanks to the AR technology that brings Danielle to life on your phone.

Here's how it works ... Snapchatters scan the Snapcode at the bottom of the billboard, which unlocks a prompt, the advertisement comes to life and Bhad Bhabie starts running her mouth!

Sources familiar with the production tell us there are more than 15 videos of BB calling out passersby, oncoming traffic, dog walkers and more ... and as you can see in the teaser, Danielle's trash talk is in fine form!

Danielle's Snapchat series "Bringing Up Bhabie" premieres Feb. 4 ... and we're told the 12-episode show gives an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at the 15-year-old's rise to stardom.

As for the billboard ... it's great entertainment for anyone walking the Strip, and L.A. traffic should give drivers plenty of time to check it out.

9:38 AM PT -- We just got the first pic of DMX post-prison out with his son and fiancee. We're told X and family hit up a local spot for breakfast as soon as he was released.

And, the dog is out ... DMX is a free man again after being released from federal prison!

DMX was released Friday morning from Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia after serving a one-year sentence for tax evasion. We're told X's family was expected to pick him up.

As we reported ... DMX is planning on dropping a new album and tackling some new movie projects, including a possible biopic!

With his prison sentence complete, X must now start forking over $2.3 million in restitution to Uncle Sam ... and he also has to start outpatient programs for substance abuse and mental health.

DMX's original release date was supposed to be on Sunday, but it's federal policy to release inmates early if their release date falls on a weekend.

Originally Published -- 7:54 AM PST

R. Kelly's relationship with Joycelyn Savage -- one of his alleged brainwashed sex slaves -- has done way more than raise eyebrows with viewers of "Surviving R. Kelly" ... we're told it's caught the attention of the feds.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Joycelyn's dad, Timothy, has been contacted by an FBI special agent regarding the R&B singer at least 5 TIMES in the past year and a half ... most recently weeks before Lifetime's docuseries began airing on January 3.

We're told Timothy provided the FBI with all the known whereabouts of Kelly and Joycelyn from state to state, starting with where their relationship began, along with text messages or emails.

Our sources say Timothy provided the feds with lots of the same information regarding alleged predatory behavior and physical abuse he gave Lifetime for 'Surviving."

The FBI has jurisdiction when an adult brings a minor across state lines for sexual purposes.

It's unclear if the FBI has launched an official investigation into R. Kelly ... but it's clear the controversy and accusations against him are on the agency's radar. He's already under criminal investigation in Georgia.

As we've reported ... Joycelyn's family believes Kelly is holding her against her will -- something she strongly denies. The 2 were seen shopping together in April 2018, and we caught her out "vacationing" in Beverly Hills back in May without Kelly.

Jake Owen and Luke Bryan are a little bit country and little bit surfer dude -- at least for this weekend -- while they're partying on la playa in Mexico.

The country superstars attempted to catch some waves -- on paddleboards, not surfboards -- in Tulum, near Luke's annual Crash My Playa festival is going down. Looks like Jake had a little more luck than Luke ... but only a little. Hey, they're Nashville bros ... no one's expecting them to hang ten.

Luke's wife, Caroline Boyer, and Jake's GF, Erica Hartlein, hung out on the beach while the guys tried their best to look epic on waves.

In the evening, they returned to their natural habitat ... rocking the stage for the 4-day festival. Luke tried a one-handed floss move while playing, "All My Friends Say."

Good times. Although, not as good as what went down during last year's festival when he got whacked by a fan's bra. A REALLY big bra. 'Memba that?

As Luke puts it ... strip it down!!!

Tyga's being sued for allegedly ripping off another rapper for his song, "Swap Meet."

Pretty Maw, a rapper/songwriter, claims in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ ... Tyga stole portions of her song, "17th," and used them without paying up.

P.M. claims she and Tyga had a deal in which he would pay her "a fixed monetary amount" for his use of her song, along with royalties from "Swap Meet," which was released in Sept. 2018. His song has more than 7 million views on YouTube.

She says not only that, Tyga induced her into allowing him to use her image and likeness for his song. She actually appears at the end of the music vid, as well.

Pretty Maw does not list the similarities between her song and his, but says "Swap Meet heavily samples" her work.

She's asking for money and an order stopping Tyga from ripping her off. We've reached out to Tyga ... so far no word back.

Getting sued is nothing new for the rapper -- he had a few lawsuits to deal with last year ... including one for allegedly bailing on a gig in Dubai, and another for allegedly not paying rent.

He also filed a $10 mil suit of his own.

Just wait 'til Soulja Boy hears about this one.