Music

Bebe Rexha walks into a Mexican joint and buys 50 shots of tequila ... no joke. Just how she celebrates life with friends and strangers.

The pop singer did exactly that Thursday night when she and her crew sauntered into the very popular restaurant El Compadre on Sunset Blvd. and got the booze flowing.

We're told she bought around 50 shots for the crowd and gave an inspiring toast ... "You have one life, and we live the f**king good life." Giddy up. Check out the video ... Bebe's also downing what looks like a tasty Compadre margarita before busting out a quick dance.

Elton John officially said it was a wrap for him forever Wednesday night at L.A.'s Staples Center, as he disappeared into the darkness.

Sir Elton told the crowd it was his last performance at the venue, meaning he may be one of the few artists who is really telling the truth about a "farewell tour."

Elton made it clear ... his children take priority over touring, and that's the way it's gonna be.

Now, here's the weird part ... he gets on what looks like a cross between a walker and a funicular and it creeps up a ramp and then disappears.

Jussie Smollett is back in Los Angeles and ready to get in front of a microphone -- with a show this weekend -- and we're told it's likely he'll address the Chicago attack.

The "Empire" star landed in L.A. Thursday, two days after the Chicago incident. Jussie has a concert Saturday night at the legendary Troubadour, and we're told the show will go on.

Tickets for the venue -- which has a capacity of 400 -- were available Tuesday, but with all the hubbub it's now sold out. The tickets were going for $20-$35 a pop, but they're being resold for 70 bucks and more.

We're told Jussie, who still bears scars and swelling, will almost certainly make reference to homophobia, racism and MAGA.

As we reported ... Chicago police are on the hunt for two persons of interest who were across the street from Jussie just before the incident.

Jussie's family said Thursday this was a case of domestic terrorism fueled by hate speech, which seemed like a shot at Trump.

The sight of Ariana Grande dancing in a candle for her "God Is a Woman" music video was too much for one artist to stand ... because he says she stole the idea from his painting.

Vladimir Kush is suing Ariana over the imagery in the music vid which was released in 2018. If you've seen it, the singer dances in silhouette inside a candle flame -- Ariana's wick.

But, Vladimir says nearly 20 years earlier he made 2 paintings called "The Candle" and "The Candle 2" ... which both featured a woman as the wick with raised arms against a partially cloudy sky.

According to the suit, the similarity is uncanny ... and a rip-off. Vladimir says Ariana's video features the same cloudy sky, ring effect of clouds around the flame and the same light beams radiating from the flame.

The production company Ariana used has experience in stealing artistic works, according to Vladimir. In the suit, he says Freenjoy, Inc and its prez were also involved in producing Kendrick Lamar's "All the Stars" video -- and you might recall ... a different artist sued over that one, also claiming a rip-off.

Vladimir is suing Ariana and Freenjoy for copyright infringement, and wants an injunction to remove her music vid from the Internet. BTW, it already has nearly 200 million views ... so, the genie's kinda outta the bottle.

Kanye West says his contract with EMI amounts to servitude and claims he's entitled "to be set free from its bonds."

Kanye has just filed new legal docs in his lawsuit against EMI and Roc-A-Fella Records. He says the deal he signed with EMI effectively has no time limit ... it could last the rest of his natural life.

He notes in California, personal services contracts cannot last longer than 7 years because they amount to "servitude."

According to the deal, he's required to deliver a certain number of songs and, until they are delivered, the contract remains in full force and effect. Problem is ... that could last 1 year or 80 years.

Kanye wants a judge to cut off the EMI contract as of 2010, which would revert all of the rights of his songs back to him. The year 2010 is important because that's the 7-year mark of his deal.

Some songs of note Ye released in 2010 and after include megahit "All of the Lights," along with "Power" and "Monster" from his "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" album, "Otis" and "Ni**as in Paris" from the "Watch the Throne" album, "Bound 2" from Yeezus and "Famous" from "The Life of Pablo."

Meek Mill has a VERY different relationship with law enforcement in Jamaica, 'cause when they stop him there ... all they wanna do is fanboy out and get a photo op.

This is a great story ... Meek was partying down in Kingston this week, where he was enjoying some grub and, of course, the local strip clubs. Basically, soaking in island life.

The Philly MC posted tons of video on his IG story -- most of which is hilarious -- and, apparently, as Meek and co. were leaving Kingston ... they got stopped by officers there. Meek starts recording here, and it quickly becomes clear that no one was in trouble.

Turns out, the cops literally just wanted a picture with Meek! Check out his reaction ... he seems dumbfounded they pulled the car over just for that, but ya gotta imagine he was also relieved.

You'll recall ... Meek had a very rough 2018 while trying to get himself out of prison, which he eventually succeeded in. Now, he's in full-on activist mode ... recently having teamed up with Jay-Z and a bunch of powerful people to launch a criminal justice reform org.

Desiigner's gotta pay up for blasting a girl online by claiming she's a scam artist ... and he didn't even fight it.

According to new legal docs ... the rapper's been ordered to fork over $135,777.11 to Jessica Brown for damages after she sued him for defamation and invasion of privacy. It was a default judgment ... meaning the judge sided with Brown because Desiigner didn't contest it.

We broke the story ... Brown filed suit against Desiigner in February 2018, months after he shared an Instagram post referring to her as a "fraud," and warning his followers to stay away from her and her "college scams."

Jessica, president of a company called College Gurl, claimed she educates young people on how to pay for college and helped Desiigner's sister, Siera Shelby, get into Howard University.

Shelby later left school and left some belongings behind, and Desiigner allegedly believed it was all a con job ... and went off on Brown on social media.

We reached out to him ... no word back so far.

Ariana Grande added a digit to her Japanese tattoo in an attempt to fix a translation faux pas, and the good news is it's slightly better -- but the bad news is it's still wrong. Pretty hilarious.

As we told you ... the "7 Rings" singer copped to messing up her palm tat -- which was meant to spell out the name of her new track, but because the tattoo artist forgot a couple characters, it actually translated to a Japanese style BBQ grill.

Grande shared an updated shot of her ink, though, adding ... "slightly better. thanks to my tutor for helping me fix and to @kanenavasard for being a legend. and to my doctor for the lidocaine shots (no joke). rip tiny charcoal grill. miss u man. I actually really liked u."

But, here's the thing -- Ariana's ink still doesn't say "7 Rings." We're told she added the character for "finger" to it in order to clear things up, but the placement is off. So, it now reads "Japanese BBQ finger."

Not sure if that's better or worse, but Grande's got a history of covering up regrettable tattoos ... so maybe third time will be the charm for her to figure this one out.

Or, maybe it's just time to say thank u, next.

Cardi B's family is together again -- she and Offset are under the same roof, and the hip-hop power couple is officially back on ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell us ... Cardi's returning to the Atlanta home they shared before the breakup. We're told this is the first time she's been back to stay there with Offset and Kulture since December ... when she ripped into her husband for allegedly cheating.

There have been numerous signs lately of a reunion. Cardi posted last week, "I wanna go home" -- but our sources say it's a done deal now, because Offset proved himself to his wife.

We're told one of the key factors was Offset changing his phone number, in order to show Cardi he's serious about being honest and faithful. Our sources say the new digits are strictly for Cardi and business calls.

More importantly, there's a new, "no groupies" rule, which will be in full effect this weekend. We're told Offset's not allowing any female fans near him during his Super Bowl appearances in ATL. He wants Cardi to know he's serious about their marriage.

The Rams and Patriots ain't the only ones with a lot to lose this weekend.

Kid Cudi was the life of the party when some very famous pals gathered around him to celebrate the rapper's birthday.

Cudi was surrounded by Kanye West, Pete Davidson and Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet Wednesday night at Nobu in Malibu in honor of his 35th. Kim Kardashian was also there ... she's the one who snapped the pics.

Odd/diverse group for sure, and super talented. Looks like Pete and Kanye have made nice.

Remember ... Pete trashed Kanye's 'SNL' appearance last October, but the comedian changed his tune on the rapper a few months later, thanking him for standing up for those who suffer from mental health issues.

Lil Wayne says his ex-lawyer pulled a fast one -- for more than a decade -- and to the tune of more than $20 million ... and now it's time for the big payback.

Wayne is suing Ronald Sweeney -- who repped him from 2005 through Sept. 2018 -- because he says the attorney was charging some hefty fees. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Wayne says Sweeney charged him 10 percent for every deal he helped close. The problem is ... Wayne claims Sweeney failed to inform him the industry standard is a mere 5 percent.

That up-charge cost Wayne a bundle -- he says Sweeney made $20 million during his tenure.

According to the docs, Sweeney got pretty greedy ... proposing he get an additional 10 percent of all profits from Wayne's label, Young Money -- but Wayne says that was swiftly shot down.

Still, he says Sweeney even brought in outside help. In the suit, he says Sweeney hired another law firm to aid in the litigation with Cash Money over the 'Carter V' deal.

Wayne says that firm got 23 percent of the Cash Money settlement and 15 percent of the Universal Music Group settlement. Those numbers clearly stick in Wayne's craw because he says all that was on top of Sweeney's inflated 10 percent.

Three known associates of Tekashi 6ix9ine just got slapped with federal indictments, and law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tekashi dropped the dime on one of them for the Chief Keef shooting.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Kintea McKenzie, Anthony Ellison and Denard Butler have all been indicted in connection with crimes related to Tekashi.

More specifically, we're told McKenzie (aka Kooda B) was indicted right after Tekashi spoke with investigators and pinned him as the trigger man at the Keef shooting last June in Times Square.

McKenzie was allegedly paid $10k to shoot Chief Keef ... according to our law enforcement sources. Remember, Tekashi and Keef had been beefing leading up to the shooting. As we first reported ... 2 men, including a known Tekashi associate, tracked down Keef in NYC and opened fire but missed.

We're told authorities have not apprehended McKenzie. Ellison is already in custody for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Tekashi ... and Butler was busted by the ATF on Wednesday. Ellison and Butler are expected to appear in court later this afternoon.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of NY declined to comment on Tekashi's cooperation. We've reached out to Tekashi's lawyer, so far no word back.

As we previously reported ... the feds had been looking into whether Tekashi ordered the hit after he appeared to dime himself out on video. He's been behind bars since November when he was busted on racketeering charges.

Ariana Grande should brush up on her Japanese the next time she wants some permanent ink, 'cause she fell victim to a tattoo faux pas that paints her as Japanese BBQ's #1 fan.

AG recently debuted a new tat on the palm of her hand which featured Japanese characters that she thought spelled out "7 Rings" -- the title of her new single.

Unfortunately for her, the tattoo artist who did the job forgot a couple key characters ... and the tat actually reads "shichirin," which translates to Japanese style barbecue grill. Her fans quickly pointed this out and she deleted the photo from her Instagram.

Ari later admitted to the mistake in a since-deleted tweet ... saying she left out the characters, and added, "It hurt like f**k n still looks tight. I wouldn’t have lasted one more symbol lmao. But this spot also peels a ton and won’t last so if I miss it enough I’ll suffer thru the whole thing next time."

Halsey has a message for Magic Johnson -- quit messin' around and figure out a way to sign Anthony Davis already!!!

The superstar singer was one of the MANY famous faces in the crowd as the Lakers took on the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center in L.A. on Tuesday night ... and it was clear she's no fair-weather fan.

The video of Halsey is cool -- not only does she talk basketball, she signs autographs and takes pics with her fans after the game. Great stuff.

As for a potential Davis signing, it's possible -- but it would require the Lakers to give up almost all of their young stars ... Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and others. They might also have to give up some draft picks.

It seems L.A. is where Davis wants to end up -- in fact, he was just fined $50,000 this week for "tampering" because NBA officials believe he broke league rules by demanding a trade.

Oh, and ... A.D. and LeBron have the same agent. Just sayin' ...

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Meanwhile, check out all the superstars at the game -- the Kardashians were there supporting Kendall's boyfriend, Ben Simmons.

Leo DiCaprio was also on hand ... same with Kevin Hart, Rami Malek, Diplo, Flea and Ashton Kutcher.

Maroon 5 will NOT be taking questions from the media about their Super Bowl halftime show -- the NFL just announced the pre-show press conference is officially OFF.

The halftime show press conference has been a tradition for YEARS -- Justin Timberlake held one last year, Gaga before that ... Prince famously busted out his guitar and rocked out at his back in 2007.

So, why scrap the presser? The NFL says Maroon 5 and the other artists like Travis Scott want to "let their show do the talking" -- but it seems pretty obvious it's all about Kaepernick.

There's been a strong push from big stars like Common and Nick Cannon for the halftime show performers to pull out over the way the league has treated Kap.

Other stars like Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kelly Rowland have said they wouldn't work with the NFL in the wake of Kaepernick's allegations he's been blackballed for taking a knee during the national anthem.

SportsBusiness Journal's Daniel Kaplan says the presser had been on the official schedule of events -- and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport essentially confirmed by saying the presser was "canceled."

The NFL issued a statement saying ... "Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event."

"As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday."

Instead of hosting a press conference, the NFL says the artists and the league will participate in a "social and digital media rollout" to promote the show.

Grammy-winning R&B singer and songwriter James Ingram has died from a battle with a form of brain cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the singer tell us James had been fighting the cancer for an extended period. Actress and choreographer Debbie Allen reacted to the news Tuesday, saying ... "I have lost my dearest friend."

Ingram recorded several chart-toppers in the '80s, including his #1 duet with Patti Austin, "Baby Come to Me" ... as well as "Somewhere Out There" with Linda Ronstadt, "100 Ways" and "Just Once."

He won a Grammy for "Yah Mo B There" -- his duet with Michael McDonald -- and another for "100 Ways." He was nominated for 12 other times for Grammys.

James worked closely Quincy Jones over the years ... recording and writing hits. For instance, he and Q co-wrote Michael Jackson's smash hit, "P.Y.T." from the "Thriller" album.

James was one of the featured soloists for the all-star choir that gathered to record the smash charity song, "We Are the World" in 1985 -- singing parts between Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner and Ray Charles.

He started his professional singing career in the 70s when he joined the group, Revelation Funk, and even played for Ray Charles' band at one point.

During a Quincy tribute concert in L.A. last September, James was noticeably absent when Patti performed their hit song. It was not clear at the time why he soldiered on without him, doing her best impression of her dear friend while singing his parts.

James was 66.

RIP