Music

Akon's got a hot take on African-American singers and rappers blowing off the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, and it sounds like he's NOT exactly down with the boycott in support of Colin Kaepernick.

We got the singer/producer as he touched down in ATL, days ahead of the big game, and asked what he made of A-list celebs snubbing the NFL to stand in solidarity with Kap. Some are even calling for Travis Scott, Big Boi and Maroon 5 to take a knee during their performance -- but don't count Akon among that group.

For him, it's about time and place and he believes the Super Bowl is just too big a stage to opt out of playing on it.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is spending his final hours before the Super Bowl dancing his face off with rap stars ... hitting the stage and showing off his moves with Cardi B!!

Kraft looked anything but nervous the day before the Big Game ... joining the "Money" rapper on stage at the Fanatics Super Bowl party in ATL, which was hosted by Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin.

There was hopping. There was finger pointing. The crowd loved every second of it.

As if Cardi wasn't enough ... Kraft had Meek Mill for a hype man pumping him up on the side of the stage.

Think this guy's worried about the game?

BTW -- we're told Cardi's not just having fun with Kraft and Meek ... she also made a significant donation to Reform Alliance, the criminal justice reform org formed by the 2 along with Rubin, Jay-Z, Van Jones and others.

Ja Rule wants his fans to get any pent-up animosity toward him out of their systems, so he's encouraging them to put a middle finger in the air ... and let him have it.

The rapper performed in New Jersey Friday night, and after perhaps sensing some hostility in the air over his portrayal in the recent Fyre Festival documentaries ... he tried to nip it in the bud.

He jokingly told the crowd he knew they might be a little mad at him, but added ... "We ain't going to do this sh*t for the rest of the year!"

So, he got them all to repeat, "F**k you, Ja Rule!" three times instead. Then he said, "F**k y'all, too," and launched into a song.

As we reported ... the Netflix and Hulu docs about the Fyre Festival fiasco have resulted in some heavy blowback on Ja Rule, along with the social media agency involved in promoting it, Jerry Media.

Rapper Blueface has been arrested for gun possession ... TMZ learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us, the man behind the Bust Down dance craze was in downtown L.A. Friday at around 7 PM when cops got word there were rappers in the area who were carrying large amounts of cash and wearing lots of jewelry. The concern was that there were robberies in that area by gang members and cops were worried the rappers were easy targets.

When LAPD rolled up, Blueface and his posse scattered and several of them tossed their guns away as they fled.

Blueface and two others were apprehended. Cops later discovered the guns were loaded.

Blueface was booked for felony possession of carrying a loaded firearm.

He was released on $35,000 bail.

Cardi B and Offset are clearly re-establishing the family unit ... by enjoying a night out together at a hot club!!!

The couple hit up OAK in Atlanta Saturday at around 3 AM. They hung out together and enjoyed the show, all the while protected by security.

Cardi's the headliner Saturday night at the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest at the State Farm Arena. Migos is performing at Shaq's Fun House Big Game Weekend.

Cardi's made it clear ... there may have been some bumps in the road in her marriage, but she and Offset are determined to make it work.

Tekashi69 is dropping a ton of cash to keep his family safe, which they're most certainly going to need more than ever, now that everyone knows he's cooperating with the feds and naming names.

Sources close to Tekashi tell us, since his arrest in November, he's spent thousands on personal security for his mother. We're told, for obvious reasons, the rapper's worried anyone looking for revenge against him ... might harm her.

TMZ broke the story ... 6ix9ine pled guilty to 9 counts and did a lot of snitching in the process -- implicating members of the Nine Trey Bloods in multiple crimes. For instance, he named the alleged trigger man in the attempted shooting of Chief Keef -- and that guy's since been indicted.

Tekashi's attorney, Dawn Florio, tells us, "6ix9ine has the means to pay for his family's private security, so the government expects the money to come out of [his] pocket to protect his closest family members."

She says the government would step in if, at some point, Tekashi can't afford the security.

As for his baby mama, Sara Molina, we're told she has her own 24/7 armed security too ... but she's footing the bill. She told us on "TMZ Live" that she's worried about their 3-year-old daughter's safety, and added, Tekashi's not in contact with them.

Ne-Yo is squarely in Michael Jackson's corner, and says he doesn't care if the accusers featured in the new documentary are lying or not.

We got Ne-Yo Friday night at LAX, and asked him about the doc, "Leaving Neverland," that was previewed at the Sundance Film Festival. Ne-Yo was clear ... he's not going to see it, adding, "I'm going to keep my memory of Michael Jackson the way it is."

As for whether he believes the 2 accusers in the docs, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, are lying, Ne-Yo pays no mind to it.

Ariana Grande might actually have a solution to a seemingly permanent mistake on her hand -- an offer to get it wiped clean -- and make more than a million bucks in the process.

Grande took tons of heat this week when people noticed some new Japanese ink on her palm. The tat was supposed to say "7 Rings" -- like her new single -- but, when translated, actually said, "Japanese style BBQ grill." Ariana tried to fix the tat by adding characters, but now the tattoo says, "Japanese BBQ finger."

All might not be lost for the "Thank U, Next" singer ... we've learned LaserAway -- a company that specializes in hair and tattoo removal -- sent Ariana a massive offer Friday.

Sources tell us the deal is worth $1.5 mil, minimum.

The deal requires that Ariana participate in one photo/video shoot at a LaserAway location, which will be used in social media, print and viral campaigns. They're also asking Ariana for one post per month for a whole year of LaserAway content.

The offer letter -- signed by company president, Todd Heckmann -- concludes with, "Thank u, next tiny barbecue grill."

We spoke with Scooter Braun, who said, "I can't speak for Ariana as we have not received this letter, however, if they're willing to send me the offer, I'm sure I'd be happy to get a tattoo and then remove it real quick ... for $1.5 mil. Hopefully, we can make this deal before her album comes out next week -- shameless plug."

Jussie Smollett will not get up close and personal with his fans in L.A. this weekend, and it's because there are concerns about his safety just days after the Chicago attack ... TMZ has learned.

Jussie's playing a sold-out show at the famous Troubador Saturday night ... and he was scheduled to have a meet-and-greet session -- but it's been canceled.

An email was sent Friday afternoon to all ticketholders that reads, in part, "For security reasons we cannot accommodate any meet & greets." The email doesn't refer to any specific threat.

The fact Jussie's even going through with the show is a minor miracle. It was just Tuesday morning that Jussie says 2 men jumped him in Chicago, beat him, poured bleach on him and left a rope around his neck. He suffered a broken rib in the attack.

Dolphins star Xavien Howard knows a thing or two about tats -- dude's covered!! -- so here's the defensive back imparting his ink wisdom onto Ariana Grande.

The 25-year-old was out at the EA Sports Madden Bowl on Thursday when we broke the news to him that Ariana screwed up her hand tat ... TWICE.

ICYMI ... Grande tried to ink "7 Rings" onto her palm -- but left out a couple characters and got "Japanese BBQ Grill" instead. When she tried to fix it -- it got worse.

You can tell the whole drama pains Howard (something tells us he's been there before) ... but fear not, Ariana -- the NFL star has a plan for how to move on from the tattoo disaster.

"Just get it covered up with something else different. Just forget about the slogan for your album."

Translation ... better say "thank you, next" to this one.

One of Billy Joel's roadies says a Philadelphia concert was unforgettable -- not for "Piano Man" or "My Life" -- but because a part of the stage allegedly came crashing down on him.

Carl Anderson is suing Billy, claiming the singer is responsible for injuries he suffered back in September 2017 while working as a stage handler. According to the suit, he helped set up for Billy's gig at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies ... who are also getting sued.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Anderson says he was in the stage area when, out of nowhere, a scaffolding pipe fell and struck him ... leaving him with a herniated disc and severe nerve damage in his back and neck.

Anderson says the injuries cost him a bundle in medical bills, plus he lost wages and future earnings.

In the suit, he says Billy, the venue and the concert's promoter, Live Nation, were negligent in maintaining the stage equipment. He's suing all of the above, and the Phillies, for unspecified damages.

Kanye West handed over all his MAGA hats -- apparently boxes of 'em -- to his pal GLC, and according to the rapper Ye's never wearing it again ... but it wasn't all bad.

The G.O.O.D. Music rapper sat down for "The Red Pill Podcast with Van Lathan" and insists Kanye gave him his word he'll stop demonstrating his support for President Trump by wearing the hat. GLC says they had a convo about it a few weeks ago.

That's interesting ... because on New Year's Day, Kanye went on a pro-Trump rant that ended with him praising the MAGA hat and vowing to wear it when he performs from now on.

GLC suggests he's had a change of heart and although he seems pleased Kanye's decided to stop wearing it, he points out there was a major silver lining to his friend putting on the hat.

Watch ... we're thinking Kim Kardashian, Alice Marie Johnson and thousands of prisoners might agree.

10:20 AM PT -- We now have the transcript of Tekashi's plea hearing from last week, and he opens up about how he got involved in the criminal activity, and does a lot of snitching.

In court, he says he joined the Nine Trey Bloods in the fall of 2017 and in March 20, 2018 ... he admits helping members of the gang attempt to kill a rival to "increase my own standing in Nine Trey." Then on April 3, he says he, and other members, robbed a rival at gunpoint.

He got into the Chief Keef shooting ... saying in court, "I paid a person to shoot at a rival member of Nine Trey to scare him. The shooting took place in Manhattan. I did this to maintain or increase my own standing in Nine Trey." He admits knowing a fellow gang member was the trigger man.

Tekashi also admitted to selling a kilo of heroin in 2017 -- and offered an apology for all his crimes, saying ... "I apologize to the Court, to anyone who was hurt, to my family, friends and fans for what I have done and who I have let down."

Based on what we know, Tekashi has struck a plea deal which will increase the likelihood of a significantly reduced sentence in return for ongoing cooperation. Although the minimum sentence is 47 years, the way it typically works is the prosecution will ask for significantly less ... which is his incentive to keep singing like a canary.

The problem Tekashi faces ... by agreeing to cooperate for the next year -- while the prosecution dangles the carrot of a light sentence -- he's increasing the possibility someone will try to silence him.

BTW, he did indeed plead guilty to ALL 9 counts -- there was a discrepancy in the documents.

Tekashi69 appears to be striking a deal with the feds -- he's pleading guilty to 9 counts ... TMZ has learned.

Tekashi entered the plea on January 23 ... pleading guilty to the federal indictment. He copped to multiple counts of racketeering, conspiracy, firearms offenses and narcotics trafficking.

The rapper was initially indicted back in November ... and had been facing the possibility of life in prison. It's unclear what sentence he'll face now after entering the guilty pleas.

According to federal docs just unsealed this week, and obtained by TMZ, 6ix9ine was involved in dealing heroin, fentanyl, ecstasy, amphetamines and marijuana.

The feds say the conspiracy consisted of multiple acts of murder, robbery and extortion.

In docs, the feds refer to video TMZ first posted of Tekashi boldly offering, on camera, a $30,000 bounty for someone to shoot Chief Keef's cousin. According to the feds, he "aided and abetted the shooting at rivals of Nine Trey [Bloods gang] at a hotel in Times Square."

As you know, someone opened fire on Keef and his cousin back in June, in Times Square, just days after Tekashi's offer.

The unsealing of Tekashi's plea came just one day after 3 of his associates were also indicted. We broke the story ... law enforcement sources tell us Tekashi dropped a dime on the alleged trigger man in the Keef shooting.

6ix9ine's sentencing is scheduled for January 24, 2020.

Halsey's relationship with her new rocker boyfriend doesn't look like a drag -- the 2 seem to be totally into each other ... even when they're just standing around smoking.

The singer was spotted out in WeHo Thursday night with British musician Yungblud, enjoying a cigarette and some PDA while they waited for their ride. We're told the couple had just left a dinner date at Jones Italian restaurant.

Halsey's been hanging with her slightly younger beau since at least November, shortly after breaking up with G-Eazy ... for the second time.

Cardi B and Offset are showing all the signs of a couple deeply in love (all over again) ... sharing smiles and giggles on FaceTime.

Cardi touched down at LAX Thursday with a big grin on her face and her phone in hand. The person on the other end? Offset! Our photog spotted the Migos rapper on Cardi's screen and asked who it was ... Cardi's response ... "My significant other."

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi's planning on moving back in with Offset in their Atlanta home. She hasn't been back to the crib since December.

You'll remember, Cardi -- very publicly -- split with her husband at the end of 2018 ... but the couple has been on the mend ever since, celebrating Christmas together as a family and taking a wild ride in Puerto Rico.

Travis Scott might be in Atlanta prepping for the Super Bowl ... but his music is alive and well in L.A., thanks to A$AP Rocky and Drake.

A$AP played to a sold-out crowd at The Forum in Inglewood Thursday night, and his fans went nuts when Drizzy made a surprise appearance. Bringing out all-star guests isn't so unusual at hip-hop shows ... but, what was really shocking was the song they performed together -- Travis' "SICKO MODE."

You'll remember ... back in 2015, someone got it twisted and confused Travis with A$AP. Trav was PISSED and unleashed on the poor sap ... but if last night's show made it clear, there's no beef when it comes to Travis and A$AP.