Music

2/11 -- A rep for Drake now says the rapper's speech wasn't cut off and interpreted a pause as the speech's conclusion. The rep added, "Producers did speak with Drake following his speech and did offer him to come back onstage to finish whatever his thoughts were." Drake declined ... saying "he was happy with what he said and had nothing else to add to it."

Drake had a lot to say after winning his latest Grammy -- but, apparently, he went a little too long ... 'cause the show cut him short before he was done with his remarks.

Drizzy accepted his award for Best Rap Song Sunday night -- taking the prize for "God's Plan" -- and toward the tail end of his acceptance speech ... it appeared he was cut off by the showrunners, who sent the telecast to a commercial break.

The timing was slightly awkward. Drake was downplaying the importance of awards, telling his fellow artists that as long as people were shelling out for their shows ... they were already winning, 'cause that's all that matters at the end of the day.

He seemed to be done with that train of thought and took a long pause, but then suddenly ... he tried launching into a new subject with a "but."

Unfortunately, the cameras had already started to zoom out -- signaling that the show was going to cut a break. Drake didn't get to finish his thoughts ... at least not on the air.

Also interesting ... Drake reportedly declined to perform at this year's award show, but was willing to show face to collect his hardware.

The 2019 Grammys was a shimmering affair of talent -- but it was also a shining achievement in the wardrobe department ... just peep what the stars wore behind the scenes.

Hollywood's A-list musicians and artists went full sheen for their outfits at this year's award show -- including sparkling gowns from Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Noah Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Meghan Trainor, Evan Ross, Ashlee Simpson, Katie Perry ... and even Michelle Obama.

You could probably see your own reflection in a lot of these get-ups -- which isn't to say they aren't fabulous, 'cause they are.

Some other honorable mentions who went the more traditional route with their attire -- Travis Scott, Mark Ronson, BTS, John Mayer, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Bebe Rexha and others.

Dr. Oz says his inclusion in the NBA's Celebrity All-Star Game is no fluke because he's got serious game ... which he's modeled after another famous doc.

We talked to Oz about his name showing up on the home team of the celeb roster, and he says there's a perfectly good explanation for why he was tapped ... his history with the game. Oz says he played ball for his high school and even balled up a bit during his college days at Harvard.

As we reported, 2 Chainz was pissed his name was left off the roster of celebs hitting the hard court ... especially because he actually played college hoops at Alabama State.

But, from the sound of it, Dr. Oz is a natural-born athlete, and he says he'll prove it on All-Star weekend. We pushed for how exactly he'll contribute, and he told us his value might not necessarily be scoring.

Check out the clip ... he even compares himself to another famous Dr. in the game.

Dr. Oz wasn't aware of Chainz calling out the NBA for allegedly blacklisting him, but he offered some advice for how to get into the game. The rapper says he's gotten the cold shoulder ever since 2013 when someone in his camp insulted a woman at the game.

Ariana Grande was quick to tweet and delete "Trash" after Mac Miller lost the Grammy for Rap Album of the Year ... what she felt was a sign of total disrespect from the award show to the late rapper and his family.

Miller -- who died in September -- received the first nomination of his career for Sunday's show for his album "Swimming." Mac was up against Travis Scott, Nipsey Hussle, Pusha T and Cardi.

Grande tweeted "Trash" after Cardi was announced the winner but clarified the shade wasn't at Cardi, saying, "Nothing to do w her. good for her. i promise. i'm sorry."

A source close to Ariana tells us she was upset because the Grammys flew Mac's parents out for the show -- a sign he was likely going to win -- and felt they disrespected him by giving it to someone else.

As we reported ... Ariana was supposed to perform at the show but later canceled the gig after a feud with Grammy honchos. She wanted was to perform "7 rings."

We're told the show's producer, Ken Ehrlich, told Ariana that song wouldn't connect with the audience, so he asked her to choose a different song. Ariana felt strongly "7 Rings" was what people wanted to hear, and when Ehrlich wouldn't budge, she said she'd take a pass.

Young Thug nearly didn't make it to the Grammys after he got put in cuffs just hours beforehand -- but, luckily, he didn't find himself in a jail cell come showtime.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... YT and a group of guys riding in a van were pulled over early Sunday morning for a traffic violation in WeHo. We're told Young Thug and the other passengers were taken out of the car and handcuffed.

As you can see in this video, obtained by TMZ, they were lined up outside a McDonald's ... and, at one point, Thug also had his hands over his head.

Our sources tell us one of the men in the vehicle -- not Thug -- told police that he was in possession of a registered firearm, but upon further inspection ... cops found the gun wasn't registered in California, so the guy got arrested on the spot. Everyone else was cut loose.

It's a good thing YT was able to walk away from this relatively scot-free, 'cause he was part of the opening act later Sunday alongside Camila Cabello. Seeing how he's the featured artist on her song, "Havana" ... it was kinda important that he be there.

He also ended up winning his first Grammy ever for his contribution to Childish Gambino's "This Is America," which won Song of the Year. YT was one of many MCs who provided backing vocals for the track.

Michelle Obama just rocked the house at the 2019 Grammy Awards -- and before she could even get four words out on the importance of music ... she was interrupted by cheers.

The former First Lady made a surprise appearance Sunday at the Grammys alongside Jada Pinkett-Smith, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and host Alicia Keys. After Jada discussed respecting everyone's voice in the music industry, Michelle took the mic ... but had a hard time getting her speech started 'cause people were losing their minds.

Eventually, after Michelle told folks to settle down, she talked about the wide ranging musical genres that got her through tough moments in life, and reiterated just how impactful music is to pretty much everyone.

In typical Obama fashion, Michelle sounded just as good as ever in her delivery ... and this reception proves she's still one of America's favorite people to hear from.

Tough act to follow, for sure.

12:40 PM PT -- Dapper Dan -- a Harlem-based fashion designer, who was recently at the center of a separate Gucci controversy -- says he is meeting with Gucci's CEO this week to discuss the company's blackface scandal. DD says there's no excuse for how Gucci's Balaclava knit top was greenlit, and he promises to hold "everyone accountable."

Dapper Dan is credited with turning Gucci into popular sportswear and streetwear for athletes and rappers. He's outfitted celebs like Run-DMC, Floyd Mayweather ... and even Beyonce has worn his designs. Gucci was accused of ripping him off in 2017, and after some backlash ... they partnered up with him.

Soulja Boy is kicking Gucci to the curb after its blackface scandal -- and considering how much he's repped 'em and spent on them ... this is really bad for business.

Young Drako was leaving Fendi in Bev Hills Saturday with Ray J and a posse of people behind him, when we asked him if he'd be disavowing the luxury fashion brand in the wake of their disastrous decision to hawk a sweater that greatly resembled blackface.

It's an easy choice for Soulja -- he says he's done with Gucci and is giving away all his Gucci gear ... which is kind of a big deal since he's usually a walking billboard for the company. Just last month, SB was wearing a very prominent Gucci headband during his viral 'Breakfast Club' interview ... and has been sporting the brand continuously for years now.

Here's what really sucks for Gucci ... Soulja says he's dropped upwards of a million-plus dollars on Gucci garments, so they're losing one of their best customers. Unless, of course, they do what Soulja's asking for here ... which will call for some serious $$$ to be handed out.

If that doesn't happen ... it sounds like there'll be a lot of less fortunate people who could be coming up on some new Gucci wear. Assuming they still want it at this point.

R. Kelly shows might be poison for ticket vendors in the U.S., but in Germany he's still so popular ... he's upgrading to bigger gigs.

We broke the story ... the singer's slated to perform a few concerts this spring in Deutschland, and he's being booked despite heavy backlash in the States following Lifetime's "Surviving R. Kelly."

Turns out Kelly's scheduled show in Ludwigsburg on April 12 is a hot ticket ... so much so it got bumped to a bigger venue. A rep for the original location -- MHP Arena, which has a capacity of 7,200 for concerts -- tells TMZ it was moved to a higher capacity spot in Sindelfingen 2 weeks ago, but got relocated again recently to Ratiopharm Arena in Neu-Ulm.

That venue holds 9,000 people and is about 75 miles away from Ludwigsburg.

As for whether Ratiopharm's worried over hosting an R. Kelly concert, it acknowledged organizers struggled but ultimately decided it believed in the court of law more than the court of public opinion.

The arena spokesperson adds, if facts change before the show, it has made contractual arrangements to cancel if need be.

As we reported ... Kelly's under investigation in Fulton County, GA and there's a potential for criminal cases in Illinois. There's also been a movement to mute the singer, with many musicians pulling their collabs with him online.

In Germany though, for now ... the show will go on.

Halsey may have put her ex, G-Eazy, on national blast Saturday night on 'SNL.'

She performed "Without Me" during the show and the wall behind her revealed huge letters that said, "Ashley, I cheated." Halsey's guv name is Ashley.

It could be random, but she had to know people would assume she's referring to her ex, with whom she had a turbulent relationship during the year they were together.

There were lots of rumors she broke up with him over cheating, but she never opened up, once saying, "The biggest lesson I learned was to make art, not headlines ... because it can become quite easy, in the social media generation, to go from being a musician to becoming a personality."

That said, it seems she's playing to the social media generation, because people scrambled to twitter to decipher, and most say it's about cheating.

Meek Mill had an expensive Saturday night after his Rolls-Royce Phantom got nailed in a crash with an Uber.

Meek was rolling up to Delilah in WeHo at around 1:30 AM Sunday, riding shotgun when the Rolls pulled up to the curb. We're told it was moving forward slowly as the black SUV was in reverse and the cars hit. It's gonna be an expensive proposition ... a fender replacement on a $450,000 whip costs a fortune.

Someone called the cops, info was exchanged and no one was ticketed.

Here's the funny part ... the Uber driver didn't have a clue who Meek was.

Before there was Drake, there was Aubrey Graham -- who was hard at work putting pen to paper before he ever blew up as a rapper ... and now you can buy his old flows for tens of thousands.

A notebook owned by Drizzy between 2002 and 2005 is going up for sale through the memorabilia company Moments in Time -- and they're hawking this treasure for a hefty price tag of $32,500.

The notebook was found in a dumpster near Drake's grandpa's old furniture factory in Toronto, where Drake used to work. It also features his signature, so this thing's legit.

The price might sound steep, but trust us ... there's good content in here that's worth every penny. We're told this particular notebook features 20-25 pages of verses, full songs, and random musings by the hip-hop legend during his 'Degrassi' days.

In fact, there are tons of insights into how a young Champagne Papi viewed and dealt with women in those days. It's got lyrics like ...

Girls lie and you make it evident you affected

Up north / Drake is the president I’m respected

But I’m a liar due to the evidence you collected

From chicks in my crew / to chicks beside you

Cashiers at the drive through / them hoes lie too

Honchos in charge of the Grammys this year aren't taking any chances, dropping extra cash to beef up security ... while keeping an eye out for any potentially troublesome beefs.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 61st Annual Grammy Awards -- going down at the Staples Center Sunday night -- is covering the cost of hiring more than 50 officers to ensure everyone's safety at the event.

We're told there will also be extra fire inspectors and ambulances on hand in case of emergencies, and all in all ... it's spending about six figures for the added protection.

On top of that, our sources say ALL attendees -- regardless of celebrity status -- will be required to go through metal detectors to get in. And, even if a musician has their own bodyguard with a permit to carry a concealed weapon, their firearms won't be allowed inside -- cops only.

We're told Grammys personnel has also made police aware of any potential conflicts among the talent. We didn't get examples, but in a year where Cardi B threw a shoe at Nicki Minaj ... it's good to keep an eye out.

Of course, there's also recent beef between Chris Brown and Offset, but no word if they'll both be there.

Malik Yusef says he was doing work on Kanye West's behalf to arrange a New York Fashion Week show but it didn't work out ... but it's definitely not the shady scheme it's being made out to be.

We broke the story ... Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music associate is accused of forging the rapper's signature to strike a deal with Philipp Plein to stage a NYFW event with Ye performing, and then making off with at least $750,000.

Yusef strongly denies those allegations and tells us it was business as usual as he negotiated with Plein to get some "futuristic t-shirts" at Fashion Week. He claims Kanye was aware of the pending contract, but when it became clear Ye wasn't going to perform ... he let Plein know the deal was off.

Malik claims he didn't touch a dime of Plein's money and even sent it back to him. He's adamant he's not scamming anyone and points out he's been working with Kanye for years ... and they run a foundation together.

Yusef insists he's never taken anything from Kanye, adding ... "I barely take his f***in' advice."

On Twitter, he's also responded to a suggestion he might be getting set up, saying ... "Its actually less against me and more against @phillip_plein but I ain’t going either tho."

Sources close to Kanye tell us a different story, though ... saying Kanye never committed to anything and had no idea about the show Yusef was communicating to Plein about.

Mac Miller was a very rich man when he died ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs ... just a "portion" of the rapper's estate is worth more than $4.48 million. This amount is the sum of various checking, savings and money market accounts ... as well as 200 shares of Facebook stock worth more than $32k.

The docs point out Miller didn't own any property in California at the time of his death, but it's unclear if he owned real estate elsewhere. The $4.48 mil also doesn't include other potential property like cars, artwork or collectibles ... so it's possible he's worth a lot more.

We broke the story ... Miller died at his home in San Fernando Valley in September. The cause of his death was ruled an accidental overdose from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine.

As you know, Mac's been nominated for a Grammy posthumously, so if he wins Sunday night ... a Grammy Award can be added to his net worth.

21 Savage is in the crosshairs of ICE for deportation, but even if that happens they're not gonna be able to touch the millions of dollars he's earned.

We've done our research, and the only way the feds can seize assets from someone who is in the country illegally is if the loot is ill-gotten ... as in earned through some illegal activity.

If the money is lawfully earned, despite illegal residency status, it cannot be seized.

As for how much money is on the line ... reports vary wildly. Some outlets claim 21 is worth $4 mil and others claim as much as $21 mil. Fact is ... most of these stories are just guesses, but it's a good bet 21 Savage's net worth is in the multi-millions.

Bow Wow was enraged at his girlfriend before their violent fight, forcefully snatching something from her, cornering her and getting all up in her grill ... according to a surveillance video obtained by TMZ.

The video taken from their apartment complex shows Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie Holden taking an elevator up to their unit after a night of partying. The rapper looks PISSED at Kiyomi Leslie, because he rips something from her hand, and appears to berate her.

The video shows rising tension between Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie leading up to their knock-down, drag-out brawl over the weekend in Atlanta, which led to both of them getting arrested for battery.

We broke the story ... Kiyomi Leslie told cops Bow Wow flew into a jealous rage because she was talking to another man at a party. Bow Wow backed her story up, and said she called him a "bitch ass n*****."

As we reported ... after the brawl, Kiyomi Leslie called 911 claiming Bow Wow hit her several times, took her phone and refused to let her out of a bedroom.

We also obtained photos of the injuries Bow Wow says he sustained at the hands of Kiyomi Leslie, and they show deep scratches on his face and bite marks on his body.