Music

A former employee of R. Kelly told a grand jury the singer regularly recorded tapes of his sexual encounters with underage girls and kept them as trophies ... and they're now believed to be in the hands of the feds.

Sources directly connected to the case tell TMZ ... the ex-employee testified in front of a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois Thursday, and claims to have been in possession of multiple tapes in which the singer engages in sex acts with minors.

We're told the former employee told grand jurors R. Kelly paid a large sum of cash to the employee and in return, the employee handed a tape over to the singer. We're told somehow the tape in question ended up in the hands of Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Our sources say the ex-employee testified they gave the feds several other child sex tapes featuring Kelly.

We're told the former employee said R. Kelly's crew knew full well Kelly had a penchant for having sex with underage girls, but rather than blow the whistle on him, they actually helped the singer procure young girls.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, tells TMZ, "This seems to be the same claims that were made in the state case. We will address them in court."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois declined to comment.

As we've told you ... the federal grand jury in IL has heard testimony from alleged victims who say the singer and his camp transported them across state lines for sex when they were underage.

A Miley Cyrus fan got way too up close and personal with the singer as she and Liam Hemsworth were trying to leave their Barcelona hotel.

Miley and her husband were attempting to get to their car Sunday, but a huge crowd was gathered outside to get a glimpse of them -- and one fan managed to get his arm around Miley's neck.

Liam was walking just a couple of steps in front of Miley -- trying to clear a hole for her -- when the fan reached out, groped her hair and then yanked her closer by her neck, trying to kiss her.

You can see Miley push away and someone else reach in to shove the fan away.

The Game is a huge NBA fan -- but he had to watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals from a bar in Los Angeles because he tells TMZ Sports he's still banned from entering Canada!!!

The rapper was breaking down the Warriors win over the Raptors -- which took place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto -- when he told us about his issue.

"I can't even get into Canada," The Game said ... "I can't even go to the game!"

When asked why," Game smiled and said, "Because I'm a gangster."

He is sorta ... back in 2011, The Game was detained at the Canadian border and ultimately deported because of his affiliation with the Bloods.

According to Game, that ban still stands -- which sucks for the rapper who says he LOVES our neighbors to the north and would have loved to have been in the arena with the likes of two of his favorite people ... Drake and Barack Obama.

Don't feel too bad for Game, he's still living like a BOSS in L.A. -- where he got the VIP treatment at the Peppermint Club to watch the game.

Jay-Z's got something else to brag about -- he's the first hip-hop artist to be worth ... ONE BILLION DOLLARS.

Jay's net worth is officially in the 3-comma club, according to a new Forbes report that totaled all of his income from multiple business ventures and subtracted "a healthy amount to account for a superstar lifestyle."

When it's all said and done, here's a breakdown of the value of his stakes in the empire he's created:

-- $310 million for Armand de Brignac champagne

-- $220 mil in cash and investments, including a $70 million stake in Uber

-- $100 mil for D'Usse cognac

-- $100 mil for Tidal

-- $75 mil for Roc Nation

-- $75 mil for his music catalog

-- $70 mil art collection

-- $50 mil in real estate

Add it up ... and that's a cool billion. Needless to say, this doesn't include the net worth of his other half, Beyonce. The couple has been worth more than a billion combined for quite some time now.

Of course, Jay's claim as the first hip-hop billionaire could be contested by one Dr. Dre, who said he'd accomplished the feat way back in 2014 after his $3.2 billion deal with Apple.

Forbes said Dre jumped the gun though, and was only worth $800 million at the time.

Sorry, Dre ... looks like Jay runs this town.

"See you in the Bay, Aubrey ... You weren't talkin' tonight, were ya!?"

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson gave Drake an earful after the Warriors tied up the series in the NBA Finals on Sunday ... returning the epic trash talk the rap superstar delivered after Game 1.

The exchange was captured right as the Dubs were heading into the locker room after the game ... when someone called for them to come back because Drizzy was about to walk by.

That's when KD and Klay went IN on the 6 God ... calling him a "bum ass" and saying the win over the Raptors was "light work."

"It's alright, it's okay, we still got more games to play," KD added.

Drake -- who got all up in Draymond Green's face after the Raps took Game 1 -- surprisingly handled the trash talk really well, hitting them back with "You squeezed that [win], by the way."

Game 3 is on Wednesday ... so Drake's got a few days to come up with a better comeback.

Ray J is making a major investment in his new legal marijuana biz ... and he's kicking off his very own weed venture by hawking joints named after -- who else -- himself!!!

Our Ray J sources tell TMZ ... he's already poured in $5,000,000 to fire up a cannabis company in Cali, and the first rollout will feature pre-rolled joints, dubbed, "Ray Jay's."

As you see in the video, Ray J ain't playing around when it comes to his plants ... he's already got a greenhouse stocked with rows and rows of dank, and the flowers look like the stickiest of the icky!!!

The company is called William Ray LA, and Ray J's assembling a top-notch gang of ganja experts specializing in growing, branding and marketing herb ... and he's going to put his stamp on the biz with his own personal knowledge and expertise. See, smoking pot has tons of benefits!!!!

Ray's manager, David Weintraub, tells us the company's aim will focus on non-traditional marketing strategies in media, music and entertainment.

Sativas and indicas aren't the only things Ray J is hawking ... his enterprise will also offer services to other growing companies looking to expand their reach. Ray J has big plans to expand throughout the country.

Ray J and Mary J ... now that's a vibe.

Tina Knowles hosted, Beyonce and Jay-Z danced and Tyler Perry came thiiiis close to dropping six-figures for a portrait of Nipsey Hussle. Yeah, it was that kinda party!

Tina and her husband, Richard Lawson, held their annual Wearable Art Gala Saturday night in Santa Monica -- and their guests came ready to shop, especially Tyler. You gotta see the bidding war that erupted over a Nipsey portrait done by Tiffanie Anderson.

Tyler, who received a Trailblazer Award at the gala ... went back and forth with another honoree, Felicia Horowitz -- from less than $50k all the way up to the winning bid. Watch the clip, Tyler had to think it was in the bag when he raised his paddle at $100k. He was wrong.

Meanwhile, Bey, Jay and Blue Ivy were nearby soaking up the 'Lion King' themed event.

What do Chip and Joanna Gaines have in common with Ciara and Kevin Love? Other than the fact that they're megastars ... they all also have a Harvard class under their belts.

The A-listers were among the most recognizable faces this past week at the 4-day Harvard business course known as BEMS -- where top-level talent from all walks of life, including Hollywood stars, come out and share their experiences with each other ... brainstorming paths to success.

Some of the other celebs to join the group -- NBA stars Julius Randle and Luc Mbah a Moute, German soccer star Oliver Kahn, NCIS actor Eric Olsen and more.

By the end of it ... it looks like "Fixer Upper" couple and the rest of the gang walked away with certificates to show they'd completed the course -- which has hosted the likes of Chris Bosh, Michael Strahan and a myriad of CEOS and execs from different companies in the past.

Anthony Joshua's gotta be kicking himself Sunday morning after losing in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history -- and he's got no one to blame but himself ... and possibly Drake.

AJ lost his 3 heavyweight titles in Madison Square Garden Saturday night to Andy Ruiz Jr. -- who was an 11-1 underdog -- by TKO in the 7th round. It's being called the biggest upset since Mike Tyson lost to Buster Douglas in 1990 ... but we all should've seen it coming when Joshua cozied up to Drake.

Back in March, the then WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight champ posted a pic with Drizzy, and even went so far as to say he was going to “break the curse” on June 1. Oops.

Drake's got a pretty extensive track record of jinxing teams -- just ask Alabama football, Italy's Roma soccer team, Conor McGregor and Serena Williams.

He's even mocked the curse lately -- wearing Philadelphia 76ers shorts to jinx that team last month when they were playing his beloved Toronto Raptors ... and it worked.

If YNW Melly is convicted of murder, he deserves to die ... according to the family of one of his alleged victims -- a stance they're taking despite previously having a close relationship with the rapper.

Melly remains jailed in South Florida as he awaits trial in his double murder case, and prosecutors have already said they will seek the death penalty.

That sits just fine with the family of Anthony Williams. His family tells TMZ, through their attorneys at Steinger, Greene & Feiner ... "If the state of Florida feels the death penalty is warranted in this case then we 100% fully support it."

It's a tragically complicated case for the Williams family. As we first told you, Anthony's family treated Melly like he was one of them, and even opened their home to him. You can see in Melly's mug shot ... the name "Jana" is tattooed on his neck in honor of Anthony's mother.

Still, the Williams family's attorneys add ... "YNW Melly should feel the exact fear and panic he so viciously and consciously brought upon his innocent victims."

TMZ broke the story ... the state of Florida says it has proof beyond a reasonable doubt Melly and Cortlen Henry shot and killed Anthony and another man, Christopher Thomas Jr.

Melly and Henry have both been charged with 2 counts of first-degree murder.

Arcangel got a gift from the legal gods ... he won't face charges for delivering a side kick that sent the mother of his children flying into a wall.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... prosecutors in Las Vegas are rejecting the domestic battery case due to a lack of evidence. That seems odd because cops arrested him after viewing surveillance footage of him kicking the woman.

We reached out to the D.A.'s Office about that video, and they told us the case was rejected for "lacking prosecutorial merit." They would not elaborate any further.

We broke the story ... cops say Arcangel was caught on camera kicking a woman last month at The Cromwell Hotel. According to the arrest report, the woman said she's his baby mama and they had an argument that led to what Arcangel described as a "little kick thing."

Cops say the "little kick" looked more like a brutal side kick on video, but Arcangel insisted it was just horseplay.

Drake really oughta zip his lid and take a seat when he's hangin' courtside for the NBA Finals, 'cause his attempts to troll opposing teams aren't even top-notch ... so says Godfrey.

The comedian laid into Champagne Papi Friday outside the Gotham Comedy Club in NYC, where he told us point blank ... Drake needs to sit down and relax when he's rooting for the Raptors. His rationale -- he thinks Drizzy's trying too hard to be cool and seen.

ICYMI ... Drake and Warriors forward, Draymond Green, had what appeared to be a heated exchange at the end of game 1 Thursday as the Dubs made their way back to the locker room upon losing. It's unclear exactly what was said, but Drake seemed to call Dray "trash."

As far as Godfrey's concerned, Drake should take some cues from another hip-hop heavyweight who tends to behave himself when he goes to the big games. Any guesses???

Demi Lovato surfaced in Vegas Friday night for a performance that brought her to tears.

Demi's a superfan of one Christina Aguilera, who was performing at Planet Hollywood where she kicked off her residency.

Lovato scored second-row seats with her friends and she sang and danced during Christina's opening night.

Check out the vid that Demi shot ... snippets from "Genie in a Bottle," "Ain't No Other Man," and "Fighter."

Christina Aguilera is worthy of superfandom -- she has five Grammys and has sold more than 75 million records.

By the way ... Demi seemed great -- she was happy, relaxed and genuinely excited.

"America's Got Talent" is not going to get in the way of Kodi Lee entertaining folks in his hometown, because producers know that's what helped make him a star ... and he's still gotta make a living.

Production sources at 'AGT' tell TMZ ... there's nothing in his contract keeping the 22-year-old from performing local shows in Southern California, even though he was awarded the "golden buzzer" pass from Gabrielle Union to ensure his spot in the competition's live shows.

We're told as long as Kodi shows up for his scheduled 'AGT' events and filming dates -- and isn't intentionally seeking press for an unfair advantage -- he's free to perform any previously scheduled live concerts and gigs.

As one source put it ... many 'AGT' contestants make a living off their art, so it wouldn't be right for the show to keep them from that.

We broke the story ... Kodi's breakout 'AGT' moment has created a huge buzz for his upcoming shows with the cover band Midnight Satellites, with whom he's been playing for a while.

Owners of 2 separate venues in Riverside County tell us Kodi's scheduled performances have fans in a frenzy, and fortunately, the Old Town Blues Club will have doubled its seating capacity for its July 6 show featuring Lee.

As for 'AGT' ... since Kodi's already advanced past the auditions stage, he won't be back on stage until the live shows kick off in August.

Fergie's had enough of the separated life ... she and Josh Duhamel are finally getting divorced ... TMZ has learned.

Fergie filed divorce docs Friday in Pasadena, and no one could call it a rash move. The exes have been apart publicly since September 2017 ... when they announced they were breaking up. In a joint statement, they said they'd actually been separated since earlier in 2017.

However, neither made a move divorce-wise ... until now.

The singer and actor have one child together ... their son Axl, who is 5 years old now.

They'd been married for 8 years before announcing their break-up -- and they had started dating in 2004.

Josh has been dating pretty openly. In the last year, he's been seen out with Rebekah Graf, Eiza Gonzalez ... and just this week he was at Nobu in Malibu with a mystery brunette.

Some of Elton John's extravagant costumes from his rock 'n' roll heyday -- and a unique gift from John Lennon and Yoko Ono -- are hitting the auction block, and expected to fetch over $100k.

Sir Elton's custom-made gold jumpsuit from his "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" tour in 1973 is among the showy items up for bid. That alone is expected to go for around $30k. It comes with a sown-in label reading, "Elton John -- 5-22-73."

Another costume expected to get bids in the $20-30k range is the Rocket Man's "Jockey" outfit from a 1980 U.S. tour. It's a Bob Mackie original that was previously displayed at the Venice Biennale and Barney's New York -- so, y'know it's valuable.

There's also a signed photo from Elton to boxing legend Evander Holyfield with handwritten lyrics to "Madman Across the Water."

That all pales in comparison to the standout attraction of GottaHaveRockandRoll.com's Elton auction -- namely a handmade collage that John Lennon and Yoko Ono gifted him for his birthday in 1975.

It's a strange sight to behold -- magazine and newspaper clippings pasted around provocative images and apparent inside jokes, with a headline reading "Who was Mother Goose?" The second piece of the collage includes an Elton John Tour guest pass and a handwritten "happy birthday" note.

It comes with a letter of authenticity from Elton himself, confirming he received it from the iconic couple on his bday, March 25, 1975.

The auction house estimates the collage to haul in $40-60k. All the items are up for bid online beginning July 17.