Music

Nicki Minaj is scoffing at the chorus of critics who are upset she featured her ex-con BF in her new music video, "MEGATRON" ... our Nicki sources say the public has spoken and they clearly dig it.

Nicki's boyfriend, Kenneth Petty, is all over the vid, in scenes that are scorching with sex.

People are griping she shouldn't have showcased Petty, because he was convicted of attempted rape as well as manslaughter. As for the attempted rape, he used a sharp object against a 16-year-old girl in an attempt to have sex with her when he was 15. He is a registered sex offender. And, as for the manslaughter, he shot and killed a man in 2002.

Sources close to Nicki say she's unmoved by the criticism, adding, "She's happy and in love and he's not going anywhere." They're also crowing that the video has millions of views just 12 hours in, and it's trending big.

The video is a testament to Nicki's relationship with Petty ... we're told it was meant to mirror the affection they have for each other.

Our sources say the love scenes were pretty much all first take ... because they say it was authentic.

At the time of this post, the video has 3.6 million views and it's only been up 12 hours. It's number 2 on trending.

Cardi B has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges -- including 2 felonies -- in connection with a brawl at a New York strip club ... TMZ has confirmed.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi was arrested in October for allegedly ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders -- Jade and Baddie G. The 2 women claim they were injured during the brawl when Cardi's people began throwing bottles and chairs.

The incident, which went down in August, was allegedly triggered after Cardi accused Jade of sleeping with Offset.

The grand jury has indicted Cardi on 12, charges including 2 counts of felony attempted assault with intent to cause serious physical injury. Other charges include misdemeanor reckless endangerment, assault, criminal solicitation, conspiracy and harassment.

She was initially charged with 2 misdemeanors ... assault and reckless endangerment, but that's all superseded by the grand jury indictment.

Cardi rejected a plea deal, which would have given her a conditional discharge in return for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor. The problem ... if she misstepped during the conditional period, she'd be in big trouble.

Prosecution sources told TMZ last month they decided to take the matter to the grand jury because of information they discovered during their investigation. They would not be specific.

Barack Obama and the rest of his brood are having another helluva beautiful day in France ... this time palling around with U2.

Barack and Michelle Obama were all smiles as they enjoyed a walk in the medieval village of Èze, France ... with Bono and The Edge. The group -- that BTW, also included Malia and Sasha -- headed to the 2 Michelin-starred gourmet joint, La Chèvre d'Or for lunch.

44 and the former First Lady are seriously living their best life right now. They were out with friends at another high-end restaurant in Provence where the former U.S. prez and his family are vacationing.

Barack and Bono, BTW, have a special bond. For starters ... Bono's global campaign and advocacy group, ONE, worked closely with Obama's administration during his 2 terms in office. But, the bond goes even more way back ... U2's "City of Blinding Lights" was heavily used in 44's 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

Barry O also walked out to that very track when he gave his emotional farewell address in 2017.

Fake Ivan Drago tried to pick a fight with Justin Bieber in front of Craig's last night -- showing up to the restaurant in FULL BOXING GEAR ... and we got the whole thing on video!!!

The wannabe Russian was SERIOUS about trying to fight Justin -- he's the same guy who showed up to Logan Paul's home a few weeks ago to challenge the YouTube star to a fight.

Remember, Logan actually AGREED and the two threw down right in Paul's back yard.

The fake-Drago is an aspiring social media star ... but it's clear he'll do ANYTHING for clout.

So with Justin trying to get an MMA fight with Tom Cruise. the imposter-Ivan planned to call out Bieber first at Craig's where he waited for JB at the front door, pounding his chest and talking trash.

Bieber blew him off ... so, he stuck around for a few hours waiting for a second crack at the pop star -- but that didn't pan out either.

Bieber clearly knows his worth (and his weight class) ... he could make MILLIONS if the Tom Cruise fight comes to fruition -- so why give out hands for free on the street?!

As for doppelganger-Drago ... he'll continue to seek out other famous people to fight.

We hear Mike Tyson's in town!!!

Mally Mall thinks State Farm makes for a terrible neighbor, claiming the insurance company's screwing him out of big bucks ... like $300k for his saber-toothed tiger head!!!

According to a new suit ... the hip-hop producer went with State Farm for a policy to cover his property in 2016, but after an unfortunate series of events -- a house fire and 2 subsequent thefts -- it failed to pony up the money he thinks he's owed ... specifically for the extinct cat head he says he lost.

As for why State Farm's to blame -- Mally claims he trusted his agent to get him properly covered a few months before his Vegas home caught fire and damaged his master bedroom, master bath, safe room and media room ... but the guy vastly underinsured him.

Mall claims the fire caused him to cut power to his home, which disabled his security system, and led to 2 separate thefts in the months afterward ... so he filed claims for property loss for the fire and the thefts.

Here's how he says he got screwed -- Mally claims his agent set his policy limits way too low ... and as a result, State Farm paid well over a million dollars LESS than his actual losses. For the thefts, Mall says the company also refused to cover various luxury items he owned ... like the tiger head.

Nobody's having a happier Friday than Lil Durk ... who skipped and hopped his way outta jail after posting $250k bond in his attempted murder case.

The rapper couldn't have been more ecstatic late Thursday night after he was sprung outta jail. As we reported ... a judge granted him bond after a hearing Thursday and agreed Durk is NOT a flight risk. The release, though, does come with some restrictions.

For starters ... Durk will have a curfew from 11 PM until 7 AM. He'll also have to wear an ankle monitor at all times and he's prohibited from having any contact -- direct or indirect -- with gang members. He also can't be near nor possess any weapons and must stay at least 200 yards away from the victim.

As we first reported ... Durk turned himself in to authorities nearly a month ago, after an arrest warrant was issued in connection to a February shooting outside a restaurant called The Varsity.

Fetty Wap allegedly manhandled a woman he had just met at a music video shoot ... and TMZ's learned he's now under investigation for felony battery.

The accuser went to LAPD and filed a report after her alleged Wednesday night run-in with the rapper at a home in the Hollywood Hills ... according to law enforcement sources.

Their interaction began earlier Wednesday. Sources close to the situation tell us they met at a music video set and afterward, Fetty invited the accuser and several other women to a party at an Airbnb. We're told at some point during the evening ... the accuser went into a room with Fetty, and that's when things allegedly turned violent.

TMZ obtained a video shot in that room. When it begins you can hear a woman accusing Fetty of having just put his hands on her, and she dares him to do it again. Fetty then appears to smack the phone out of her hand.

Our sources say there was a witness -- one of the accuser's friends -- in the room at the time. As for what started the argument ... we're told there was an angry discussion about the other women he'd invited back to the house.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Fetty's now a battery suspect and detectives will attempt to interview him about the allegations.

To say Irv Gotti's ecstatic to finally unveil Kanye West's new track on his show would be a severe understatement ... Irv's damn near losing his mind!!!

The Murder Inc. Records honcho joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday, and was visibly hyped about season 2 of his BET series "Tales" ... because it features new music from Ye. The track "Brothers" serves as the soundtrack for the episode ... and it's also the basis for the 2-hour episode's storyline.

Check out the clip ... Irv says the idea to work on this project was conceived back in October 2017. Way back then, Gotti hinted he and Kanye had "something enormous" coming ... but no one knew.

Irv captioned the post, "2 crazy. Out of the box thinkers. That only thinks about serving the world!! Hahah. Stay tuned. Great great great meeting of the minds."

And, here they are ... on the verge of dropping the new track AND a TV episode. Irv dished on what it was like to produce with Kanye and what he learned from a guy he says is "largely misunderstood."

Justin Bieber wants to fight Tom Cruise in the Octagon, and we know this because of a secret phone call laying the groundwork for what could be the biggest fight in UFC history.

As you know, Justin tweeted earlier this month that he would like to take Tom on MMA style. We were initially told it was a joke and that Justin -- who never met Tom -- revered him. That's all true, but turns out there was truth behind the tweet.

We've learned last Friday, Ari Emanuel, the co-CEO of the William Morris Endeavor agency that owns UFC -- called Justin's manager, Scooter Braun, and then conferenced in Dana White. Ari said this would be an epic fight that needed to happen, and Dana chimed in that he was "100%" down with it.

We're told Scooter then made it clear ... Justin would absolutely fight if Tom wanted to do it.

And, there's more. During the call, Ari said he strongly believed the 56-year-old actor would agree to enter the Octagon and take on the 25-year-old singer.

Dana White told TMZ Sports earlier this week the fight's a no brainer ... the easiest event he's ever promoted in his career.

Halsey claiming an "existential crisis" over the "Black Mirror" episode starring Miley Cyrus, has people connected with the Netflix hit show laughing their asses off ... TMZ has learned.

If nothing else ... Halsey provided some entertainment for 'Mirror' producers when she shared her reaction to the episode about a character named "Ashley O" -- played by Miley. If you missed it, Halsey tweeted, "Black Mirror episode about a pop star named Ashley with colorful hair. Existential crisis: Engage."

She went on to point out her real name is Ashley and joked, "If I die they killed me."

TMZ has seen emails between production execs connected with the much buzzed about episode and they say Ashley O is obviously not based on Halsey. They note that even before shooting the episode ... writers had publicly said they wanted "someone like Miley" to play the character, but never dreamed MC would do it.

In the email chain, one production exec says 'Mirror' co-creator and writer Charlie Brooker was "only vaguely aware" of Halsey. The exec goes on to say, "and if we get asked about it in an interview we'll cheerily confirm that."

Sources connected to the show tell us the Ashley O story was always intended as a metaphor for the careers of young pop stars such as, obviously Miley, but also Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and even Whitney Houston.

So, as one 'Mirror' exec in the email chain put it, "I think most people can see it's a shameful desperate attempt at self-promotion."

Bottom line, we're told ... Ashley O ain't Halsey, and Halsey ain't Ashley O.

The man they call the "Serbian Michael Jordan" has essentially been BLOCKED by the International Basketball Federation from playing the BIG3 -- and Ice Cube is FURIOUS!

In fact, Cube is calling officials "chicken sh*t" for standing in the way of the player's American dream.

The man at the center of the controversy is Dusan Bulut -- AKA Mr. Bullutproof -- the top-ranked 3-on-3 basketball player in the world. He's an absolute stud. He's even got his own signature move, the Shammgod Nutmeg.

Bulut is from Serbia -- but he's currently under contract with a team in Abu Dhabi in a league that's overseen by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Despite the fact Bulut WANTS to play in the BIG3 -- and was DRAFTED this year -- FIBA officials told him if he breaks his contract with the Abu Dhabi team, he'll face a 24-month ban from international competition, which would prevent him from competing for Serbia in the 2020 Olympics.

Earlier today, Bulut withdrew from the BIG3 because of the threat -- and Ice Cube ain't happy about it.

"We want him to play, but FIBA is threatening that he won't be able to be eligible for the Olympics," Cube told us ... "I think they're scared."

Cube says the league is considering its legal options -- but notes, "We want to do whatever Bulut wants to do. We want to get him in the BIG3, but we don't want to mess up his chances to be in the Olympics."

He summed it up this way ... "I think FIBA is being chicken sh*t."

Meanwhile, Cube and the BIG3 are pushing forward with the 2019 season, which kicks off June 22 at the Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, live on CBS.

10:49 AM PT -- In addition to the curfew, Durk will need to wear an ankle monitor at all times. He also is prohibited from having any contact, direct or indirect, with gang members.

He also cannot be near or possess any weapons, and must stay at least 200 yards away from the victim.

Lil Durk will soon get his wish and be sprung outta jail ... after a judge granted him bond.

The rapper was in court Thursday in Atlanta for a bond hearing which the judge granted and set at $250k. Durk will NOT be on house arrest but will have a curfew from 11 PM until 7 AM.

TMZ broke the story ... Durk turned himself in to police nearly a month ago after an arrest warrant was issued in connection to a February shooting outside a restaurant called The Varsity. He asked the court to grant him bond ... arguing he's not a flight risk. Obviously, the judge agreed.

Durk will now be free while he awaits trial for his alleged role in the shooting. The rapper's attorney, Manny Arora, tells TMZ ... Durk will post bond and be released Friday.

Durk had been booked for 5 felony charges ... including criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and another charge of associating with a criminal street gang to participate in a crime.

Billie Eilish gave an encore performance in NYC ... from her window, and her fans roared in approval.

The 17-year-old alt-pop singer rocked back and forth Wednesday night from her dressing room at Radio City Music Hall as a huge crowd gathered below ... blasting Billie's hit after hit. The "Ocean Eyes" singer had just performed there and the crowd clearly thirst for more. And, she gave it to them.

Watch ... Billie danced and recorded her fans down below. She posted her vantage point on Instagram and you can see why she's cemented her status as a bonafide star. BTW ... her gig at the iconic Radio City Music Hall followed Tuesday night's NYC debut at Rooftop at Pier 17 ... which sold out.

Machine Gun Kelly and Yungblud joined forces after separate gigs in different cities ... with an impromptu performance atop a tour bus that had fans losing their damn minds.

So check it out ... MGK had a scheduled performance Wednesday night at the City National Grove in Anaheim while Yungblud was performing at world famous Roxy Theatre in WeHo. But, just after midnight ... MGK rolled up on his tour bus, spotted YB and, in endearing fashion, yelled, "What's up, you f***? Come here."

Halsey's man didn't hesitate joining MGK on the bus rooftop and quasi performed their new hit "I Think I'm OKAY" featuring Travis Barker. The crowd ate it up. One problem ... the duo had no idea how to get the hell down. Lucky for them ... the crowd had an easy solution.

BTW ... MGK and Yungblud sauntered over to On The Rox ... joining Travis to perform their hit track. MGK was hanging all over the place Yungblud sprayed champagne everywhere.

Super BTW ... we ask MGK if the new tattoo on the back of his head -- which reads "Hotel Diablo," the name of his new album -- hurt at all. Ya might -- or might not -- be surprised by his answer.

Mod Sun's been feeling uneasy ever since Bella Thorne got hacked because he thinks he might be next in line to have racy pics revealed ... and says Whoopi Goldberg was right to criticize his ex-GF.

We got Bella's ex heading into the Roxy late Wednesday night in WeHo ... his takeaway from the situation -- Thorne releasing topless photos on Twitter to beat a hacker to the punch -- is that it sucks, and it's got him worried.

Maybe not too much -- Mod boldly says he feels pretty good about his nudes -- but it's easy to see he doesn't want them to get out, and says he definitely wouldn't have handled things like Bella did.

As we reported ... the actress says she posted the pics to take back the power from her hacker, who she says was trying to extort her. Whoopi more or less shamed Bella on "The View" for taking nude photos in this day and age ... and Thorne fired back in a series of emotional posts, blasting Goldberg for causing her more pain and anguish.

Mod seems to side with Whoopi, though and says he won't be sending out crazy pics anymore.

Billy Ray Cyrus took a break from basking in the glory of his collab with Lil Nas X to give one of his heroes a major shout out ... Stevie Wonder!!!

We got Billy Ray at LAX and he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear after Billboard announced this week Nas and Billy's massive hit, "Old Town Road," is topping the Hot 100 for the 11th straight week.

But, check out the clip ... our guy asks if Billy's now gonna make the crossover to rap after Nas forged his way into country. Billy -- who is in town to perform with Nas Sunday night at the BET Awards -- gave us a safe answer, but he segued outta that convo ... telling us what his daughter, Noah, got him for Father's Day -- a Stevie Wonder album.

Billy, who said the album's the best Father's Day present ever, couldn't help but shower the legendary singer for being a massive influence in his career. Watch, just for a nanosecond Billy gives "Superstition" a shot.

Also, we think he tipped his hand on what he and Lil Nas X have planned for the BET Awards this weekend.