Music

Madonna's music video portraying a mass shooting at a nightclub contains a strong and necessary message, but the way she delivered it is totally out of touch ... according to a Pulse survivor.

Brandon Wolf tells TMZ ... he appreciates what Madonna tried to do in her graphic new vid for "God Control" -- and even thinks more artists should follow her lead -- but he's got serious issues with the choices she made and the timing of the release.

His main problem -- he says Madonna didn't reach out to any of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims, survivors or their families for input or to see how her new video might affect them. Although it's evident her vid is referencing the 2016 mass shooting, Brandon points out she never acknowledges it or pays tribute to the 49 people who were killed.

Wolf also accuses the singer of being self-absorbed and using Pulse as a prop, and says it's not the first time she's done so. He points to the tweet she shared right after the shooting, which also didn't directly mention the incident ... but did include her famous pic kissing Britney Spears.

Brandon also wonders what took Madonna so long to speak out about the Pulse incident, considering it happened over 3 years ago. He does hope she's genuinely woke about the gun control issue -- as her lyrics say -- but he's having a hard time completely buying it. 

Sophie Turner's face says it all ... she's stoked to get married to Joe Jonas again, but this time in a place that's super formal and super fancy ... even for France.

The couple has arrived at what is presumably their official weekend wedding venue, the Château de Tourreau in Sarrians, and from the look of the place ... it's going to be epic.

The French chateau is a restored 18th century castle with 9 rooms, a luxurious pool, a winery and a tennis court ... so yeah, it'll be perfect for the 'gram.

Joe and Sophie's arrival at the Chateau follows a week-long trek across the country that started in Paris -- where they were joined by Nick and Priyanka -- with a stop in a Provence village away from everyone else to get some R&R.

It looks like it's the final countdown to the wedding ceremony now, though ... and we'll be on the lookout to see who's on the guest list, besides Dr. Phil.

As you may know, the TV host spilled the beans about the date of the wedding on an Instagram comment earlier this week, when he said ... "Easy now! 1 week to go! Ha! See you at the wedding!"

Of course, the couple already tied the knot in early May in a surprise Vegas ceremony officiated by an Elvis impersonator ... but word on social media was they had a formal wedding planned in France sometime in 2019.

3:07 PM PT -- Patience Carter -- who survived the Pulse Nightclub shooting -- tells us the video was traumatic to watch and was grossly accurate to what she experienced. Carter says the mild disclaimer at the beginning of the video should have been more severe as the music video could put survivors back into a dark place.

Madonna's new music video is a shocking and graphic recreation of a mass shooting scene ... that seems to emulate the horrific Pulse Nightclub murders.

Madonna dropped the video Wednesday for her politically-charged track, "God Control" -- a play on gun control -- and it shows 32 incredibly disturbing seconds of people being gunned down in a nightclub.

Warning ... the bloody scenes of bodies falling to the ground will be difficult for many people to watch. If Madonna's goal was draw visceral reactions ... it's a guarantee she'll get 'em.

In the music video ... the shooting violence starts at 2 minutes, 38 seconds when you see the shooter hold a gun up to his mouth and seemingly pull the trigger -- but the scene flashes to the guy opening fire on a bunch of people who are dancing in the club.

Madonna told People that her video is meant to be a commentary on the epidemic of mass shootings in the U.S., which she says is "out of control."

She included a disclaimer at the beginning that reads, "The story you’re about to see is very disturbing. But it’s happening everywhere and it has to stop."

Eminem's biological father -- who the rapper frequently rapped about abandoning him -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. died this week near Fort Wayne, Indiana ... according to family members and neighbors. A family source tells us he apparently suffered a heart attack while at home.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, has made no secret of his lifelong grudge against his father and rapped about never meeting him in person. His hit songs like "My Name Is" and "Cleanin' Out My Closet" reflect those feelings.

According to Eminem's mother, Debbie ... Mathers Jr., who went by Bruce, married her when he was 22 and she was 15, and they had their son 2 years later. They split up shortly after, and Eminem and his mom settled in Detroit with her family while Bruce moved to California ... where he had 2 other kids.

Eminem has said in interviews that he wrote letters to his dad as a child but they always came back "return to sender." The rapper said Bruce would sometimes call while family members were babysitting, but he would never actually talk to him on the phone.

In 2001, Bruce published a letter addressed to his son in a newspaper explaining his side of the story -- that Eminem's mom kept him away. Still, Eminem apparently never got in contact with his father to reconcile.

In "Cleanin' Out My Closet" ... Em rapped, "My fa***t father must've had his panties up in a bunch ‘Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye. No, I don't, on second thought, I just f**kin' wished he would die. I look at Hailie, and I couldn't picture leavin' her side."

New York-born Felipe Rose was in his early 20s when he strapped on a Native American costume and shot to stardom as a founding member of 70s disco and soul supergroup, the Village People.

Felipe Rose shared the stage with some other epic villagers including Randy Jones as the cool looking cowboy, Alex Briley as the stud sailor, David Hodo as the hard-working construction man and Glenn Hughes as the leather-bound biker.

The Village People blessed the world with bangers like "Macho Man," "In The Navy," "Can't Stop The Music" and of course "Y.M.C.A."

Is Dave East the solution for the New York Knicks' struggles?? The team might wanna give him a call ... 'cause the rapper says he's considering an NBA tryout ... but only for his hometown squad!!

Now, before you brush it off as farfetched, the 6'5" East is a serious hooper -- he played AAU hoops with Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley and landed a Division 1 scholarship to play at University of Richmond, but was ineligible due to grades.

So, when we asked East if he'd ever pull a Master P and give the hoop dream one more shot at age 31, he seemed open to the idea, telling TMZ Sports -- "I might ... It gotta be the Knicks, I gotta be in New York."

Why the Knicks?? East -- who grew up in East Harlem -- is a HUGE fan of his hometown team ... and can be spotted sitting courtside at a lot of their games.

As for KD ... East has been in touch with his old teammate following his devastating Achilles injury in the NBA Finals and says he's doing well and recovering ... and wants Durant to sign with the Knicks this offseason.

1:08 PM PT -- Cardi has officially left the building ... with plenty of love from her fans.

Cardi B is entering her plea on all the new charges in the strip club beatdown case.

Fresh of her Album of the Year win at the BET Awards ... Cardi arrived at the courthouse in Queens decked out in a black pantsuit. Inside the judge told her she's being charged with attempted assault in the 2nd degree and various other charges.

The judge gave Cardi the option of having all the charges read aloud in court. Her attorney said that would not be necessary -- and then Cardi said, "Not guilty sir, honor"

As we reported ... Cardi was indicted last week 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.

This came after the rapper was initially charged with just 2 misdemeanors for allegedly ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders who are sisters -- Jade and Baddie Gi -- back in August 2018.

However, after Cardi rejected a plea deal that would have given her a conditional discharge in return for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor ... a grand jury was convened and eventually handed up the 12-count indictment.

There are 2 codefendants in the case and they were also arraigned today -- both plead not guilty.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi was arrested in October for her alleged role in the strip club incident, in which the 2 women claim they were injured when Cardi's people began throwing bottles and chairs.

If convicted on the new felony charges, we're told Cardi faces up to 4 years in prison.

DaBaby should be held responsible for allowing his crew to unleash a violent attack ... so claims a fellow rapper who was allegedly beaten into a coma by the group.

Donald Saladin -- whose stage name is Don Trag -- is suing DaBaby just over a month after DaBaby's crew was caught on video beating the crap outta him outside a Massachusetts club.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Don Trag claims DaBaby failed to adequately train his team of bodyguards and set them loose knowing they had violent tendencies. TMZ broke the story ... Trag was supposed to perform at Centro Nightclub in Lawrence, MA on the same night DaBaby was playing there.

As we told you ... Trag claims he asked to take a pic with DaBaby, got turned down and then he insisted ... DB's crew unleashed a can of whoop ass as DaBaby looked on.

In his lawsuit, Trag says he sustained serious injuries to his head, eyes, neck and spine. Trag's brother told us he suffered significant brain and neck swelling and slipped into a coma. According to docs ... Trag's racked up $30k in hospital bills and anticipates $75k in more bills.

John Singleton's family as a whole isn't up in arms about his BET Awards tribute -- despite the mother of one of his kids raising hell that it was lacking.

Singleton's mom, Shelia Ward, tells TMZ ... Tosha Lewis -- mother of John's 26-year-old daughter, Justice -- griping BET did John dirty by spending a lot more time honoring rapper Nipsey Hussle is strictly her opinion.

Shelia says Tosha doesn't speak for the family, and the fam doesn't share Lewis' feelings at all.

If you missed it, Tosha blasted the award show Sunday night for taking time to honor Nipsey and not John, saying about Hussle ... "I guess he's trendy nevermind John was talking and doing the same stuff as Nipsey since the 90s."

When fans pointed out BET did include a tribute to Singleton -- led by Morris Chestnut and "Snowfall" star Damson Idris -- Lewis shot back saying it wasn't enough compared to Nipsey's.

Tosha also claims John's family, unlike Nipsey's, wasn't invited to the show, but we've learned that's, at least, partially false. Her and John's daughter, Justice, did get an invitation.

Shelia's bottom line is simple -- if Tosha has beef with BET or Nipsey's family, that's totally on her ... leave the Singleton family out of it.

The Sheriff's deputy who was screaming at bystanders as YG got handcuffed by a swarm of cops crossed the line and will get a talking to ... so say his bosses in the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept.

The deputy in question went off on people on the street who watched as a gaggle of deputies ordered YG out of his Lambo early Sunday morning on the Sunset Strip ... this after they say he was driving recklessly.

As tensions mount -- deputies say YG became belligerent so they cuffed him -- one of the cops gets into it with the crowd, screaming at them to "shut up." It's clear from the video, that the deputy was inciting the crowd and escalating the situation. The Sgt. on scene told the deputy to back off.

Our law enforcement sources tell us, Sheriff's brass believes the deputy was out of line, and he will be counseled on how to deescalate similar situations rather than stoke the coals.

That said, we're told there will NOT be formal discipline, nor will internal affairs conduct an investigation.

Tupac Shakur is the most famous person ever incarcerated at Clinton Correctional Facility in New York, but he still needed an I.D. when he was behind bars ... and now it can be yours -- for a few grand.

Pac's first prison I.D. card from his infamous 1995 incarceration is going up for auction through the memorabilia company, Heritage Auctions ... and they're starting the bidding at $2,000.

Tupac served 9 months behind bars after he was convicted on sexual assault charges ... and he was required to carry this laminated I.D. card at all times. Pac started his sentence on Valentine's Day, and 2 weeks later he was issued this prison I.D. -- which includes his signature.

While he was locked up, Tupac wrote a letter to his then-girlfriend and included some super graphic sex scenes ... and the NSFW artwork sold earlier this year at auction for $21,000.

Katharine McPhee and David Foster are looking madly in love -- kissing and hugging on each other like school kids -- and it's great timing, considering they'll be tying the knot any day now.

Katharine and David are living it up on the picturesque Greek island of Mykonos ahead of their nuptials ... and they already look like they're in honeymoon-mode, because they couldn't stop making out while splashing around in the ocean.

Kat showed off her smoke show bod in a sexy beige bikini ... that clearly got David's attention. Maybe they haven't said "I do" officially yet, but David's face in these pics is kinda screaming it.

We broke the story ... Katharine and David got their marriage license in Bev Hills just last month, meaning it's only a matter of time until the actress/singer and music mogul walk down the aisle. The license is good for 90 days, so ... tick tock.

Still no word on a wedding date, but check out the gallery ... they're totally ready to do the deed.

Some folks were upset Cardi B won Album of the Year at the BET Awards -- but not Mary J. Blige ... whose opinion MIGHT just matter more than yours.

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul was leaving TAO Sunday night in Hollywood after the jam-packed show -- in which Mary herself received a Lifetime Achievement award -- and she told us how she felt about CB getting the big prize over the other nominated artists.

Check it out -- Mary's got nothin' but love for Cardi, whom she thinks "deserved that s***!" ... no questions asked. Some peeps thought Meek Mill, Travis Scott or Ella Mai were more worthy, but Mary wasn't hearing it. It's clear ... Cardi's got her heart.

We also had to congratulate MJB on the big award she walked away with -- for which she did her OWN damn tribute, alongside Lil' Kim and others. It was absolutely epic, and if Cardi deserved AOTY ... Mary absolutely deserved a lifetime achievement.

BET pulled out all the stops for Nipsey Hussle at its annual award show ... and the emotion onstage and in the crowd was palpable.

In a powerful moment, Hussle's family took the stage to a standing ovation, including the late rapper's girlfriend, Lauren London, and his son, Kross Asghedom, to accept the 2019 Humanitarian Award on his behalf.

"I just want to thank you guys for all of the love and support and the marathon continues again," London said briefly.

"I was so amazed that so much love was out in the world that it uplifted me," said Hussle's grandmother. "God said to Nipsey, 'You've done your job, you've made your mark.' So thank you so much world for loving him, too.' His parents also spoke briefly of their son.

The slain South L.A. MC was presented with a special tribute Sunday night during the BET Awards --where T.I. spoke some kind words about the hip-hop icon, recounting the impact he had on the community as a whole.

"There will never be another Nipsey Hussle; he was a revolutionary," T.I. said. "He was our blessing and inspired people across the world.

The powerful moment led into a musical tribute to Hussle, with performances by Marsha Ambrosius on "Real Big," YG on "Last Time I Checc'd" and DJ Khaled and John Legend leading everyone in white for an emotional performance of "Higher."

They also played a video tribute to Nipsey's life with words from Snoop Dogg, Ava DuVernay and Los Angeles Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson ... it included footage from the last video Hussle shot before his death.

Nipsey was a driving force in his community ... inspiring people to make South L.A. better by both words and deeds.

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was gunned down in March outside of his Marathon clothing store in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles.

Nipsey left behind two children -- 10-year-old Emani, and 2-year-old Kross, the latter whom he shared with Lauren London.

He was 33 at the time of his death.

Cardi B and Offset are making sure Kulture is one blinged-out baby ... spending a huge chunk of change on a super lavish present for their daughter's upcoming first birthday party.

Our sources tell us, Kulture is getting some serious bday bling when she turns 1 next month ... and we've got an early look at the extravagant piece of custom jewelry.

Check it out ... when Kulture celebrates her first birthday on July 10, she's gonna get this super sick piece from her parents, featuring characters from her favorite TV show, "Word Party."

We've learned Cardi commissioned celeb jeweler Eliantte for the project ... and the pendant and chain are made of diamonds, white gold and vibrantly colored enamel. Altogether, we're told Cardi dropped about $100,000 to keep Kulture ice cold.

Kulture's first birthday bash is gonna be one for the ages ... Cardi recently revealed she's pulling out all the stops, and spending a whopping $400k on the festivities!!!

You think Drake was happy when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title?

His dad was even HAPPIER -- because Dennis Graham had $100,000 riding on the Raps ... AND WON!!!

"I am the happiest guy in the world," Dennis told us in Hollywood with 2 ladies on his arms.

"I bet $100,000 on the game and I won $300,000!!!"

You see this? Drake's dad is RICH!!! (Okay, *more rich). PIMP HATS AND CHAINS FOR EVERYBODY!!!

There's more ... Dennis also has some advice for the Raptors when it comes to visiting Donald Trump -- DON'T. He thinks the team should meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instead.

"Justin Trudeau is a much classier guy than that IDIOT Donald Trump," Dennis says.

Oh, and Dennis also explains why he wasn't at the Raptors victory parade in Toronto -- telling us he's got big things in the works in Hollywood that took priority.