Music

Aaron Carter's having fun living the single life, but he's also taking time to reflect after what he claims was a nasty and physical breakup ... and admits it's time to make some changes.

We got Aaron out at Dream Motor Cars in L.A. where he was shopping for a Lambo. Call it the ultimate retail therapy, because just a few days earlier he got a restraining order against his ex, Lina Valentina.

As we first reported ... Aaron claims she threatened to stab him. She's also a suspect in a domestic violence dispute after allegedly slapping him prior to their split.

Aaron's putting all that drama behind him, and says he's trying to grow from it. The singer's 31 now and views this as a crossroads in his life -- and opened up to us about making "the right decisions" from here on out.

As we first reported ... his most recent drama started when a family member called cops to perform a welfare check at Aaron's Lancaster, CA crib because they feared he would hurt himself and others.

Sources close to Aaron told us he was fine, but thought his pissed-off ex might have called cops out of spite. Regardless, Aaron tells us he just wants to move on.

Jay-Z had multiple reasons for becoming part of the NFL family, and TMZ Sports has learned one of them is that he is going to become part owner of an NFL team ... and it's going to happen soon.

Sources connected to Jay and with direct knowledge tell us ... Jay is going to have a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team.

As for which team ... we're not being told, but we are told "it is going to happen in the near future."

We're told Jay wants to become a part owner "because he's a huge fan, already has a sports business and wants to continue to be a change agent for the NFL."

There's a question ... can Jay manage players if he owns a team? Our sources make it clear ... "Jay is not an NFL agent and does not take part in the operations of the NFL players in Roc Nation."

Nicki Minaj has answered Shakespeare's famous question, "What's in a name?" And, the answer is marriage.

Nicki just told her 20 million Twitter followers her account name from here on out is Mrs. Petty. As you know, her man is Kenneth Petty and there's been plenty of smoke she either gotten hitched or the nuptials are imminent.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicki and Kenneth hit up the Bev Hills courthouse earlier this month and got a marriage license. Our Nicki sources at the time told us her real name will change to Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty.

We heard rumblings she may have actually tied the knot days after getting the license, but we couldn't confirm that. We knew a bunch of friends flew out to L.A. that same week, but everyone was mum.

The first strikeout ... the first hit ... the first MLB call-up ... and the first shout-out from Justin Bieber???

These are all apparently life milestones for Cleveland Indians superstar Shane Bieber ... 'cause he told us after the real Biebs mentioned him in a tweet earlier this month -- it was a goal reached!!!

"It was a matter of time, hopefully, if things all went well," Shane told us out in NYC.

If ya missed it ... 24-year-old Shane's had a thing with Justin his whole life -- he tells us he's heard the jokes about sharing the last name with the pop legend since he was little.

In fact, the pitcher even poked fun at the whole situation during MLB Players Weekend last year -- wearing a "Not Justin" jersey!!!

But, the two finally linked up on Aug. 4 ... because after Topps called Shane "Justin" on his baseball card -- Justin responded!!!

"I feel like we have a special connection," Justin wrote.

BOOOM!!!

Shane says the tweet was "definitely surprising" ... and the Indians themselves were so jacked up for the call-out -- they made an offer to the Biebs!!!

"Got an 'I'M JUSTIN' #57 jersey waiting for you at Progressive Field. Swing by and pick it up before your first pitch?"

Bella Hadid's ex showed up at the same club she was at ... and only minutes later, she ran for the hills!!!

The model hit up Catch One Thursday night in Los Angeles, and she had about 40 minutes to herself before The Weeknd came through ... and then she escaped like a bat outta hell!!!

Bella looked super stoked for a night out with her friends, arriving to the Hollywood hot spot in great spirits ... but it's unclear if she and The Weeknd chatted inside.

As we reported ... Bella and The Weeknd broke up earlier this month, calling it quits once again. They've been on and off since 2015 when they were first linked at Coachella.

Based on their history, ya can't rule out another reconciliation ... but, at least on this night, Bella wasn't having it.

Miley Cyrus just dropped a new single -- less than a week after she announced her split with Liam Hemsworth -- and the lyrics seem to reflect the real-life struggles of her failed relationship. In fact, 2 sources say that's exactly what she wrote about.

Miley released "Slide Away" Friday with song artwork that included a bottle of booze and pills floating in a pool. The lyrics are ominous, saying, "Once upon a time it was paradise. Once upon a time I was paralyzed. I think I'm gonna miss these harbor lights. But it's time to let it go."

TMZ broke the story ... sources close to Miley told us she tried desperately to save her relationship, but became tired of Liam's partying. His side stated the drug and alcohol accusations were only a cover for Miley's recent outrageous public behavior.

Miley makes a drug and alcohol reference in the song -- and you have to imagine it's rooted in her struggles with Liam -- saying, "I want my house in the hills. Don't want the whisky and pills. I don't give up easily but I don't think I'm down."

As we reported -- sources close to Liam claimed infidelity on Miley's part -- though those connected to Miley call BS ... saying the couple split months ago. A photo of Liam from June without a wedding ring on seem to back that up.

Another verse in the new single says, “Once upon a time it was made for us, woke up one day and it turned to dust,” Cyrus continues. “Baby, we were found, but now we’re lost. So it’s time to let it go.”

Young Thug knows how to kill 2 birds with 1 stone -- throwing a birthday and album release party ... but at least this year it didn't end with him in handcuffs.

Young Thug hosted a bunch of his pals Thursday night at Beauty & Essex in L.A. to celebrate his 28th bday and the release of his new album, "So Much Fun." Meek Mill, NBA star Ben Simmons, Johnny Manziel's ex, Bre Tiesi, and rapper Gunna are just some of the celebs who showed.

Remy Martin also made a splash -- it was the liquor of choice. The guests sipped on 3 special drinks named after YT's tracks, "Slime," "The London" and "So Much Fun."

An awesome time was had by all ... and most notably since Young Thug didn't have to deal with a huge buzz kill like the one he endured after he threw another birthday/album release party last year.

As we reported ... everything went downhill for YT last August after he left his 27th birthday bash and "Slime Language" album release party -- a police cruiser accidentally hit Thug's Rolls-Royce, then cops found a gun in the whip. Thugger ended up getting arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.

The D.A. ended up dropping the case, citing insufficient evidence.

R. Kelly believes Michael Jackson's attorney is just the guy he needs to help set him free -- but if that happens, it's gonna come at a steep cost.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly met with famed lawyer Tom Mesereau -- who beat the rap for Michael Jackson back in 2005. We're told after the 4-hour meeting, Kelly was in hook, line and sinker. We're told Mesereau hasn't agreed to rep Kelly -- at least not yet -- but it could very well happen.

Here's the rub. Mesereau is one of the best and most sought after criminal defense lawyers in the country. He's turned prosecutors flat-footed in trials where it seemed open-and-shut against his client. Did we mention he scored a not guilty verdict for accused wife murderer Robert Blake?

That said, Tom doesn't come cheap, and money has become super tight in Kelly's world. He's already hired a battery of lawyers, and he's making next to nothing.

We're told Kelly and his team are trying to figure out ways to raise the money to hire Mesereau.

As for why the singer wants to 86 his current attorney, Steve Greenberg, and his team -- our sources say R. Kelly believes they care way too much about getting media attention for themselves ... Greenberg calls the whole thing, "A complete load of crap."

R. Kelly's financial woes have been well documented -- he needed outside help to pay his initial $100k bond, and spent additional time behind bars because he couldn't ante up $161k in back child support to ex-wife Drea Kelly. He's currently paying Drea $21k/month in support.

We're told if Mesereau is brought on, attorney Raed Shalabi -- who also visited with Kelly Wednesday -- will likely join the team too.

The criminal cases keep piling on. Kelly was recently hit with more sex crime charges, this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.

Rob Zombie reacted violently to a female fan who reached across a barricade and grabbed his shirt in the middle of a show ... grabbing and pulling the woman's hair, then shoving her away ... and TMZ has the video.

The hairy situation went down on Wednesday night during the heavy metal rocker's set at the Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario.

In the video, you see Rob singing and walking down an aisle in the middle of the packed crowd when the overzealous fan reaches her hand over the barricade and tugs at his shirt. Rob flies into a rage, yanking on her flowing hair before pushing her back into the scrum.

After the hair pull and shove, Rob continues on his way ... with his body guard in tow.

Rob is touring with Marilyn Manson ... so you can imagine their crowds like to get rowdy.

Offset already knows who he's backing for prez, and he's no fool -- he's following his wife Cardi B's lead and supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders.

We got the Migos rapper at LAX Thursday and asked if he's riding with Bernie because CB had a one-on-one meeting with the candidate. Offset tells us he's definitely on the same political page as his wife.

Not that we think 45 was holding out for the Migos vote -- Cardi's made it clear how she feels about Trump.

As you probably know ... Cardi recently sat down with Senator Sanders, chopping it up about race, the economy and social justice -- and it sounds like he convinced her to stump for him in the race for the White House.

Offset's a smart man ... he knows a happy wife means a happy life, so he's feeling the Bern too. If you're not looking to hear the ATL rapper talk politics, fear not ... how 'bout licking???

Adam Lambert's moving on up ... and he wants ya to do the same above the Sunset Strip if you've got a pretty penny.

The 2009 "American Idol" runner-up is selling his 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom crib in the Hollywood Hills for a cool $3.35 million. It's a contemporary beauty with the perfect amount of space to spoil your guests.

The crib features nearly 3,800 square feet of living space ... featuring a floor-to-ceiling climate-controlled wine wall, home theater and gym. The master suite includes a sitting room and steam shower. Pocketing glass doors lead straight to a sprawling backyard ... with 2 reflecting pools, a 10-person spa and a fire pit.

Not a bad way to spend the evening ... especially with sweeping city and canyon views.

Adam originally bought the pad in 2014 for $2.995M ... but he's since moved on. He already plunked down $6.5M for a home that features an impressive 14 rooms.

Jay-Z defended his decision to partner with the NFL by saying he's past the kneeling protest and onto bigger things.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the entire meeting Wednesday between NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Jay-Z and members of the media.

Charlamagne tha God kicked off the meeting with the question on everyone's mind ... how do you partner with the league when Colin Kaepernick is still out of a job?

Jay's response -- the kneeling protest was never about Kaepernick's employment ... it was about police brutality. He went on to say he's past the kneeling protest, saying the options are clear -- "Reaching millions and millions of people or [protesting] Colin not having a job." He says by choosing to partner with the NFL on social justice issues, he's choosing the former.

What's more ... Jay said in response to the question, "Would you kneel or would you stand? ... "I think we're past kneeling."

Jay-Z says the task at hand is using the NFL's resources to change the culture of policing. He says there are 2 parts to protest -- first taking a stand, which Colin did, and then getting the company [the NFL] to say, "I hear you."

Here's the full audio of the meeting.

Fans hoping to honor Nipsey Hussle on what would have been the rapper's 34th birthday will have to find a place other than his clothing store to pay their respects.

A massive fence, complete with shading and barbed wire surrounds Nipsey's Marathon Clothing in Los Angeles ... the same place the rapper was murdered back in March. The location was an obvious spot for a birthday memorial, but the barricade is a clear attempt to discourage people from gathering and leaving items at the store.

City officials have had issues with Marathon for a long time and even tried to shut it down, believing it was a hub for gang activity. Fact is ... the area has problems with gangs, but Nipsey was working hard to curb gang violence. The LAPD and L.A. City Attorney took a lot of heat for praising Nipsey after his death on the one hand yet naming him in an investigation over gang activity around the store. Cops later said he was not a target ... only the store was.

TMZ broke the story ... the LAPD was put on high alert for a possible birthday celebration Thursday, planning to have more than 100 officers near the Slauson and Crenshaw intersection where the store is located.

Nipsey's birthday won't go unrecognized by his family though, we've learned they plan to hold a private gathering. Our sources say Nip's family is still in a serious state of mourning.

NBA YoungBoy is a free man again ... after serving nearly 3 months behind bars for his involvement in the Miami shooting that left his GF injured earlier this year.

The rapper embraced his family early Thursday morning when he was released from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. You can see YoungBoy grinning ear to ear and smoking in celebration as his Mom captured their reunion for social media. Other cameras were there to record the moment he strolled out a free man.

The 19-year-old rapper had been behind bars since May 17 when he was ordered back to jail for violating his probation by getting caught up in a shooting incident on Mother's Day outside Trump International Hotel.

As we reported ... NBA YoungBoy and his crew were on the receiving end of bullets ... leaving a bystander dead. YoungBoy was not hit but his GF, Kay Marie, suffered a gunshot wound. We got video of the wild scene inside the hotel following the gunfire.

YoungBoy -- who was in the 305 to perform at Rolling Loud -- rushed to Kay's side and applied pressure to her wound. Kay was taken out of a black SUV cops had pulled over, and loaded into an ambulance.

A judge ultimately determined YB violated his probation -- stemming from an August 2017 sentence  -- even though he was the target, not the shooter.

Daymond John is adamant the NFL partnering with Jay-Z helps its brand, but says make no mistake ... Hova's not going to be the league's puppet just to help them save face.

We got the "Shark Tank" star out Wednesday in NYC and got his take on the NFL teaming up with Jay-Z's Roc Nation for a music and social justice campaign. Daymond's all for it, despite some critics feeling Jay abandoned Colin Kaepernick.

Daymond firmly believes Jay did NOT undercut Kap's cause. Daymond says, if anything, there's no one better who can champion Kap ... now that he's working on the inside.

When our guy straight-up asks if this is all an NFL publicity stunt, Daymond scoffs ... saying Jay-Z's too smart, and would walk from the deal if that were the case.

In fact ... Daymond says he saw right through the NFL when he turned down The Shield to perform at the Super Bowl. Now, things are different.

A singer has just filed a lawsuit claiming she was sexually molested when she was just 14 by her producer/agent/mentor.

The lawsuit does not mention the name of the girl or the alleged perpetrator. It claims she recorded an album in 2005 when she was 14, and she was signed to a 7-album deal. The lawsuit claims the entertainment company she worked with is "one of the most beloved, best-known and most valuable companies in the history of the world."

She says she was introduced to a man who was assigned to be her day-to-day producer/mentor/agent.

She says he became very controlling and the relationship changed. She claims in the lawsuit he began telling her he loved her and they were soulmates. She says he also made negative comments about her looks and weight.

She says he would rub and fondle her genitals and her body, digitally penetrate her and he would orally copulate her and forced her to do the same to him. She also claims they had intercourse, both vaginally and anally. On one occasion she claims she was drugged before anal intercourse.

She claims the man spent a significant amount of time with her mom to "groom" her.

The girl says the sexual abuse continued for 2 years ... on occasion at Staples Center, a music video set on the Warner Bros. lot, hotels, cars on public streets and other places.