Music

Richard Branson's Virgin Fest company leeched onto one of its business partners in the music event world, taking 'em for everything they're worth ... such are the claims in a new lawsuit.

A music and entertainment company called KAABOO -- which puts on music festivals and other live events -- just filed suit against Branson's Virgin Fest co. and its subsidiaries, claiming Branson's lackeys there screwed KAABOO over big time with a pseudo coup of sorts that left the entertainment brand broke, desperate and holding the bag financially.

They attack Branson specifically, saying ... "Kaaboo fell victim to the culture spawned by Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson and practices by his Virgin Fest sycophants that treasured publicity, attention-grabbing headlines and greed above all else."

Here's the deal ... KAABOO says it recently partnered up with Virgin Fest -- a well-known company that puts on its own festivals, obviously -- but quickly learned VF was full of alleged back-stabbers that infiltrated their operation ... only to feed intel back to VF brass -- with the intent of completely taking over the KAABOO brand for pennies on the dollar.

KAABOO claims Branson had one of his guys, Jason Felts, sitting in KAABOO's board meetings, and when he heard they fell on hard times with money, allegedly reported back to his camp so VF could swoop in and basically buy them out.

The lawsuit describes Virgin Fest's alleged tactics as a "Trojan Horse strategy" that ultimately took control of the KAABOO's most valuable assets under false pretenses.

Adding insult to injury, KAABOO alleges Branson's company has violated several contracts they entered into with them and stiffed 'em on reimbursements for a recent festival they put on in San Diego. All in all, KAABOO says Virgin Fest has cost them HUNDREDS of millions.

They want damages -- lots of them -- and are demanding their case be heard before a jury trial. It should be noted ... Branson himself is NOT being sued.

Rapper Lil Reese is currently hospitalized in his home state of Illinois after cops say he was shot in the neck.

According to the Country Club Hills PD ... the rapper was shot Monday afternoon about 40 minutes outside of Chicago. We're told cops were called to the shooting scene where they say they found a car with fresh blood in the driver's seat and on the ground adjacent to the driver's door.

Cops say witnesses told them someone picked up a wounded man, who was then identified after officers called area hospitals. Cops say they were told a male suffering from a single gunshot wound to the neck was being treated at South Suburban Hospital. It's unclear what led to the shooting but cops are investigating. He is reportedly in critical condition.

Reese, btw, is a close friend of Chief Keef. Reese featured Keef in his track, "Traffic" ... which has more than 1.6 million views on YouTube.

David Foster's taking a trip down memory lane -- or rather, the Pacific Coast Highway -- 'cause he wants to revisit his scary accident when he hit "Roots" actor Ben Vereen.

TMZ has learned that the Grammy-winning producer and composer's camp recently made a formal records request from the LAPD from his June 12, 1992 accident ... when he accidentally crashed his car into Vereen as he was walking on PCH near their Malibu homes.

As for why ... sources connected to David tell us, he and his team are considering using the information in a new documentary about his life, called "David Foster: Off the Record." It's not a given anything he gets from the L.A. Officials will make it in the final cut that gets released in the U.S. -- but we're told the doc's director wants to review the deets for a fresh view.

Doesn't look like David's gonna get the 911 call from cops though -- his request was denied by the department, 'cause they say they don't have it ... referring him to L.A. Fire instead.

If you don't remember, David was cruising down PCH one night when Vereen wandered into the road out of nowhere, causing Dave's Chevy to strike him and put him in the hospital. He ended up suffering a broken leg -- and DF was never criminally charged for the crash.

As for how David handled the crash at the time ... a transcript of the 911 call shows he actually carried himself with grace, compassion and relative composure. He told the operator that he had to try stopping other oncoming cars out of fear Vereen would be hit again.

YK Osiris vehemently denies allegations he choked and bit his girlfriend at his birthday party ... and the singer claims he has witnesses ready to testify on his behalf.

We broke the story ... Osiris was arrested last week in Atlanta on a felony charge of aggravated assault by strangulation after his GF told cops he choked her and bit her face at his September bday bash.

Sources close to YK tell TMZ ... the allegations made by his former flame are 100 percent false, and there was never any type of assault. We're told the singer has friends who were at the party and intend to come forward as witnesses to prove his innocence.

We're told Osiris is saying there's also physical evidence to prove he didn't assault the GF. As for why she made the allegations -- our sources say YK has no idea.

As we reported ... the woman told cops YK started beating the crap out of her after she confronted him over a picture she found on his phone allegedly showing another woman.

According to our sources, YK turned himself in to cops because he's confident he'll be cleared of any wrongdoing. We're told Osiris was released from the Fulton County Jail over the weekend.

Rough night for Drake, who got booed off stage at his pal Tyler, the Creator's music festival ... due to a crowd that clearly wanted, and expected, to see someone else.

Champagne Papi came out as the surprise guest headliner Sunday night at Camp Flog Gnaw, which was held at Dodger Stadium. It sure seems like folks were jonesin' for Frank Ocean to the hit the stage and sing ... instead, they got Drizzy rapping.

The set didn't seem to be going well from the jump -- barely any energy from the audience, and what's worse ... when Drake offered to stay longer, the crowd didn't want him.

It seems like he heard 'em loud and clear ... Drake thanked the Flog Gnaw festivalgoers for their time and made his way off stage -- seemingly cutting his set short. No love lost between him and the mob either, because they chanted for Frank after Drake left.

As for why this happened to one of the biggest music acts in the world right now ... it might have something to do with the type of music these ticket holders are into, and who else was in the lineup -- tons of alternative hip-hop and R&B artists.

Safe for a handful of guys who can crossover to the mainstream -- DaBaby, 21 Savage, Juice WRLD, YG, etc -- the majority of the acts cater to a bit of a more indie listener. Ditto for Frank Ocean, who's the king of that whole genre right now.

Meanwhile, Drake is as mainstream as it gets. 'Tis what it is. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Trina's shopping trip to Walmart turned racial when another customer allegedly called her a "n***** bitch" ... and cops ended up getting involved.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone inside the Walmart in Cooper City, FL called police after people started mouthing off and screaming at each other inside the store.

Witnesses who were there tell us Trina bumped into another woman in an aisle and the lady told Trina, "Watch out, you n***** bitch."

Trina lost it, and her epic rant was caught on video. You hear Trina screaming at a white woman, "say it again you dirty-ass bitch! I am a n***** bitch. Say it again! I dare you to say it!"

Our law enforcement sources say cops didn't take a police report because Trina decided against it. Officers escorted her out of the store to her car for safety measure.

We're told police did not speak with the woman who allegedly hurled the racial slur.

Jacquees all but rolled out the red carpet during a Make-A-Wish visit to one of his fans ... cause he gave her one helluva royal treatment.

The singer recently visited 17-year-old Samira and her family in L.A. in coordination with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We're told Samira's been a huge fan of Jacquees for a very long time. She's been to a bunch of his concerts and owns lots of his merch.

Samira -- who suffers from a respiratory disorder and is confined to a wheelchair -- spent about an hour with the singer, who sang her one of his new hits, "Fact or Fiction."

The emotional meeting also included Jacquees signing all of Samira's merch and photos of her at his concerts. Jacquees then busted a move worthy of his title as the King of R&B ... he gave her a lifetime pass to his concerts.

Samira and her family, of course, were ecstatic. The singer also learned just how important he's been a part of Samira's life -- when she was in a coma, her mom played one of Jacquees' songs ... and she woke up.

Justin Bieber seems to still have Tom Cruise on his mind, 'cause he unwittingly recreated an iconic movie moment made famous by the actor ... just without as much horse power.

JB was out with his wife, Hailey, Sunday riding around L.A. on what looks like a pretty nifty bicycle, which has a seat attached on the back. Hailey was riding top shotgun, holding on about as tight as Kelly McGillis did on Tom's Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle all those years ago.

Yes, we're referring to 'Top Gun' ... and if you check out the video of Mr. and Mrs. Biebs cruising around Bev Hills, it's reminiscent of Maverick and Charlie's ride through San Diego.

Of course, Justin himself might've had to work a little harder here than TC did in the flick. The bike doesn't look or sound motorized in any way, so he was definitely pedaling his heart out to get the missus off the busy main roads ... with traffic building up behind him.

Who knows if Justin actually knew he was harkening back to the '80s here with this joyride, but we'd like to think so ... assuming he still wants to go toe-to-toe with Tom, that is.

One of Nelly's fans tried shooting her shot and pulling him into her orbit -- and she succeeded ... 'cause she yanked him off stage, and then got a pass for doing it.

The rapper was performing Saturday night at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage just outside of Palm Springs, CA when he wandered near the front of the stage to touch his adoring fans' hands ... which backfired with a tumble into the front row.

TMZ got video of the incident, and you can see that Nelly gets tugged from the crowd. He topples into the barricades and then has words with the alleged culprit ... a woman. It seems like he was pretty ticked at first -- but quickly changed his attitude to merciful.

Once he got back onstage, he tells the lady ... "You can't pull me, shorty. I appreciate it -- but I'm on the edge of the stage. If you pull me, I ain't got nowhere to go!" Indeed.

Luckily for her, Nelly acknowledged the act seemed to be more out of love rather than malicious. He told security to leave her be, and carried on with the show.

It's been a family affair this weekend in Houston -- Travis, Kylie and Stormi are together for Daddy's music festival -- just like old times, except they're not a couple anymore.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ it's important for Travis to have Stormi with him for his second-annual Astroworld Festival ... and he wanted the event to be a bonding experience. She was at the Festival last year.

We're told while Kylie and Travis remain friends, and parenting partners, they're not back together. Kylie's made the trip to Houston too ... but only to show her support and to make things as comfortable as possible for Stormi.

Travis holds the festival in Houston because that's where he grew up, and any trip home is a chance for Stormi to bond with her dad's side of the family ... so there will be plenty of that too. We don't know if they'll all be staying under the same roof.

You'll remember ... Travis busted his knee 3 weeks ago during a show in New York. Surgery was on the table so he could heal quicker. He had appointments with surgeons, but we don't know if he followed through and went under the knife. Travis had to cancel his show in Vegas last weekend because of the injury.

He's clearly in good enough shape to perform. Then again, there's a spare throne -- once used by the likes of Axl Rose and Dave Grohl -- so Travis could easily inherit the crown.

Travis Scott fans got more than they bargained for Saturday night ... because Kanye West appeared on stage and performed for the crowd.

Travis headlined the Astroworld Festival in Houston, and in the middle of his set, Kanye appeared and performed his new single, "Follow God," off his 9th studio album, "Jesus is King."

The concert was huge ... 50,000 people packed NRG Park.

Fans went nuts, climbing barricades and stampeding into the venue. The Houston-based rapper posted the video earlier Saturday. Three people were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for leg injuries after being trampled.

Other performers included Gucci Mane, Migos, Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, Marilyn Manson and Pharrell Williams.

Tory Lanez wasn't liking what he was hearing from a guy he swung on shortly before taking the stage at a Florida club this weekend -- a guy who's allegedly on 'Love & Hip Hop.'

The Canadian rapper-singer was LIV Miami Friday night, where he was booked to do a show. Prior to taking the stage, however, he got into a little dust-up with someone who must've said something truly out of pocket ... 'cause Tory tried punching him near the VIP area.

TMZ got a hold of this video in the moments Tory swung -- it's unclear if he connected with the guy cleanly, but the dude fell back and Tory charged after him. Eyewitnesses tell us that the rest of Tory's security team and entourage allegedly joined in on the beat down too.

As for who the alleged victim is, a rep for LIV Mimai tells TMZ it's Prince Michael Harty ... a rapper/promoter on 'L&HH: Miami'. The club tells us, "Last night our security broke up an altercation between Love and Hip Hop’s Prince and Tory Lanez. We have a zero tolerance policy towards violence and both parties were immediately asked to leave the venue."

Either way, it doesn't seem Tory let the fight get to him. We're told after his initial swing and charge, he allegedly let his team handle the rest and went back to his table ... later even performing on stage. As you can see, he also had some cheeky company nearby.

Chanel West Coast says Sharon Stone shouldn't be suing her for thrusting her back into pop culture again with a song that invoked her name ... instead, SS should thank her.

We got the rapper and MTV host Saturday in Sherman Oaks and asked about the lawsuit the iconic actress just filed again CWC this past week, alleging Chanel wrongly used her likeness and exploited her name in the 2018 song and music video, "Sharon Stoned."

Chanel says she's just as shocked by the legal action as most people were when they heard about it -- but her reasoning is a bit different. Basically, she feels totally back-stabbed.

According to Chanel, Sharon was aware of the song and the effort to involve her in the video -- which apparently involved reps and managers going back and forth for a while, according to CWC anyway. Then, on the day of the shoot ... Chanel says Sharon did a full 180.

She claims Sharon's rep called her manager hours before filming was set to begin, allegedly telling them Sharon liked the idea and wanted to be in the video as well. Sometime later -- on the same day, it seems -- Chanel says Sharon suddenly backed out ... no clue as to why.

Now, Chanel's calling BS on the lawsuit -- saying she was simply paying homage to someone she considers a hero ... something tons of hip-hop artists do, as she rightly points out.

Then comes what may or may not be a little shade ... CWC says she made young people aware of who Sharon Stone is, and as a result ... kinda made her relevant once more.

Miley Cyrus had more issues with her throat than just her inflamed tonsils -- her vocal cords were also jacked up, requiring her to go under the knife ... TMZ has confirmed

Sources close to Miley tell TMZ ... Miley was recently hospitalized and underwent vocal cord surgery for an unspecified issue she was experiencing -- something she supposedly had been dealing with for years without realizing it. She's out of the hospital now, and on the mend.

Now, as she heals, Miley will apparently have to put a sock in it, per doctors' orders. Her recovery process will include several weeks of silence. Mind you, Miley had already noted she was on "vocal rest" following her tonsillitis procedure from last month.

Now, it looks like we won't be hearing her voice for a little while as she gets back to 100%. Our sources say Miley is expected to get back to singing early next year.

The most recent hospital visit comes just weeks after she had surgery for another throat-related problem ... tonsillitis. Based on Cody's IG story post -- which he labeled with "success" -- it would appear the vocal cord procedure went well ... and these 2 are still going strong.

Remember, she also had Cody to lean on when she got back from the hospital the first time ... and it doesn't seem much has changed in that department.

Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival just opened its gates, and fans literally could not wait to get inside -- stampeding past each other ... which Trav seemed to appreciate.

The rapper posted a wild video Saturday morning showing ticketholders for the Houston-based music event climbing over the barricades and rushing to the entry gates to get in as the doors opened -- with folks of all ages, including what appear to be little kids.

It doesn't look like anyone was harmed by the massive swarm in this clip -- no security in sight, BTW -- but it's still pretty frightening  ... 'cause people could've easily gotten hurt.

For his part, Trav wrote of the chaotic scene ... "DA YOUTH DEM CONTROL THE FREQUENCY. EVERYONE HAVE FUN. RAGERS SET TONE WHEN I COME OUT TONIGHT. BE SAFE RAGE HARD. AHHHHHHHHHHH." From our view, he's kinda sending mixed signals here.

Be safe ... but yeah, act crazy too. That's interesting, considering TS has a history of being accused of inciting riots and encouraging fans to become unruly at his shows. He's been arrested for the former at least twice, and got sued for the latter in 2017.

It should be noted Travis himself didn't directly have a hand in making these fine people to lose their minds -- but he certainly seems to, at least, be half cosigning the pandemonium.

As he says ... be safe, everyone.

Drake + Weed = GREAT FOR EVERYONE!!!

... So says Al Harrington, the former NBA player turned marijuana mogul who tells TMZ Sports a superstar like Drake is HUGE for the entire pot community.

As we previously reported, Drake is launching the More Life Growth Company ... hoping to cash in on the crop craze by selling everything from vapes to pipes, rolling papers, hookahs and more.

Harrington has been in the weed game for a while -- he created Viola Extracts Inc. after retiring from the NBA and it's been growing like crazy.

Now, with Drake entering the space ... we asked Al if he viewed Drake as a competitor or an ally.

"I hope he win, bro! I need him to win because then I'll win," Harrington said.

Harrington says Drake's foray into the ganja biz is "amazing ... a huge announcement for the industry."

Oh, and Al says if Drake wants to team up and collaborate on a product ... HIT HIM UP!!!