Music

BlocBoy JB is lucky to be alive after a stunt that came incredibly close to disaster -- he jumped from a balcony into a pool ... but nearly smashed into concrete.

Video of the rapper surfaced this week, showing him leap from what appears to be a second-story balcony at an apartment complex or hotel. His plan, if he had one, was to land in the pool. He ended up barely clearing the edge, and did NOT walk away unscathed.

Watch the video ... while he landed in the water, it had to be pretty shallow. His ankle looked a little banged up.

One of his buddies who's recording video even says BlocBoy almost killed himself. Possibly a slight exaggeration -- it was only 2 stories -- but you can tell this could've at least ended in serious injury.

Nicki Minaj's husband really wants to get back to surfing the Internet ... something he's currently barred from doing due to his pending criminal case.

Kenneth Petty just submitted legal docs, obtained by TMZ, begging a California judge to allow him to use the World Wide Web.

As you know ... Kenneth recently registered as a sex offender in Cali after getting arrested for allegedly failing to do so when he moved to the state with Nicki. One of the terms of his pretrial release -- he can't use the web unless approved by a supervisor.

According to the docs, prosecutors have already agreed to Kenneth's request ... so now, it's up to the judge to sign off.

BTW ... Petty's status as a sex offender stems from a 1995 New York conviction for first-degree attempted rape.

Kenneth, who pled not guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, has a curfew and is being required to wear an ankle monitor as he waits for next month's court date. His travel is also restricted to Southern California.

Sounds pretty boring ... especially offline.

Demi Lovato is covering her bases during the coronavirus outbreak ... by covering up.

The singer was out grocery shopping Sunday at the ritzy Erewhon Market in L.A. She sorta went incognito thanks to a fancy air mask. She's taking no chances with her hands ... as you can see, she's also wearing blue rubber gloves.

Demi's shopping spree came on the same day President Trump told Americans to STOP panic buying and stockpiling supplies ... because grocery stores around the country continue to get emptied out.

Most of the country's also been nearly shut down ... so ya can't blame Demi for stocking up.

Brad Pitt's got one hell of an appetite ... for burgers and more friendly hangouts with gal pal Alia Shawkat.

The "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star and Ali were spotted at In-N-Out in L.A. the day after they both also hit up a Thundercat show at The Wiltern. Brad, seen wearing the same hat he wore at the concert, used to be one party animal -- no word if he went animal style at the burger joint.

In any event ... here's hoping Brad's finally put an end to the whole In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack debate. But, one thing's for sure ... Brad and Alia really do enjoy each other's company.

As we reported ... Brad and Alia hanging out is nothing new for them. They've been going to concerts, comedy shows, museums and galleries together for months. As friends, that is.

Sources close to the Oscar winner told us Brad doesn't feel any need to get back on the dating scene right now. Until then ... more double-doubles!!!

R. Kelly's pile of legal issues just got bigger ... he's been hit with several new charges by federal prosecutors in New York, and they include crimes against a minor.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Kelly's been hit with a new indictment related to 2 new alleged victims, one of whom was under 18 when she says she had sex with Kelly in 2015. The indictment, out of the Eastern District of NY, includes charges of coercion and enticement, coercion of a minor and transportation of a minor across state lines.

The woman who was a minor is listed as Jane Doe #5, and she claims Kelly never told her he had herpes during their relationship. Jane Doe #6 says she too was exposed to the virus because they had unprotected sex.

In addition, Kelly's also been hit with new racketeering charges including allegations he used, "force, threats of force, physical restraint and threats of physical restraint."

Kelly remains behind bars in Illinois while he awaits trial, and maintains his innocence.

Recently, one of Kelly's former live-in girlfriends, Azriel Clary, has come out and accused the singer of brainwashing her and forcing her to lie to the public about their relationship when she was underage.

In a video obtained by TMZ, Clary was seen in a physical fight with Joycelyn Savage, another one of Kelly's girlfriends.

The new federal charges bring the total to 9 in New York and 13 in Illinois. He also has pending cases in Illinois state and Minnesota.

Diane Warren says nothing's gonna stop Joe Biden's march towards the White House ... and she's offering up one of her #1 hits to help him get the job done.

We got the legendary songwriter and staunch Democrat outside Madeo in Bev Hills and she couldn't stop gushing over Biden and his surge toward the nomination.

Diane tells our photog she's got the perfect song in mind for Joe's campaign to use once he goes head-to-head with President Trump, and it's a blast from the past ... Starship's 1987 hit, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now."

Diane wrote the song, and you can see in this clip ... the wheels turning in Diane's head as she changes a few lyrics on the spot to better suit Joe. Evidence of her lyrical genius.

Diane says Joe's more than welcome to use the songs she wrote FOR FREE. We don't think he'd even try, but she makes it clear she's not offering the Prez that deal.

Watch to the end ... she threw a major zinger at Trump, when we asked about Biden's age.

DaBaby just got slapped back ... with a lawsuit from the woman who claims the rapper smacked the hell outta her at a recent concert.

Tyronesha Laws just filed the suit, claiming she was minding her own damn business when the rapper, "suddenly and without any warning," lashed out and brutally and violently struck her in the face last weekend during his Tampa gig.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Tyronesha says she was in the crowd of concertgoers waiting for DB to take the stage. She says he did not simply walk on the stage to begin his performance, and instead, proceeded through the crowd with his entourage, and "without incident." Until he got to her.

She claims DaBaby expressed no remorse for his slap and points out the rapper made fun of the situation on social media when he posted a skit featuring comedian Michael Blackson.

Laws' attorneys, Matt Morgan and Chelsea Cromer of Morgan and Morgan, say the incident was "outrageous and shocking." Her legal team added, "Our goal is to deter similar conduct in the future and send a message that this type of behavior is not tolerated in America."

Remember, Tyronesha told us she was NOT the person who put a phone right in DaBaby's face. She insists she was standing next to the person who did that when DB unleashed his anger.

On the other hand, DB's lawyer, Drew Findling, told us Laws is NOT the person his client slapped and added alleged victims are coming out of the woodwork.

Ja'Net DuBois' family is revealing an amazing hidden fact about the "Good Times" star -- her biological father was none other than jazz legend Cab Calloway ... or so they believe.

It's turning into quite a showbiz mystery, actually ... one that started when Ja'Net's death certificate was released this week by L.A. County. The document, obtained by TMZ, lists her father as Cab -- and says she was also known as Jeannette T. Calloway-DuBois.

It's interesting because, in addition to acting, Ja'Net was a singer. She co-wrote and sang the theme song to "The Jeffersons" ... which makes ya think the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

If you don't know, Calloway's swing era, singing and dancing, helped put Harlem's famed Cotton Club on the map in the 1930s.

However, before anyone starts rewriting history ... there's a dispute. Every online bio for Ja'Net lists her dad was Gordon Dubois and her mother was Lillian Gouedy. Her mom's name is the same on the death certificate, but Mr. Dubois is nowhere on the document.

Ja'Net's daughter provided the info for the death certificate, and when we asked her to clarify, she would only say Gordon was married to Lillian and "instrumental" in raising Ja'Net. Basically, a stepfather.

Now, Cab died in 1994, but his estate has no clue about the alleged connection. The estate tells TMZ .. "While we have a great appreciation for Ja'Net DuBois' long and successful career, the Calloway Estate has nothing to add to this single document that has numerous mistakes and no verification."

For instance, the estate points out there are multiple birthplaces and birth dates listed online for Ja'Net. We're told they'd be open to a conversation with her family if there were any "compelling facts to substantiate" their claim.

Translation: Ball's in the Dubois family's court now.

Billie Eilish is celebrating her history-making night at the Grammys with some shiny new bling ... and the piece is an ode to her sweep of the show's top awards.

The custom pendant is 14-karat gold with black diamonds and was crafted by celebrity jeweler Boodaddy Diamonds of Koosh Jewelers. As for the shape, the "5X" signifies Billie's 5 wins at her first-ever Grammys, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year.

Jewelry pieces similar to Billie's new bling have cost around $30,000 in the past ... so we're guessing this one rings up right around there too.

Eilish was the talk of the Grammys earlier this year and her album "When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" has gotten insane praise. She's back on the road and touring the world, so there's a good chance the necklace will hit tour stops too.

DaBaby is vehemently denying a woman's claim she was on the receiving end of his vicious slap -- the rapper admits hitting someone, but says alleged victims are coming outta the woodwork.

We broke the story ... DaBaby brutally assaulted a fan before his Saturday night gig in Tampa while walking through the crowd. Tyronesha Laws claims she's the one DaBaby slapped, but his legal team says not so fast.

DaBaby's attorney, Drew Findling, tells TMZ ... enhanced video shows DaBaby slapping an individual who struck his left eye with what appears to be a phone with the flashlight on -- NOT the person standing to the left or the right of the individual shoving the phone in his face.

That's interesting because Tyronesha told us she was standing next to a young lady who reached with a phone -- flashlight activated -- toward DaBaby right before he allegedly smacked her in the face.

Findling says his law firm has been contacted by multiple people claiming to be the victim, but they haven't been able to establish the real identity.

DaBaby's already apologized to the woman he struck, saying he thought he was hitting a guy and couldn't tell the difference because of the light in his face.

Clearly not the greatest explanation for the violence

DaBaby's really not sorry for smacking the hell out of a woman over the weekend ... at least according to the victim, who says his apology is sorely lacking.

The woman on the receiving end of DaBaby's brutal slap, Tyronesha Laws, tells TMZ ... the rapper's mea culpa is empty and the proof is on his social media. Tyronesha got choked up when she told us about seeing a comedic skit about the incident the rapper posted.

We broke the story ... DaBaby brutally assaulted a fan Saturday night in Tampa on his way to the stage. Tyronesha told us what led up to the insanely violent blow, saying she wasn't even the person who put the flash in his face.

She says she's embarrassed by everything that's happened since that fateful moment, telling us it's really "hateful."

She's referring to DaBaby's skit with Michael Blackson -- they reenacted the incident, clearly making light of it, but Tyronesha ain't laughing.

She says online trolls are making her life, and her daughter's, a living hell.

Tyronesha's already lawyered up ... and says she was diagnosed with a bruised cheekbone as a result of the vicious smack.