Music

R. Kelly's got NO business getting out of jail -- regardless of the coronavirus -- according to the family of his GF, Joycelyn Savage.

The Savage family's attorney, Gerald Griggs, says ... if Kelly is released, it would place Joycelyn "back into the hands of a predator." Not only that, but the family claims it would also put her at risk to potentially be infected by COVID-19.

Joycelyn's family says it believes the best option for her is to continue to "socially and physically distance herself" from Kelly, adding that he is "right where he belongs" -- penned up in Chicago MCC while he awaits trial in Illinois federal court.

We broke the story ... the disgraced singer asked to be released from jail over fears he could be infected with the coronavirus. He wants to be released on bond and says he's willing to wear electronic monitoring.

However, Kelly says he'd live with Joycelyn at an apartment complex in Chicago if he gets out, but clearly ... that's the last thing her family wants to see happen.

For the record ... Kelly has not tested positive for COVID-19, and Joycelyn has not had any contact with her family since a confrontation outside a courthouse in January.

Another one of Kelly's alleged victims, Lisa Van Allen, had an even stronger reaction to his request for release. She tells us, "This isn't Monopoly, there is no get out of jail free card! Not for an infected toe or for a pandemic! You do the crime, you do the time, just like the rest of the inmates!"

R. Kelly's latest pitch to be released pending his trial in Illinois federal court centers on his fear -- like most Americans - of coming down with COVID-19.

The disgraced singer's attorney, Steven Greenberg, filed a motion Thursday in which he refers to coronavirus spreading around the world, and the health risks he believes he's facing while penned up in Chicago MCC. "No matter what steps they take the sanitation will be substandard, the risk of an internal pandemic at the MCC is great."

Kelly says social-distancing is near impossible in the jail, soap is only available to inmates who can afford to buy it from the commissary -- and don't mention hand sanitizer. He claims there's just ONE large bottle on the visiting floor ... but it is labeled, "STAFF ONLY."

He says forcing anyone to remain under these conditions is "tantamount to making them drink poison."

Kelly wants to be released on bond, and says he's willing to wear electronic monitoring -- although he notes it's not really necessary, because during the current pandemic he's a "low risk" to go outside at all.

As for where he'd live -- Kelly says he'd shack up with his last remaining girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage, at an apartment complex in Chicago.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly's legal team was blocked from visiting him in prison last week and it was all due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Kelly's lawyers had wanted to check on his health while also discussing strategy, given his ever-growing legal mess.

In the new docs, Kelly points out that keeping his attorneys and other visitors from entering doesn't solve the problem of possible exposure ... because there's always new inmates entering.

As we reported ... Kelly -- currently behind bars in Illinois as he awaits his trial -- recently got slapped with a slew of new charges by federal prosecutors in NY. The new indictment is related to 2 new alleged victims, one of whom was under 18 when she claimed she had sex with the singer in 2015.

Well, this ain't exactly the model form of social distancing ... but ya won't hear us complain!!!

Paulina Gretzky and Dustin Johnson's sister-in-law got in some bikini dancing during their self-isolation time Thursday ... and the views are pretty spectacular.

It seems the two were boating in the Florida sun when they fired up their phone cams to participate in the latest viral TikTok trend.

"Social distancing with my sista," said Paulina, who was rockin' the tiny blue bathing suit.

Of course, we had to cut the audio (legal reasons!!!) ... but you've heard the Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" song before, and you've had to have seen this dance by now.

It's unclear how long we'll all be in quarantine for ... but it's clips like these that are helping our eyes get through it.

G-Eazy is making sure kids on his home turf don't go hungry while sheltering in place due to coronavirus ... hooking 'em up with free grub.

Here's the deal ... the Bay Area rapper, through his Endless Summer Fund, is providing meals to local at-risk youths in San Francisco -- and the G-Eazy gravy train is gonna be running for the next month, we're told.

G-Eazy's partnering with Larkin Street Youth Services to fund a local food truck which will help reach community members who can't easily access meals at Larkin’s walk-in sites. The food truck will provide lunch 7 days a week for the next month, the duration of San Fran's shelter-in-place order.

The name of the food truck is Mi Morena and it's equipped with a full commercial kitchen. G-Eazy’s Endless Summer Fund is footing the bill ... and Larkin Street Youth Services is a nonprofit dedicated to ending youth homelessness in the Bay.

As you know, schools across the country are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak ... and unfortunately, millions of students depend on schools for daily meals, so they need all the assistance they can get.

Joe Rogan is blasting Gal Gadot for what he sees as a serious case of tone-deafness ... Joe says she's a "f***ing idiot" for singing "imagine there's no heaven."

Joe just gave Gal an epic dressing down on his podcast, ripping her for getting tons of her celebrity friends to sing John Lennon's "Imagine" in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

The way Joe sees it ... "This is not the time when everyone's grannie is dying, you f***ing idiot, to sing, 'Imagine there's no heaven.' It's such a dumb move."

As you know ... Gal and her famous friends -- including Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Kravitz, Kristen Wiig and Sarah Silverman -- sang parts of Lennon's famous tune and posted it on social media while in self-isolation.

Joe says they're all a bunch of "knuckleheads" ... he thinks it's really not what the country needs at this time, and says they all stink at singing anyways.

Comedian Tom Segura, Joe's podcast guest, thinks Gal and her buddies probably feel like they did something significant, but he says it's really a slap in the face to many.

Ariana Grande's well aware of the plight of many of her fans amid the coronavirus pandemic, and she's answering calls for help by sending some of them cash to get through these tough times ... TMZ has learned.

Several sources have told us ... the pop star's been communicating on the regular with her fans on social media, who've opened up about financial struggles -- like not being able to pay upcoming bills -- because they've lost their retail or service industry jobs for the time being.

We're told in at least 10 instances -- maybe more -- Ariana had connected with fans who've lost their jobs and sent them a cash donation ... via Venmo.

Fans have told us they've received Venmo payments ranging from $500 to $1,500 ... and it's something she's been doing on the down-low the past few days.

Our sources say Grande's donations seem to be random luck of the draw based on her Twitter interactions ... other than that, she's focusing on those really in a pinch and out of work. She's especially sympathetic to people who have lost their job in the retail industry.

One guy apparently got some Venmo money shortly after telling Grande he was short on rent for April because he was no longer pulling in a paycheck.

It's an incredibly kind gesture, but Ariana's going to have way too many potential donations candidates soon, based on the new jobless report ... more than 2 and a half MILLION Americans are expected to file for unemployment.

Slim Thug is imploring folks in Houston -- and young people everywhere -- to start taking coronavirus seriously, and he hopes his diagnosis is a wake-up call.

The H-town rapper joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and told us too many people in his hometown are taking the pandemic lightly, and it's time for everyone to open their eyes to the danger. In fact, Houston and surrounding Harris County have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases this week.

Slim said he was being super cautious weeks ago, wearing gloves and masks, but he still managed to contract the virus ... and his worst fears were confirmed with Tuesday's positive test.

He said he can tell people continue to bury their heads in the sand because some think he's getting paid to say he has the virus. Houston finally issued a "stay at home" order Wednesday, but Slim says he was shocked to see spring breakers earlier this month packing nightclubs.

Bottom line for Slim ... the fact he got infected despite actively trying to protect himself should make people think twice about refusing to stay at home.

Elton John's trading his usual sold-out arena shows for something much simpler -- playing maestro for a series of living room concerts ... to help fight the coronavirus.

Sir Elton will be hosting iHeart Radio's 'Living Room Concert for America' next week. It's an hour-long FOX TV and online benefit concert to support heroic healthcare workers and first responders on the frontline of the pandemic.

The living room performers include Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Tim McGraw, Billie Joe Armstrong, Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey and more.

The artists will each perform a set from their own homes -- recorded on their personal phones -- in order to continue practicing the "stay at home" and social distancing guidelines.

Viewers will be encouraged to donate to 2 charitable groups helping both COVID-19 victims and workers as part of the musical pledge drive. Those groups are Feeding America and First Responders Children's Foundation.

Jussie Smollett wants to move on from his alleged "attack" -- despite a pending trial -- and he's singing about it while on coronavirus lockdown.

Jussie just broke his social media silence Wednesday by singing and playing the piano. It's the ex-"Empire" star's first time posting anything in over 9 months, so this is a rarity.

Jussie sang Stevie Wonder's song, "A Place in The Sun." It's about moving on and finding a place in the sun where there's hope for everyone. Guess this is what's been on the top of Jussie's mind.

Seems Jussie considers his quarantine as dating way back to the alleged racist and homophobic "attack" ... because he says he's on day 421. We checked, and that marks the number of days since Jan. 29, 2019 ... when he made the allegation he was jumped in Chicago by 2 white men who yelled, "This MAGA country!"

Jussie also says ... "Hope y'all are staying safe. Spread love and kindness... not Rona."

Moving on won't be as easy as singing a tune ... remember, Jussie is gearing up for his new trial, and weeks ago he said "truth" will be his defense.

As we reported ... Jussie got re-charged for allegedly lying to police about the alleged hate crime -- after the State Attorney's Office dropped the original 16 charges against him.

Ariana Grande has a new man in her life, and it couldn't be better-timed, because he's also her new quarantine partner ... along with her pooch.

Eagle-eyed fans might have notice the mystery guy on AG's social media in the last few days. You could never see his face, but he was clearly there with Ariana ... chillin' in quarantine like the rest of us.

In one of the shots, you can see the dude playing with her dog, Toulouse, and she recorded the adorable interaction. It was more than just a friendly petting session, because we've learned the guy in question IS Ari's new squeeze ... Dalton Gomez.

Our Ariana sources tell us she and Dalton have been seeing each other for several months now. He's a high-end real estate agent who handles multi-million dollar listings for L.A.'s A-list buyers.

He's also a pretty good kisser in Ariana's eyes. Remember this video last month of her making out with a guy as she and her friends plopped into a booth at a bar? Yeah, that's Dalton ... we're told.

He definitely rolls in the same circles as his new GF -- Dalton recently posted a pic hanging with Miley Cyrus and some friends.

Another sign of how much Ariana digs him -- not only is she following him on social, but several of her friends are too. You're in, Dalton.

This is Ari's first love interest, that we know of, anyway, since her highly publicized relationship with Pete Davidson.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought live concerts to a total standstill, but the music industry is still set on churning out new tunes ... and producers are increasingly working from home and getting super creative.

Music industry sources tell TMZ ... recording studios across Los Angeles and New York City have all closed due to the virus, forcing lots of music producers to build mobile studios in their homes, where they can still make beats and record tracks.

Our sources tell us music producers are increasingly turning to video chats and streaming services to brainstorm ideas, collab and record pieces of songs with other producers.

We're told producers are still working directly with their artists to write and collab, but the interactions are going digital now that face-to-face meetings are highly discouraged due to COVID-19.

As you know ... Lady Gaga announced Tuesday she's delaying the release of her upcoming album, "Chromatica," in light of the outbreak, joining a growing list of artists and festivals that have seen disruptions on account of coronavirus.

It's likely just the tip of the iceberg, but our music industry sources say albums won't be delayed because they aren't finished. We're told home studios can essentially do everything traditional sessions can do, and pushing back release dates is more about marketing concerns.

Camila Cabello says she's putting her upcoming world tour on ice before it even begins ... because things just ain't safe out there due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The "Senorita" singer announced Tuesday she's postponing her "Romance" tour, which was set to kick off in May and make stops across Europe and the United States, areas that are being ravaged by the virus.

Camila says she's postponing the tour as an extreme precaution and to protect her fans, team, dancers, band, crew and loved ones.

Concerts and social distancing just don't mix, and Camila says she can't even get her group together to start rehearsing. The singer is hoping to reschedule as soon as possible.