Music

Tori Brixx can't seem to stay out of danger -- she was allegedly the victim of another home invasion robbery, but thankfully ... she wasn't injured this time.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tori is one of several alleged victims of a home invasion earlier this week in L.A., where perps allegedly made off with more than $100k in property.

We're told there was a party at a rental house with 15-20 people, and sometime around midnight ... cops say 6 men wearing masks entered via a back door and held everyone up.

Our LE sources say the suspects were armed and demanded the partygoers' cash, jewelry and phones.

We're told police are now looking for videos from around the area, but so far, no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Other sources say Tori and others were celebrating the bday of their friend, Darlene, and the home was a listing of a real estate agent attending the party. Tori posted video from inside the house just hours before the alleged incident.

We're told among the property stolen ... 5 purses.

You may recall ... it was 2 years ago when Tori was with Rich the Kid at her home when robbers broke in demanding cash and jewelry. Tori was pistol-whipped and suffered a deep cut on her cheek, along with bruising and swelling around her eye.

Rhode Island-native Dicky Barrett gained fame for his raspy vocals and catchy lyrics as the frontman for the successful ska band, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones ... who shot to the top in 1997 after their single, "The Impression That I Get," landed at the top of the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks list and lead the way for the album, "Let's Face It."

Dicky Barrett has shared the stage from the beginning of the Bosstones with Tim Burton (AKA Johnny Vegas) on the horns, Joe Gittleman slapping the bass and Ben Carr as the dancer and backup vocals.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones continue to play together and released the album, "While We're At It," back in 2018.

Pop Smoke's fans have spoken -- loudly and clearly -- the cover art designed by Virgil Abloh for the rapper's posthumous album is trash ... so a change is coming.

Pop's highly anticipated album, "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" is set to release July 3, but when the cover art was revealed Monday ... it was widely ridiculed and roasted, and fans immediately demanded a do-over.

Among the most common complaints about the cover ... the lazy Photoshop job, along with using a photo of Smoke that's the first one that comes up on Google images.

In his defense, when Abloh posted the artwork he said he'd just finished it and explained ... "this album cover was one of like 5 things we talked about. he mentioned his story felt like the metaphor of a rose & thorns growing from concrete of his hood in Canarsie, Brooklyn."

Fans weren't buying it though. Even 50 Cent -- a mentor to the late hip-hop star -- called out Abloh.

Fif tweeted ... "Hey Virgil we need new album art, they ain’t going for this bulls**t. Love ya work let’s get to it. Steven i told you this s**t was eww let’s get it right!"

That Steven is Pop's manager, Steven Victor, who's already made it clear that Abloh's art will be redone before the album is released.

Victor says Pop -- who was on the rise when he was fatally shot in February in a home invasion -- would listen to his fans and make a change ... so that's what they're going to do.

It's unclear if Abloh will get another crack at it or if the cover art will be done by someone else, but ya gotta think ... anything new will be an improvement.

Cops in Aurora, CO unleashed pepper spray at Elijah McClain's violin vigil for no good reason and their brutality was unprovoked ... according to a family attorney who saw it all unfold alongside Elijah's sisters.

Mari Newman, a lawyer for Elijah's family, tells TMZ ... she was at Saturday's musical vigil for Elijah -- who died while in custody of Aurora PD last year -- in City Center Park, where police used pepper spray and force to clear the area of protesters, a response she says was brutal, totally uncalled for and outrageous.

Newman, who was at the vigil with Elijah's 2 younger sisters, says protesters were chanting near the police station, but nothing was thrown at cops -- which runs counter to what police say -- and most people were just watching musicians play the violin ... Elijah's favorite instrument.

When police showed up in riot gear, Newman says they unleashed pepper spray, much to everyone's surprise and for no good reason, sending everyone running ... including her and her daughter, plus Elijah's sisters.

Newman says Elijah's sisters were upset and disappointed with the police response ... and she points out there were tons of children in the area when cops resorted to pepper spray.

Eventually, the demonstration was forced into a parking lot, where musicians continued to play violin and protesters broke out in song.

Wayne Brady says he knew he had to nail his Little Richard impersonation for the BET Awards tribute -- and he's giving props to his ex-wife and her BF for helping him pull it off.

Wayne joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to talk about one of the highlights of Sunday night's show ... which was a virtual/at-home event for the first time. He said it was a blessing to honor the late rock 'n' roll legend, who he absolutely loved.

WB recalled the first time he actually got to meet Little Richard and work with him -- and it's obvious how much admiration they had for each other.

That's why Wayne knew the pressure was on to bring that live performance energy -- worthy of Little Richard -- even though it was pre-recorded ... and he revealed how he did that.

Talk about a progressive production -- Wayne told us how his ex-wife, her boyfriend, his daughter and a few others all came together to record the tribute in a COVID-safe environment.

Wayne says the final product just goes to show the pandemic can't stop him from doing what he loves to do.

Dr. Dre and his wife of 24 years are ending their marriage ... she's filed for divorce.

Nicole Young filed the paperwork Monday, citing the usual irreconcilable differences as the reason for her split from the hip-hop mogul.

Dre married Nicole on May 25, 1996, and they have 2 adult children together -- a son named Truice and a daughter named Truly -- so they won't have to deal with child support.

Sources connected to Nicole say there is no prenup. Dre's net worth, according to Forbes, is estimated at $800 million.

Nicole is also seeking spousal support.

She was formerly married to NBA player, Sedale Threatt. Young works as a lawyer and is represented in the divorce by a high-powered celeb attorney, Samantha Spector.

The coronavirus pandemic is keeping the curtain closed on Broadway ... at least through the end of the year.

The Broadway League announced Monday all Broadway performances in New York City are on hold for the next 6 months and beyond due to COVID-19.

While there is no exact date for the curtain to open on Broadway, producers say they are now offering refunds and exchanges for tickets purchased to performances through Jan. 3.

The Broadway League says it's just not safe to host throngs of fans for indoor performances in the pandemic -- not to mention the cast, crew and orchestra -- so things remain in a holding pattern.

As you know ... Broadway has been shuttered since March 12, and the shutdown was previously extended through June 7 and then Sept. 6.

Beyonce's big night at the BET Awards included a video shout-out from Michelle Obama ... one queen to another.

The former First Lady paid tribute to the singer Sunday night while presenting her with the 2020 Humanitarian of the Year Award, in a video presentation highlighting the best of Bey ... outside of her music.

Michelle said ... "I am here today to talk about The Queen -- you know the one. Ever since she was a little girl in Houston, Beyonce Knowles Carter has been lighting up the stages and gracing the world with her talent, with her generosity of spirit, and with her love for her community."

She added ... "You can see it in everything she does. From her music that gives voice to Black joy and Black pain, to her activism that demands justice for Black Lives. And no matter how big the stages get, I know my girl isn't satisfied unless she's sharing all that shine she has with the next generation."

The video focused on Beyonce's community work and humanitarian efforts, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic. It also featured more shout-outs from her mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Tyler Perry and more.

Beyonce called her honor "beautiful" and dedicated it to "all of my brothers out there, all of my sisters out there inspiring me, marching and fighting for change."

She closed by urging people to get out and vote to "continue to work to change a racist and unequal system," adding ... "We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does."

Special moment from Lil Wayne on Sunday night -- he perfumed his 2009 track, "Kobe Bryant" ... with new lyrics to honor Mamba and Gianna.

It all went down at the BET Awards -- where Wayne debuted a new music video for the song, performing in front of the screen with Kobe's name on it.

The original lyrics already painted Kobe as a legend:

"He the greatest on the court ...
And I'm the greatest on the verse.
Goin' for the 4th ring like it was his 1st...
Gotta get the gleam. Do it for Kareem ...
2-4 so nice. My flow is so mean."

But, in the wake of recent events, Weezy updated the track to acknowledge the passing of Kobe and Gianna.

"Two fingers for the Mambacita. I’m screamin’ 'Black Mamba matters.'"

He continued ... "Heart goes out to Vanessa and the whole Black Mamba family."

"G-O-A-T like Kobe Bean, rest in power and hope for peace.”

Vanessa acknowledged it on her IG page -- calling the performance a "beautiful tribute."

Kobe, Gianna and 7 others passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26. He was 41. She was only 13.

St. Louis lyricist Chingy (real name Howard Bailey Jr.) shot to fame after his debut single "Right Thurr" took to the airwaves and became the party anthem of the 2003 summer and set the stage for his first album, Jackpot.

Jackpot hosted other rap classics like "Holidae In," "One Call Away" and "Gettin' It" ... but the bonus remix of "Right Thurr" featuring Jermaine Dupri and Trina was the albums other epic track.

Since Jackpot, Chingy has released a handful of awesome rap albums but none have had the same pop success.

Chase Rice got back to touring this weekend -- and to kick things off ... the guy allowed thousands of people to flood a concert venue, with ZERO regards for coronavirus safety.

The country singer held his first show in a while Saturday night at former prison-turned-event center called the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee. It usually can hold 10,000 bodies for a concert, but this weekend ... only 4,000 were allowed through.

Still, that proved to be more than enough heads to pack in tight and cluster together for Chase's return to the stage. That's exactly what happened, something he filmed himself.

As you can see, swarms of people are too close for comfort -- not practicing even the slightest hint of social distancing -- and practically NOBODY is wearing a face mask, Chase included. It's more about the people on the ground though -- they're the ones truly at risk.

It also doesn't help that Chase was leading them in a sing-along moment -- which probably exacerbated any type of potential 'rona molecules already flying through the air. And, of course -- like many other parts of the country -- COVID-19 cases are spiking in TN as well.

Weirdly enough, the Brushy Prison's site says it clear as day that they'll be adhering to social distancing -- but it looks like they must've missed their own memo come showtime.

What's even stranger about all this is that a handful of other venues for Chase's upcoming concerts are actually drive-in type facilities, which would ease concerns we see here. So, was this s*** show of safety just a flub or a one-off? Hard to say for sure right now.

At any rate, we've reached out to Chase's team for comment ... so far, no word back.

Sacha Baron Cohen did what he does Saturday ... he went undercover at a right-wing militia event and when he started belting out a hateful, racist song ... and the crowd was more than happy to sing along.

It went down in Olympia, Washington, at the "March for Our Rights 3" rally.

Sacha came as the honcho of a political action committee, or so he said ... according to the Daily Beast. He hired a security team so no one could cut him off mid-song.

Check out the video ... Cohen is decked out in overalls, fake facial hair as he began singing about injecting former President Obama, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the World Health Org. and others with the "Wuhan flu." You hear people in the audience join in. And then, he suggests an alternative ... "chop them up like the Saudi's do," and the crowd chimes in.

The rally was reportedly organized by the Washington Three Percenters. The reference to 3 percent is an unsubstantiated claim only 3% of the members of the American colonies fought in the War of Independence.

Not everyone at the rally was cool with the song .... one city councilman said this ... “He came on stage disguised as the lead singer of the last band, singing a bunch of racist, hateful, disgusting s***,” adding, “His security blocked event organizers from getting him off the stage, or pulling power from the generator.”

The councilman also claimed the crowd turned on Cohen and security whisked him away in a waiting ambulance. Nevertheless, listen to the clip ... there are plenty of folks singin' along.

Ariana Grande threw what kinda sounds like an oxymoron but it's not ... an intimate birthday bash for herself.

Ariana hosted the party Friday night for a few of her close family and friends, to celebrate turning 27. Trucks traversed her Hollywood Hills street all day, delivering supplies and decorations for the shindig.

Ariana's guest list included, of course, her boyfriend, Dalton Gomez ... as well as her mother and brother Frankie Grande. Ariana and Dalton are Instagram official ... so it's, official. Ariana and Dalton have pretty much been inseparable during self-quarantine ... if self-quarantine is still a thing.

In all, it appears around a dozen people showed up for the party.

The theme of the party was "Midsommar." She showed off a flower crown, mimicking the May Queen scene in the flick.

Milton Glaser, a super famous graphic designer who created one of the most iconic campaigns for a city has died on his 91st birthday.

Glaser was embedded in pop culture in the '60's and '70's. In '67 he fashioned a poster of Bob Dylan with wildly-colored hair and it sold millions. But, his biggest splash came with the “I ❤️ NY” logo, which it seems was subsequently printed on about a trillion t-shirts.

Glaser's wife, Shirley, said the cause of death was a stroke and renal failure.

Glaser was big in commercial art, which went hand-in-hand with advertising. He was considered one of the boldest artists in his field -- swinging for the fences with radical and colorful designs. One of the boldest ... he created art for a 1968 Olivetti typewriter ad. He used a piece of 15th century art featuring a grieving dog and strategically placed an Olivetti at the feet of the dead nymph the dog was mourning.

As for the “I ❤️ NY” campaign ... it was launched in 1977 to promote tourism when New York really needed it, and it was a sensation. What's amazing ... he sketched the image on the back of an envelope with a red crayon while sitting in the back of a cab. The logo helped define the Big Apple.

And, check out his modesty ... he told The Village Voice back in 2011 ... “I’m flabbergasted by what happened to this little, simple nothing of an idea."

After 911, Glaser modified the design to ... “I ❤️ NY More Than Ever,” but this time the heart had a bruise.

And, there's this great quote ... “I’m a person who deals with visual material whatever it is — architecture, an object, a set of plates, wallpaper — right now I’m doing T-shirts.”

Nipsey Hussle's family's stuck in an odd limbo with a Crips company -- over a trademark -- and it's got them worried something shady's going on.

Sources close to the late rapper tell TMZ ... his family's legal conflict with the Crips LLC -- yes, the gang's gone corporate -- over the rights to Hussle's "The Marathon Continues" slogan has carried on, leaving family members frustrated.

Here's the deal ... the Crips organization filed a couple trademarks for the phrase in 2019 -- one for clothing and one for various services. Shortly afterward, however, it apologized and vowed to back off, saying it would not get into a legal battle with the family ... which has several 'Marathon' trademarks of its own related to Nip's clothing store.

So, it seemed like all would be well, but according to our sources ... the Crips didn't take any action to withdraw its filings, which forced Nip's family to lawyer up and file oppositions to the trademark applications.

The good news for the family ... the Crips didn't fight the opposition to the clothing trademark application by the deadline, so the application was deemed abandoned earlier this month.

There's a good chance the same thing will happen with the other application too, but we're told Crips LLC has gone silent about the issue ... which hasn't been helpful for the family.