Music

Beyonce's channeling her love of the great outdoors -- and doing it in style ... on a boat ... in the Hamptons.

Bey and much of her family hit up The Hamptons Monday and enjoyed a relaxing boat ride. Her mom, Tina Knowles, and daughter Blue Ivy Carter were seen tagging along as they cruised on a VanDutch speedboat. No sign of Jay-Z, though.

Check out the pics ... everyone looked totally relaxed as they chilled out ... including Blue Ivy who struck a comfy pose at the stern of the boat.

Tina had a blast for sure. She posted video of herself jamming to "Black Parade." She captioned it, "Dancing from joy of family and feeling of gratitude and love of God, Family and life on The Water! Best feeling in the world!!"

No word if Beyonce was celebrating after receiving a BET Humanitarian Award back in June -- or maybe the enormous success of her visual album, "Black is King" ... which is making beaucoup bucks for Disney+.

Kanye West is reminiscing about the good 'ol days -- when he was tight with Jay-Z and Kris Jenner -- and, for now, he's making moves to make nice.

Ye started putting his feelings out there late Monday night when he tweeted a seemingly heartfelt message about Hova -- "Miss my bro ... real talk." Kanye attached a screengrab of rap's former dynamic duo performing "Otis" at the 2011 VMAs.

He was still feeling those bridge-building good vibes Tuesday morning when he said, "My mother in law Kris Jenner ... makes the best music playlist."

As you know from Ye's Twitter rants over the last few weeks, he's taken direct shots at Kris ... such as referring to her as "Kris Jong-Un" and accusing her of peddling Kim's sex tape.

As we reported ... Kanye said last month he wants Jay-Z as his running mate ... even though he'd already picked Wyoming preacher Michelle Tidball as his running mate. No need to worry, if Jay accepts the VP invite -- highly doubtful, though -- Kanye says Tidball told him she'd be down to take another position in his cabinet.

Unclear what's triggered peaceful Ye, but his recent family time with Kim and their 4 kids might be a good indicator. The fam took off from the Dominican Republic over the weekend to go glamping.

Ryan Reynolds or Sir Paul McCartney could become the next chief of a First Nation in Canada ... the native community has spoken, and the famous non-natives are up for election.

Ryan and Paul have been nominated as Chief for Walpole Island First Nation, a reservation nestled on an island bordering Michigan and Canada ... according to the indigenous community's director of operations, James Jenkins.

He tells TMZ ... the actor and rock icon were nominated by 2 eligible electors this weekend, which instantly qualifies the celebs as official nominees for Chief.

It's pretty interesting ... we're told Ryan and Paul don't technically have to be part of the native community to be nominated or even rise to the top as Chief. There's a loophole from way back in 1868, when Walpole Island First Nation elected a non-member as chief, forging a precedent allowing nonmembers to run for Chief.

Now, Ryan and Sir Paul just have to get on the ballot. Actually, they're already on, but we're told they have until Thursday to contact the Walpole Island membership office to have their names removed. If the deadline passes without a peep from either, we're told they'll both remain legit candidates for Chief when the election is held Sept. 19.

If one of them wins, the First Nation would contact them, and Chief Ryan or Chief Paul would have to assume office or resign.

The intentions behind the nominations remain unclear, and we're told there are mixed emotions about it. Some members believe either has the stuff to be an effective leader because of their wildly successful entertainment careers.

What else would ya think after seeing 'Van Wilder' ... right? And, that's why others think their nominations are an inappropriate joke.

The Chief, we're told, is similar to being mayor ... they're the head of the council and the voice of the community, tasked with overseeing programs and services run by administrators. Naturally, we're told Chief is the most respected position in Walpole Island First Nation, which has about 5,000 members.

Walpole Island is no stranger to celebs ... we're told Cher and Kid Rock have spent a great deal of time in the area, going fishing and duck hunting.

One last caveat ... we're told Ryan or Paul would likely have to move close to the reservation if elected Chief. Sorry, you can't attend tribe meetings on Zoom.

Ryan's at least Canadian, so that gives him a leg up, but ... Paul's a Beatle.

The guy accused of shooting at Lil Wayne's bus in 2015 has copped a pretty sweet plea deal ... but we're told he's not getting out of jail just yet.

Jimmy Winfrey has pled guilty to 2 counts of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act ... this according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ. As part of the deal, prosecutors have dropped a slew of other charges -- 4 counts of violation of the RICO Act, 6 other counts of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, 12 counts of aggravated assault, 2 counts of criminal damage to property in the first degree and 1 count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

He was sentenced to 7 years in prison ... a much lighter sentence than what he got in 2015, when the judge threw the book at him with a 20-year sentence. The Georgia Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2018 and so the case went back to square 1.

And, get this ... Winfrey got credit for time served and set to be released, but Winfrey's lawyer, Steve Sadow, tells TMZ ... the reason his client hasn't been released involves an unrelated outstanding warrants case. Sadow wants to be clear ... Winfrey entered a special kind of guilty plea where his client maintains his innocence, despite pleading guilty.

As part of the sentence, he's also gotta pay $100k in restitution to Alvin Lewis, the bus driver.

TMZ broke the story ... Alvin accused Birdman and Young Thug of striking secret deals with prosecutors in the case. Alvin had said he found it unusual Cobb County prosecutors described Birdman and YT as co-conspirators in the alleged shooter's indictment but did NOT bring charges against them.

Alvin made no bones about it ... he claimed there was overwhelming evidence of complicity among Winfrey, Birdman and Young Thug ... evidence that includes phone records, recorded confessions, and promises of payment.

Sources close to Birdman had told us the rapper denied any involvement in the case. Young Thug has never commented publicly on the incident.

Kanye West is firing back at the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and now officially beefing with it ... accusing the Dems of spying on his presidential campaign.

Kanye's responding to a complaint in the Badger State asking officials to block Ye from the ballot due to allegedly submitting fake signatures and failing to get signatures in on time -- and make no mistake, he believes the WI Democratic Party is behind it.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kanye claims the Dems hired a private investigator to track his signature-gathering street team ... as part of an "organized effort of harassment and intimidation" against his candidacy.

He also says the Dems spies merely wasted their time because they turned up nothing nefarious.

As we reported ... Kanye filed signatures and paperwork last week to get his name on the ballot for Prez in Wisconsin. He needed 2,000 signatures from registered voters in the state to get on the ballot, and his third-party petitioning group, Let The Voters Decide, helped him obtain the signatures.

Ye claims the complaint filed on Friday seeking to prevent him from getting on the ballot was submitted by a man who is widely reported to be a front for the Democratic Party. The complaint suggests Kanye's campaign submitted bogus signatures and includes affidavits from people who claim they were tricked into signing their names on Yeezy's paperwork.

So, what's next? We're told the state's Elections Commission will review the legal papers and make a recommendation -- about Kanye's slot on the ballot -- to a bipartisan panel of 3 Dems and 3 Republicans.

Smash Mouth's proving they might still be All-Stars -- 2 decades after their biggest hit -- but based on their appearance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ... they're not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of rowdy and excited bikers threw coronavirus caution to the wind Sunday night in South Dakota, and packed an outdoor venue to watch Smash Mouth perform.

The band's frontman, Steve Harwell, told the crowd at one point ... "We’re all here together tonight! F**k that COVID s**t!"

Though the venue, The Buffalo Chip, was reportedly at half capacity -- and Smash Mouth's manager says the promoter did a "fantastic job" with COVID-19 protocol -- video of the event seems to tell a different story.

As you can see ... attendees didn't seem to give a damn about wearing masks or practicing physical distancing as they prepared to take in Smash Mouth's hit tracks such as "Walkin' on the Sun" and "Can't Get Enough of You Baby."

Of course, the same carefree and reckless behavior went down Saturday night as Sturgis folks packed the Full Throttle Saloon as well.

Fans were really down to insert Viola Davis into Cardi B's new song -- even at the expense of Kylie Jenner -- and the actress was all about it ... CB was too.

Viola posted a couple different fan tributes that creatively embedded her into Cardi and Meg Thee Stallion's music video for "WAP" -- one of which swapped VD's face and body for Kylie's. Viola seemed to think it was funny -- she wrote, "Who did this?" and added emojis.

She posted another fan rendition, which spliced in a scene of "How to Get Away with Murder" ... seamlessly syncing up Viola dancing to the "WAP" beat in the background. Viola liked that one too, reposting it and adding flamenco emojis with the hashtag #HowToGetAwayWithWAP.

That last shout-out caught the attention of Cardi herself, who appeared pretty starstruck with the love Viola was showing. She retweeted Viola's post with the caption, "I'm so fan out right now ya don't even know." Looks like both ladies are pretty fond of each other. Who knew?!?

The video's taken off since it was released last week ... it's already got 59 million-plus views, and it's spurred meme after meme after meme, including the Viola one you see above. Like we told you, the purpose of the project was to showcase women empowerment and solidarity.

Tech N9ine got on the mic for a bunch of never-ending partiers down in Missouri -- and the joint looked about as packed as any of their shindigs lately.

The rapper put on a homecoming show Saturday night at the Regalia hotel in Lake of the Ozarks -- he's from Kansas City, BTW ... so it was definitely a special occasion to have Tech come out and perform. He took to the stage in front of what we're told were upwards of 1,000 people.

That didn't seem to bother Tech N9ne though -- ditto for the concert promoters and the hotel folks hosting the event. As you can see ... it looks eerily similar to all the other Ozark water ragers we've seen of late. No masks, little distancing ... and just a whole lot of bodies.

Aside from the bad idea of hosting any type of large gathering like this -- indoors or out -- the fact Tech N9ne is in the mix here seems to signal something else that's fairly troubling ... the idea that in-person concerts are coming back with more regularity, slowly but surely.

We've seen some well-known artists over the past couple months performing to large crowds -- sometimes with blatant disregard for safety, and other times letting things get out of control despite their best intentions ... looking at you Chase Rice and the Chainsmokers.

Granted, Keith Urban seemed to have a bit more success with his own drive-in show -- in any case, it's clear artists are getting restless too and are trying to secure that concert bag.

ZZ Top didn't perform at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ... but a group that looks just like them played Saturday to a packed, maskless crowd.

A ZZ Top tribute band, called ZZ3, took the stage at the Full Throttle Saloon and filled the room with Texas blues-rock. The rally, which will draw an estimated 250,000 people, always draws big-named performers, so it's no surprise hundreds of folks showed up.

Willie Nelson and Lynyrd Skynard were also scheduled to perform at the 9-day event but canceled because of the pandemic. Other artists who performed Saturday include Molly Hatchet and the Guess Who ... Night Ranger, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, .38 Special, Quiet Riot, Smash Mouth and others are expected to perform in the coming days.

The bar was packed and there was almost no social distancing, and lots of medical folks are worried this will become a super-spreading event. That clearly was not on the minds of the saloon audience.

Juelz Santana is enjoying his newfound freedom thanks in part to Meek Mill ... and now he wants to give back to the inmates he met while behind bars.

Here's the deal ... Juelz is fresh outta prison after serving 19 months of his 27-month sentence in his airport drug case, and he's got Meek to thank for some smooth sailing.

Our sources tell us Meek helped Juelz by connecting his wife, Kimbella, with a lawyer who helped guide them through the process to ensure everything worked out. Courts and the prison system can be tricky, and we're told Meek wanted to ensure things would work out for Juelz.

The Dipset MC was able to come straight home and skip the halfway house he was originally destined for. Many halfway houses are shut down because of the pandemic.

Juelz is now on supervised release, which, as we first reported, means he'll have to submit to a drug test within 15 days of his release.

Now that he's out, Juelz tells us he wants to give back to inmates by working with non-profits whose missions include overturning sentences for wrongly convicted prisoners. Juelz says he also wants to help people in prison find a platform for the music and movie scripts they write in lockup.

On that same front, Juelz tells us he wrote a ton of new music on the inside, as well as a script for a TV series. He says he's going to get back in the studio Monday, but also wants to take time to focus on his family and make up for the 19 months he spent in prison.

Juelz's wife is happy to have her husband home ... she says it's surreal to have him back, wake up next to him and see him with their kids.

Now entering the game for the (insert NBA team name here) ... J. Cole?!?

NBA player Larry Sanders says HELL YEAH ... telling TMZ Sports he truly believes the rapper has a real chance at making his pro ball dreams come true.

Of course, the idea took off when 35-year-old Cole -- who grew up loving and playing basketball -- starred in a Puma commercial hinting at trying to get a shot at the Association.

Master P told us Cole is dead serious about making it happen ... and even the Detroit Pistons told the "Lion King On Ice" MC to hit 'em up for a tryout.

We spoke with Sanders -- who's played in 6 NBA seasons -- and asked if Cole's got a realistic chance ... and his answer may surprise you.

"I do, for real. I've seen him hoop before in some games and I knew he took the game seriously when he was younger."

"He always raps about it, so that's dope. I'm excited to see that."

Sanders knows exactly what the process will be like, but in reverse -- the 31-year-old has made waves in the music industry off the court ... and even produced a song for PARTYNEXTDOOR.

"It's gonna be just like the music game. Me doing music, everybody laughed at me, everybody went at my head and challenged me ... and I had to go prove myself."

Sanders -- who recently told us he's working on making it back to the league as well -- says he loves the idea of joining forces with Cole on a team next year ... which could end up in some music collabs!!

Cardi B's giving a lot of love to one of the famous female faces that appeared in her new music video -- giving fans a sneak peak at Normani's viral dance moves.

CB posted a video Saturday that showed behind-the-scenes footage of how the video for her new single 'WAP' was shot -- especially the dance solos featured by several different women ... including Fifth Harmony's Normani, who had the internet ablaze with her sexy number.

Turns out, the whole thing was shot on a green screen with the main song playing in the background. It's funny though ... Cardi was singing the lyrics to Normani's own song, "Motivation," over the 'WAP' beat -- giving her a little extra juice/hype for the performance.

Normani also posted incredible photo stills from the shoot -- and naturally, her fans (and her contemporaries) loved it. Her cameo was definitely one of the more notable standouts, according to Twitter anyway. Other appearances weren't as well-received, unfortunately.

As we reported ... the whole idea behind 'WAP' was women empowerment -- that's why Cardi and Meg had cameos from a bunch of different famous ladies across the entertainment industry, in an attempt to show solidarity.

Kanye West wants you to donate to his campaign so he can become the 46th POTUS, and he's making the pitch by laying out his positions on various issues, and one thing's clear ... he's playing to both Democrats and Republicans.

Ye, who calls his platform, "Creating a Culture of Life," is seeking contributions ranging from $20 to a grand. As for his positions, the first is revealing ... "Restore faith and revive our Constitutional commitment to freedom of religion and the free exercise of one's faith, demonstrated by restoring prayer in the classroom including spiritual foundations."

That seems to be a cornerstone of his campaign ... freedom of religion, which for him includes a hard-line, antiabortion stance. This position clearly targets Republican voters.

But, then he pivots to the Dems, promising to reduce household debt and student loan debt. He also wants to restructure the educational system, by opening it up to "at-risk and vulnerable populations."

He takes a stand on policing, promoting policies that "treat all Americans the same, regardless of race, color, or ethnicity." And, he promises to protect the environment by promoting clean air and water as well as renewables.

And, then he pivots back to Republican voters, promising to "place Americans' best interest first and foremost." He also vows to "Maintain a strong national defense."

Kanye says he's not a spoiler ... he's in it to win it. This turn shows he's trying to win votes by traversing party lines.

Nick Cannon says America needs another Black man in the White House ... that's why he's team Kanye 2020.

Nick was at LAX Friday when the photog asked him what he thought of Ye's run. Answer: "I love it!"

Now, the photog took it a step further and asked if he'll still be with Kanye when he casts his ballot, and Nick gave the semi-emphatic "Yes." We say semi because there's clearly a slight smirk.

On another subject ... Nick was asked about his recent troubles over some anti-Semitic comments. Nick has been earnest in attempting to educate himself ... even meeting with rabbis.

Carole Baskin is picking a catfight with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion over their new music video, which she says sends a terrible message and is harmful to the future of big cats.

Carole tells TMZ ... the worst part of Cardi B's new music video is the way it glamorizes rich folk keeping tigers as pets, and she thinks it makes "every ignorant follower want to imitate by doing the same."

As we reported ... Cardi and Megan dropped the video to "WAP" Friday, and it's loaded with sexually suggestive imagery and lyrics, a Kylie Jenner cameo and tons of exotic cats, which is upsetting Carole.

While Carole is glad the cats likely weren't really in the room with Cardi and Megan -- only photoshopped in -- she says posing wild animals in front of green screens and using them in productions is unnatural and confusing.

Carole claims everything about the project points to producers working with one of the "big cat pimps" like Doc Antle or Mario Tabraue, who she believes mistreat cats ... something they strongly deny.

Bottom line for Carole ... nothing about "WAP" is good for big cats.