Music

New York rapper Mims (real name Shawn Maurice Mims) is best known for dropping the earworm single "This Is Why I'm Hot" in 2006 ... but it wasn't until the spring of 2007 that Mims became a household name after the rap jam caught fire and went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts and opened the door for his debut album Music Is My Savior which included the songs "Like This" and "Just Like That."

Mims has switched from the music business into the tech industry and now puts his creative energy into apps.

Kanye West took advantage of a tech company to advance his Yeezy brand and launch his popular Sunday Service, then left them high and dry ... according to a new suit.

MyChannel, Inc. says it's a black-owned business specializing in video and e-commerce technology. The company claims it linked up with Kanye in Spring 2018 to help Ye maximize revenues for his Yeezy merchandise.

MYC -- repped by attorneys Ben Meiselas and Michael Popok -- alleges Kanye got the company to work around the clock for him for 6 months based on a series of business promises -- including a future $10 MILLION investment -- and estimates it put in 10,000 man-hours and invested $7 mil of its own into the Yeezy project.

According to the suit ... MYC even moved its headquarters -- once to Calabasas and once to Chicago -- all to please Kanye and make the partnership work.

However, after the 6 months, MYC claims it became clear Kanye had no intention of following through on his promises and he cut ties ... but not before allegedly jacking its technology for his newly-launched Sunday Service.

The company alleges Kanye's promises of a partnership were just an effort to fuel his Yeezy brand and steal confidential tech to make millions on Sunday Service ... so now they're suing him over it.

Joey Fatone says it's game if 'NSYNC and Backstreet Boys ever square off in a battle of the boy bands ... and he thinks it wouldn't even be close!!!

We got Joey out at LAX Monday and our camera guy asked him about the possibility of 'NSYNC and Backstreet battling it out on Verzuz, the Instagram Live pandemic phenomenon usually reserved for rappers. So far, it's seen showdowns between Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, Lil Jon and T-Pain, and Snoop Dogg and DMX.

Joey tells us how he really feels ... he says 'NSYNC would win in a landslide no matter what!!!

A potential Verzuz showdown would be a huge hit, but Joey says there are some huge hurdles before the two bands ever go toe-to-toe.

Joey's giving 'NYSNC the edge, but he tells us why Backstreet could give them a run for their money, depending on the ground rules.

NBA superstar Damian Lillard is paying tribute to Kobe Bryant in the booth ... by dropping a Mamba-inspired track for NBA 2K21 -- and SNOOP DOGG is on it!!!

The Trail Blazers guard teased the song featuring the hip-hop legend and rapper Derrick Milano on Kobe Bryant Day (8/24) ... officially announcing "Kobe" will be released when the game comes out September 4.

The teaser starts off with a post-game interview from 2013 when Kobe was asked about Dame's rookie performance ... and famously said, "that boy's serious, man."

The lyrics are all about the Lakers legend -- including lines like, "ever since a young boy, I been getting buckets ... pull it back, Kobe," and "I don't even gotta look, I take the shot and hear it swish ... I don't even touch the rim, when I pull up it's just swish."

Of course, Lillard is no stranger to rapping under the name Dame D.O.L.L.A. ... and used some pull as being one of the 2K21 cover athletes to get the song on the game's soundtrack.

"When I found out I was gonna be on the @NBA2K cover the same year Kobe was on the legends cover, I decided to use my access to the 2K soundtrack to pay tribute to Kobe through music," Dame said of the track.

Beyonce is back with another visually striking music video ... and Queen Bey says it's got a very important message in these seemingly impossible times.

Beyonce just dropped the music vid for her song, "Brown Skin Girl," and it's not your typical eye-candy experience. The video's really artsy and features appearances from her daughter, Blue Ivy, plus former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell and Lupita Nyong'o.

Bey says she and director Jenn Nkiru wanted to represent "all different shades of brown" ... explaining to "Good Morning America" why they wanted every woman to be filmed "in a regal light."

Mission accomplished, Beyonce and Jenn ... the beautiful backdrops and fancy outfits definitely give off a regal vibe.

The song is from Beyonce's album, "Black Is King," but don't let the title fool you ... Bey says it's important folks remember we're all in this together and there's good reason to celebrate one another.

Check out the video ... it's pretty much the polar opposite to "WAP."

Cardi B's not wet behind the ears when it comes to promoting herself, so it's no surprise she's selling "WAP" gear in a way that'll get everyone talking.

The rapper's online store is promoting a new merchandise line featuring the title of her sexually explicit hit track with Megan Thee Stallion, and it's um ... water-themed.

To make sure her fans don't get soaked, Cardi's got "WAP" umbrellas, rain ponchos, spandex sports bras and biker shorts for sale.

There's also "WAP" t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and crop-top hoodies available ... and some of the attire features sexy shots of Cardi and Meg.

If you've been living under a rock, you might not know that the duo's hit track has been all the rage since the release of the music video -- which features a Kylie Jenner cameo -- earlier this month.

New York musician Brendan B. Brown shot to stardom as the lead singer and guitarist of his band, Wheatus ... after they released the hit single, "Teenage Dirtbag," back in 2000 ... and was even featured in the 2000 teen movie, "Loser," featuring Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari.

Wheatus went on to release more music over the next two decades with albums like "Hand Over Your Loved Ones," "Too Soon Monsoon," "Pop, Songs And Death" and "The Valentine" ... but never reached the same success that the band experienced with "Teenage Dirtbag."

Wheatus -- with Brendan B. Brown as the only remaining OG band member -- is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album and are streaming performances on their patreon page.

Diddy has done it again ... bringing powerhouse Black musicians and artists together in a stunning display of talent and solidarity, only this time -- he did it on a shoreline!!!

The Bad Boys honcho was leading the pack Saturday out in Malibu with some pretty famous faces in the biz following close behind. We're talking Nas, Travis Scott, Quavo, Swizz Beatz and a gaggle of people in their entourage in tow too. Quite the showing of musical force.

Unclear what exactly these fellas were out there doing -- besides posing for pics and looking fly in their getups -- but something tells us they might have something cooking.

We already know Diddy's tight with Nas -- he recently plugged his new album on IG -- but it's clear the music mogul is cool with multiple generations in the game, and truly seeks to bring people together.

He's showcased his Black Excellence movement before with other heavy hitters, but that was a much more formal atmosphere. Here, this looks a pretty caj get-together, but it could also signal collabs to come.

Rapper Lil Mosey can't legally drink yet, but he's old enough to have some adult trouble with the law after getting arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 18-year-old "Pull Up" rapper was busted in Burbank when cops pulled over a 2016 Cadillac Escalade with 3 people inside -- Mosey, his driver/bodyguard and a juvenile.

We're told cops initially made the stop last Sunday around 1 AM because they didn't have plates. That turned out to be the least of Mosey and his crew's problems.

Cops say things got serious when they noticed an empty holster sitting on the driver's lap, which prompted an immediate search ... and the discovery of 3 loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistols.

One was allegedly on the juvenile, one in the glove box and one in the center console. And, bonus round ... our sources say cops also found 4 credit cards in the bodyguards backpack that did NOT belong to any of the occupants.

All 3 occupants were placed under arrest -- all 3 got booked for felony concealed weapons since no once claimed the 2 weapons found in the glove and console.

"Knight Rider" star Rebecca Holden and her record producer husband, Joel Diamond, got a rude awakening in the dead of night ... an oak tree came crashing down onto their property, and cost 'em a car in the process.

Joel tells TMZ ... he and Rebecca were awoken late at night Friday by a loud noise literally tearing through their Calabasas home. It turned out to be part of a nearby 6-ton oak tree that had toppled over for some reason. We're told the tree burst through their bedroom window ... and also crushed three vehicles down below.

Unfortunately, one of those cars happened to be Joel's prized classic Jaguar -- the back end of which was absolutely demolished by the fallen timber. A total loss, no doubt. What sucks is Joel tells us he'd just gotten the whip back from an auto body shop 2 days prior.

Nobody was harmed, thankfully, but it sounds like a few of Joel's friends were pretty impressed with the freak phenomenon. Singer Tony Orlando -- known for his #1 hit, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" -- made a crack ... saying out of all the trees he'd ribbon'd over the years, Joel and Rebecca's was by and far the most outstanding.

This is both frightening and interesting ... Germany is putting thousands of volunteers in harm's way in the middle of the pandemic, to see if indoor events -- like concerts --can resume.

The research study -- sanctioned by the government -- solicited 4,000 folks between the ages of 18 and 50 ... all of whom are healthy. They have agreed to attend one of 3 concerts performed by singer Tim Bendzko.

The stated purpose of the concerts ... "to investigate the conditions under which such events can be carried out despite the pandemic."

The volunteers will get face masks and they will have tracking devices to determine if they have socially distanced and if not ... how close they got to others. They are also using some sort of electronic device which is supposed to show how aerosolized particles spread.

The first concert went down Saturday in Leipzig, Germany, where 2,000 people showed up.

The Minister of Economics and Science said, "As long as there is a risk of infection, major concerts, trade fairs and sporting events cannot take place. This is why it is so important to find out which technical and orginisational conditions can effectively minimise the risks."

Machine Gun Kelly has mad skills on a wakeboard ... as he proved Friday on a famous Utah lake.

MGK and his daughter were vacationing at Lake Powell, and Dad showed off his moves behind a boat that created a respectable wake.

He's up for a while before eating it, but he definitely wins bragging rights. It's pretty impressive.

It's unclear if MGK's GF, Megan Fox, joined him and his 11-year-old daughter on the trip. BTW, if you haven't been to Lake Powell, put it on your list. The scenery is indescribable.

Kanye West may have missed another important deadline in his presidential run, and this one certainly suggests his campaign is on the rocks.

Kanye, the presidential candidate, is required by FEC rules to file a financial report if he raises or spends $100k on his campaign.

The filing deadline was August 20, but according to an FEC official ... the agency hasn't received it.

So this means one of 2 things, and neither is good for Kanye -- either he missed the filing deadline or he didn't raise $100k ... and how do you run for Prez if you can't raise $100k?

As we reported, Kanye really ramped up his campaign in late July after his off-the-rails rally in South Carolina, hiring a third-party group called Let the Voters Decide to help get him on the ballot in several states.  He's also hired a team of political advisors.

Ye spent at least $30k to get on the ballot in Illinois ... but it didn't pay off.

You might say God is feeling the 'Noize' now ... Quiet Riot's drummer, Frankie Banali, has died following his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Frankie died Thursday night in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones, according to his wife, Regina, who said he lost his 16-month battle with cancer. Frankie's wife says chemotherapy stopped working and Frankie suffered a series of strokes, making it impossible to continue a clinical trial.

The rocker was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer on April 17, 2019 and Regina says doctors had given him 6 months to live.

While Frankie was not a founding member of the popular 80's metal band, he debuted with Quiet Riot way back in 1983 on their third album, "Metal Health," and played drums on 12 of the band's records.

Quiet Riot was the first metal band to top the Billboard charts with their mega-hit cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize" ... which opens with Frankie's signature LOUD sound on the drums.

This is the band's second loss ... lead singer Kevin Dubrow died back in 2007, and Frankie remembered him as his "dearest friend."

Frankie also played drums for W.A.S.P, performing on 7 albums. He's survived by his wife and daughter, Ashley.

Frankie was 68.

Megan Thee Stallion isn't dancing around it anymore ... she just came flat out and accused Tory Lanez, by name, of shooting her.

It's the first time she's actually used his name and she blasted him late Thursday, saying ... "Yes, this n***a Tory shot me. You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people to these blogs lying and s**t, stop lying!"

Megan also denied rumors she had hit Tory during an argument inside the SUV last month in the Hollywood Hills -- but admits there was an argument between everyone in the vehicle, and that's why she tried to walk away. She alleges that's when Tory opened fire.

As you know, up to this point, she'd insisted she was shot -- and certainly hinted Tory pulled the trigger -- but never said his name. During the IG Live post, she said she was afraid to call out Tory to the LAPD because she "didn't want to die" -- clearly insinuating she feared the police during the heated interaction.

She also addressed rumors the argument had something to do with Kylie Jenner. They'd all been partying together a home in the Hills prior to the shooting.

TMZ broke the story ... Tory, Megan and one of her friends left the party after 4 AM in a chauffeur-driven SUV, and police responded to calls of shots fired.

When they pulled over the vehicle, Megan was bleeding from her feet as police instructed her to slowly walk backward. Tory got arrested for possession of a concealed weapon -- a handgun was under his seat -- and Megan was taken to a hospital for treatment.

As we reported, the L.A. County D.A. is now considering charging Tory with felony assault with a firearm.

Megan's bold move to publicly accuse Tory comes the day after she posted pics of her injuries, and continued to insist she'd been shot ... no matter what haters were saying online. However, she still refused to say Tory's name, and even went so far as to say her back was turned when she got shot ... hinting she never saw who did it.

Since then, something definitely pissed her off, because shortly before she went live on IG ... she went tweeted a thinly-veiled threat to call out Tory if he kept lying.

We've reached out to Tory's camp, but no word back yet.

Maluma and CNCO will attempt to pull off what few entertainers have been able to do this year -- perform for a live audience -- but to do so, they're setting some strict rules for the fans who want to risk it.

We've learned the pair is currently casting "super fans" to be a part of a special outdoor performance at next week's MTV VMA's ... with some very specific requirements.

According to the casting call, fans who want to attend must live near NYC, bring a guest (but only if they live together), get a COVID-19 test on August 23 and then self-isolate with the guest until the August 30 show.

It certainly sounds like a lot of work, but considering Maluma's got 52 million followers on Instagram and boy band CNCO has 3.5 million ... they should be able to wrangle up enough willing participants.