Music

Cardi B is feeling super grateful to a lot of people now that her libel trial is wrapped up ... and she's also walking away with a lot of money, thanks to the jury.

Cardi spoke out as she was leaving federal court in Atlanta Tuesday ... after a hearing to determine punitive damages in her case against YouTuber Tasha K. As we reported, Cardi won big in the case yesterday -- the jury found Tasha liable for all 3 claims against her for telling several damaging lies about Cardi.

The rapper was flanked by her attorneys as she thanked the jurors for reaching a "fair" decision, and she even thanked the media for encouraging her through the trial. She said reporters helped keep her strong while dealing with the "emotional distress."

She also shouted out her attorneys for nearly 3 years of work on the case.

As we told you ... Cardi was awarded $1.25 mil yesterday, and today she got an additional $1.5 million in punitive damages, plus $1.3 million for her attorney's fees.

Adele says her Vegas residency was postponed because of a massive COVID outbreak on her crew, but multiple sources connected to Caesars Palace claim the real reason the show is on ice is because Adele's displeased with the production.

Our sources say Adele was unhappy with various set pieces, a choir, the sound system and other items associated with the show. Several sources say they could not satisfy her production demands ... they say she felt numerous elements "were not good enough."

That said, we're told the folks at Caesars were "shocked" when Adele canceled at the last minute. Mind you, crews have been hard at work on every aspect of the show since at least December. One source said this was not a matter of them trying to pull it together in the 11th hour -- we're told Adele wasn't ever satisfied with the results.

As for COVID, our Caesars sources say they can't speak to Adele's crew, but the Caesars' crew was ready, willing and able, and they say they can't understand why she waited until the last minute to pull the plug.

We've reached out to her camp for comment, but no word back yet.

The singer said she and her crew had been awake for 30 straight hours to right the ship, but at the last minute, it proved too much.

Janet Jackson's revealing a painful aspect of her tight relationship with Michael Jackson -- claiming he brutally taunted her about her weight, and she says it had a lasting impact on her.

Janet opens up about her brother in the upcoming documentary, "Janet," and reportedly says Michael teased her by hurling insults like "pig, horse, slaughter hog'' during their childhood.

That might sound like typical sibling jabs -- she does say they both laughed at the time ... but JJ also says it hurt her deep down.

The 2-part docu-series premieres Friday night on A&E and Lifetime, and shows Janet discussing her weight issues, and much more about Michael -- including the molestation accusations against him and how they impacted her career.

Janet also gets into her marriages and relationships with James DeBarge, Rene Elizondo Jr., Jermaine Dupri and Wissam Al Mana ... the father of her son.

As for Michael's cruel remarks -- according to Daily Mail, Janet says in the doc ... "When you have somebody say you're too heavy, it affects you."

Tasha K tweeted about the verdict, saying "My Husband, Attorney’s, & I fought really hard. I want to thank them for their long hours and sleepless nights. Winos it’s only up from here. See y’all in a few days. Back to work."

Cardi B claimed a blogger made up harmful lies about her on the internet, which is ringing true with the jury ... which just sided with her in federal court.

The rapper won her libel case against Tasha K, whom she sued for posting videos where she alleged, among other things, CB was a prostitute who dabbled in drugs and had contracted STIs.

After a week-plus long trial, Tasha was found liable on 3 separate claims and ordered to pay Cardi $1.25 million in general damages and $250k for medical expenses.

Cardi called BS on Tasha, suing her back in 2019 when the blogger refused to take down the damaging posts.

CB even went on the witness stand during the trial and testified she was suicidal during this period as a direct result of Tasha's stories.

Looks like she made an impact with jurors -- she and her attorneys, Lisa Moore, Sarah Matz and William Pequignot scored a big W, and can close the book on this mess, for now.

Taylor Swift has a zero-tolerance policy for folks saying she doesn't write her own music ... and, as a result, the lead singer of Blur and Gorillaz just caught her wrath.

Taylor responded to a Los Angeles Times article quoting Damon Albarn's thoughts about current top-charting artists. He said, "'Billie Eilish? "I think she’s exceptional" -- but his take on Taylor? "She doesn’t write her own songs."

Oh, no he didn't. 😤

Taylor fired right back at Damon -- "I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging."

Taylor's producer, Jack Antonoff, also jumped to her defense, pointing out Albarn's never been in a studio to see Taylor do what she does. Jack told Damon, "if you were there ... cool ... go off. if not... maybe ... shut the f**k up?"

T-Swift's not hiding her disappointment and anger, she tagged Damon in her tweet, and added ... "You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really f**ked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW."

Ye and Scooter Braun, can take the back seat ... Taylor's got a new nemesis!!!

Kanye West and Julia Fox are two peas in a pod -- but for Paris Fashion Week, that pod’s made of cow.

The couple stepped out together Monday to attend the Schiaparelli Couture show ... wearing matching black outfits, no less.

Ye and Julia were in all-leather getups from head to toe -- quite literally in Kanye’s case, specifically. The guy was wearing a full head mask with small slits for his eyes ... sorta like a Lucha libre wrestler. And, per usual, he had those boots on again.

Julia, meanwhile, was going for more of a "Black Swan" look upstairs, wearing exaggerated eye shadow that streaked across her face. Indeed, they were going with a pretty futuristic look for sure -- reminiscent of "The Matrix," even.

Look, we're just gonna say it ... Morticia and Gomez never looked better! (*snap, snap)

Anyway, they were far from the only American stars on hand -- Pusha T touched down in Paris as well, and so did Tyler, the Creator ... so Ye and JF are in good company.

Kanye and Julia have been on the move nonstop since this weekend, it seems. Before jetting off to France, they were in Miami hanging with DJ Khaled ... rocking out in his studio and sharing gifts.

R. Kelly's former manager, James Mason, agreed to stay away from R. Kelly's girlfriend, her dad and their family for good ... as a result, his terroristic threats case was dismissed.

A spokesperson for the Henry County D.A.'s office, tells TMZ ... the case against Mr. Mason was dismissed last month in exchange for him agreeing to a permanent protective order that prohibits him from having any contact with Kelly's girlfriend, her father, and their family.

In addition, the spokesperson tells us the victim also signed a permanent protective order not to contact Mason.

As we reported, Joycelyn Savage's father told us ... Mason called him back in 2018 and threatened him, saying ... "I'm gonna do harm to you and your family, when I see you I'm gonna get you, I'm going to f***ing kill you."

An arrest warrant was issued for felony terroristic threats and Mason eventually turned himself in. He was released on a $10k bond, and now we've learned the case is a thing of the past.

As you know, Kelly's GF Joycelyn has stuck by his side and adamantly denied she's being held against her will, but her parents believe that is not the case. For years, they say she has been brainwashed and have tried to get her to come home.

Demonstrators have descended upon Washington D.C. to protest against COVID mandates -- and, ironically, they’re blasting music from someone who just succumbed to the virus.

Thousands of people flooded into the National Mall Sunday and gathered at the base of both the Washington Monument and even more packed in front of the Lincoln Memorial ... and wouldn’t you know it, they were playing a Meat Loaf song to get themselves fired up.

The tune blaring over the speakers was ML’s “I’d Do Anything for Love” -- which we suppose is sorta in theme with what the anti-mandate crowd was there for. Song’s all about how one guy would do a lot for a woman he loves, but has a line he won’t cross ... which, presumably, applies to their attitudes toward federal and local policies?

Of course, Meat Loaf himself was against mandates -- having been outspoken about Australia’s lockdowns through much of the pandemic. Sadly enough, Meat Loaf literally just died last week after contracting coronavirus. It’s unclear if he was vaccinated or not.

The protests in D.C. today are expected to draw tens of thousands ... this not too long after the annual March for Life rally this weekend. So far, they're talking freedom, MLK, the constitution ... and a lot of other things they believe align with their vision of the country.

It appears to be peaceful thus far -- and there aren't many counter-protesters either ... which might mean these folks will have the day and space to themselves to push their message.

Kanye West's minivan may not come with little juice box holders -- but it's got swivel seats, custom speakers and TVs big enough for a living room -- all tools to get him in dad mode.

Kanye's been spotted whipping around L.A. lately in a 1-of-1 custom luxury Mercedes-Benz van ... less horsepower than the Lamborghinis we usually see him drive, but it still comes with a hefty price tag of more than $400,000!!!

We're told the vans are sold exclusively by RD Whittington, owner of Wires Only in L.A. and Miami.

Ye's version is called Executive Style, seats 7 and features multiple TV screens, fully reclining and swiveling chairs ... as well as a sound system to rival a recording studio.

We've obtained some photos from inside different versions of the van, Kanye's is almost exactly like the one with red leather seats -- but you can see the insane light and interior options that come with these suped-up minivans.

RD will show off more crazy rides on the Jamie Foxx-produced "Million Dollar Wheels" ... which premieres February 21 on Discovery Plus.

When you think about it, Ye's vehicle makes a lot of sense ... he's got 4 kids to drive around AND a new album on the way. So, the available seating and impressive audio setup are a perfect fit for his needs.

We saw Kanye out to grab some ice cream Thursday in the van -- he had a massive smile on his face when a fan told him he was an "awesome dad."

Kanye West might be able to swap out the boots he's been wearing for weeks on end for something more comfortable and caj -- and it's all thanks to DJ Khaled hooking him up!

DJK gifted Ye a sweet pair of Jordans Saturday during what appears to have been a hangout/collab session at Khaled's pad down in Miami ... where KW was with his crew, and his new boo too -- Julia Fox.

Anyway, check out the sneakers Khaled had all lined up ... and how Kanye reacts upon receiving 'em. It's a super nice gesture, especially considering how rare they apparently are. As Khaled notes, there's only 100 pairs made ... and lucky enough he had some in Kanye's size.

Khaled says he can use the shoes for an upcoming Fashion Week event that Ye's supposed to be attending ... and Kanye seems appreciative of the present.

Of course, they didn't just talk kicks during their time together ... indeed, it looks like Ye and Khaled got to work on some actual music -- much of which was teased on his social media.

No word on what their collab might sound like just yet, but it sure seems Ye and Khaled were feeling it ... dancing around the studio like two little kids having the time of their lives. This is far from their first time making music with one another -- but it's been a while, no doubt.

Justin Bieber needs to vacate the Prince of Pop throne immediately, because his replacement's ready to take a seat -- and that person would be ... The Weeknd.

Abel just hit a new milestone that places him a notch above JB -- at least as far as Spotify numbers are concerned. The Weeknd has become the #1 artist with the most monthly listeners on the music app ... clocking in at about 85.6 million.

That's a healthy amount more than where the Biebs was last year, when he claimed the top spot at 83.3 mil ... and having held the record since for a consecutive 190 days.

Of course, if you've been following along ... you know Abel's been hot on Justin's tail for a minute -- even when the latter hit that benchmark, The Weeknd was #2 at the time ... and with the release of his new hit album, "Dawn FM," it seems to have put him over the top.

The record is getting rave reviews, and is soaring on the charts too -- this not too long after 2020's wildly successful run with "After Hours" ... which is still helping Abel to this day, we're sure.

Now, while The Weeknd is technically deserving of the Prince of Pop title with the achievement ... some say he's still got some work to do, because Justin's got a little leverage on him with an all-time high Spotify record that no one seems to have matched just yet.

While TW has surpassed Justin's average monthly listeners ... it looks like Bieber might hold the ultimate honor, after hitting a peak of 94.6M listeners at one point during his reign.

Adele is super upset over pulling the plug on her Vegas shows, and she offered some of her fans a drink as a token of her gratitude for sticking with her ... but then she quickly took it back. We can explain.

Adele FaceTimed a group of fans who flew to Vegas to watch her kick off her residency Friday night at Caesars Palace. As we reported, Adele put the show on ice for now, because she says half her crew has COVID and certain set pieces haven't arrived ... presumably a supply chain issue.

Well, somehow Adele ended up FaceTiming with a bunch of young fans and offered them a drink token as a token of her appreciation. But, then she realized most were underage so she quickly took it back!

She pivoted and offered them a free gift back at her pop-up store ... which had Adele-emblazoned clothes and other items inside. BTW ... the sweatshirts are priced between $90 and $110 a pop. And, hilariously, she was selling "Cry Your Heart Out" packages of Kleenex.

There's been mixed reaction to Adele postponing her shows. Lots of fans say they understand, but some say Adele should have gone on with the show, even if it was just sitting on a stool and singing, because her voice is why people come.

Lots of people ended up spending a fortune to see the show ... some of the seats cost $12k and even more. There are also hotel and airline expenses.

Julia Fox is scoffing at folks who think she's a clout chaser for dating Kanye West, saying she's so not in it for the fame.

Julia addressed the doubters on her "Forbidden Fruits" podcast Friday, saying she couldn't care less about the attention she's getting.

The "Uncut Gems" star put it this way ... "People are like 'Oh, you're only in it for the fame, you're in it for the clout, you're in it for the money.' Honey, I've dated billionaires my entire adult life, let's keep it real."

Well, dating a billionaire doesn't automatically raise your profile ... but dating Kanye sure does.  But, she goes in hard, saying fame's not her thing anymore.

And, speaking of fame, Julia talked about partying with Ye, Madonna, Antonio Brown, Floyd Mayweather, etc at a restaurant a few days back. She says ... "I was actually supposed to be at dinner for just Madonna and I. All of these other celebs crashed [the party]."

Meat Loaf would stick to the old adage of the show must go on, and Caleb Johnson -- who sings in the late rocker's band -- says that's exactly what the Neverland Express plans to do.

The season 13 'American Idol' champ is doing his best to fill Meat's shoes on the BAT tour, and he tells TMZ ... he's confident the boss wouldn't want them to quit just because he's no longer here.

Instead, Caleb says Meat Loaf's band will keep plugging along with their Music of Meat Loaf shows ... and they're planning some tributes to the man behind the music.

Caleb got Meat Loaf's blessing a few years back to become the lead singer for Neverland Express ... and they've been touring since 2018, with Meat Loaf even joining them on stage last year during a show in Nashville.

As you know ... Meat Loaf died Thursday night after falling critically ill with COVID.

It's a sad moment for the rock world, but Caleb says the band plans to take the stage for its next scheduled show Feb. 4 in Uncasville, CT ... because that's what Meat Loaf would have wanted.

Still, Caleb admits he will be feeling the pressure to keep Meat's legacy alive ... explaining why it's so hard to sing the man's famous rock tunes.

Meat Loaf deserves a heap of honors, so a very famous pizza joint is heaping a ton of meatloaf on its pies to celebrate the singer/actor's life.

Mulberry Pizza in Bev Hills -- owned by Richie Palmer (ex-hubby of Raquel Welch) -- is making a special pizza Monday to honor Meat Loaf.

Richie is a huge Meat Loaf fan -- his jam is "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" -- and he tells us it's the least he can do.

The pie looks delish -- it's got meatloaf, of course, basil, cheese and some spices.

Richie put a sign outside one of his Bev Hills locations that says, "Monday in honor of Meat Loaf, meatloaf pizza slice! RIP."

Universal Studios has pissed off some moviegoers whose jam is clearly Ana de Armas ... and they're outraged she was advertised as a star of the film, "Yesterday," but ended up on the cutting room floor.

Two consumers say they plunked down $3.99 to watch the movie about the dude who hits his head and wakes up to discover he's the only person in the world who knows the entire Beatles catalog.

Ana was originally cast to co-star in the film. According to the suit, although Ana appeared in the trailer and various advertisements, she was not in the flick. It's unclear why she ended up on the cutting room floor.

The 2 named plaintiffs are particularly pissed off ... in the trailer, the main character sings the song, "Something" to Ana, but it's nowhere to be seen on screen.

Well, now there's a class-action lawsuit for those who rented the movie in California or Maryland. The class is defined as everyone who purchased the movie, but fact is ... there are probably a lot of people who don't care one way or the other if Ana is in the flick.

What's more ... we're assuming each consumer would get a maximum of $3.99 -- the cost to rent the movie. The lawsuit is for $5 million, so the ones who will make out like a bandit -- the lawyers!

BTW ... the movie was a hit, grossing $150 million.