Music

All Aretha Franklin's family's asking is for the Motion Picture Academy to show Jennifer Hudson a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T ... and its failure to even nominate her isn’t sitting well with them.

Aretha’s niece, Sabrina Owens, tells TMZ she’s disappointed about the Oscar snub because she feels JH did a fantastic job in the biopic, "Respect" -- one worthy of recognition, and feels her aunt would’ve agreed.

She also says the film project was Aretha’s baby while she was alive -- she was heavily involved in shepherding it to production, and even hand-picked Jennifer for the lead role.

Sabrina explains ... her aunt was a perfectionist who took pride in her work, and would’ve liked to see an Oscar nod for Jennifer’s turn.

Ditto for Brenda Franklin Corbit, Aretha’s first cousin and former backup singer. She tells us she’s heartbroken about Jennifer being left out, adding the Academy made a huge mistake ... as she feels JH poured her heart and soul into the role and knocked it out of the park.

And get this ... Brenda even suggests Aretha would’ve been seriously upset about the exclusion because she definitely had Oscar on her mind while putting the whole thing together.

It kinda goes without saying, but Brenda hopes Jennifer knows the Franklin family at large thinks she made Aretha proud ... and they consider her one of their own.

The Hudson snub is one of many that people are up in arms about. In addition to her, Lady Gaga fans are crying foul for her not getting a nom for "House of Gucci."

Fact is there's always disappointment with the Academy after Oscar noms come out -- can't win ‘em all, after all -- but dissing the Queen of Soul?

Caleb Kennedy -- a finalist on the last season of "American Idol" - was arrested Tuesday for felony DUI ... cops say he crashed his car into a building, killing someone inside.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol tells TMZ ... Caleb was behind the wheel of a 2011 Ford pickup truck when the vehicle struck a building on a private drive.

Police say there was a person inside the building who sustained fatal injuries as a result of a collision. Caleb was arrested and charged with felony DUI resulting in death ... and the 17-year-old is still in police custody.

As you can see, photos from the crash scene show a truck lodged into what appears to be a detached garage ... and there's a ton of damage.

SCHP says the crash is under investigation.

You'll recall ... Caleb was one of the final 5 contestants last year on 'Idol' but he exited the show when a video surfaced showing him sitting next to someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan-like hood.

Before his unceremonious exit, Caleb wowed 'Idol' judges and fans with his rendition of Coldplay's hit, "Violet Hill," in what ended up being his final performance on the show.

Nelly is apologizing for a video of him receiving oral sex which, somehow, got posted on his social media -- and he says the old clip was never meant to see the light of day.

The "Hot In Herre" rapper started trending Tuesday on Twitter after his IG story briefly included an uncensored video of a woman performing oral sex. The video was quickly deleted, but not before folks were able to capture screen recordings and repost.

Nelly tells TMZ ... "I sincerely apologize to the young lady and her family, this is unwanted publicity for her/them. This was an old video that was private and never meant to go public."

As for how it ended up getting on his Instagram account?

A UK zoo is calling in the big guns to get its monkeys some sexual healing ... yes, that means a Marvin Gaye impersonator doing his best to get the primates in the mood!!!

The Trentham Monkey Forest in England is doing mating season big this year, hiring the singer to perform some classic Marvin hits -- naturally including "Let's Get it On."

David Largie is the man doing the serenading inside the zoo's monkey enclosure -- and since it's mating season, Park Director Matt Lovatt said "We thought it could be a creative way to encourage our females to show a little affection to males that might not have been so lucky in love."

So, basically, they're hoping Marvin's songs can get even the loneliest of monkeys laid!

Makes sense ... these classics have been promoting human hookups for decades now.

The park is hoping all of this musical foreplay results in a record number of baby monkeys being born this year.

Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to f*** with -- and neither is Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s widow ... 'cause now, she's taking the group's company to court.

Icelene Jones, the administrator of ODB’s estate, filed suit against Wu-Tang Clan Productions ... an org she says her hubby -- along with Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and GZA -- signed a contract with back in 1992 ... which she alleges entitled those members to half of pretty much all the music they put out.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jones claims that the agreement also obligated the company to pay ODB no less than 50% of net royalties from the exploitation of his image or likeness.

ODB died back in 2004, but his widow insists that the old contract still requires the company to continue paying Dirt McGirt's estate. However, Jones says she hasn't gotten what her late husband is owed ... and hasn't been able to get proper accountings from the company since at least 2011.

While she acknowledges at least a few payments have been made to her -- including a recent one for $130K back in July 2021 -- she alleges that’s nowhere near what’s actually due. Jones is claiming breach of contract and wants no less than a million bucks in damages.

Drill Music is starting to get silenced in NYC ... but homegrown artists like Fivio Foreign are fighting to keep it afloat.

We got Fivio leaving The Palm in New York ... after having meetings regarding what seems to be the future of Drill Music on the airwaves. He said the meeting went well and feels like a step in the right direction.

When asked about the possibility of Drill artists getting indicted for their violent lyrics, Fivio called it BS, saying "That means you gotta go lock up Denzel for being a bad cop in "Training Day"!"

He says music is an art form where people can express themselves in the only way they know how, and it's unfair to single out one genre of music, or one community of people.

In case you're unfamiliar, Drill is a style of trap music that's been mainstream for the past decade, with artists like Chief Keef and Lil Durk associated -- as well as Fivio Foreign.

It's known for its violent and gritty lyrics... which is why the city of NYC has been trying to shut it down.

The NYPD claims Drill is making gang violence in their city worse, pointing to its lyrics as a source of inspiration for shootings. While they say it isn't a blatant cause of violence, at the end of the day, they believe it's a strong influence.

Kanye West might have more people in his corner than some anticipated -- including Travis Scott ... and yet ANOTHER Kim K doppelganger.

Ye had a huge get-together Monday night in L.A. with tons of stars coming out for the listening party he held to celebrate his forthcoming album "DONDA 2" -- and the event ended up producing two big stops around town.

First, everyone chowed down at Nobu in Malibu ... with KW walking in wearing a tank top that showed off his toned physique. Not long after that, model Chaney Jones followed him in as well ... and no, you’re not crazy. She's nearly a dead ringer for the rapper’s estranged wife -- from the makeup, down to her outfit.

Anyway, Jones was far from the only person who showed up for Kanye -- like we said, Kylie’s baby daddy also rolled through, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ye on the way out. French Montana was on hand, as was Offset -- and, eventually, they all left for their next destination in West Hollywood.

The gang hit the Sunny Vodka party at the Nice Guy next - which was thrown by Stas Karanikolaou - and that's where the party really got started -- with the likes of Drake, Hailey Bieber and even Kendall Jenner rolling through for the good time. Mr. West’s new Kim clone also went, BTW ... although they were never photographed together at any point.

A couple things we can glean from this -- one, it would seem Kanye’s still got mad love and support from some very famous people in Hollywood ... including a good handful who are very much in the Kardashian inner circle -- this even after recent public and ugly spats with Kim.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, it would appear Ye’s moved on to another woman ... or at the very least, roped another one into his orbit.

There was no sign of Julia Fox anywhere here, and there have been rumors they've gone their separate ways. Not just that, but Kanye was apparently seen hanging with Chaney last week too -- so yeah, seems he’s already on to the next.

Katharine McPhee is saying goodbye to a very special friend ... one she adopted late in life to show her love and happiness in her remaining few years.

We're talking about Wilma ... the rescue dog Katharine took in a few years back. What makes this special is that Wilma was 12, so Katharine knew she would not have the dog for very long, but she wanted her to enjoy her sunset years.

Katharine posted her tribute Monday night ... "Here's a little tribute to my girl Wilma… also known as Willy… ”

She went on ... "Wherever she went her tongue was hanging out without fail." "She traveled the world with me. Was at every rehearsal for my first Broadway show… Thank you Willy for all the great years."

Katharine's gotta be struggling with this, but she clearly gave the best life to Wilma that she possibly could. Great job, Ms. McPhee.

Tyga just got some more good news in his domestic violence case ... we've learned he will NOT be hit with any criminal charges, as long as he stays out of trouble.

Tyga's case has been set for a hearing with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, where he'll sit down with prosecutors to talk about how to better handle domestic disputes in the future.

That's the educational part of this ... the other caveat is Tyga's got to keep his close nose clean, legally speaking, for the next year. If he doesn't, prosecutors could end up filing misdemeanor charges in the case -- so, they're still dangling that carrot.

TMZ broke the story ... Tyga was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in October after his ex-girlfriend, Camaryn Swanson, accused him of putting his hands on her when they got in an argument at the rapper's home.

Tyga turned himself in to police and his bail was set at $50k.

The allegations haven't stopped Tyga from spending time with Camaryn -- as we previously reported, the exes are easing back into hanging out again.

Machine Gun Kelly is clapping back at all the haters making fun of him for not knowing there's no halftime in hockey ... saying, "You know what I'm saying!"

The "My Ex's Best Friend" artist was trolled relentlessly on Saturday after he tweeted that he'd be performing at "half time" of the NHL All-Star Game.

Hockey fans proceeded to ride Megan Fox's future hubby hard ... getting after him for not knowing there's three periods in the sport.

Finally, after two days of online bashing ... MGK just released a video explaining himself, essentially telling people to get off his back.

"I know nothing about sports!" MGK said. "But you know what I'm saying! You know what I'm saying? When they're not playing, I'm going to be performing. You know what I'm saying?!"

We get it ... it's confusing, most sports do feature four quarters with one halftime -- and the idea of two intermissions instead of one half is a little strange.

Shawn Mendes is going on a cleanse in Hawaii ... with a sexy shaman and what appears to be an exotic plant medicine blown straight up his nose.

Check out these photos of SM sitting down to meditate with a woman on a remote beach in Hawaii ... possibly using a healing and cleansing medicine found in the Amazon. Shawn sits cross-legged as the woman leans in and blows into a pipe shoved up one of his nostrils.

The singer seems to be in the middle of a sacred ritual using a legal shamanic medicine called Rapé made from medicinal plants, seeds, trees and leaves ... with tradition calling for it to be blown through a bone or bamboo pipe.

The mixture is said to re-align and open chakras, release any sicknesses or negative thoughts, clear the mind and ground one's emotions ... and it supposedly works best in a quiet place while sitting upright and cross-legged.

SM turning to shaman rituals is interesting ... considering he's only a few months removed from his split with Camila Cabello after dating for more than a couple years.

After the meditation session, Shawn and his shaman also chatted over coffee and went for a hike along the cliffs ... with lots of laughs and smiles.

The guy's been going all in on nature in Hawaii ... even going shirtless and breaking out a walking stick.

Billie Joe Armstrong says one of his prized cars and a bunch of band gear were stolen recently, most likely by some real "American Idiots" ... and now we've learned cops are on the case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that between Friday night and Saturday morning, the suspects entered a commercial business in Costa Mesa, CA. Cops say the vehicle that was stolen was a white, two-door 1962 Chevrolet Nova.

Other than the car, police say the unknown individuals also took two electric guitars and an amp -- quite the haul to walk away with.

Not only did Armstrong ask his followers to help him track down the Chevy, but police are urging anyone with information on this burglary to contact the Costa Mesa Police Department.

T-Pain is posing an interesting question about Joe Rogan -- what exactly are people angry about ... perceived harmful content in general, or is the outrage strictly personal?

The singer dished his thoughts about the ever-evolving Rogan saga this weekend in L.A. -- while celebrating the release of his new track, "That's Just Tips," at Nightingale. He says ... yeah, Rogan's use of the n-word is ugly and perhaps even worthy of "cancelation."

In the same breath, TP also acknowledges what Spotify has confirmed -- namely, that JR isn't going anywhere ... and in T's mind, the reason for that is cold, hard cash.

Fact is, Rogan was an expensive buy for the streaming giant -- $100 million, to be exact -- and it's precisely because of that, from T-Pain's POV, that they won't get rid of him. As he puts it, they have to get every cent they spent out of Joe.

With all that said, T-Pain also wonders if the same energy people have for Joe Rogan at the moment is merely selective -- because he says, if folks are truly perturbed by what they consider dangerous rhetoric, why not nix a lot of raps songs too???

If Rihanna and A$AP Rocky need any help coming up with a name for their new baby, there's another rapper who has them covered -- Remy Ma.

We caught up with the rapper/mommy leaving Won World Studios in NYC, and she suggested Rihanna and Rocky name their baby something that starts with the letter 'R' ... like their names.

Hmm ... now what name would Remy suggest??? 🤔

As far as Rihanna being a new mom in the music biz, Remy says she can absolutely have it all ... ya know, a great career, a new baby, a family, etc.

As a mom of a 3-year-old, Remy says sometimes it's hard but women can do everything … "We wear all the hats. We run things. We run the world, as Bey says." She adds ... when you love something -- like your family and your career -- ya just make it happen.

And if RiRi needs any examples ... she gives a nod to herself and Cardi B.

Unless you've been comatose recently, you know by now ... Rihanna and A$AP are expecting their first child together.

Action Bronson added his signature to another random food item, but this time it wasn't a pizza crust ... it was an L.A. street hot dog!!!

Ya gotta see the video ... Action's leaving a show at the Hollywood Palladium and signing autographs when some fans come up and ask him to rate their street meat.

Action, who famously hosted a food show called "F***, That's Delicious," gives the guys something way better than a rating ... he uses his sharpie for a John Hancock, then tosses the pen skyward.

As you see, Action signs half the bun, along with some of the wrapping ... and the fans absolutely eat it up -- the autograph, not the dog, although they may have scarfed that down too.

Action, who is currently on his NBA Leather tour, is known for blending rap with food and signing all sorts of things ... like fan's faces and pizzas ... but this is the first time we've seen him leave his mark on a weiner.

Shawn Mendes went on a walk to remember -- one that we'll all be remembering, more like ... because the dude's totally shredded, and more than willing to show it off.

Check out these photos of SM on a stroll with some pals in Hawaii this weekend. As you can see, he's shirtless and putting his toned physique on full display -- this as he wore what appear to be sweat pants and a pair of sandals.

He also had a trusty walking stick on him ... which made for a good accessory for the whole man-in-nature vibe.

Shawn's been happy to flash his bod lately -- and you gotta figure he's doing it 'cause he's single and ready to mingle. Remember, he and his now-ex-GF Camila Cabello broke it off a few months ago ... this after dating for at least a couple years.

With that in mind, it's no wonder he's letting it all hang out ... 'cause what's not to like?!? Be it on the beach or in the great Hawaiian outdoors, Shawn seems ready to lose his top at moment's notice.

On another note ... it seems Shawn is pretty taken with the island landscape -- he posted some photos and video of him adventuring out there ... and even suggested he may make a move.