Music

21 Savage's battle over his immigration status isn't moving forward, and it all has to do with his criminal case ... this according to the artist's lawyer.

21's immigration attorney Charles Kuck tells TMZ ... the pending criminal charges basically paused the rapper's now 3-year-long immigration case -- and nothing will happen on that front until the criminal case in DeKalb County wraps up.

As we reported, 21 was detained by ICE officials way back in 2019 ... agents say he had been illegally living in the U.S. for years after his visa expired.

Authorities later claimed the rapper threw out a bottle of codeine during that ICE arrest ... and they say a handgun was also found in his vehicle.

Here's the crazy part -- the Dekalb D.A. didn't even formally charge 21 with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm until January of this year. Think about it, a whole worldwide pandemic came and went before that much happened, and as a result ... he's still in limbo as to where he'll end up living.

BTW, we're told there are currently no pending court dates for the criminal case, so this ain't ending anytime soon.

Savage's lawyer says his client is still allowed to travel domestically, but can't leave the U.S. because he has no visa to reenter the country.

Drakeo the Ruler was overlooked in the Grammys' In Memoriam segment -- and his brother is fuming ... with some choice words for the Academy.

Ralfy the Plug -- DTR's sibling -- tells TMZ ... "On behalf of Drakeo The Ruler, Ketchy The Great and The Stinc Team, it comes off as a spit in the face disregarding the facts that we’ve created an entire movement that generated the momentum for underground emerging L.A. artists to have a platform."

Ketchy, another rapper who was affiliated with Drakeo, also died in 2021 -- and he too wasn't mentioned in the In Memoriam slideshow. Granted, he wasn't nearly as famous.

In any case, Ralfy continues with this barb about cops and free speech ... "Let alone the reality that we lost my Brother, Drakeo The Ruler, the poster child for systematic prejudices against rappers by law enforcement using lyrics against our culture and violating what they call our constitutional rights of freedom of speech- The First Amendment."

Ralfy also notes Drakeo was slain while doing what he loved most ... performing his music. He was stabbed in the neck when he was backstage at an L.A. music festival. The attacker is still on the loose.

He ends by saying, "Leaving Drakeo out of their tribute and by not giving him any acknowledgment of his existence sums up exactly what we feel the industry has been trying to do. Erase us."

Ralfy also says he and the fam appreciate all the love and support they've gotten from the rest of the community ... and promises to keep the truth alive. As you know, Ralfy actually sued the concert promoters for whom Drakeo was working the night he was stabbed.

London native and singer Jay Sean took over 2009 with his breakout album "All Or Nothing" ... which included the hit singles "Down" and "Do You Remember."

The popular songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 making Sean the first solo artist of South Asian descent to achieve such greatness, but 2009 was a big year for the British artist for other reasons ... he also tied the knot to singer and model Thara Natalie.

The couple's family grew in 2013 when they added a daughter to their impressive list of creations.

"Baby, are you down, down, down, down, down?"

The Kidd Creole -- a rap pioneer from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- has been convicted in the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced Wednesday a New York supreme court jury found the rap legend guilty of first-degree manslaughter.

As we reported ... The Kidd Creole was arrested and charged back in August 2017 in connection with a homeless man's fatal stabbing in NYC.

The D.A. says prosecutors proved at trial The Kid Creole was walking past the homeless man on the street when the two exchanged words, with TKC walking past the man before eventually turning around, confronting him and stabbing him twice in the torso with a steak knife.

Prosecutors say a group of tourists discovered the man's body in the street minutes after the stabbing, and he was transported to a hospital where he died of his stab wounds.

The D.A. says The Kidd Creole left the scene and fled 2 blocks away to his office, where he changed clothes and cleaned the knife in a sink. Prosecutors say TKC left the office after about 15 minutes, boarded the subway and tossed the knife in a sewer near a Bronx subway station, which was recovered the next day by NYPD officers, leading to his arrest.

Kanye West is already a very wealthy man, but his bailing on Coachella left an enormous amount of money on the table ... millions and millions of dollars.

Sources with direct knowledge of the deal tell us ... Ye's deal was $8 million for his 2-weekend-long Sunday headlining gig. We're told in addition to that, Coachella was dishing out $500,000 in production costs.

However, while Kanye and his team only alerted Coachella festival that he was backing out at the last minute, it appears he hadn't been serious about taking the Coachella stage for quite some time, if ever.

Our Kanye sources say Ye really hadn't seriously rehearsed for a performance that some artists take months to prepare for. We're told he did have a team in place that was actively talking to Coachella producers, but there was still a ton of work to be done.

We're told the Coachella producers were caught completely off guard, with no plan B.

TMZ broke the story -- Kanye's spot has been filled by The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia. Our sources say The Weeknd will earn the same amount as Kanye.

Page Six was first to report the money.

Tory Lanez is sticking up for his hair, telling the world his alopecia is to blame for the bald spot on the back of his head ... something that's been the focus of recent jokes online.

Tory wrote on Twitter Wednesday after loads of people piled on after noticing the rapper's hair was thin in a video of him leaving an L.A. County courthouse, saying, "i rap about it all the time …it’s alopecia…. What’s the big deal."

Of course, the hair-loss condition is front of mind for a lot of people after Chris Rock's joke at Jada Pinkett's expense which targeted her short hair. Jada has alopecia, and her hubby Will Smith obviously thought the joke was in poor taste ... leading to the slap.

Unclear if 29-year-old Tory really has the hair condition or if he's joking at Jada's expense.

As we reported, the artist was handcuffed in court Tuesday in L.A., during a hearing about a violation of Meg Thee Stallion's protective order. Tory tweeted about her in February, addressing Meg as "U" -- the order states he isn't allowed to mention her at all.

K-Pop superstar BamBam and the Warriors are teaming up once again -- this time, the GOT7 rapper released a merch collab with his favorite NBA squad ... and a huge group of Warriors fans gave up their Wednesday morning to get their hands on it!!

Remember, BamBam -- the Warriors' global ambassador this season -- helped GSW hooper Andrew Wiggins secure a spot in the All-Star Game in February ... calling on his millions of social media followers to vote for the 27-year-old forward.

BamBam's newest Dubs collab is proving to be just as successful ... with a long line forming outside the Chase Center team shop as fans try to snag the exclusive merch.

The shirts and hoodies feature a yellow, blue and red basketball being held up by the iconic K-Pop finger heart, as well as the BB logo and his favorite number -- 97.

There's also another design with BamBam's name, #97 and a ball going through a hoop.

The merch drop comes one day before BamBam's performance during halftime of the Dubs' matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers ... which is believed to be the first K-Pop performance in NBA history.

Steve Aoki's a great DJ -- but clearly a horrible Shaun White impressionist ... 'cause he comically failed at trying to hit a backflip on the slopes this week.

The 44-year-old posted video of his attempt at the difficult snowboarding trick on Tuesday -- and it's pretty hilarious.

In the footage, you can see Aoki in a blizzard hitting a ramp at full speed ... before launching himself into the air and slamming into the powder below him.

To his credit, he did get nearly all the way around -- but before he could land the trick, he pounded the snow hard.

"Still feeling this tbh," Aoki said of the failed stunt.

The DJ, though, seems to be pretty good on the board nonetheless -- and in a TikTok, he posted later Tuesday, you can see he's actually got at least some skills on the mountain.

Drake might be the most successful music act on the planet, but the dude can't buy a bucket against NBA star Kyle Lowry ... 'cause the Heat guard says he whopped his ass in one-on-one!!

Remember, the 2019 world champ accepted Drizzy's challenge to face off against each other in Miami back in January ... with footage showing the "Way 2 Sexy" rapper bricking a 3-pointer.

Lowry revealed more details about the pickup game in an interview with Complex this week ... saying the 6 God simply can't hang with his skills.

"Yeah, I beat his ass," Lowry said. "Yeah, no chance. Drake, don’t try me again, boy."

Lowry says Drake begs him to play ones every time they're in the same city ... despite the same outcome every time.

"As a competitor, you got to appreciate it," he added. "But yeah, he don’t want that smoke."

Lowry admits he thinks Drizzy has been working hard on his game ... and applauds his dedication to the craft.

"He’s gotten better, though. He's gotten better, man. I think he's working on his jump shot a lot, working on his handle a lot. I think really from the time I’ve first seen him to the time now, he’s gotten a lot better."

The honchos at Coachella have found their replacement act to fill Kanye's slot as headliner for the biggest night of the festival -- The Weeknd will join Swedish House Mafia.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Abel has agreed to the gig, and Swedish House Mafia -- who was supposed to headline Friday night -- will now go Sunday. The pairing makes a lot of sense, the two have the hit song "Moth to a Flame" together, released just this year.

SHM and The Weeknd also both have the same management team, under SALXCO ... so both sides were already familiar.

What's more ... the performance marks SHM's big return to the desert as well as a sort of kickoff to their album "Paradise Again," which will release April 15 followed by a world tour this summer.

We're told at this time it's unclear exactly how the show will work, if one will perform before the other, or if they'll switch off throughout the set ... however, we're told given time constraints to get a show ready, Weeknd's show will likely be shorter than usual, and he's essentially a bonus to what would've already been a kickass SHM set.

TMZ broke the story -- The Weeknd, Silk Sonic and Red Hot Chili Peppers were on the organizer's short list of acts to take Kanye's spot ... Silk Sonic shut it down, as Bruno Mars didn't believe there was enough time to get a worthy show together.

However, our sources say there were some other names being considered by organizers as well, including Justin Bieber and Travis Scott. We're told Travis was unable to get a show together because of time constraints.

Of course, Travis was supposed to headline in 2020 -- but that was canceled because of COVID -- and again in 2022, but Coachella canceled his performance after the tragedy at Astroworld. Obviously, it's a good sign for TS fans wanting to see him back on mainstream festival stages if Coachella execs were willing to start talks back up with his team.

Rapper Goonew's family thinks those criticizing the memorial service for the artist, where his dead body was propped up on stage at a D.C. nightclub, is nobody else's business ... because the service went down exactly as he would've wanted it.

The artist's mother and sister, Patrice and Ariana Morrow, tell TMZ ... when they first met with the funeral home, Patrice made it clear she didn't want anyone looking down on her son. They wanted him to be propped up on display after seeing other services do something similar.

The crown on his head was the funeral home's idea ... because he was known as the "King of Maryland." His family says he was the life of the party and loved to have fun, so they knew he wouldn't have wanted a somber funeral.

Prior to Goonew's death, Ariana says her brother made it clear he did not want to be buried in a suit. The family tells us the 24-year-old rapper didn't go to church, which would've made a casket and being dressed in a suit come off as phony. They decided to dress him in his regular clothes, making him appear as he would've if he were still alive.

His family says they've received tons of love and support from those who knew the former DMV rapper. Following the service, he was taken by horse-drawn carriage through his neighborhood, before being buried at the cemetery.

Before this girl decked out in pink and flowers turned into a child actress and singer, she was just a southern gal brightening up the world with her two older siblings.

This little flower girl skyrocketed to fame when she landed a starring role on a Nickelodeon show centered around Pacific Coast Academy. After taking a hiatus from the entertainment industry, she recently jumped back into the swing of things, as she released a book, a country music album and even stepped back into acting.

Still not too sure who this young, blonde lady could be? You can catch her in Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias."

Coachella organizers are hard at work figuring out who will take Kanye's headlining Sunday spot at the festival -- and we've learned of 2 acts at the top of the list to take over.

First, who's out. We're told the organizers were hot for Silk Sonic, the dynamic duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. The pair make a lot of sense, coming off a clean sweep at The Grammys, including Record of the Year for "Leave the Door Open."

We're told Bruno Mars shut it down, saying there wasn't enough time for them to get a proper show together in time for Coachella.

As for who's still in play -- there's The Weeknd, who is coming off an insane year on the charts -- a new album and an upcoming stadium tour. We're told there's been talks between both sides, which stalled at one point ... but there's still a chance he takes the stage in some capacity.

Our sources say organizers were testing the waters to see if The Weeknd would perform a few songs along with Swedish House Mafia. They were also interested in The Weeknd as a stand-alone act. Our sources say no decision has been made.

Finally, our sources say The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a name that's being seriously considered. The group is set to hit the road this summer -- and recently played a low-key show in L.A. -- so they're ready to go. What's more, our sources say RHCP makes a lot of sense, because currently there's no major rock 'n roll act on the lineup.

One thing our sources have stressed -- there are others who are being considered, but the ones we just mentioned are at the top of the list.

Music legend Bobby Rydell, one of the first teen idols back in the 1960s, is dead.

Bobby, whose famous songs include "Volare" and "Wild One," died Tuesday. A person close to Bobby tells us he had some health issues over the last few months and was recently diagnosed with pneumonia ... which is believed to be the cause of death. We're told it was not COVID-related.

Bobby was a central part of the Philadelphia dynasty in music ... so big, streets were named after him. Paul McCartney famously said Bobby's hit, "Swinging School," served as the inspiration behind The Beatles' early mega-hit, "She Loves You."

Bobby toured as part of The Golden Boys stage production with Frankie Avalon and Fabian, and he was easily the most talented singer among the trio of teen idols.

While Bobby's mostly known for his music, he was also a talented actor ... starring on TV, stage and film, most notably a role in the movie version of "Bye Bye Birdie" with Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke.

There's even a nod to Bobby in the Broadway and film version of "Grease" ... the high school, "Rydell High," was named after him.

Bobby sold over 25 million records ... and his other hits include "Kissin' Time, "Sway," "I've Got Bonnie," "The Cha-Cha-Cha" and "Forget Him."

He was 79.

YK Osiris is in talks with the family of the 14-year-old who fell to his death from an amusement park ride, saying he wants to do his part by covering funeral expenses.

We talked to YK Tuesday at LAX, where he told us he's already talking through the process with Tyre Sampson's family. The rapper says he'd also like to be in attendance for the funeral, if they'll have him.

YK says he decided to get involved when ICON Park in Orlando, FL wasn't acting fast enough, in his opinion, so he wanted to make something happen for the family.

As we reported, 14-year-old Tyre was visiting ICON Park a few weeks ago when he fell to his death from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride. The attraction, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.

Tory Lanez was handcuffed in court and had his bail increased after a judge ruled he violated the protective order in his case with Meg Thee Stallion for talking about her on social media.

The Canadian rapper had a hearing Tuesday in L.A. where he was remanded into custody of the Sheriff's Department, and the judge set his bail at $350K. Prosecutors had requested he be held without bail, or at least set it at $5 million.

We're told he's in the process of posting the $350K.

The judge said Tory's tweet, where he directly addressed Meg as "U" was a violation of a protective order -- he's not supposed to contact or mention her at all. Tory fired off that tweet back in February when he said, "Good d*** had me f***ing 2 best friends ... and I got caught ... that's what I apologized for ... it's sick how u Spun it tho ..."

Prosecutors also voiced concern about a tweet from DJ Akademiks from February which read, "BREAKING: It was revealed in court few moments ago that Tory Lanez DNA WAS NOT found on the weapon in the Meg Thee Stallion case."

The prosecution believes that info was given to Ak from Tory's team. However, Tory's attorney, Shawn Holley, said that wasn't possible, because DJ Akademiks's initial tweet was wrong ... Tory's DNA wasn't on the magazine, and a sample from the gun was inconclusive.

About 15 minutes after posting his initial tweet, Ak posted a new one which reflected the inconclusive finding.