Music

Kendrick Lamar is a man of the people -- the rap superstar hit up the Dodger game and sat with fans in the stands on Tuesday ... just days after announcing his highly-anticipated album.

The pgLang rapper has been the talk of the town since revealing he's got a new project coming next month ... and despite all the hype surrounding him, Kendrick managed to show his supporters appreciation by mingling with them at the game.

Of course, K. Dot is rarely out in public and hardly has a social media presence ... so whenever he's seen out and about, it's always a big deal for fans.

The Dodgers' broadcast made sure to highlight Kendrick's surprise appearance ... showing him on the big screen in left field as the crowd cheered for the SoCal native.

Lamar has hit up Blue Heaven on Earth in the past -- in 2015, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Carl Crawford ... and it was a much better throw than some of the recent celebs who've been tapped to do the tradition (we're looking at you, 50 Cent, Conor McGregor, and Dr. Fauci).

It's been an exciting few months for Kendrick -- he performed during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. As always, Lamar had the visuals and aesthetics on point and he performed two of his classics -- "m.A.A.d city" and "Alright."

Kendrick's next album is expected to be his last one with Top Dawg Entertainment -- the lyricist previously announced he was leaving the TDE label.

Tiffany Haddish has something cooking in the kitchen -- but it ain't a comedy thing, it's music ... and she says she's hoping she can make it pay dividends.

The comedian/actress dished about her new musical endeavor to a photog Tuesday night out at the Mint Room Studios in Glendale, where it appears she was in the middle of some recording sessions for a collection of original tunes she's pulling together.

Before you run off thinking Tiff's about to drop an album, listen to the clip first ... because she makes it clear there's no such project in the works, although she is laying down tracks.

As TH explains -- these songs aren't for streaming, per se, but more so for TV and film use. Tiffany obviously understands where the dough is in the biz, and it ain't in traditional music releases ... but more so in residuals, which she's trying to cash in on right now.

No word on what exactly her vibe feels like or how these songs might sound -- but we DO know Tiff can carry a tune ... and we're also hearing she's recruiting the likes of Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and even Beyonce for this project of hers. So, let your imagination run wild.

Josh Groban isn't ditching his mask in the air, despite the new rule allowing people to fly without covering their mouth and nose ... and he has reasons why.

We got Josh at LAX Tuesday, and he puts it plainly -- his voice is his livelihood, so extra protection is needed.

Josh acknowledges he may be in the minority -- people on his flight were cheering when the captain came on and said masks were no longer required. But, Josh has a different, personal point of view ... partly because of his parents. There's also the business of touring that makes going maskless problematic.

A federal judge ruled Monday the CDC's mandatory mask policy on planes was illegal. The Justice Dept. has said if the CDC wants to appeal they will oblige. For now ... no masks.

Jack Harlow's on top of his game and at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart thanks to his new single “First Class” -- but some fans, critics and industry execs wonder if race is playing a role in his success.

Of course, Jack's hit samples Fergie’s 2006 multi-platinum track, “Glamorous" ... and we all know it absolutely blew up on TikTok, which definitely helped it grab the top spot.

Still, Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence "Punch" Henderson sparked a debate Tuesday on Twitter by proclaiming Black artists have to be more exceptional compared to their White counterparts.

Even though "Punch" never mentions Jack by name, the twitterverse got his point.

He also seemed to reference Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "The Heist" album beating Kendrick Lamar's "good kid, m.A.A.d. city" at the 2014 Grammys as an example.

The debate came up on Tuesday's episode of TMZ Hip Hop ... as our DJ Hed and Rodney Rikai challenged each other on what's really fueling the Kentucky-born rapper’s rise to the top.

Great convo, and you gotta check out the clip, because they actually answered this hypothetical: IF Jack were a Black rapper, whose career would his most resemble???

Dave East and Saweetie fans, pay attention!

All in all, Jack is having a renaissance year within a still blossoming career. His new album "Come Home the Kids Miss You" is set to drop May 6, he’s starring in the "White Men Can’t Jump" reboot ... and he's fresh off a KFC campaign that benefits several social justice and youth groups.

Nicki Minaj is straight up threatening her most hardcore supporters, aka the Barbz -- if they don't start watching her new video with Fivio Foreign, she might scrap any album plans!

Onika unleashed the vid Tuesday for her New York drill anthem, “We Go Up,” with Fivio ... and while it features plenty of "outside energy" Nicki thinks it's lacking online energy.

Directed by Andre "Drevinci" Jones, the clip connects hoods from Queens and Brooklyn and has Nicki stunting in a pink Lamborghini -- but sounds like Nicki's unimpressed with the number of views it's gotten to this point.

She issues a warning to the Barbz that she'll be inside real quick if the vid doesn't blaze up the YouTube charts -- meaning, she'll shelve her upcoming 5th studio album.

It doesn't appear to be a drill. She even wanted fans to know she was channeling Meryl Streep's ice cold "Devil Wears Prada" character.

While drill music is undoubtedly the hottest subgenre in hip hop, Nicki isn't hopping on the wave – she sorta helped bring it to prominence.

Back in 2014, she did a feature for a then-little-known G Herbo (who was rapping underneath the name Lil Herb) on the song "Chi-Raq," a direct ode to Chicago drill.

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna are doing the ultimate love bird thing that an expecting couple could while on vacation -- soon-to-be Mama Bear looking on as dad takes on Mother Nature.

The singer/fashion mogul was taking in the sights Tuesday down in her native Barbados -- notably, the sight of her baby daddy ripping and roaring through the ocean just outside their vacay home while mounted on a jet ski.

Check it out ... Rihanna is surrounded by some friends/fam, checking in on A$AP with a pair of binoculars as he navigates the choppy waters solo. Seems like she was impressed by what she was seeing, and likewise ... he was pretty happy too. Each of them were all smiles.

Of course, RiRi is heavily pregnant -- it looks like she could pop any day now -- so she definitely wasn't going to join on this particular excursion.

No worries, because A$AP was able to manage just fine on his own ... and before long, he reunited with his lady on land and they headed back inside together. If you didn't believe your eyes before this weekend, you can believe this -- they're very much together.

We'd already been told there was no truth to them splitting over alleged cheating -- it was nothing more than a Twitter rumor that took off like wildfire -- but the proof is in the pudding now that they're in each other's company again, looking super boo'd up, per usual.

Like we said, the future parents aren't just putting on a united front in paradise ... they very much are a united front, for realsies.

Drake and Taylor Swift are NOT about to drop new music together ... despite a social media post from Drizzy fueling rumors about a potential collab in the works.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … sadly there is NO collab between Drake and Taylor that is about to be released, and Champagne Papi's Instagram post from Monday is just a throwback photo with no hidden message.

As we reported ... the OVO rapper posted a photo dump on IG, which included a photo of him with his arm around Taylor. Drake captioned the post, "They too soft to understand the meaning of hard work".

Our sources say there's nothing behind the pic other than memories ... and the photo with T-Swift is from a few years ago, sometime in 2017 or 2018.

Drake and Taylor are friends with a long history ... and the post and caption led many to believe Drizzy was signaling new music ... but we're told it's just a harmless throwback post.

DJ Envy has an admitted 50 Cent bias – but he's still calling cap on Benzino's plans to sue the "Power" series honcho for defamation.

We caught "The Breakfast Club" co-host with his wife Gia outside Fox News in NYC, and while he pledged his allegiance to 50 Cent (they came up through the same underground hip hop grind in Queens), he doesn't feel Benzino can truthfully present a winning case in court.

Envy acknowledged Young Buck and Benzino's beefs with 50 Cent ... after catching his social media wrath, but in his opinion, they're both out of legal luck.

Again, he's admittedly biased, but even Envy opted to deflect when we asked him about Fiddy's Easter Sunday shot at Jay-Z ... saying he looks like a "gay painter" and posting a side-by-side of Jigga and Basquiat.

Back to Benzino ... he was just on TMZ's "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper," calling for 50's head in court and comparing him to Tekashi 6ix9ine ... in terms of alleged snitching, at least.

DJ Envy and Gia are currently promoting their book, the ridiculously long-titled "Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together" -- but what could feel longer than being married for 10 years without an orgasm?

The couple recently stepped into The Shade Room to reveal they not only endured a cheating scandal, but 10 years of Gia faking the big O to satisfy Envy's ego. That admission stirred up a spicy convo on the latest episode of TMZ Hip Hop.

Trick Daddy insists his restaurant did NOT take a hit, following his controversial take on Beyoncé's singing skills -- and yet, the rapper-turned-chef is firing some new shots.

He joined "TMZ live" to clear the air on those comments he made about Bey. ICYMI, his restaurant, Sunday's Eatery, got flooded with bad online reviews, starting last summer, when he said "Beyoncé can't sing."

The joint's Google ratings dropped from 4.8 to 2.6, but TD tells us Sunday's Eatery weathered the storm just fine. Most importantly -- for the Beyhive, anyway -- he also called Beyoncé the greatest entertainer (not singer) in the world.

As far as those bad reviews, he blames trolls and not Beyoncé's dedicated fans ... because he says, "real fans" understand people have different opinions.

The whole experience isn't making him shy, though ... he offered up what he admits will be an "unpopular opinion" -- "Kevin Hart ain't funny."

If kids really do see ghosts, they're gonna see the corpse of what was Kanye West and Kid Cudi's once-tight relationship -- which Cudi is now laying to rest. For good.

Cudi put the final nail in the coffin Tuesday when Pusha T's "It's Almost Dry" tracklist hit the internet.

While the Jay-Z-featured "Neck & Wrist" has penetrated Hip Hop news, it's the song "Rock N Roll" that Kid Cudi has an issue with ... because it also features Ye.

The Man on the Moon crushed longtime Good Music fans by tweeting the ONLY REASON the song is being released to the public is his love for Pusha T. He added that "Rock N Roll" was recorded when he and Ye were on friendly terms.

It was, in fact, Kanye who severed their friendship this last time around when he sliced Kid Cudi's "Donda 2" contribution ... because Cudi refused to end his friendship with Pete Davidson, which Ye wanted nixed for obvious reasons.

Kanye and Cudi's relationship has been roller-coaster-like for years, with some of the highs including collaborating on blockbuster albums such as "808s & Heartbreak" and "The Life Of Pablo" while Ye produced Drake's Kid Cudi diss "Two Birds, One Stone" is one reason they're at the end at the road.

Jacqueline Avant's murderer has just learned his fate after pleading guilty to the crime -- and he'll be doing some hard time for a good long while.

Aariel Maynor -- who was arrested and subsequently convicted of murdering Mrs. Avant after entering his plea in March -- was sentenced Tuesday in L.A. County ... and the judge threw the book at him, sending him to prison for the rest of his life.

As we reported ... Maynor copped to breaking into Jacqueline and her husband Clarence's Beverly Hills home in December -- and then opened fire with an "assault long barrel pistol" when he came upon Jacqueline, who wasn't with Clarence at the time. Maynor then fled the scene.

Jacqueline was taken to a hospital, but succumbed to her injuries and died.

Photos of the crime surfaced shortly thereafter, and it looks like Maynor broke through a sliding glass door on a side of the property ... leaving behind a ton of shattered glass.

Prosecutors pushed for a lengthy sentence, telling the judge Maynor bragged and joked with his friends about the situation from a jail phone. According to court docs, he also said he expected to serve a max of 25 years because the prosecutors did not file a so-called "special circumstances" murder charge.

Jacqueline was deeply involved in her community, serving as the President of the Neighborhood of Watts, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of UCLA's International Student Center. She was 81.

Clarence, of course, is known as the Godfather of Black music -- having had a hand in a number of classic records and albums throughout the years ... with the likes of Jay-Z, Diddy, L.A. Reid and others singing his praises for his influence in the culture.

The Warriors aren't just chasing rings anymore -- they're going after the entire entertainment industry ... as the team is set to release K-pop star BamBam's new single, "Wheels Up" this week!!

The Dubs just launched Golden State Entertainment ... with the intent to tell stories via music and documentaries, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The team's first project with the new venture is to release the GOT7 rapper's new song ... which he performed during halftime of the Warriors game earlier this month.

Remember, BamBam -- the Warriors' global ambassador this season -- recently teamed up with the org. to release a special merch collab ... which was a big hit with the fans.

BamBam's love of the Warriors runs deep ... in fact, the GOT7 rapper was an integral part in securing Andrew Wiggins a spot in the NBA's All-Star Game ... by calling on his massive social media following (16 million Instagram followers) to vote for the 27-year-old.

GSE exec David Kelly explained the shift into entertainment ... saying, "When you think about what we already do, we create content."

"We do storytelling, and this is just another form of storytelling. It’s a new type of content that we’re well-positioned to create."

"The line between sports and entertainment, we think, is pretty thin," he added, "and we just feel that we’re in a position to step a little over that line and begin to create original content."

Aariel Maynor, the man that shot and killed Jacqueline Avant, bragged to his friends over the phone from jail after murdering the 81-year-old philanthropist ... this according to the prosecutor seeking to lock him up for the rest of his life.

According to court documents, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Maynor laughed about all the publicity he's been getting to a friend during a jail call ... she didn't think it was funny, telling him he shouldn't be joking about someone's life. He told her it was all over the news, wondering "You think my mama's seen that, though?"

He told her he expected to get $50K from the Avant's house before the robbery went south.

He reportedly called another friend from jail and told them he expected to only serve a max of 25 years because the prosecutors did not file a so-called "special circumstances" murder charge -- which could've resulted in life without parole, or even the death penalty.

As we reported, Maynor broke into the Avants' Beverly Hills home in December, opening fire on Jacqueline with his assault long barrel pistol. She was taken to a hospital but died of her injuries.

Police caught Maynor an hour later ... after he was found attempting to burglarize another home in the Hollywood Hills but accidentally shot himself in the foot.

Roderick "Pooh" Clark, an original member of Hi-Five, has died.

Marcus Sanders, fellow Hi-Five member, tells TMZ ... Roderick died on Sunday from complications from an infection and pneumonia at a hospital in Waco, TX.

He tells us Roderick got into a car crash 30 years ago in Florida that left him paralyzed from the neck down, making him unable to walk. He developed an infection that spread through his body -- one that persisted for some time.

He also developed pneumonia over the last 2 weeks, being in and out of the hospital up until his death.

Those close to Roderick have been posting tributes to the late singer online, including the band's musical director Martinez Little, saying, "We had some amazing phone conversations in the past and some great visits when I came thru Waco! I'll cherish them forever."

Roderick and his quintet group of R&B singers formed in 1989 ... other than him and Marcus, they also had bandmates Tony Thompson, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley. They reached the top of the charts in 1991 with their hit, "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)."

Roderick was 49.

If it's one thing Drake is good at, it's making a hit song ... and his latest photo with Taylor Swift has us thinking there could be one in the works with the pop artist.

The OVO rapper dropped a series of photos on Instagram, Monday ... and the last of five is with no one other than pop star, T-Swift.

It's not clear if it is a throwback photo or if it was taken recently ... but Drizzy captioned the gallery saying, "They too soft to understand the meaning of hard work".

And, he could be on to something ... both Taylor and Drake have worked super hard and rose from the ranks in the music industry. Drake's been bestowed the award of Artist of the Decade by Billboard and Taylor was named Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of 2021.

Of course, a music collab wouldn't be the biggest stretch ... Taylor and the Champagne Papi have been friends for a minute. They've been spotted together as far back as 2013, at the MTV Video Music Awards.

In Taylor's 2019 song "I Forgot That You Existed" she sings ... "And I couldn't get away from ya. In my feelings more than Drake, so yeah."

Bethenny Frankel might've been groovin' out a little too much on the roller rink in New York City ... getting into the music before taking a hard fall.

The philanthropist/entrepreneur was at the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink for the opening of Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace -- where it's transformed into a roller rink. It's all the rage again ... decades after roller skating was a thing.

Bethenny was dancing away while putting on lip gloss ... then falling butt-first on the floor. Luckily, someone was nearby to offer the former 'RHONY' star an assist.

The event was packed with celebs ... Usher hosted the opening, and fellow icons Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Floyd Mayweather, and Meek Mill all laced up.

Bethenny's quite the talented skater, although ice is more her thing ... she was the runner-up on "Skating With The Stars" in 2010 -- making it all the way to the finale with her partner, professional skater Ethan Burgess.