Music

Kanye West and Antonio Brown have some competition ... 'cause Lakers legend Magic Johnson is joining a bid to purchase the Denver Broncos!!

The Hall of Fame hooper is hopping on Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris' offer to purchase the NFL team, according to Sportico.

Of course, superstar Antonio Brown previously told TMZ Sports he and Kanye West are "extremely serious" about taking over the team ... claiming Donda Sports was working like crazy to make it happen.

With that being said, the Broncos are currently valued at close to $4 billion ... and when it's all said and done, the sale is expected to be the biggest in sports history.

Johnson has become a business mogul following his incredible career with the Purple & Gold -- he's invested in the Dodgers, Lakers, Sparks and LAFC ... as well as Starbucks, Burger King, Square, Cameo, 24 Hour Fitness and more.

Magic's involvement would be a step in the right direction for the NFL, which has a serious issue with diversity among NFL owners.

Now, Forbes reports Ye has a net worth of around $1.8 billion ... but Harris' is reportedly around $5.6 billion.

Three 6 Mafia legend and Academy Award-winner Juicy J is having himself a career renaissance after nearly 30 years in rap, and he says it's time to put some respect on his rank in the biz!

Juicy J chopped it up with the "TMZ Hip Hop" crew Wednesday ... fresh off releasing his latest single, "Step Back," where he lovingly spoofs Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, and showcases the skills of fellow Memphis rapper Duke Deuce.

As far as Juicy is concerned ... hip hop is a young man's game and he says he's exactly that -- ageless, with a timeless catalog. JJ went so far as to tell us he's the "Quincy Jones of rap music," and has a discography that should be mentioned with the Jay-Zs, Dr. Dres and Pharrells of the world.

Bold claims but Juicy is sticking by his resumé. While the countless TikTok clips, samples used and his Diamond certified plaque for his feature on Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" all speak for themselves ... he's looking forward to future collabs with Megan Thee Stallion, Key Glock and Pi'erre Bourne.

He's also a few months removed from the release of "Stoners Night," his joint album with Taylor Gang boss Wiz Khalifa and currently doing live performances with the rest of Three 6 Mafia.

Ludacris is officially a Panther for life -- he just got some southern hospitality at his alma mater Georgia State University: an honorary degree in Bachelor of Science in Music Management!

The 'Fast & Furious' legend addressed more than 800 master’s degree graduates on Wednesday to kick off the school's Commencement Week.

Despite attending GSU for a couple of years, Ludacris isn't your average college dropout. He actually left the Music Management program in the mid-90s ... because he signed a record deal with Def Jam Records and released his 2000 breakout single "What's Your Fantasy."

The rest is hip hop history. Luda would go on to release several multi-platinum albums and become a staple in Hollywood (including the aforementioned multi-billion Fast & Furious' franchise) and a happily married father of four.

Still, with all his success, Luda was clear to let the graduates know his heart never left the campus and signing to Def Jam was a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity.

He saluted GSU for not only having its first African-American President in nearly a century, but also for graduating more African-Americans than any other university in America!

The same guy who allegedly rushed Dave Chappelle on stage also used the comedian as the inspiration behind his own rap career ... naming a song after DC.

You heard that right ... Isaiah Lee, the 23-year-old allegedly responsible for the attack, is a self-proclaimed rapper by the name of NoName_Trapper. He actually has a song on his 2020 album titled, "Dave Chapelle' on Spotify.

The song's lyrics are puzzling, mostly repeating, "laugh at you n****s a joke."

Lee also has a decent social media following, with 32k followers, and only follows 80 people ... Dave being one of them. He posted a bizarre video of himself yesterday with a filter to give himself a bloody nose and devil horns.

As we reported, Lee rushed and tackled Dave while he was onstage at The Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night -- holding what we're told was a replica gun and knife.

Dave Chapelle took a hard hit and fell to the ground, before Dave's team stepped in and gave the guy a severe beatdown ... Jamie Foxx was also in the melee, and got some hits in too.

The Kidd Creole -- a rap pioneer from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- just got a lengthy prison sentence for his conviction in the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the rap legend's sentence Wednesday ... 16 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.

As we reported ... The Kidd Creole was convicted of first-degree manslaughter last month, for fatally stabbing a homeless man with a steak knife.

The incident went down in August 2017, when prosecutors say The Kidd Creole was walking past the man on the street and they exchanged words, with TKC walking past the man before turning back, confronting him face-to-face and stabbing him twice in the torso.

The D.A. says a group of tourists found the man bleeding in the street ... he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

PSA for all the Internet trolls out there -- if you come at Drake, he WILL DM your significant other ... and the 6 God proved it during a heated debate over NBA star Ja Morant's dad.

Here's the deal -- Drizzy hit the Instagram comments to defend Tee Morant over a meme criticizing his support for the Grizzlies guard throughout the playoffs, which some have deemed "annoying."

Drake was having none of it -- saying, "Imagine your son makes the league and he’s Ja Or Melo (Ball) or Lonzo (Ball) all you can do is be elated and competitive and over supportive and it’s a right of passage to that the OG’s talk s*** 😂😂😂😂."

"I know I’mma be this way even if my son is in a rubix cube competition 😎."

One troll thought it would be wise to crack back at Drake by referencing the rumor he doesn't write his own songs ... saying, "ya son prolly play with ghost writers."

Big mistake -- 'cause Drake fired right back in the most ruthless way possible.

"I just followed your girl cause she prob miserable and needs some excitement in her life."

Sheesh.

And, get this -- Drake wasn't kidding ... because the troll later posted a screenshot of his wife getting a DM from Champagne Papi himself, which read, "I'm here for u ma."

Chalk this one up as a win for Drake ... and a teachable moment for anyone else looking to go after him.

Dolly Parton's change of heart was well-received by the powers that be at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- she's joining a diverse group of first-rounders ... including acts like Eminem.

The legendary country singer was announced as one of 7 artists who are going to be inducted into the Hall later this November -- and she actually helps make up a good handful of stars who just became eligible for the first time this year.

The other musicians being let in right off the bat ... Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Carly Simon and, of course, Slim Shady. Dolly's in that mix as well -- this after announcing a U-turn. The other 2 artists who'll be inducted are new wave duo Eurythmics and Pat Benatar.

You'll recall ... DP first said she was declining the offer to be inducted, explaining that the R&R HOF just wasn't her style and surprisingly, that she felt she hadn't earned the right -- which is patently false. Her request was a bit late -- the Hall didn't take her off the ballot.

In light of that -- and after some more thought, it seems -- Dolly ended up changing her mind and accepting the nomination ... and now, she'll be accepting the full-blown honor of being part of the Class of 2022.

Tom Cruise's new friend/collaborator, Lady Gaga, has gotten the seal of approval from one very special fan ... Tom's daughter, Bella, who -- SHOCKINGLY -- is 29 years old!!!

Gaga posted a photo on Instagram Tuesday, kissing Tom on the cheek, thanking him for coming to the show .. and Bella was quick to like the pic.

Bella has kept a low profile over the years. She's been estranged from her mom, Nicole Kidman, but apparently has maintained a relationship with T.C.

Nicole and Tom adopted Bella and her brother, Connor, back in 1995 while they were married. As you know, that marriage disintegrated in 2001.

Tom and Nicole shared custody for a while, but the relationship between Bella and Nicole was strained ... reportedly over Scientology.

Maybe there's been a shift, because Bella has been liking some of Nicole's Instagram photos lately.

Platinum-selling "Moonwalking in Calabasas" rapper DDG is swatting a hip hop hornet's nest by proclaiming today's rappers are 10x better than their old school counterparts ... and Layzie Bone ain't having it!

So, in DDG's words ... Snoop Dogg, JAY-Z, Nas and others need to take a backseat to today's streaming giants -- but when we got the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper at LAX, he fired off a couple of shots.

The way Layzie sees it ... hip hop is 50 years old, meaning anyone who jumped into the fray within the past few years is simply benefitting from the popularity and traction that's been built up over time.

In the 90s, when Bone Thugs sold most of their records, there wasn't an abundance of hip hop festivals, endorsement deals or even streaming platforms to run the numbers up.

So when DDG says 2022 rappers are 10x better, Layzie feels he should really say they're 10x richer -- an important distinction.

Layzie isn't tripping on old-gen vs. new-gen, though.

He says Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has a Cleveland street sign in the works and they're officially building a music industry school to mold the minds of aspiring musicians and moguls alike.

Jack Harlow is currently maximizing his "First Class" seat in hip hop ... calling on some heavy hitters to ensure his sophomore album "Come Home The Kids Miss You" doesn't slump when it drops.

Just yesterday, Harlow hinted that his album, dropping Friday, features nothing but legends and on Tuesday, he unveiled the full 15-song tracklist ... including those guests -- Drake, Pharrell, Lil Wayne and Justin Timberlake.

Pretty legendary list, for sure ... one that's sending fans and haters into a frenzy.

It's already been a big week for JH, who's coming off having the No. 1 song in the country with his "First Class" single. He attended the Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks playoff game as the referees openly asked who the hell he was ... and attended Monday's glitzy 2022 Met Gala, where he rocked a dark chocolate Givenchy suit.

And while DJ Akademiks predicted Harlow will have the No. 1 album in the country once it drops ... foretelling the Billboard chart doesn't always bode well for artists.

In January, The Weeknd and his "Dawn FM" album lost a tight sales battle to Gunna's "DS4EVER" after it was reported Abel was crowning the chart. Additionally, 6ix9ine's 2020 "TattleTales" album was initially projected to go No. 1, but the actual sales put Big Sean's "Detroit 2" in the top spot.

Post Malone is about to celebrate a very big milestone ... he and his GF are having a baby!!!

Post tells TMZ ... "I'm excited for this next chapter in my life, I'm the happiest I've ever been, and for since I could remember I was sad. Time to take care of my body and my family and friends, and spread as much love as we can every day."

Sources close to Post say he and his girlfriend celebrated the baby-to-be with a private party for friends and family in Southern California over the weekend.

The baby will be Post's first ... the 26-year-old also has a new album, "Twelve Carat Toothache" expected to drop next month -- so ya, lot's of good things for Post on the horizon.

As for Post's girlfriend ... we are told she's not someone who has spent any time in the spotlight, the two have been happy privately building their relationship -- which will soon turn into a family.

Post's been having a ton of fun lately, performing at a Coachella party with his buddy Quavo and hitting some L.A. hotspots for dinner.

TMZ broke the story -- Post was super sweet to a fan with autism -- who was out celebrating his 21st. The fan's mom told us her son has a hard time speaking, and strangers are sometimes impatient with him ... but Post could not have been nicer.

Kanye West is getting dragged to court over one of his songs on "Donda" ... because a pastor in Texas claims Yeezy sampled his sermon without his permission.

Ye is being sued by Bishop David Paul Moten, who claims Kanye filled out the song "Come To Life" with audio of Moten's own religious speech.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Moten claims his sermon is used for 70 seconds of the 5-minute, 10-second track ... which is more than 20 percent of the song.

Moten says his voice and sermon are used in the song intro and looped throughout the song ... and he says it's the latest example of Kanye and the music industry "willfully and egregiously sampling sound recordings of others without consent or permission."

The pastor is also suing UMG Recordings, Def Jam Recordings and G.O.O.D Music ... and he's going after all of them for damages.

Cardi B has had it with fame, saying the price of being a celebrity has created constant ridicule and has put a target on her back ... after some drama from her Met Gala party.

Cardi took to IG Live Tuesday and let it all out -- saying she feels like a prisoner of fame -- and that she hasn't been able to be her true self since 2014. The timing of her video comes on the heels of some now-viral clips popping up from her Met Gala after-party.

In one clip, Cardi offers a toast to partygoers at Playboy's The Boom Boom After Party, wishing them a good time and encouraging them to drink up ... but it's her snorting gesture that has people pissed.

Cardi seemingly addressed that anger in her live confessional, saying she feels like she can't even make jokes anymore without people taking it seriously.

There's also a clip of Billie Eilish at the bash, who many thought was calling Cardi "weird" as she entertained guests. Cardi squashed that rumor too, posting DMs between her and Eilish where Billie says she was only calling the partygoers taking photos of Cardi's butt "weird" ... so no beef there.

Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian was first told she couldn't wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress to the Met Gala ... but the museum holding the piece had a change of heart after Kim put in the work.

A spokesperson for Ripley's tells TMZ ... Kim's team reached out a few months ago after doing some research about the dress.

They met in March for a fitting but it didn't go well -- both Kim and the Ripley reps weren't happy with how it fit her, and the museum denied its use. Remember, the dress is 60 years old so the fabric and seams needed to be handled gently.

Determined to make it work, we're told Kim came back to Ripleys a month later, after shedding some weight -- a reported 16 pounds -- and it was a better fit.

As for the Met Gala carpet, Kim wore the actual dress to walk and take photos, but then changed into a replica for the actual event inside -- and returned the OG to Ripley's.

You might think Ripley's would've requested a rental fee ... but we're told instead, Kim's making 2 donations to orgs in the Orlando area on the museum's behalf.

The Met Gala is officially wrapped, but the stars weren't done partying after walking into the museum -- far from it, in fact ... every famous face around was at either one of 3 shindigs.

After Monday's fashion-forward event ... celebs flocked to a few of the after-parties in the Big Apple that essentially became a who's-who of Hollywood. We'll lay out some of the names at each bash ... and you can decide which one was the place to be when the sun went down.

First, there was the Casa Cipriani after-party -- hosted by Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell -- which drew A-listers like Vanessa Hudgens, Cara Delevingne, Gunna, Bella Hadid, Ansel Elgort, Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billie Eilish, Winnie Harlow, Joshua Jackson ... just to name a few.

SAINt JHN performed for the crowd, as folks enjoyed the hits, while also mingling and posing with one another for selfies, and admiring one another's outfits. There was a lot of that happening.

Not too far was another get-together at the Standard Hotel -- this one's being attributed to Cardi B -- and there, too, stars showed up in droves to hobnob and mingle.

Among some of the biggest names ... Dove Cameron, Tessa Thompson, Normani, Camila Mendes, Future, Justin Theroux, Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Erykah Badu, Brooklyn Beckham, Alicia Keys, Wendy Williams ... and more.

There was one final party, and that one was at Zero Bond ... seems like it was for the younger crowd. Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Addison Rae, Olivia Rodrigo, Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler were there. It also looks like a lot of these folks were double-dipping ... hopscotching from one even to another.

Sharon Osbourne's home is like a petri dish ... everyone's got COVID.

It looks like in the Osbourne home, Ozzy is patient zero. As we reported, he caught the virus and Sharon, who had just launched her new UK talk show, was beside herself and flew back to the states to be with him.

Well, Ozzy passed on the bug, and now Sharon's got it, along with Kelly.

The good news ... Ozzy's doing better, according to Sharon. His cough is gone and his temp is back to normal.

Sharon's doing her show -- "The Talk" -- remotely. She told her co-host, Jeremy Kyle, that she's doing fine.

Sharon and Ozzy's son Jack shared a video Sunday ... reassuring folks Ozzy was on the mend and back to doing what he loves -- chatting with his pets over FaceTime.

As you know, Sharon was in tears last week talking about Ozzy's diagnosis ... saying her family is her life, and she worries for their safety.