Music

J. Cole's latest pro-basketball venture tips off Thursday and it might not have happened without his run-in with Drake during a party in Los Angeles.

Founding member of Drake's October's Very Own brand, Nicholas "OVO Niko" Corino, also co-owns the Scarborough Shooting Stars ... the Canadian Elite Basketball League team J. Cole is suiting up for -- and he told Complex how Cole approached Drizzy about being on the Shooting Stars team.

Niko said, "You know, Dreamville and OVO are family," and added, “Drake had a birthday party in L.A. last year. The conversation was, ‘I heard you have your team.’ It organically grew from there.”

If it sounds like a game of rapper nepotism, Shooting Stars forward Olu Famutimi assured fans Cole was putting in extra effort just to be seen as a "guy who can hoop."

He'll also be coached by former NBA All-Star Jamaal Magloire, who happens to hail from Scarborough ... a Toronto neighborhood.

Cole's already gotten the respect of fellow hip hop ballers Fivio Foreign and Dave East, and Kawhi Leonard's Culture Jam recently shared footage of how far Cole's game has involved.

Just when you thought the Jack Harlow and Brandy saga had come to an end, the R&B singer is trading in her high notes to drop bars ... and they might hit below the belt!!!

On Wednesday, Brandy used Jack's chart-topping "First Class" single for a freestyle with some pretty clever lyrics. Hot 97's "Ebro in the Morning" premiered the track, which is fitting since that's where Jack first revealed he didn't know Brandy is Ray J's sister.

Brandy raps "Cinderella scriptures/But that don't mean Jack in the streets/Jack of all trades/Now I'm here Jackin' for beats" ... then later acknowledges her "Queens" series cancelation and even plugs her brother Ray J's "unbreakable" glasses.

ICYMI, Jack Harlow admitted on Hot 97's "Ebro in the Morning" that he never knew Brandy and Ray J were fam ... causing many in hip hop to question his cultural IQ.

Hot topic in the industry, which we tackled on an episode of "TMZ Hip Hop." Is Jack getting a bad rep? Watch the clip, and you can be the judge.

Kourtney Kardashian's telegraphing a not-so-subtle reminder to the world she's a Barker now -- and it's written all over her and Travis Barker too ... in case you've been under a rock.

The newlyweds were still in Portofino, Italy Monday night, and rocked matching white leather jackets -- one embroidered with "Mrs. Barker" on the back, and the other with "Mr. Barker."

As we've told you, Kourtney was quick to take Travis' last name on Instagram ... changing her profile Monday evening to Kourtney Kardashian Barker.

One thing that hasn't changed is their penchant for serious PDA!!! Trav and Kourt were still all over each other during their evening outing -- just a day after saying their "I Dos" before family and friends.

Their over-the-top wedding -- their 3rd one -- was held at the stupidly scenic seaside compound of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.

While we don't know if Kourtney's planning to legally take Travis' name, the jackets and IG change are strong hints she will do exactly that -- if they ever come back from Italy.

The Doja Cat "rapper" debate will come to an end, eventually, and probably sooner than later based on her new declaration.

Doja Cat looked past her latest album "Planet Her" (which broke Billboard and Spotify records) and told Elle her next body of work will be bars-heavy. DC says, “I’ve rapped since the beginning, and I really couldn’t even sing that well to begin with -- I got a lot better.”

She added. “I use my voice as a tool to create these worlds, and it’s fine if people think that I can’t rap.”

While the public (that's pronounced Twitter) keeps arguing about Doja's skills, she's gained support within her field from artists like battle rap queen Remy Ma and Wale.

When that new music will drop is anyone's guess. DC just had to cancel her entire summer festival dates (including opening up for The Weeknd) due to tonsil surgery she has to have from vaping.

Kanye West's failed presidential bid just took another hit ... his campaign committee claims they fell victim to a fraud scheme where thousands went to pay off someone's credit card.

Kanye 2020 told the Federal Election Commission someone unaffiliated with the campaign accessed the committee's bank account, swiping $3,999 to pay off their own credit card bills.

In a letter fired off Tuesday to the FEC, and obtained by TMZ, Kanye 2020 says an investigation determined someone accessed the account three times between December and February, and the campaign was unable to get the money back from the First Bank of Wyoming.

The FEC previously flagged the transactions and Kanye's campaign took a look and is now claiming they were the victim here. There doesn't appear to have been an arrest made yet, and it appears the FEC is working to gather more info. Business Insider was the first to report the filing.

Lupe Fiasco will be dishing out higher learning as part of MIT's MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars Program, and Jermaine Dupri hopes it's the start of a new hip hop/schooling trend.

TMZ Hip Hop ran into the So So Def Records founder Tuesday at LAX, where he told us not only will Lupe make a good teacher ... but lots of other rappers could too!

It's hard to argue with JD's reasoning here, which is that students are so plugged into hip hop and every artist's lyrics that they're more likely to pay close attention to a rapper's lesson plan.

For his part, Lupe will be teaching what he knows -- rap music! He'll be joined by theater professor Eunice Ferreira and filmmaker Louis Massiah when the rap course begins in September.

Lupe's dropping a new album, "Drill Music in Zion," next month, so any future students might wanna start streaming this summer, and brush up for the fall semester.

Now, Jermaine isn't suggesting ALL rappers switch professions ... he clarifies that only those who can teach, should teach. And, speaking of higher ed, JD is set to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from The Art Institute of Atlanta when he delivers this year's commencement speech.

Jermaine and his "Welcome to Atlanta" collaborator Ludacris can compare degrees next time they hook up -- Luda recently got one from Georgia State University.

If you're invited to hoop at Drake's mansion, now you better come prepared ... 'cause the rap star's basketball game has seriously improved!!!

The Certified Lover Boy's friend, Smilez, posted video of the 35-year-old in a pickup game this week ... showing the dude going off.

Clips show the rapper hit plenty of 3s and turnaround jumpers with ease ... taking full advantage of the Kobe Bryant-themed court inside of his palace in Toronto.

"Sit tight 'cause there's a lot of buckets following," Smilez said of the footage.

Drake even got in some trick shots in between getting buckets on the floor -- tossin' an alley-oop off the upper deck of the court to former Clemson Tigers athlete and dunk star Anthony Hamilton Jr.

Of course, Drake hasn't always had this kinda game -- you'll recall, he's been filmed airballing shots on multiple occasions, even as recently as 2021.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has voluntarily checked himself into rehab after a recent relapse.

The group released a statement Tuesday, saying, "As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years. After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery."

Aerosmith was supposed to perform in Vegas for the first time since the pandemic during a residency at Park MGM starting in June, but those shows have been canceled while Tyler recovers.

The good news ... the group remains hopeful they'll be able to hit the stage during the second leg of shows in September, writing, "We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows."

Caitlyn Jenner says Kim Kardashian didn't have it easy being married to Kanye West ... and dating Pete Davidson's been a completely different experience for her.

Caitlyn says she was blown away when Kim recently brought Pete by the house ... remarking on how well the 'SNL' star treated her famous stepdaughter.

While Caitlyn told Channing Crowder, Ryan Clark and Fred Taylor on "The Pivot" podcast she got along great with Kanye, praising him for being supportive of her transition, she says Ye was a complicated guy who was difficult for Kim to live with.

Caitlyn says Pete is a 180-degree turn for Kim's love life ... and Pete's good for Kim because she's had a lot of tough times in all of those previous relationships, not just her marriage to Kanye.

Billie Eilish says living with Tourette's is exhausting, and she's had her fill with people passing it off as a joke.

Billie sat down with David Letterman for his Netflix series, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,' and opened up about Tourette's ... something she rarely does.

The 20-year-old singer told Dave, "If you film me for long enough, you're going to see a lot of tics."

She talked about the difficulty of interacting with people who make light of it ... "It's really weird, I haven't talked about it at all. The most common way that people react is they laugh because they think I'm trying to be funny. They think I'm going [imitates tic] as a funny move. And so they go, 'Ha,' and I'm always left incredibly offended by that."

"Or they go [looks around] 'What?' and then I go, 'I have Tourette's'"

Billie went on to explain she always tics, whether it's subtle like wiggling her ears back and forth, clicking her jaw or flexing certain muscles. She said, "These are things you would never notice if you're just having a conversation with me, but for me, they're very exhausting."

Britney Spears spared no expense on a weekend getaway to Sin City with her fiancé Sam Asghari ... shacking up in a lavish hotel suite with its own backyard and pool!!!

Britney went all out for a two-night stay at Resorts World Las Vegas ... where she stayed in one of the casino's over-the-top "Palace" suites ... which go for $15,000k per night.

Here's what $15k gets you ... 3 bedrooms, plus an entertainment room, game room and a common area opening up to a private yard complete with a pool, grilling area, waterfall and dining area.

Britney made the trip with Sam and her agent, Cade Hudson, who snapped a bunch of selfies with Brit in different masquerade ball masks.

When she wasn't in her palace, we're told Britney and Sam got a sneak preview of Crossroads Kitchen Las Vegas before it formally opens over Memorial Day Weekend, and she also went shopping at some of the stores on the property.

It sounds like Britney's taking a liking to the property ... we're told she previously stayed there in March, so she came back for seconds.

The feeling seems mutual ... Resorts World Las Vegas had a special welcome message for Britney and Sam ... plastering the phrase "Resorts World Loves Britney" on their 100,000 square foot LED screen, which Britney and Sam could see from their suite.

Kourtney Kardashian is changing her name to Kourtney Kardashian Barker ... at least on social media ... taking her husband's last name after marrying Travis in Italy.

Kourtney made the name change Monday on her official Instagram page, which now shows Travis' last name tacked on to her name, with a flaming heart emoji.

KKB is still rocking her original Insta handle ... kourtneykardash ... at least for now.

As you know ... Kourtney and Travis got hitched over the weekend in a lavish wedding in Italy, exchanging vows in front of friends and family, including Kim Kardashian and Mark Hoppus.

The wedding was held at the Dolce & Gabbana estate in Portofino. The reception at Castello Brown saw Andrea Bocelli sing as Kourtney and Travis had one of their first dances as husband and wife.

The Italian ceremony was the latest for the lovebirds ... they've also had weddings in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, and have another celebration planned in Los Angeles.

It will be interesting to see if Kourtney takes Travis' last name legally, or just sticks with it on IG.

Travis Scott just surprised fans with his second Nike drop in two weeks ... but this time, we're told proceeds from the collection will help community initiatives important to the rapper.

TS took to his IG page Monday without warning to announce the release of a new TS Air Max 1 Wheat as well as a summer collection of shorts, shirts, a bikini, belt, socks and a bag.

Naturally, the shoe raffle filled up, with what our Travis sources say was more than a million entries in the first 30 minutes -- and plenty of Travis fans grabbed the other merch as well, though it's not yet totally sold out.

Sources close to Travis tell us he wanted to do the drop through his own website so that he could ensure the proceeds go to Project Heal. Project Heal is an initiative Travis launched back in March as a multi-tier effort to fund initiatives Travis finds important and worthy of assistance.

While the numbers continue to roll in, our Travis sources believe the latest launch has the ability to reach millions of dollars in proceeds, which would obviously be a big help to PH.

Fat Joe can't hold his tongue when the topic of Tekashi 6ix9ine and snitching comes up -- and now he's tearing the rainbow-haired rapper a new soul.

Joey Crack was the latest guest of Math Hoffa's barbershop-style podcast "Expert Opinion," and he had some choice words ... describing Tekashi as "a pussy, a sucka, a bitch!"

If you recall, 6ix9ine infamously ratted on his Treyway Bloods Gang and justified the deed by saying they turned on him, but Joe couldn't give, pardon the phrase, a rat's ass!

As he started going in on Tekashi, Joe pointed out he was sober and not drunkenly spewing opinions. They both hail from NYC -- completely different eras -- and Joe hints at feeling betrayed when he saw firsthand Tekashi admitting he's just trolling and pretending to be a gangsta.

For his part, Tekashi recently claimed on "TMZ Live" he doesn't start all the beefs he has with various rappers, he just fillets them when they come his way.

He can add one more to that list, and while Fat Joe says he doesn't wish any harm on 6ix9ine ... he also believes the guy's got a death wish.

J. Cole is still keeping his professional basketball dreams alive, and a pair of his rapper/hooper pals are singing his praises.

We got Fivio Foreign and Dave East out in NYC, where they both gave Cole major props for making what they call a dope move ... opting to join the Canadian Elite Basketball League, which tips off this week. Dave was hanging at Avianne Fit's anti-hate basketball tournament so he was more than happy to discuss hoops.

Cole will play guard for the Scarborough Shooting Stars, a club actually co-owned by Nicholas "OVO Niko" Corino, one of Drake's day one business partners ... and he’s already got Drizzy's sports enthusiasm pumping.

The "TMZ Hip Hop" crew, however, wasn't so easily impressed. Not unanimously, at least.

Fivio, who's currently on tour with DreamDoll, noted the Dreamville rapper’s dedication, seeing he played a few games in the Basketball Africa League last year. Cole averaged 1.7 points and rebounds in his 3 games with Patriots BBC — a stat line that made league star Terrell Stoglin call Cole's inclusion in the league “disrespectful.”

Gospel music royalty Yolanda Adams has nothing but love for Kanye West after he recently cleaned up at the 2022 Billboard Awards with 6 Gospel trophies.

We linked up with Yolanda outside SiriusXM Monday in NYC, and picked her brain about Ye taking home the artist, album and song trophies in both the Top Christian and Top Gospel categories

Despite not having a parental advisory sticker, ‘Donda’ was received as more of a hip hop album, but Yolanda (Billboard's Top Gospel Artist of the Decade in '09) says she loves Ye’s music, even if it doesn't cater to traditional church.

Given his age and longevity, Yolanda feels Ye's pulling in a new generation of young listeners who might not know about his past Gospel synergy -- like his 2004 hit "Jesus Walks," which he and Yolanda performed together that year at the BET Awards.

Yolanda's also putting a spotlight on the church with her role in the new BET+ series "Kingdom Business" -- a scripted drama that goes behind the scenes of the gospel music industry.