Music

The husband of country music singer Sara Evans won't spend any time behind bars in his domestic violence case ... TMZ has learned.

The Nashville DA's Office tells us ... Jay Barker, a former Univ. of Alabama quarterback, ended up agreeing to a "best interest plea" in which he pled down from felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon to misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

As we reported, Jay was arrested back in January for allegedly trying to slam his car into the car in which Sara was riding.

Cops say Sara told them she was in the passenger seat of a friend's car, leaving a party when she saw Jay gunning his car in reverse, trying to hit them.

Sara and her friend got lucky, though ... cops say Jay missed his alleged target.

Court docs show Jay was put on a year of probation as part of his plea deal ... and we're told he has to keep his nose clean, forfeit all weapons and complete a 26-week batterers intervention program.

Halsey is firing back at their former nanny who is suing the singer over being fired ... the singer says the nanny was simply fired for a potential danger to Halsey’s kid.

Here's the deal ... Halsey's former nanny, Ashley Funches, is reportedly suing the singer for disability discrimination and retaliation, claiming she was fired for taking time off work for an emergency medical procedure.

But Halsey doesn't see things the same way.

A rep for Halsey tells TMZ ... "These allegations are baseless. This individual’s employment was recently terminated in response to specific incidents in which Halsey’s infant was left unsupervised in an unsafe location while under the nanny’s care, and it was discovered the nanny was intoxicated while the child was in her care."

They continue, "Furthermore, at no time during this individual’s term of employment with Halsey were any complaints even raised. Consequently, while Halsey is both saddened and disappointed by this turn of events, they feel it is important to refute these allegations publicly, as they take ableism and ethical working conditions very seriously."

Sam Asghari is gettin' his final reps in before he ties the knot with Britney Spears -- no, not practicing his vows -- he's getting a pump at the gym.

Sam was spotted leaving the gym in Thousand Oaks Thursday, just hours before his big day. Can't blame him for getting away for a bit -- the guy's gotta look his best for his soon-to-be bride -- and all of the couple's friends and family that'll be in attendance.

On his way out, Sam was peppered with questions -- including who'd walk Britney down the aisle and why her boys aren't coming -- but he kept quiet.

TMZ broke the story, Britney and Sam are getting hitched Thursday in L.A. with about 100 guests. Britney's mom, dad and sister are not expected to attend -- and neither will her two boys ... though they wish the best for their mom and her new hubby.

Britney Spears will have a limited number of friends and family in attendance at her wedding, a group that will not include her sons, who still wish their mom the best, TMZ has learned.

TMZ broke the story, Britney and Sam will tie the knot Thursday in Los Angeles. Spears' brother, Bryan, is expected to be in attendance ... but her mom, dad, sister Jamie Lynn and Brit's two boys will not be there.

Kevin Federline's powerhouse attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, tells us 16-year-old Sean Preston and 15-year-old Jayden James will not be going. He adds, "Although the boys will not be in attendance, Kevin and the boys are happy for Britney and wish her and Sam all the best going forward."

Our sources say about 100 people are expected to be there to watch Sam and Britney say their "I dos" at a tented ceremony.

Britney posted a video of herself with Sam Wednesday with a glass of champagne and freshly decorated nails ... presumably ready for the big day.

Hollywood Harlow in full effect -- Jack Harlow is on set for his acting debut in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

As we previously reported, the "First Class" rapper landed the gig after crushing his first-ever audition ... playing Billy Hoyle, which was Woody Harrelson's role in the original film back in 1992.

The project appears to be well on its way ... as Harlow was spotted making his rounds on set at a basketball court in Venice.

Of course, Harlow is working alongside Sinqua Walls in the flick ... who was picked to play Wesley Snipes' Sidney Deane role, despite Quavo's hopes of getting his name called.

The project is backed by Kenya Barris, NBA star Blake Griffin, NFLer Ryan Kalil and Noah Weinstein of Mortal Media ... and is directed by Calmatic.

Other actors on board include Lance Reddick, Teyana Taylor, Andrew Schulz and Laura Harrier ... so some of those names were probably on set as well.

Britney Spears' big day is finally here -- and wedding prep continues -- with a massive tent popping up, where she'll say her "I do's" to fiancé Sam Asghari.

Check out the photos ... you can see crews hard at work outside the L.A. location while they put some of the finishing touches in place. The white tent appears to be there for max privacy, with a staircase leading to the entrance. You can imagine there are plenty of flowers, tables and chairs being packed inside as well.

TMZ broke the story -- Britney and Sam will get married Thursday in an intimate ceremony of about 100 close friends and family members. We're told Britney's brother, Bryan, will be there ... but her sister, Jamie Lynn, and her parents were not invited.

It's also still not clear who will give Britney away at the altar -- or if they'll even have a traditional ceremony.

Halsey's fans didn't get a concert, but they certainly got wet ... all thanks to some serious rain that shut down the show before it even started.

The "Without Me" singer was set to perform at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland Wednesday night, but mother nature had other plans -- with a forecast that predicted some serious rains -- however, Haley's crew stayed optimistic that the show could still go on.

Videos of the rain and flooding from the venue look like something out of a movie, with rain pouring down and water rushing through the stands. The show's start time was delayed a couple hours before the whole thing was called off.

Halsey jumped onto an IG Live to explain and apologize to fans -- saying the weather experts they work with while on the road didn't expect the downpour to be as bad as it was.

The Eagles might go 17-0 this season ... and it's all thanks to Coldplay's beautiful performance of the team's "Fly Eagles Fly" fight song at their concert in Philadelphia.

The show went down at Lincoln Financial Field -- home of the Eagles -- on Wednesday ... as part of the band's "Music of the Spheres" tour.

The group made sure to give the hometown fans what they REALLY wanted ... pausing their regularly scheduled setlist to bring a tear to any Eagles fan's eye.

Of course, the tune is usually shouted out by any drunk fan wearing a Brian Dawkins jersey at the bar on NFL Sundays ... but frontman Chris Martin basically turned it into a Billboard Top 100 ballad.

The crowd clearly loved it ... chanting along as Martin even finished it off with the signature "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant.

Well done by the "Viva La Vida" crew ... but football fans can only hope they turn this into a tradition everywhere they go now.

Maybe the Eagles play this before every game from now on??

Not even Chad Kroeger's sweet vocals were enough to pull the Angels out of their losing skid ... 'cause despite playing Nickelback songs on repeat in L.A. on Wednesday to try to get a win -- the team still lost.

Every Angels batter walked out to a different Nickelback tune in their game against Boston in an effort to mix up the mojo amid a 13-game losing streak ... and the idea had initial promise.

With Shohei Ohtani coming out to "Photograph" and Jo Adell strutting to the dish to "Rockstar" -- the team held up strong against the Red Sox for most of the game.

Sadly for L.A., the Nickelback theme didn't work ... and Boston ultimately pulled out the win, 1-0 -- handing the Angels their 14th consecutive loss.

Afterward, interim manager Phil Nevin -- who replaced the newly fired Joe Maddon this week -- said he had no clue where the idea started, but he was in favor of it.

"I like it. I like Nickelback," the 51-year-old said. "The entire game I've got songs in my head I can't stop singing."

Britney Spears is all set to walk down the aisle and marry her fiancé Sam Asghari in an intimate ceremony.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ the pair are getting married Thursday in front of a very-exclusive and small guest list of about 100 people. We're told Britney's brother, Bryan, is expected to be in attendance -- but her mom, dad and sister, Jamie Lynn, will not be there.

Our sources say it's not yet been decided who will give Britney away at the altar, as final details are still being worked out.

BS posted a video of herself with Sam Wednesday and her nails were certainly looking wedding ready as she and Sam rode around town sipping champagne in a Rolls-Royce.

The wedding's been in the works for months ... remember, Sam popped the question back in September, not long after he was spotted shopping for rings.

Britney and Sam have been living it up during their engagement ... jet setting to Cabo, Cancun, Las Vegas and Hawaii ... where they were riding jet skis, booking lavish suites and dining in the trendiest restaurants.

Unclear what Britney will wear for the big event, but she documented a visit from Donatella Versace in March -- so that could've been a big hint on who designed her dress.

Britney made it clear she wanted to get married, buy a house and have kids following the end of her conservatorship ... so she's close to checking off a significant part of that list.

While Britney and Sam announced she was pregnant back in April, she says she tragically suffered a miscarriage ... though BS says the couple is still trying to have a baby.

The couple met way back in 2016 on the set of Britney's music video for "Slumber Party" and have been smitten with one another ever since.

This will be Britney's third time walking down the aisle -- she was previously married to Jason Alexander and Kevin Federline -- and the first for Sam.

Atlanta hip hop culture is having a really rough go of it this year -- but one of the city's beloved rappers, Trinidad James, says the ATL will power through these hard times.

We caught up with the "All Gold Everything" rap star Wednesday at LAX, and it's clear he was traveling with a heavy heart.

Between the murder of Metro Boomin's mom at the hands of her own husband to Young Thug, Gunna and much of YSL's RICO indictments to Lil Keed's sudden death ... ATL rappers have had an extraordinary bad luck streak.

Trinidad attributes the downward spiral to the fact Atlanta's been on top for several years now, and as he puts it -- when you're at the top, "there's all types of energies, people and situations just trying to take you down."

The murder of Def Jam rapper Trouble also weighed on Trinidad ... in the wake of the alleged killer surrendering to cops.

Trinidad told us about a recent text exchange with Trouble, which was their last communication, and it was a lighthearted -- and slightly racy -- joke between friends.

R. Kelly needs to be locked up for more than a quarter century ... according to federal prosecutors, and that's just for the one case for which he's been convicted.

Federal prosecutors out of the Eastern District of NY -- who won a conviction against Kelly last September -- just filed their recommendation for his sentencing, and they believe there's more than enough reason to send him away for "in excess of 25 years."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say Kelly's particularly menacing because of his history of enticing minors. Prosecutors hold up the case of his relationship with Aaliyah as a prime example, saying he "began to sexually abuse her when she was just 12 or 13 years old." As they laid out in the trial, Kelly went on to marry her in an attempt to cover up that abuse and dodge criminal charges.

Other reasons prosecutors want the judge to throw the book at Kelly include his recordings of child pornography ... and the "physical and psychological" abuse of women. Of course, much of that was detailed in the "Surviving R. Kelly" documentary -- things like Kelly making women call him "Daddy," violent spankings if they disobeyed his rules, and prolonged isolation as punishment.

They also say Kelly knew he had genital herpes in 2004, but continued to have sex with women without telling them.

The feds are particularly concerned because they say Kelly continued doing all of these heinous acts even after he'd been arrested and gone on trial in 2008.

And there's this ... as we all know, R. Kelly has an impressive catalog of hits, and prosecutors say that led him to believe "his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct -- no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others -- to the strictures of the law."

Add it all up, and the feds say that's why they're recommending the judge put Kelly behind bars at least until he's well into his 70s. He's currently 55, and sentencing is scheduled for June 29.

Rae Sremmurd are back as a unified front and the brothers, Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi, are celebrating in a majorly blinging way.

Swae put on for Gemini season at Poppy nightclub in West Hollywood with a live performance Tuesday night, and big bro Jxmmi surprised him with a diamond-encrusted chain to make his 28th birthday that much more lavish.

Celeb jeweler Boo Daddy Diamonds tells TMZ Hip Hop the custom "BIG SWIZZY" piece is made with VS diamonds and white gold with a VS Diamond and White Gold Tennis chain to match.

Jxmmi was so impressed with the work, he picked up a custom 'JXM' diamond pendant for himself.

The blinged-out vibes carry into Rae Sremmurd's new single release "Denial," which dropped today. The music vid was shot by Bryan Barber in Rio De Janeiro, and the song officially serves as the kick-off for their upcoming 4th album, "Sremm4Life."

Rap music's first song to go No. 1 on Billboard -- Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" -- is still one of its most controversial, as one of Ice's collaborators comes forward claiming the rapper's a total fraud.

Mario "Chocolate" Johnson — the man Suge Knight infamously appointed as co-writer of the eventual blockbuster track — went off in a new interview with "The Art Of Dialogue," exposing what he says was Ice's true contribution to his debut record ... ZERO!!!

Mario ripped Ice, aka Rob Van Winkle, saying ... "He said he wrote 'Ice Ice Baby' at 16 ... he didn't write NO parts of that song!"

Vanilla Ice has disputed Johnson's work in the past ... perhaps most passionately in his ABC interview in the 90s when the incident was still fresh in his mind.

The urban legend goes Suge and his henchman physically strong-armed Ice by hanging him over a hotel balcony and making him drink urine in order to coerce him into signing over part of the writing credits -- which funded the launch of Death Row Records.

One thing all parties (including Suge) agree on is the whole Vanilla Ice hung-over-a-balcony mafia-style was widely embellished.

While Ice admits he did go out on the balcony to be intimidated, that's where the physical contact stops. Mario backs that up too, and adds the heated meeting was NOT about "Ice Ice Baby" at all -- but, instead, says it was about the 8 other songs on Ice's album, "To the Extreme."

Ray J hit the nail on the head when he said straight men should do more to support members of the LGBTQ community, so says Da Brat, who believes even more can be done when it comes to straight men in hip hop.

Da Brat and her wife, Judy Dupart, joined "TMZ Live" and gave us their thoughts on Ray J's take on homophobia in the Hip Hop community.

Da Brat says she feels Ray's comments are a step in the right direction and believes more artists -- like Snoop Dogg, for example -- who holds legend status in the biz could help too.

ICYMI ... Ray J posted an 11 minute video on IG, calling out straight men for not shouting out folks in the LGBTQ+ enough. In his caption he wrote "GAY PRIDE/ RAY PRIDE!!" and went on to say that the time is now to show more love.

As for Da Brat, who only came out publicly in the last few years, tells us Judy is someone who makes her feel like it's OK to be free and be herself. She says she never felt stuck with her sexuality, but she was conditioned to keep her dating life private as a celeb.

It ain't over for Johnny Depp and his attorney Camille Vasquez -- the two will reunite again -- and maybe even for a jam session.

Vasquez was leaving "Good Morning America" Wednesday in New York City when she asked, now that the trial was over if she'll see Johnny again. Without hesitation, she answers, "Of course!"

The camera then follows up, asking if she's a fan of his music, unclear if Camille didn't hear the question, but when asked again, she replies "Yes, yes, of course." Before getting into an SUV.

As you know, Camille and Johnny struck up a friendship over the many months together working on the case. Fans speculated, and social media theories ran wild that the two of them may have become more than friends ... but our sources say that just isn't the case.