Music

XXL just released its hotly debated Freshman List for the 15th year — and there are no noticeable snubs ... as far as Yung Bleu can see.

The budding star's the perfect guy to weigh in with his hot take, because just last year he was the center of attention when XXL left him off the 2021 Freshman List.

We caught up with Bleu Davinci outside LAX and he had no smoke for the '22 XXL Freshman List, which consists of Babyface Ray, BabyTron, Big30, Big Scarr, Cochise, Doechii, Kali, KayCyy, KenTheMan, Nardo Wick, Saucy Santana and SoFaygo.

While Bleu feels like the list doesn't have power over artists' careers anymore -- rendering it kind of irrelevant -- he was happy to see the new class members get their shine.

We also got his take on the social media debate of Michael Jackson vs. Chris Brown's talent supremacy -- and Bleu didn't go the route of his homie Tank and side with CB ... he simply stated each generation will crown their hero and both their talents are uncanny.

Bleu’s career has been thriving since the 2021 “snub” … he went on to win Best New Artist at both the BET Hip Hop and Soul Train Awards that year and his double platinum-selling Drake collab “You’re Mines Still” has over 200 million YouTube views.

And, on top of that, he'll be on CB's new album, which is dropping this summer.

Drake brought his IG moniker "Champagne Papi" to life on Tuesday -- winning a title in the Sanctuary Basketball League -- and he celebrated by sprayin' bubbly everywhere!!

The victorious moment was all caught on video -- when his NTIG teammate hit the game-winning shot in the SBL title game right on Drake's basketball court in his Toronto mansion.

Drizzy and his squad went nuts after securing the dub ... cueing up the champagne showers.

And, Drake paid homage to the late Kobe Bryant for his game strategy ... saying he channeled his inner Mamba Mentality.

"I did what Kobe did in Game 7 against the Celtics," Drake said, "Shots not falling, you play f*****g defense!"

BTW, Drake launched the SBL league last year ... and now is a 2-time champ, after his team again won the 'ship.

Megan Thee Stallion is hopeful that Tory Lanez is not only found guilty for allegedly shooting her, but that he's thrown behind bars as well.

Meg -- who's in the middle of a criminal case involving Lanez in which he's alleged to have shot her in the foot in 2020 -- did an interview with Rolling Stone, in which she touched on the legal matter ... and says she wants him to serve time.

She says, "I want him to go to jail," adding ... "I want him to go under the jail." MTS said this after reflecting/questioning why the case is dragging out so long.

As you know, Tory has denied Megan's accusations and pled not guilty to the charges against him. While there've been bumps throughout -- including him being temporarily remanded to custody for violating a protective order -- it seems the case is going to trial in September.

Megan claims her foot was injured during the shooting -- saying she had to undergo surgery, and couldn't walk for days. She says, "Both of my legs wrapped up. I could not walk. I still have bullet fragments in my feet right now. I was very scared that I was not able to be Megan Thee Stallion no more. And, I was f***ed up."

Megan also addressed the other witness in the matter -- her ex-best friend, Kelsey Harris -- saying she feels like she's sided with Tory in the aftermath. An even more triggering result, she says, is the social media backlash she's received from people who don't believe her.

Hailey Bieber says Justin is on the path to recovery from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, and believes the support from fans has played a big role in him getting better.

Hailey updated JB's condition Wednesday on 'GMA' ... where she said her husband's looking to make a full recovery from the condition that paralyzed half of his face. She says he's feeling better with each passing day.

She also thanked fans for being so understanding throughout his ordeal -- Justin had to pause his world tour -- and Hailey added they've been getting lots of advice from people who've dealt with RHS before.

As we reported, Justin revealed a virus in his ear left the right side of his face paralyzed ... he posted a video Friday showing the effects and telling fans the condition was the reason he'd postponed several shows.

JB's battle with RHS comes on the heels of Hailey's own medical scare back in March when she suffered a mini-stroke ... and needed a medical procedure to close a hole in her heart. She says she's been giving her body the time it needs to recover.

TMZ broke the story ... Hailey was rushed to the hospital after suffering stroke-like symptoms. Doctors found a small blood clot in her brain, and also diagnosed something called PFO, a small opening in the heart.

Even huge hitmakers like Boyz II Men get rejected -- that's showbiz, as they say -- and Shawn Stockman says one of his group's denials came from none other than Amy Winehouse.

We spotted the B2M singer in Bev Hills Tuesday during the TMZ Celebrity Tour, and he was cool enough to hop on our bus to chat with fans about his R&B group's peaks and valleys.

Shawn says, back in the day, their team had reached out to Amy suggesting she do a song with Boyz II Men. You gotta see him explain how that went over with British singer -- but, let's just say at least they made her laugh.

That being said, lots of other artists -- including contemporary rappers -- are down with the group's hits, and Shawn told us why they're open to working with everyone in the industry.

As you know, the R&B group, now consisting of Shawn, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris gained international success in the 1990s.

They've won 4 Grammys, and Billboard recognized them as the biggest boy band from 1987 to 2012 -- and, btw, they're on tour this summer.

The upcoming celebrity boxing match between Blueface and former NBA star Nick Young isn't too chummy, and won't be very long -- the "Thotiana" rapper is vowing to put Nick to sleep early!

Make no mistake about it, Blueface has already won the July 30 bout in his mind, because he tells TMZ Hip Hop ... "The Famous Cryp is about to be even more famous ... Nick's going down in the 3rd!"

Earlier this week, TMZ Sports hashed out the details: the proud L.A. natives will both have home ring advantage inside Crypto.com Arena where they will be on the undercard for the Social Gloves event where YouTubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib are the main event.

Speaking of YouTubers, Blueface has a history of sizing up social media stars for a fight.

Remember, he bashed TikToker Kane Trujillo's face in (as well as a random ring-crasher) during a July 2021 bare-knuckle fight.

Ex-NFL star, and part-time rapper, Le'Veon Bell is also on the card for July 30, but he's still waiting for a challenger.

As for the fight for L.A.'s unofficial celeb belt (which isn't a thing, yet) ... the physical stats are in Swaggy's favor, but Blueface has him beat in-ring experience.

The Kid LAROI might have to lay off pick-up basketball games while he's touring ... especially after taking a fall so hard, it's painful just to watch.

The Aussie rapper made an appearance at the Culture Kings store in Melbourne, and part of the store was shut down Sunday ... so he and his crew could do some shopping. Things took a turn, though, when he and his entourage decided to play hoops on the store's indoor court.

It was close quarters, for sure, and at one point The Kid jumped pretty damn high for the ball, only to trip over one of his pals ... and come crashing down right on his tailbone! Immediately, you could see he was in pain.

While a lot of fans thought he'd have to cancel his concert scheduled for that night, TKL stuck to that old adage -- the show MUST go on -- and got onstage that night ... with The Wiggles no less!!!

He certainly didn't look any worse for wear as he went HAM performing his childhood heroes' classics like "Big Red Car" and "Fruit Salad."

The Kid had already postponed the Melbourne concert the week before, so he knew he had to put on a great show, regardless of how sore his back must have been.

It's out with the old and in with the new for Britney Spears' security team ... canning the squad who allowed her ex-husband to not only crash the wedding, but get inside her home.

Sources close to the singer tell us she recently made the decision to fire the existing security team, and replace them with an all new bunch. The move isn't totally surprising, but we're told it happened quickly after Thursday's fiasco.

TMZ broke the story, Jason Alexander -- armed with a knife -- live streamed himself getting onto Britney's property and inside to the second level of her home, demanding to see her, on her wedding day. Fortunately, he wasn't able to make contact with the singer, and cops arrested him.

We were at the courthouse Monday for Alexander's arraignment on charges of vandalism, trespassing and battery ... but the judge also added a felony stalking charge and granted Britney a 3-year restraining order against Jason.

Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, who had previously stated he would do everything in his power to make sure Britney was protected, also attended the hearing.

Quavo may or may not be an ex-Migo … but he’s definitely focused on being a movie legend for the time being.

We caught up with Quay Huncho outside of LAX — fresh off his time on the set of his bank-robbing heist "Cash Out" and he had plenty of love for his costars — especially John Travolta, who gave the star rapper some potential Oscar-winning advice.

Quay says John simply told him to be relaxed on set — and be himself at times, which is a little strange considering they're actually portraying someone else.

That being said, most successful actors still don't have filmographies as acclaimed as Travolta's so, yeah.

Although there's no set release date or trailer, Quay was especially pumped, shouting out director Randall Emmett and his costars ... including Noel Gugliemi, who he flicked it up with several times on the "Cash Out" set.

Gold-selling Brooklyn drill rapper 22Gz was arrested on attempted murder charges early Sunday morning the moment he landed at JFK airport.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 22Gz was in Atlanta since the shooting and may have thought the coast was clear for his Sunday Summer Jam performance ... but police caught up with him at the airport.

The snafu caused him to forfeit his appearance, as he was supposed to be a part of Hot 97's DJ Drewski's set.

The arrest stems from a March 6 shooting inside a Brooklyn party hall where 3 people were shot ... and police say one of the victims ID'd 22Gz as the shooter and provided officers with a detailed description of the "Twirlanta" rapper.

Despite the triple shooting ... we're told the injuries are not considered to be serious.

Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez ripped into 22Gz telling TMZ: "This shooting not only wounded the victim, but endangered the lives of everyone in a crowded club. Senseless gang rivalries fuel much of the gun violence in our communities and I remain committed to vigorously prosecuting anyone who engages in this criminal conduct."

In addition to the attempted murder charge, 22Gz is facing 2nd-degree assault and weapons charges for a pistol, along with a 1st-degree reckless endangerment charge.

Gunna isn’t taking his incarceration lightly … evidenced by a fiery letter he’s written from jail where he says America is violating his Freedom of Speech rights.

In an open letter dated on his 29th birthday — Tuesday, June 14, the incarcerated “Pushin P” rapper speaks on how his breakout year was flipped after being part of a 56-count indictment that included Young Thug and several other YSL members.

He writes, “22 & 2, just a bed & a shower, no windows just walls. Can’t see or talk to anyone. I’m writing now & still praying everyday. I was raised to fight fire with water, even tho my country’s amendments have failed me! PROTECT BLACK ART!”

T.I., who’s had several run-ins with the law throughout his rap career, immediately swooped in with words of encouragement.

Sad thing is ... Gunna wasn’t lying about 2022 being his time to shine. His album “DS4EVER” beat out The Weeknd to go No. 1 and his gold-selling “Pushin P” record set a trend.

Thug recently also broke his silence — live at Hot 97’s Summer Jam ... urging fans to sign to the Protect Black Art initiative — as did Chris Brown, DJ Khaled, Post Malone, Polo G, Meek Mill and several other high-profile artists.

Blue Ivy spent the night out with her pops Jay-Z, and fans had to stop and do a double-take after looking way too much like Beyoncé.

The father-daughter duo was at the NBA Finals Monday night in San Fran, and fans couldn't help but compare her to her mom -- the 10-year-old is rocking a new curly-haired look that's definitely very familiar.

Blue's look feels similar to queen Bey in the mid-2000s, or as one fan reacted on social media ... "Beyonce really copy and pasted her looks on her." Not everyone sees the Beyonce comparisons, though ... some still see more of her dad than her mama.

Jay-Z even got the chance to embarrass her at the game in true dad fashion ... pulling her in for a hug while on camera, and she tried to break away as she whispered, "Dad, my hair."

BTW, last night's game 5 pulled Golden State ahead 3-2, and Jay and mini-Bey even got to chat it up with Steph Curry after the game.

Trick Daddy is super pissed at Ron DeSantis for Florida's myriad financial problems, calling the Governor a "white bigot" ... but he's also blaming voters, or lack thereof.

The "I'm a Thug" rapper is the latest guest on "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper," and he rips into Gov. DeSantis when asked what life is like these days in his home state.

Trick Daddy says he feels for all those seeing their rents raised by hundreds of dollars ... but he's not blaming President Biden, a la Jake Paul, and is instead focusing his rage on DeSantis.

Raised rents aren't the only bone Trick Daddy has to pick with DeSantis ... he's also going after the Governor for Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill and super strict abortion laws.

The way Trick Daddy sees it ... DeSantis, a prospective Republican candidate for president, is singling out all types of people and their ways of life with "racist and biased" legislation.

As for his rant about DeSantis being "from another country" -- we think TD's referring to the fact his ancestors were Italian immigrants in the early 20th century.

Lizzo's changing a controversial lyric in her new song after online backlash ... acknowledging words have power and saying she doesn't want to promote derogatory language.

Here's the deal -- Lizzo dropped her new single, "Grrrls," Friday and caught a ton of flak on social media for including the term "sp*z" in the lyrics.

Lizzo's original opening verse went like this ... "Hold my bag, bitch/ Hold my bag/ Do you see this s***?/ I'm a sp*z/ I'm about to knock somebody out/ Yo, where my best friend?/ She the only one I know to talk me off the deep end."

After getting tons of heat over the weekend, Lizzo announced Monday she'd heard the concerns, listened and made a change.

Lizzo says she's had tons of hurtful words directed at her over the years because she's a self-proclaimed "fat black woman in America" ... and says she understands the power words can carry.

She maintains there was no harmful intention behind the original lyrics and says she's proud to make a change for a new version of her song, which samples "Girls" from the Beastie Boys.

Britney Spears has a massive new home to go with that new marriage -- and she and Sam Asghari are already packed up to move.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... she plunked down $11.8 million for the mansion in Calabasas. The 11,650 sq. foot home is actually pretty close to where Kevin Federline lives with their 2 sons, Sean and Jayden.

Brit's white Mercedes-Benz was in the driveway Monday, along with moving trucks ... so, it looks like the newlyweds are getting into their new place ASAP.

Sam and Brit's new playground sits on 1.6 acres of land ... its got a huge kitchen, a home movie theatre, and even a room just for gift-wrapping. Christmas is gonna be 🔥!!!

Outside, they've got a huge pool, complete with a waterslide. Oh, the IG videos Brit's gonna make back there.

This area is home to lots of other big stars -- Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker live there now, and Justin Bieber used to call it his home before he and Hailey moved to Bev Hills.

The move explains why the couple didn't jet outta town on a honeymoon right after their wedding Thursday night at Brit's current home in Thousand Oaks, CA.

According to property records, "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" stars Josh and Matt Altman of Douglas Elliman and Todd Bernstein of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage handled the listing and sale, but had no comment.

Two people have been arrested in the shooting death of rapper Slim 400, months after he was gunned down while sitting in a driveway ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources say they arrested a man and a woman Thursday in connection to the December murder, we don't yet know their identities or if they knew Slim 400 personally. We're told the arrests were the result of a search warrant that will be sent to the D.A.

You'll remember, the entire thing was captured on a Ring cam in Inglewood ... you see a suspect walk up a driveway before confronting Slim and firing a series of shots. Slim attempts to go after the suspect, but collapses.

Shortly after the attack, he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Slim was just 33.