Music

Gregg Popovich gave a speech at Jay-Z's social justice summit this weekend -- once again making his positions on the issue crystal clear in a rousing speech.

The Spurs coach was in NYC Saturday, where Roc Nation was hosting the event and honoring attorney Barry Scheck with an award for his work on the Innocence Project ... which helps exonerate wrongly-convicted people in the country.

Watch Pop's address here ... he sounds as passionate as he usually does when talking about this sort of thing. He talks about what he sees as the state of America and its persistent racism -- something he says he knew always existed, but never to the extent that's been revealed through RN's or Scheck's advocacy.

He goes on to praise the Innocence Project for the number of individuals they've been able to get out of prison -- upwards of 375, he says -- which got a round of applause.

It's an important matter, and it's cool to see GP so fired up about it. You can tell this stuff is top of mind for him these days -- that is, when he's not in the middle of a game.

Travis Scott made it to Rolling Loud after all ... yet another twist in this weekend's big bash.

During Future's headlining set Saturday, he brought out the MC to thunderous applause ... and an even stronger performance. Travis ran through at least two of his songs, perhaps more, and spent a good amount of time on stage.

The crowd was loving it ... and Travis certainly seemed back to his old self in a traditional festival setting -- this being more comparable to Astroworld than any show he's done since. For his part, TS was absolutely pumped ... and you could tell he enjoyed being here.

It made for a good litmus test of how concert-goers and festival-goers feel about Travis hitting the stage in this capacity again ... and the consensus is, they want him there.

While we're sure the Rolling Loud crowd who caught Travis was stoked, you gotta wonder why he wasn't hired to just hold this slot down if he was gonna be there regardless -- similar to Kanye, who also randomly showed up on Friday night for a cameo appearance ... this after bailing on his own scheduled appearance last minute.

Rage Against the Machine has bodyguards that actually may be TOO on the ball, because an eagle-eyed hired muscle tackled a fan who rushed the stage and one of the band members got nailed as well.

It all went down Saturday night in Toronto, when Rage was playing its final song -- "Killing in the Name" -- and a fan (in a red shirt) sprinted toward the front of the stage, only to be blocked by security and hurled off into the crowd.

Thing is ... guitarist Tom Morello was collateral damage. Security made contact with him, knocking him to the ground close enough to the lip of the stage that he fell off.

It was a tense moment, as everyone waited to see if Tom was ok ... after a dramatic pause, he got up and waved to the crowd, which roared its approval!

Fact is ... security did its job and did it well. It happened really fast, so there was no time for precision. It's kind of funny ... Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Dave Chappelle clowned his security at the Hollywood Bowl when he was tackled, saying they musta been wearing street shoes.

Xzibit is lying to the court about his financial situation simply to avoid writing some big checks to his estranged wife for spousal support ... at least according to her.

The former "Pimp My Ride" star's estranged wife, Krista Joiner, claims in new legal docs Xzibit is making it seem like he's fallen on tough times when in reality he's got millions in cash.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Krista claims Xzibit's brother told her he takes home over $1 million a month from cannabis companies and stores the cash in multiple locations using bank-sized vaults. She says the bro also told her he personally stored $20 million for Xzibit in various vaults and brings X cash on demand.

In the docs, she paints a much different financial picture of Xzibit than he has. As we first reported, the rapper claims he isn't making any money from his weed ventures and is struggling to make ends meet.

Krista, who filed for divorce in February 2021, also says X is lying about her going behind his back to get a new lease on a 2021 Bentley, dragging her feet on the sale of the family home and living in the mansion with her new boyfriend.

She claims Xzibit is full of baloney ... and she's accusing him of trying to sway the court's opinion so he doesn't have to cut her huge monthly checks.

His estranged wife says she's the one having a tough time financially ... claiming she recently lost her job and has no earnings to support herself or their son.

And, get this ... Krista claims Xzibit has been ignoring her requests for gas money, food and haircuts for their son, and says she had to go through attorneys to beg X to pay for their kid's inhalers.

Saweetie called out one of her fans in the middle of a show -- but it wasn't to reprimand him or anything ... it was to point out that she thought the dude was right up her alley!

The rapper was performing at Rolling Loud in Miami Friday, and at one point during her set ... Saweetie took a breather and looked out into the crowd. Before long, she locked eyes with a handsome fella down toward the front row -- and actually started talking to him.

Check it out ... Saweetie addresses a young buck in a white tank top, plucking him out of the audience and asking him to step forward so she can get his name. It's Will, BTW.

They go back and forth for a little bit, and it sounds like either Saweetie or her DJ/hype man says he's just her type. She asks Will if he heard her verse on Mozzy's "In My Face," but it's unclear what she was trying to communicate ... although it seems provocative.

Eventually, the guy's friends start chanting his name at Saweetie's request -- and Will here was loving it. Later, Saweetie posted an interesting IG ... feet out the window, asking "Wya?"

Martha Stewart sure knows how to set the mood -- but the one she went for with this sad announcement might be ... a little off.

The famed home-life guru made news Saturday by revealing several of her peacocks had gotten murdered by wild coyotes at one of her farms -- presumably the one she has in upstate NY ... an attack that apparently happened in broad daylight.

MS writes, "RIP beautiful BlueBoy. The coyotes came in broad daylight and devoured him and five others including the magnificent White Boy any solutions for getting rid of six large and aggressive coyotes who have expensive tastes when it comes to poultry??"

She goes on to explain she's no longer gonna let her peacocks -- of which she has upwards of 21, as she's previously explained -- roam outside of their enclosed yard. Martha also says they're going to add wire fencing to the top of their pen area to avoid more episodes.

Like we said ... definitely a sucky update. And while we're sure Martha is devastated -- she sorta suggested the opposite with the music she set her IG post to ... namely, Marvin Gaye.

Kid Cudi was no substitute for Kanye West at the Rolling Loud Festival Friday night ... at least according to some fans who pelted Cudi with objects, including a bottle to the head ... and Ye got some lyrical licks in too.

Cudi was on stage at the jam-packed event in Miami when some hecklers -- clearly Kanye fans -- started yelling at the "Day N Nite" rapper and throwing objects at him.

Getting more and more angry, Cudi stopped his performance and screamed into the mic, “I will f**king leave … If I get hit with one more f**king thing — if I see one more f**king thing on this f**king stage, I’m leaving!”

Then someone from the audience hurled a bottle, hitting Cudi on the side of the head. Cudi dropped the mic and said nothing as he turned and walked off the stage.

Fans were undeterred, chanting Kanye's name, and they got more than they expected. Lil Durk took the stage and guess who walked out as well ... none other than Kanye, who made a grand entrance to the mighty approval of the crowd.

Kanye belted out his hit, "Father Strech My hands, Pt. 1" from "The Life of Pablo" album, which the rapper recorded with vocals from Cudi, which has gotta be a dig.

The fans were clearly choosing sides ... Kanye and Cudi are in a massive feud, after Kanye called Cudi out for being friends with Pete Davidson. Cudi responded by calling Ye a "dinosaur."

Cudi landed the headlining gig after Kanye bowed out of the festival at the last minute without providing a reason.

Kid Rock canceled his concert Friday night in North Dakota due to bad weather ... triggering an angry backlash from fans who trashed the venue.

KR was supposed to take the stage around 9:30 PM at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot ... following a 2 1/2 hour performance by his opening act, Night Ranger.

We're told a storm was brewing on the outskirts of town with some wind and lightning, but no rain, which kept delaying KR's show.

By the time 11 o'clock rolled around, lots of folks in the 18,000-strong audience were pretty drunk ... and pissed because it seemed as if the storm had passed.

An officer from the Ward County Sheriff's Department then walked up to the mic and announced the concert was canceled.

The crowd went berserk and turned the place upside down, throwing beer cans at the stage.

One guy climbed onto the stage and took a threatening stance before security tackled him.

Another man was handcuffed and led away by the police.

Ricky Martin made his first public appearance since winning a big court victory against his nephew ... at the Hollywood Bowl no less.

Ricky took the stage to a packed house and obliquely addressed the drama, asking the crowd, "Are you really having a good time? All I want is for you to forget all your issues tonight and just focus on love and light and let's just have a good time. Are you ready Los Angeles to have a good time?"

Ricky, who performed with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, never directly addressed his nephew's accusations or the court hearing.

TMZ broke the story ... Ricky's nephew withdrew his restraining order petition, and although Ricky was present for Friday's hearing on Zoom, he never spoke ... he didn't have to. As you know, his 21-year-old nephew claimed he had a 7-month sexual relationship with Ricky, after which he says the singer stalked and harassed him. Ricky adamantly denied there was ever any relationship and his lawyers said the nephew suffered from serious mental issues.

After the nephew withdrew his claim and the judge dismissed the case, Ricky's legal team told TMZ, "Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the court. The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure."

Ricky appeared on a video in which he talked about the pain this caused him and his family.

Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah just pitched in front of a sold-out stadium full of fans and celebs at the All-Star Game -- but there's one guy he really wishes would have come to watch him throw ... Drake!!!

Manoah made it clear to TMZ Sports just before he took the bump at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday that he really wants the "God's Plan" rapper to catch one of his games.

"Come watch me pitch!" Manoah said in a message to Drake.

The 24-year-old even offered some incentive to the entertainer if he does make the trek to one of his outings soon ... telling us, "We'll give him a uniform!"

Of course, Drake is a big Blue Jays fan -- he's worn the home team's jersey at his concerts in the past ... and even famously put a pic of Joe Carter on his "Back to Back" hit's cover art.

But, it's obvious he's far more into Toronto's basketball team than its baseball team ... and it seems Manoah is trying to work his magic to get that to change.

Social media has made it possible for a new center of attention to emerge during sometimes serious events and broadcasts ... Thursday night was the man dubbed "Clark Kent's look-alike" at the Jan. 6 hearing, but he's not the first person in the background to steal the show.

Remember "Left Shark?" The costumed character, who we were first introduced to during Katy Perry's Super Bowl Halftime show in 2015, was trending on Twitter and has become a pop culture staple over the years.

There was also "Fiji Water Girl," who was simply tasked with holding the bottles for celebs at The Golden Globes back in 2019, but became something more by appearing in more red carpet shots than previously thought possible.

Before "Clark Kent" there was "Hot Debate Guy" who stole the spotlight during the Republican debates in 2015. Turns out he was Gregory Caruso, the 24-year-old son of now L.A. Mayoral hopeful, Rick Caruso.

Not even the Royal Family can escape background scene-stealers, Prince William and Kate Middleton's flower girl in 2011, Grace van Cutsem, showed the world her true feelings when the two kissed.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez certainly aren't slowing down on their PDA, especially after tying the knot ... and their kids got a front-row seat to the love fest.

Ben and Jen grubbed at Le Matignon Thursday with 13-year-old Seraphina, 16-year-old Violet, and 14-year-old Emme as the combined families spent some time in Paris. The newlyweds couldn't stop themselves from locking lips, and the kiddos seemingly looked away.

Ben and Jen hit the Gardens Elysée early Friday, where that PDA sure didn't slow down ... Ben even snapped some pics of his new wife as they walked around.

As we reported, the pair might be using this trip as a mini-honeymoon in the city of love after their recent Vegas wedding.

The two soaked in the sights from their luxury hotel room before venturing out into the city.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben and Jen tied the knot in Las Vegas early Saturday morning in a tiny chapel ceremony that included their children, and they're planning to throw a massive wedding party with close friends and family at the actor's Georgia estate in the coming weeks.

DaBaby is in good spirits ahead of his Rolling Loud Miami performance this weekend, and it’s probably because his checks clear on time.

DB was the latest guest on the Nelk Boys podcast and he addressed his artist Stunna 4 Vegas’ recent claim Dua Lipa's team coughed up $350,000 to get the Billion Dollar Baby CEO's verse on the “Levitating (Remix).”

While DaBaby did admit the number could have been that high, he was leaning closer to around $300K.

BTW, it's debatable if it was worth it for Dua Lipa, since she ended up cutting DaBaby from the track after his homophobic rant at Rolling Loud 2021.

DB says he's moved past last year's drama ... and, apparently, so have promoters. He said he's getting upwards of $200K for a simple club appearance and added, he always gives smaller venues their money’s worth by performing extra songs.

As for bigger venues, DaBaby says he just rocked South Korea's Olympic Stadium ... for $450K!!!

Eminem's been in the game so long, it's getting hard to recall some pretty epic moments ... and Shady's slim memory was on full display during a recent hang with Snoop Dogg.

The 2 legendary Super Bowl LVI performers were chilling in a studio to promote their recent collab “From The D 2 The LBC” … when Snoop brought up Eminem’s cameo in Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.”

The single was famously written by Jay-Z, and the video directed by Hype Williams featured a pre-superstar Em chasing a flock of groupies. While that might sound like a precious memory to most of us … Em totally blanked.

It’s also one of the few rap videos with a billion views on YouTube …so, it’s a big deal!

Snoop kept trying to jog Em’s memory … and eventually, his brain did get up and running. Hey, considering the insane career run he's had since 1999 when the video was shot, it’s okay for him to have a few lapses every now and then.

Both Em and Snoop have been collaborating for years, and recently helped Dre cement their legacies with the Super Bowl halftime show performance in L.A.

Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak were there too and the performance earned five Primetime Emmy noms.

Their latest joint is locked in for Em’s “Curtain Call 2” -- his second greatest hits collection -- and he’s going with an arcade game theme for the project’s rollout.

Rowdy Rebel's brother Fetty Luciano is facing an attempted murder charge, and was just arraigned.

The Brooklyn rapper is accused of opening fire on July 10 ... shooting 3 people, including a security guard, at a Long Island luxury hotel's private pool party.

Although Nassau County prosecutors requested the GS9 member remain in custody, a judge set Fetty's bail at $200k in cash or a $400k bond.

About 200 people were reportedly at the party, and the injured security was attempting to break up a fight between 2 people when the shots rang out.

Fetty turned himself into Glen Cove Police officers on Thursday. In addition to the attempted murder charge, he's also facing reckless endangerment and weapons charges.

DJ Khaled is riding a tidal wave of buzz going into his next album and he's just impressed the person who probably matters the most for the project ... his Roc Nation boss Jay-Z!!!

Khaled and HOV closed off a private listening session in New York City yesterday for his upcoming "God Did" album -- and Khaled put Jay's stamp of approval on public display!

The 2 moguls absorbed the album over champagne and cigars, and you don't have to take Khaled's word on the quality of the record ... based on the pics, it's written all over Jay's face.

No video previews yet … the songs still have to be cleared, but HOV's excitement is as strong a review as any artist could hope to get.