Music

Diddy is backing Swizz Beatz and Timbaland in their ongoing legal battle with Triller ... and he's advising the culture to do the same!!!

The Bad Boy Records mogul dropped a PSA on Instagram Thursday ... right after confirming a Bad Boy vs. So So Def hit-for-hit battle with Jermaine Dupri. As a result of the pending lawsuit, Diddy and JD also agreed their event will not be on Triller, and will happen in Atlanta.

TMZ broke the story … the legendary producers are suing Triller for $28 million, citing an alleged breach of contract. Triller stated there's no wrongdoing on their part, claiming they paid both Swizz and Timbaland $50 million in cash and stock so far.

Travis Barker is the latest celeb to catch COVID -- a diagnosis that comes just two months after he was hospitalized for a serious case of pancreatitis -- but he's doing his best to keep his spirits up.

Travis broke the news on Instagram Thursday, with a caption that reads, "Covid sucks🤬 I'd rather be playing drums." He was recently on tour with his buddy MGK, and posted some BTS footage a couple days before his announcement ... so it's possible he caught the disease on the road.

Unclear when exactly Travis tested positive, we saw him out earlier this week in L.A. hitting a studio.

Of course, the diagnosis comes two months after his hospitalization. TMZ broke the story, the drummer had a colonoscopy that triggered pancreatitis in June, Travis told folks on social media he had a polyp removed in a sensitive area, which "damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube" and led to the medical emergency.

Dallas rapper Trapboy Freddy was arrested by cops for a weapons charge ... but it might've been a good idea for officers to bring a zookeeper along, too.

Officials say they discovered a tiger cub Wednesday caged inside Freddy's Oak Cliff house. Officials seized the cat, but at this time, he hasn't been charged with anything in relation to having the animal.

The Dallas rapper was charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and is due to appear in court on Friday.

As for the tiger, it was transported it to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

Gordo is riding the waves in 2022 ... the same ones he delivered to Drake to make his latest album "Honestly Nevermind" the record-breaker it is today.

The surprise release saw The Artist Formerly Known as DJ Carnage produce five tracks -- "Currents," "Massive," "Calling My Name," "Tie That Binds" and album jewel "Sticky," where in the latter visual, Drake displayed a ton of exclusive drip.

TMZ Hip Hop chatted with Gordo ... as he preps for his biggest solo show to date, a 5-hour DJ takeover in DTLA this coming Saturday, August 20.

The last time we spoke with Gordo, he was shedding his DJ Carnage image and "Honestly Nevermind" was still a secret to the world. Gordo says he actually parted ways with the song "Tie That Binds" for his own album to uplift the vibes on "HN."

The two prolific artists have a practical joker friendship in real life, but truly want people to have a good time with their musical output.

It's party time for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- the newlyweds just touched down in Georgia -- and are taking in the sights and sounds before their weekend bash.

Ben and Jen were spotted in Savannah Thursday hitting local shops and walking with at least one of their kids ... a pretty low-key stroll considering what's still to come.

As we told you, the couple is welcoming their closest friends and family members to a celebration this weekend at Ben's estate he owns in the coastal town of Riceboro, Georgia. The property is close to 100 acres, with several homes on site, so there's plenty of space for festivities.

TMZ broke the story, the estate was supposed to serve as the location for Ben and Jen's wedding 20 years ago when they were first engaged ... so the party this weekend will serve as a full-circle moment.

It's currently unclear which of the couple's A-list friends will be there, you gotta imagine Matt Damon will attend, but it's sure to be quite the event.

Fat Joe is taking his legendary storytelling skills to the theatrical stage this fall … via a one-man show à la the same kind Mike Tyson did a couple of years ago!!!

And to sweeten the pot, the show will feature a special introduction from his good friend Dave Chappelle to kick things off!!!

Roc Nation and Magic Lemonade will go half on the co-production duties and filmmaker emeritus Chris Robinson will direct the entire shindig.

Joe Crack tells TMZ Hip Hop, he’s “not holding back” on the keeping it real moments … which should range from topics like him getting kidnapped in Africa, recording with the late, great Big Pun, and serving a jail sentence for tax evasion back in 2013.

“The world will be getting Fat Joe at his most authentic, vulnerable, and comedic self on that stage,” Joe continued. "I’ve always taken pride in my storytelling, but we’re about to take it to the next level. I’m grateful to Dave Chappelle, Roc Nation and Magic Lemonade for their support in sharing my story and helping make this one-man show the biggest event ever.”

We’re also told a crop of Joe’s family, friends and closet collaborators will also supply personal interviews for the event ... making the affair that much more intimate.

And naturally, his multiplatinum rap catalog will play an integral role in the presentation.

Joe is arguably one of hip hop’s greatest storytellers on and off the mic … and his one-man show should coincide with the release of his memoir, “The Book Of Jose” which drops on November 15.

R. Kelly's former goddaughter says the singer had sex with her hundreds of times before she turned 18 years old ... testifying she was only 15 when they first had sexual intercourse.

The disgraced singer's alleged victim took the stand Thursday in Kelly's federal trial in Chicago, telling the jury she had sex with Kelly over and over as a minor because she was too intimidated to say no.

The woman, who is now 37, says she asked Kelly to be her godfather back in the late 1990s when she was only 13 ... and she testified things between them quickly turned sexual.

Kelly's alleged victim told the jury he first touched her breasts when she was about 14, doing so inside a Chicago recording studio ... and claims things escalated to intercourse when she was 15 and he was about twice her age.

The woman, known only by the pseudonym Jane, testified she had sex with Kelly "innumerable times" before her 18th birthday ... claiming the encounters took place at Kelly's home, recording studio, tour bus and hotel rooms.

Asked why she kept having sex with Kelly, Jane told the jury she viewed him as a figure of authority, and didn't know how to respond to his requests. She says she didn't know how to say "no" to Kelly and went along with the sex for so long it started feeling like a normal thing.

Jane testified she and Kelly would also have sex with other teenage girls he had her recruit.

She also testified Kelly recorded some of their sexual encounters, when she was only 14.

Young Thug sat in an Atlanta courtroom on Thursday only to be denied bond again in his ongoing YSL Rico case.

Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, informed the court the rapper was willing to comply with a 24-hour home confinement and argued the prosecution was creating a false narrative by using 2014 lyrics as evidence, but that still wasn't enough to sway the judge.

As for the prosecution, they referred to Thugger as the “General” of the entire YSL regime, and believe he should remain locked up.

This makes Thug’s third bond denial since he was arrested back in May, and at this rate, he will be behind bars until at least January.

Young Thug and Gunna have both been behind bars -- part of a 56-count indictment -- which included weapons and drugs charges. There were even allegations YT was tied to possible shootings and murders.

Chris Brown’s risqué meet and greets have allowed his fans to get seriously up close and personal with their favorite performer ... a trend he thinks can work to save the relationships between other artists and their fans.

Breezy took to Instagram Thursday to credit his own contributions to the culture by claiming his fan meetups during his tour with Lil Baby are, "Starting to inspire artists to actually give a f*** about their fans."

While there's not necessarily enough evidence to support his claims, yet, you can certainly see Chris' fans have enjoyed the photo shoots, lining up to pay $1k at his shows for a quick convo with Chris.

Nappy Roots rapper Fish Scales is lucky to be alive after he was shot, robbed and kidnapped outside an Atlanta brewery he co-owns.

Police say two suspects first robbed a customer in the parking lot before entering Atlantucky Brewery and forcing Scales into his car at gunpoint. The robbers then drove Scales up the road to his home in a neighboring suburb where he was able to escape, but not before being shot in the leg during a struggle.

Scales, who is one-fourth of the Grammy-nominated rap group, is now resting in the hospital -- Nappy Roots put out a statement saying, "We are so thankful our brother is safe and on the road to recovery."

Police were able to recover Scales' vehicle ... but as of now, no arrests have been made.

Meek Mill is going $10M deep to prove he continues to be a big player in the music biz, and he's targeting the music execs who say his career is going downhill.

The Dreamchasers rapper stepped on his Twitter soapbox and asked doubting music execs to put their money where their mouths are ... if they really believe his career is over, put down a cool $10M and see what's up.

And, to hammer home his point, Meek said he was willing to put the bet in a binding contract so no one could squirm their way out.

It seems some of his anger is directed at big labels ... because he said in the tweet he's going to do it independently ... as are lots of musicians these days.

Meek's last album, 2021's "Expensive Pain," was widely considered a commercial and critical disappointment ... only debuting at No. 3 whereas the last LP, 2018's "Championships" debuted at No. 1.

Meek recently parted ways with Jay-Z's Roc Nation brand -- only to bounce back by signing with WME.

Kanye West is defending what many have deemed a "trash bag" clothing display as his Yeezy Gap line hit stores around the country.

Ye popped up on FOX News Thursday in a quick interview from the Gap location in Times Square. When asked if he understood why some have criticized the clothing displays as insensitive to the homeless, Kanye says, "I'm an innovator, and I'm not here to sit up and apologize for my ideas. That's exactly what the media tries to do: make us apologize for any idea that doesn't fall under exactly the way they want us to think."

If you haven't seen them, the clothing is displayed in large bags for customers to sift through and find their sizes, many have compared the bags to trash bags.

During the interview, Ye pointed out the bags weren't trash bags, they were large construction bags.

He states, "This is not a joke, this is not a game, this is not just a celebrity collaboration … this is my life. I’m fighting for a position to be able to change clothing and bring the best design to the people.”

Mariah Carey's bid to trademark the moniker, "Queen of Christmas" has been opposed by some pretty famous singers, including legend Darlene Love, but there's precedent on Mariah's side ... with the likes of Michael Jackson, no less.

Mariah has filed legal docs with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to own the title, "Queen of Christmas." There have been objections ... singer Elizabeth Chan filed an opposition to Mariah's petition, claiming no one can "monopolize" the word "Christmas."

Darlene Love, whose XMAS song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is inarguably one of the best, posted on Facebook, "Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked 'Queen of Christmas?'" She noted David Letterman bestowed the title on her 29 years ago so it's not available to Mariah.

No one, other than Mariah, has petitioned for the title, but that doesn't mean she'll get it. Michael Jackson never tried to register "King of Pop" during his lifetime, but others tried and failed, because it was so identified with MJ it would cause confusion in the marketplace. BTW, the Jackson Estate did register the title after MJ's death and blunted efforts by others to use the same title.

As for Elizabeth Chan's opposition that no one can monopolize the word "Christmas," that doesn't seem to be the case. We found trademarks where someone was allowed to register "Thanksgiving" for a line of wine, "Happy Valentine's Day" for fruit juices, and there's even "Christmas Spirit" -- yeah, it's booze! So, the path may be clear for Mariah.

Mariah, truth be told, has one of the most if not the most popular XMAS song ever -- "All I Want For Christmas Is You" -- but she has not been identified as "Queen of Christmas" like MJ was with "King of Pop." So, it would seem she needs the trademark to secure the title.

There's a lot on the line for Mariah ... she wants to use the title for fragrances, lotions, nail polish, jewelry, cups, mugs, chocolate milk, coconut water, ornaments, toys, dog clothing, masks for protection against viral infection, lingerie and sweatshirts.

BTW ... Mariah's also trying to register "Princess Christmas" and "Christmas Princess."

Michael Bublé admits his new baby is ready to pop any day now ... and -- MAJOR COINCIDENCE -- he dropped a big hint about the kid's name because of our photog!!!

We got the singer in NYC Wednesday -- he's got a show at Madison Square Garden Thursday, but his night won't be over.

MB's jumping on a plane to Canada after the curtain closes to be with his wife Luisana Lopilato ... as she's set to give birth to baby #4 STAT.

Now here's the twist ... Our photog, Seleah, asked Michael about the baby's name, and he tried to turn the tables by asking her name. When she revealed it, Michael was stunned -- STUNNED -- watch the video and find out why.

If Antonio Brown wants Jerry Jones to call him, it won't be about making him a Dallas Cowboy ... 'cause the legendary owner says he'd rather give his young receivers a chance.

The former Buccaneer spoke about his NFL future with TMZ Sports last week ... and while he has a boomin' rap career, it definitely sounded like he wasn't ready to step away from the game just yet -- saying, "Tell Jerry Jones to call me!"

Despite a pretty banged up receiver room with several injuries to key players, Jones seems uninterested in the idea of bringing in the Super Bowl champ.

"We're good," Jones says of AB's interest. "But, we want to give these young guys a real chance to make this team."

While the Hall of Fame owner is focused on youth, it doesn't mean it can't happen -- either that, or Jones was just being REALLY nice about the situation and just didn't want to give a flat-out "no."

AB probably isn't too concerned -- he currently has a hit song, "Put That S*** On," and a viral dance to go with it ... and as we previously reported, he's about to shoot a music video for it!!

Lil Durk is back on the move, following a scary moment during his Lollapalooza set last month where a stage prop exploded in his face.

The Chicago drill rapper recently joined DJ Khaled on his tour bus, where Durk was all smiles and bandage-free as the "We The Best" hitmaker spouted off inspirational quotes to promote his new album.

Durk announced he was taking a mental health break a couple of weeks ago following the eye injury.

No word yet if the hiatus is officially over or if it'll affect his tour -- slated for mid-October -- but judging from his energy with Khaled, Smurkio appears to be back.

DJ Khaled has been corralling all the top rappers in the game for his upcoming album "God Did" ... Drake, Lil Baby, Future and Jay-Z are just some of the names that have buzzed around the release.

Meanwhile, Durk's placement on the project also aligns him with stars thanks to a song with Roddy Ricch and 21 Savage.