Music

Johnny Depp has played many roles, but never a Moonman ... and that's all going to change at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards with a planned surprise appearance from the movie star.

VMA production sources tell TMZ ... Depp's been in talks with show producers to dress up as the network's famous Moonman -- recently dubbed the Moonperson -- and show face at some point during the award show's broadcast on August 28.

Depp's won 5 MTV Movie Awards over the years, including Best Male Performance, Best Villain, Global Superstar and the Generation Award in 2012.

The surprise appearance comes on the heels of both the recent announcement of Johnny's return to film as well as his new deal with Dior. TMZ broke the story, the brand signed Depp to a multi-year, 7-figure extension to continue to be the face of the Sauvage fragrance line.

Akon is jumping to Kanye West's defense in a big way, telling all the critics they're hypocrites for blasting Ye for what they say is disrespecting the homeless ... yet doing nothing about it themselves.

Akon says Kanye owes zero apologies for the containers in Gap stores featuring his fashions. As you know, Ye's getting dragged by folks who believe the containers are garbage bags and it mocks the homeless when customers have to root around inside the bags for the perfect hoodie.

Fact is ... they're not garbage bags ... they're containers and it's a unique presentation that actually has customers venturing into Gap stores ... something done with less and less frequency these days.

Akon says Kanye has no reason to apologize or explain himself ... he's just a guy who happens to be really creative, and owes no explanation to anyone.

Kanye made that point clear to Fox Friday ... he's not explaining or offering any mea culpa.

Akon says Kanye's actually put a spotlight on the homeless problem, and if people are so concerned then they should roll up their sleeves and do something!

DJ Drama's iconic mixtape series 'Gangsta Grillz' has been a fixture in hip hop music for three decades now ... giving star rappers such as Lil Wayne, T.I., and Snoop Dogg a voice outside the traditional music industry agreements.

Well get this, sources connected to the project tell TMZ Hip Hop there are currently more tapes being put together. We're told Drama is "in discussion" with both Tory Lanez and Yo Gotti's CMG artist EST Gee to boost their catalogs with "GG" projects.

Our sources say Meek Mill is also on the shortlist for a new "GG" project, which would be another facet in his comeback to music. As we told you, the Dreamchasers CEO just signed a new deal with WME and made a $10M bet to all industry bigwigs who think his rap career is in the coffin.

NLE Choppa is all for innovation in the bedroom, saying he thinks there's a part of the body that's rarely explored that should be ... the armpit!!!

We caught up with NLE Friday at LAX, who's been on a raunchy rampage since his "Slut Me Out" single dropped ... and sharing with the world he licks his girl's pits, saying, "my saliva yo deodorant."

NLE dissects the meaning behind his tweet, telling us all sorts of things have become more common in the bedroom in recent years, so armpits should fall under the same category.

We also picked NLE's brain regarding the recent rapper face-tat boom ... brought forth by Drake and Cardi B -- who's yet to actually reveal hers.

Tank and Jamie Foxx co-hosted a live performance of "R&B Money Show" last night, which capped Tank's album release career and brought out some energetic moments along the way.

The R&Blowout went down inside The Peppermint Club in West Hollywood with impromptu appearances from Pleasure P, J Valentine, Jon B and even OT Genasis ... who happily blessed the audience with his hilariously bad singing.

Jamie addressed the crowd several times throughout the night, dismissing Tank's retirement … while also sharing heartfelt stories as well as a bubbly rendition of his No. 1 hit “Blame It (On The Alcohol).”

Artists rarely follow through with their retirements but Tank may be the exception ... he's close to going deaf in one of his ears and would rather contribute to music behind the scenes.

He thinks the state of R&B and other music will be fine ... as long as artists spend a decent amount of time with their craft.

Unlike Tank, Diddy has been on a crusade these past few days lamenting that the state of R&B is as good as dead.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are doing their second 'wedding' in style ... with a waterside reception complete with a live piano performance and firework display.

Ben's sprawling estate in Riceboro, Georgia is shaping into full-wedding form Friday, and the latest images show tables and chairs set along a body of water with what looks like a special table for the bride and groom right next to the piano.

If that weren't enough, there's a barge floating in the middle of the water chock full off fireworks ready to light up the night sky once the sun goes down, though it's unclear which night the show will happen.

Ben and Jen's celebrity friends, including Matt Damon have also started to arrive in GA ... and it looks like they're in for a real treat once the festivities begin.

What was initially billed as a weekend bash for family and friends is clearly a much bigger event ... with all the makings of a dream wedding.

Ben's Georgia estate, which was supposed to serve as the wedding location 20 years ago when he and J Lo first got engaged, also has a huge marquee on the ground and a long aisle for his bride to walk down.

The spur-of-the-moment Las Vegas wedding looks like it will have nothing on Ben and Jen's second wedding when all is said and done.

The Game has lost another big feature from his "Drillmatic" album ... all because it was just too expensive to keep NBA YoungBoy on the project.

Game's manager, Wack 100, laid out the details in a recent Clubhouse convo attended by Ma$e and several others ... saying that even though YB cut his usual feature price tag of $300k in half, it was still just too expensive to keep it on the album.

According to Wack, it also cost a ton of money to clear samples used on the album -- which actually resulted in 10 additional tracks getting cut.

YB is the most popular rapper of 2022, so his pricey fee makes sense ... but nonetheless, Wack says they have a Game-only version of "O.P.P." ready to upload.

Game also lost a verse from Nipsey Hussle on the album, and it's projected to be his lowest charting project to date ... on top of that, Eminem still hasn't acknowledged his "Black Slim Shady" diss.

Michael Bublé and his wife are now officially the proud parents of 4, welcoming their baby girl into the world and sharing her name with fans -- a name he almost spilled to our camera a few days ago!

The singer took to Instagram Friday to share the exciting news that his wife, Luisana Lopilato, gave birth to their newest addition. He wrote, "You finally arrived to our lives with your 3,8 kg!!! Thanks God for this infinite blessing, we love you!! Noah, Elias, Vida and your mom and dad ❤️" Baby girl Bublé's name is Cielo Yoli Rose Bublé.

Funny enough, we got the singer Wednesday in NYC just days before baby Cielo was born. We asked him if he and Luisana had picked a name yet, and he turned, asking our photog her name ... when our photog revealed her name was Seleah, Michael almost looked stunned, saying their baby's name was going to be verrrry similar.

Dr. Dre's January 2021 brain aneurysm was a lot scarier than he initially revealed -- his family actually gathered in his hospital room to say their final goodbyes.

The legendary producer's podcast interview with Dolvett Quince continues to leak across social media and he painted the eerie picture rather vividly.

Dre recalled his initial shock seeing his family visit him at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center … after they'd been previously barred due to the then-raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Unbeknownst to Dre, doctors had told the fam there was a strong chance he wouldn't make it.

Ignorance can be bliss ... Dre says he never knew the extent of the danger he faced. Doctors woke him every hour -- for two weeks straight -- to test his vitals ... they were that concerned.

It appears Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are setting up more than just a fancy party at his estate in Georgia, 'cause based on pics, it looks like a full-blown wedding is going to happen.

Ben's place in Riceboro, Georgia is crawling with activity Friday, with construction crews hard at work putting up a huge marquee on the grounds, which is connected to the main house by a very long aisle for J Lo to walk down in what we can only imagine will be a beautiful wedding dress.

The temporary structures going up at Ben's place aren't the only giveaway this star-studded weekend is more wedding than party, caterers and event crews keep showing up to the house in droves.

No sign of Ben and Jen at the house yet, but we already saw them Thursday in Savannah ... where they did some low-key shopping in town.

As we told you, Bennifer 2.0 is welcoming their closest friends and family to a weekend celebration at Ben's estate, which was supposed to serve as the location for their wedding 20 years ago when they first got engaged.

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.