Music

Britney Spears is clearly thankful to Elton John for launching her name to the top of the charts once again ... gifting him personalized rocket-inspired salt and pepper shakers!

Elton thanked Britney on Twitter, Friday, for the special gift. He wrote, "Thank you @britneyspears for the fabulous rocket salt and pepper shakers!! 🚀🚀David and I love them ❤️❤️ #HoldMeCloser🚀".

The rocket shakers seem to be symbolic in more ways than one. Their hit song "Hold Me Closer" is a reimagining of the Rocket Man's classic “Tiny Dancer” ... and the song has really taken off. It appears they're from Asprey London, and retail around $6,450.

As we told you, Britney and Elton teamed up to release Britney's first project since the termination of her conservatorship in 2021.

It skyrocketed on the streaming charts and hit #1 in more than 40 countries shortly after it dropped.

Elton John previously said, "I'm thrilled with the response to Hold Me Closer. I wanted to do a fun, happy summer track so was ecstatic when Britney Spears agreed to be a part of it! She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars & I love her dearly. I hope you all love it!"

And, the fans definitely do! Lots of folks on social media are already begging for more music and BS was invited to the MTV VMAs -- although she couldn't make it.

Kanye West is back to taking shots at his family on Instagram, targeting Kim and the rest of the Kardashians in a flurry of posts that touch on everything from where his kids go to school to labeling himself, Scott Disick, Tristan Thompson and Travis Scott "c** donors."

Ye put up a bunch of now deleted posts Thursday night, including a text exchange with Kim where Kim begged Kanye to stop, writing, "From my mom- PLEASE ... Tell him to please stop mentioning my name. I'm almost 67 years old and I don't always feel great and this stresses me to no end."

That didn't phase Ye, who replied, "Y'all don't have so so over my black children and where they go to school. They will not do playboy and sex tapes. Tell your Clinton friends to come get me. I'm here."

Kanye recently opened up his Donda Academy, and apparently believes his kids should attend the academy for school. He's clearly also taking shots at Kim's sex tape and her and Kylie's posing for Playboy years ago. At one point, he even revealed his porn addiction ruined his family.

However, Ye wasn't done there ... he also posted the names of Travis, Tristan and Scott -- who all have kids with Kardashians -- and the caption, "Calling my fellow c** doners. We in this 2gthr."

He also took shots at Pete Davidson, who got Kim and Kanye's kid's initials tattooed on his neck, and who Kim recently split from, saying, "Ask Pete how those tattoos of my kids doing in the trauma unit."

The series of Instagram posts is just another attack Ye has laid out this week on social media. He also called out GAP and Adidas for allegedly leaving him out of business meetings and copying his designs.

Britney Spears reacted with sadness and anger late Thursday night, saying she's disappointed Jayden is now talking publicly about his mom's challenges as a mother.

Britney posted, "It saddens me to know [Jayden's] outcry of saying I wasn't up to his expectations as a mother."

15-year-old Jayden did a sit down interview with Daphne Barak for DailyMail in which he said, "I think mom has struggled giving us both attention and showing us equal love and I don't think she showed enough to Preston and I feel really bad for that."

Sources directly connected to Kevin Federline's family have told TMZ about Jayden's grievance, saying it has deeply disturbed K-Fed as well. They say when Jayden and Sean Preston would come over to Britney's house, all of the attention went to Jayden. They went on to say it hurt not only Sean Preston but really hurt and angered Jayden as well.

Jayden, who along with Preston hasn't seen their mom in nearly 6 months, added, "We've both been through so much pressure in the past that this is our safe place now, to process all the emotional trauma we've been through to heal, heal our mental state."

Jayden then went on to talk about Britney's mental state, saying, "It's just going to take a lot of time and effort. I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better I really want to see her again."

Britney responded to Jayden referencing her own struggle, saying, "Finally at 40 without the restraints of what my family did to me ... I say to my son Jayden that I send all the love in the world to you every day for the rest of my life!!! My love for my children has no boundaries."

She then took a shot at Jayden, "As for my mental health ...my dear child understand you must learn to pick up a book and read one before you resort to even thinking about my intellect sweetheart!!! For the record, intellect and mental health are 2 different things.

And, that opens the door to a sore subject -- Jamie Spears. Jayden defended his gramps, saying he didn't deserve all the venom from the FreeBritney folks, adding, "He was just trying to be a father."

Britney wasn't having it ..."Psss if you can honestly sit back and say with your sensible brilliant mind what memaw and paw paw did to me was fine and call them not bad people ... then yes I have failed as a mother and hopefully that's a chat for you and your father to sit face to face and try to learn WHAT'S GOOD."

It appears one of the big reasons Britney's kids didn't attend her wedding was because most other family members -- including Jamie -- weren't invited.

Jay-Z's "Made In America Festival" hits Philly this Labor Day weekend for its 10th year with Bad Bunny, Tyler, The Creator, Snoh Aalegra, Pusha T and many more -- but Flo Milli will be there pulling double duty.

The fast-rap rookie recently joined the MIA lineup and we're told she also got recruited to host a cocktail-making session of Jay-Z's D'USSÉ cognac.

On Saturday evening, the Alabama rapper will be joined by Global Ambassador Sullivan Doh inside a VIP space where she'll dish on her recent grand debut at the MTV VMAs ... and help fans learn how to whip up some adult beverages.

The festival won't only showcase Jay's liquor line -- the Roc Nation CEO's philanthropic arm will also be busy at work during the festival.

Team Roc's Cause Village will be the hub for charitable organizations at Made in America. Clothing apparel SHEIN is joining forces with Team Roc to conduct workshops targeting various issues including social justice reform, education and animal welfare.

Fat Joe had a Latino appreciation post blow up in his face because fans thought he was insinuating hip hop was just as much Hispanic culture as it was Black.

The post highlighted several Latino artists involved in hip hop’s earliest days, and though he never named them creators ... the backlash was fierce and swift.

Joe would go on to lash out at the haters, and DJ Tony Touch is aligned with his defense.

The proud Brooklyn-born, Puerto Rican-bred DJ also helped pioneer hip hop, and he’s telling TMZ Hip Hop ... Joey Crack’s comments weren’t anywhere close to being out of pocket.

Like Joe, Tony points out hip hop’s birthplace, the Bronx, had a healthy mix of Black and Latino people -- and the culture’s 2 chief creators, DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, migrated to the U.S. from Caribbean islands.

Kool Herc originally hailed from Jamaica, and Flash from Barbados -- after emigrating to the Bronx, they eventually hosted the very first hip hop parties. The rest is billion-dollar history.

Tony attributes the fierce Joe backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement ... noting how exclusion -- or even the perception of it -- often rubs people the wrong way.

He also points out that hip hop’s first film, 1983’s “Wild Style” is loaded with Latino talent such as members of The Rock Steady Crew and Cold Crush Brothers, Lee Quiñones and graffiti artist Lady Pink.

Dionne Warwick's got no hard feelings towards the broadcaster that was accused of mistaking her for Gladys Knight on live TV ... callin' it an honest mistake!!!

Dionne tells TMZ ... she doesn't think Chanda Rubin, who caught some serious flack for the flub, would've intentionally mixed the two up.

The singer's buying the broadcaster's explanation for what went down, too.

In case you missed it, Dionne was front and center on TV during the U.S. Open, but was instead referred to by Chanda and Mary Carillo as Gladys -- obviously, the Internet had a field day.

Chanda took to Twitter to put out the flames -- saying she saw Gladys while looking at the court and announced the celeb, instead of looking at her monitor that showed Dionne ... and the singer finds that to be a reasonable excuse for the mix-up.

Of course, not everyone's sticking to Chanda's story ... with many thinking the time between Dionne popping up on screen and Gladys getting name-dropped is telling.

R&B isn't dead, but it does need to be revived ... at least that's how Tank sees things in the wake of Diddy's commentary on the culture, and he's got definite ideas about how to bring it back.

We caught up with Tank at LAX, and while he's been getting tons of fan support for his new and final album "R&B Money," he says he, and other R&B artists, just aren't getting love from the mainstream ... and that's gotta change.

The response to his project is proof the genre isn't dead, but he says what would really rejuvenate R&B is huge names -- like Chris Brown and Usher -- getting more coverage in the media. As he puts it, "Give us our space back."

Tank cites classics like Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and Jodeci's "Forever My Lady" as benchmarks for the type of success newer artists should be experiencing.

All hope may not be lost -- Tank says he's been ribbing Jamie Foxx to return back to music ... a sentiment shared by many following the "R&B Money" release party.

The event was a hit ... Jamie, Jon B., Pleasure P, -- and even honorary singer O.T. Genasis were in the building, and Tank says bringing the Foxx from hibernation is his next life's mission.

Young Thug's prison Wi-Fi seems to be up and running without issue, and the incarcerated rap star is going outta his way to help Kanye West's dream of launching worldwide Yeezy stores.

Ye has been livid on Instagram all week ... waging war with GAP and adidas for swiping his Yeezy designs.

The frustration led Ye to begin plotting to launch a Yeezy brick-and-mortar shop in every state -- starting in Atlanta -- and he furiously began sending sketch ideas to architects Claudio Silvestrin and John Pawson.

Thugger hopped on Instagram on Thursday, from prison, to offer Ye 100 acres Georgia land to use ... free of charge!!!

Clearly excited, Ye began to revel in the news with good friend A$AP Bari ... before hitting up ex-wife Kim Kardashian, in hopes she could work her clemency magic to free the YSL Records leader.

Hopefully Kim can operate at Houdini levels ... Thugga's already been denied bond three times after being named the head of his ongoing Georgia RICO case.

Singer and actress Cassie Ventura celebrated her 36th birthday big ... as in Texas big inside a new Houston nightclub with some super famous pals.

The vibes and drinks seemed to be flowing Wednesday at "Finish Your Champagne" and Cassie was spotted having a ball with a bubble gun, the perfect party weapon of choice.

Plenty of Cassie's famous friends turned out to help her pop the cork off the bottle ... which included NBA stars James Harden and Ja Morant, as well as industry pals Terrence J, Pleasure P, J Mulan, Alaric J. Klaos and Serayah.

A newly-single Ne-Yo was also spotted in the building ... weeks after his estranged wife revealed their marriage was done for good following cheating claims.

The R&B superstar did look unbothered though, especially as the DJ dropped plenty of Ne-Yo songs onto the party ... allowing for the birthday girl to bask in the moment.

Speaking of marriages, Cassie got married back in 2019 to Alex Fine ... who wasn't in the mix for his wife's birthday bash.

He did, however, wish her both a happy birthday and 3rd anniversary on Instagram, so all appears to be good.

Russell Wilson's wife, Ciara, showered her man with love, calling him her "greatest inspiration," after the QB received a massive 9-figure contract extension from the Denver Broncos!!

Ci tweeted, "Baby @DangeRussWilson, I am so proud of you! You’re the most dedicated and hardworking person I know! It’s been so beautiful to see you become a Bronco!"

"So excited for the journey ahead!" she added

Wilson -- who was a part of a blockbuster trade that sent him from the Seahawks to the Broncos -- agreed to a five-year, $245 million extension on Thursday ... which includes $165 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Russ tweeted Thursday morning before his extension was announced, "ALL THE GLORY TO JESUS!!! #HEisKING."

The couple has fully leaned into being a Bronco. In fact, Ciara teased that Russ got her an adorable puppy as a Mother's Day gift, and fittingly, they named it "Bronco."

The pup joined Russ, Ci, and their three children in a new $25 million home in Englewood, Colorado in April ... which sits on 5.34 acres..

The Wilson's new 20,060 square foot crib has four bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a nine-car garage, and a large fireplace.

Even before they became local homeowners, the power couple made an immediate impact in the Denver community, visiting patients at the Children's Hospital in Colorado.

It's nothing new for Russ ... who has been one of the most charitable athletes in the world since joining the NFL in 2012 -- whether it be in Seattle or the Mile High city.

Kanye West isn't done taking shots at companies he's helped to make billions of dollars ... now setting his sights on Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted, with a phony newspaper headline declaring him dead.

Ye fired up his IG account Thursday to post the fake NYT page which says, "Kasper Rorsted Also Dead at 60." Kanye's caption on the post reads, "God Loves Us" ... which doesn't make a whole lot of sense considering the message certainly isn't true, or very holy, for that matter.

There's also a sub-headline on the article that says, "I know what you're thinking ... who is Kasper? but even less importantly who is Kid Cudi?"

If you haven't followed along, Ye has major beef with Adidas lately, who he has his Yeezy shoe line with -- he's pissed at the brand for a recent "Yeezy Day" launch that he allegedly didn't have creative control over. Yeezy Day allowed fans of the shoe to get their hands on previously-released variations of the shoes that may have sold out in the past.

Kanye has also had issues in the past with Adidas, accusing the sportswear giant of stealing design ideas he's used for Yeezy shoes.

You might remember, it was last month when Kanye posted a similar NYT headline, declaring Pete Davidson, who he refers to as "Skete" dead after he and Kim Kardashian split.

This marks the second company in as many days that Kanye's had beef with ... on Wednesday he went on the attack against GAP, accusing them of keeping him out of meetings, stealing design ideas and cutting his kids out of a photo shoot.

While Serena Williams continued to shock the world with her incredible play at the U.S. Open, TV announcers showed celebs who came out to support the G.O.A.T., including Dionne Warwick -- the only problem -- broadcasters mistook her for Gladys Knight.

And, it was just as cringe as it sounds.

Mary Carillo and Chanda Rubin were behind the mic for ESPN ... when during the third game of the first set, two women appeared on screen between points.

Chanda: Got some more stars ...
Mary: Gladys Knight ...
Chanda: Gladys Knight ...
Mary: Hello!

The problem ... it wasn't Knight, but 5-time Grammy Award winner and fellow legend, Dionne Warwick. In fairness, Gladys was in the building, too.

Shortly after the match, Chanda went to social media to explain what happened during the flub.

"Too bad I was initially looking at the court (where Auntie Gladys was in the stands) and not our program monitor that showed Ms. Dionne... mistake was immediately corrected.🤦🏽‍♀️," the former player-turned-broadcaster clarified.

It wasn't the first time a star has been mistaken for another celeb during this year's U.S. Open. During Serena's first-round match, a short video posted online went viral after the poster confused actress and advocate Laverne Cox for Beyonce.

On Wednesday, there were a ton of other stars in the building, too ... including Tiger Woods, Gigi & Bella Hadid, Spike Lee, Anna Wintour, Seal, La La Anthony and many more.

They were all in the building to watch Serena ... who after winning on Monday, went on to defeat #2 seed Anett Kontaveit. Williams now advances to the third round, where she'll face Ajla Tomljanović.

As for the flub, neither Dionne nor Gladys have addressed it.

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz's walk-out song, "Narco," sounded a little different on Wednesday ... 'cause Timmy Trumpet was there to perform a live rendition of his song, right on the Citi Field grass, and it was awesome!

It all went down during the Dodgers and Mets game in Queens ... when New York called on their star relief man to seal the deal in the ninth inning.

Baseball fans know the 28-year-old pitcher's entrance song is "Narco" by Trumpet ... and lucky for Mets fans, the Australian musician happened to be in NYC.

Trumpet grabbed his instrument and did his thing, hitting all the notes from the 2017 song -- featuring DJ Blasterjaxx -- while Diaz jogged to the mound.

The crowd was hyped ... and so was Diaz! He ended up shutting down the Dodgers -- who currently have the best record in baseball -- defeating L.A. by a score of 2-1.

"It was pretty fun," Diaz told media after the game, saying, "I could feel the vibe from the fans. They were really excited."

"I think I can feel the difference because you know he was performing the trumpets live. It was really fun to watch."

BTW, Timmy was also at the Mets' game on Tuesday, where he performed 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game.' Unfortunately, NY lost the game.

Viral sensation Daddy Long Neck is dealing with some scary family drama ... his baby boy is in the hospital and his baby mama's new boyfriend has been arrested for allegedly beating the child.

Daddy Long Neck, who went viral back in 2019, and his mother tell TMZ ... the rapper's 9-month-old son, David Alfredo Samuelson Lopez, is in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering skull fractures and brain bleeding.

DLN says he flew from Michigan to L.A. over the weekend when his baby mama informed him their son had been hospitalized, and he claims a social worker told him his ex's new lover had been arrested for allegedly abusing the child.

The Montebello Police Department says officers responded to a local hospital Aug. 26 to comb through medical reports showing severe injuries sustained by an infant, and detectives eventually arrested Daemien Obeso and booked him for child abuse causing great bodily injury.

Daddy Long Neck says his kid is finally off life support and is now able to breathe on his own ... but we're told the child is still in critical condition.

Gospel star Earnest Pugh is feeling the wrath of Dionne Warwick this morning after he incorrectly announced the death of Whitney Houston's mother -- someone who's very much alive, according to Dionne.

Earnest shook up the Internet Wednesday with a now-scrubbed post about the "passing" of Cissy Houston, who is also Dionne's aunt ... so, it didn't take long for Dionne to call BS and throw some serious shade.

Dionne told the world Cissy is still with us, adding "This Earnest Pugh needs to get a life and stay out of other peoples lives!"

Friend of the Houston family and fellow Gospel singer Kim Burrell echoed the good news, minus the sass ... saying, "Please respect her life as she continues to live. She's home. Thank you all🙏🏽"

Good to hear Cissy's alive and well after all -- and, not shockingly, Earnest has yet to respond to Dionne.

Bye Bye, Florida Georgia Line ... country duo Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley played their final show together before going their separate ways.

Emotions were high at the Minnesota State Fair Wednesday night, as FGL did their last set ever ... before their final song, Tyler and brian took a minute to thank the crowd for being there for them all these years.

They ended the show with one of their hits, "Cruise" ... after saying their goodbyes to the crowd AND each other, they walked off on separate sides of the stage.

It's bittersweet ... the two have been jammin' out for a decade now -- their debut album, "Here's to the Good Times," dropped way back in 2012. Since then, they've shared the stage with big names like the Backstreet Boys and Nelly.

For those unaware, Tyler said the split has nothing to do with bad blood ... saying on Bobbycast last month that the issues were more within the band than between the two of them.

They'll both continue to have their hands full, though -- Brian's jumping right into a Florida residency, where he'll perform some of his latest solo work. Tyler's joining country legends Keith Urban and Ingrid Andress on their latest tour, before dropping his solo album next year.