Music

LeBron James and Drake stole the rights to a movie about a segregated hockey league ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The NBA star and rapper are being sued for $10 million by Billy Hunter, the former head of the NBA players union, who claims he holds the exclusive legal rights to produce any movie about Canada's old Colored Hockey League.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Hunter claims LeBron and Drake used their production companies to go behind his back and sign a deal with the authors of a book their "Black Ice" hockey documentary is based on ... icing out Hunter in the process.

Problem is ... Hunter claims he had a deal with the guys who wrote, "Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925," where Hunter would hold the exclusive rights to produce a movie.

Hunter says he paid the authors, George and Darril Fosty, a combined $265,000 to lock up the movie rights to the story of a Canadian hockey league for Black players ... but says they worked out a side deal with LeBron and Drake.

In the suit, Hunter claims he confronted the Fosty brothers after hearing about their deal with LeBron and Drake and says the authors claimed the documentary did not violate their agreement with Hunter because a documentary is different than a movie ... a claim Hunter says is "absurd and made in bad faith."

Hunter, who was the head of the NBA players union when LeBron came into the league, is going after LBJ and Drake for a cut of the documentary's profits ... plus $10 million in damages.

A rep for Drake had no comment on the allegations.

NBA YoungBoy is coming for Nick Cannon ... the rapper is expecting his 9th child, meaning he's only one behind Nick.

YoungBoy made the baby announcement in a social media post and a new music video for his song, "Purge Me."

In the Instagram photo dump, the last photo slide shows a woman's hand, rocking an engagement ring, over a pregnant belly. The woman is YoungBoy's already established baby mama Jazlyn Mychelle and she looks pretty far along.

Jazlyn is also featured in the music video ... she's clearly pregnant and there's a few romantic moments with YoungBoy.

YoungBoy already has at least 8 children with 7 different women, and he's only 22 years old.

As we reported ... Nick announced last month he's expecting his 10th baby, this time with ex-girlfriend, Brittany Bell ... and now social media users are comparing YoungBoy to Cannon.

Youngboy's other 8 children are named Alice, Amarni, Kacey, Kamiri, Kayden, Kentrell, Kodi and Taylin.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez hit up the annual Malibu Chili Cook-Off Sunday, and try as they might ... they walked away empty-handed after a game of hoops.

The newly-blended fam were all the buzz at the shindig ... with twins Max and Emme in tow -- and they stopped at the hoops game. Ben's a sports nut, so you'd think he might score a basket or even 2, but he tried 4 times, fully suffering from empty net syndrome.

J Lo stepped in, and although she's a triple threat with singing, dancing and acting, she shot her shot 3 times and failed.

They're back from their second honeymoon, and getting back to "normal" life by going to a carnival in the sweltering L.A. heat ... 100 degrees plus in many areas, and Malibu was no exception.

The Cook-Off is a tradition in the Bu ... attracting Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Donald Faison, Jack Osbourne, Evan Ross, Lana Del Rey and Amanda Bynes.

The Kardashians represented with Psalm, Chicago and True ... looks like Khloe brought them and was hanging on the beach with the brood, including North.

Kelsea Ballerini is as complex as the song she was listening to when she seemed to break down in tears in a bathtub, apparently struggling over her divorce.

The country music star was listening to Katie Gregson-MacLeod's song, "complex," as she bathed nude in the tube ... clearly fighting back tears. Thing is ... she posted the vid on TikTok, so it turned into anything but a private moment. Her caption "A complex time."

Kelsea also used social media to announce she was pulling the plug on her marriage ... "Friends, I've always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold. This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce."

Kelsea and country musician Morgan Evans tied the knot at the end of 2017.

Kelly Clarkson is fully back in the saddle of the show that made her famous ... after a long period where she wanted no association with the show.

Kelly posted an homage to "American Idol" Sunday ... marking a big anniversary ... "20 years ago today I won American Idol and it forever changed the course of my life. That moment was the door that opened up so much access and opportunity, and creative partnerships that I will be grateful for all of my days."

As you know Kelly won the competition in Season 1, helping launch the show into orbit and cementing her status as a star.

She went on ... "The family and friendships I have created over these 20 years in music and TV are priceless to me. We only get so many trips around the sun and while I am proud and feel abundantly blessed of the successes and failures that I have learned from, I am most proud and grateful for those friends that have become my family, and for their arms that have held me when I needed it and their hearts that listened to me when I felt lost. Without them I would not be where I am. I would probably not be here at all."

Marjorie Taylor Greene has a lot of people thinking she might've flexed her pipes on 'American Idol' once upon a time -- based on a viral video -- but the speculation is bogus.

The Georgia Representative is getting talked about on Twitter right now, but not for the usual political reasons. This time it's about an old 'Idol' clip from Season 1 that's making the rounds ... showing a rambunctious woman's audition in front of Simon, Paula and Randy.

The lady's name is listed as Stefanie Sugarman, who told producers at the time ('02), that she was 23 and from Alta Loma, CA (Rancho Cucamonga area). Her tryout certainly left an impression with audiences and the judges alike ... not necessarily in a good way either.

SS was eliminated after singing 'Knockin' Da Boots' and some colorful commentary. Like we said, she's a feisty one -- but more importantly, she's also a dead ringer for MTG.

That's certainly what Twitter thinks, anyway, with many jumping the gun and suggesting this is, in fact, Rep. Greene performing under a stage name. We'll admit, they do look incredibly similar ... and they're both quite outspoken, it seems. Thing is, Stefanie Sugarman is real!

We looked her up, and public records show there is actually a Stefanie Sugarman with roots in Rancho/Alta Loma and San Bernardino County generally. She seems to have married since -- now going under a different last name -- and her age matches up too. She's now 43.

John Legend says his friendship with Kanye West dissolved because of who JL supported in the 2020 election -- not so much who Ye's supported of late ... namely, Donald Trump.

The singer did an interview with the New Yorker this weekend, and they covered a range of topics -- but the most interesting, perhaps, was when they talked Kanye and why he and John aren't cool anymore ... something many just chalked up to differing politics.

That's not exactly what ruined things, though, according to John ... who explains that he doesn't just burn bridges because of who someone votes for, but more so the why.

He says, "I don’t feel like politics should be everything in your relationships, and your relationships with people shouldn’t only be determined by who they voted for. But I do believe that certain things you believe in are indicators of your character, and obviously that will affect your friendships."

John continues ... "I don’t want to live a life that’s so consumed by politics that it’s the sole determinant of who can be my friend and who can’t. But values matter and character matters and moral compass matters."

While JL was speaking somewhat broadly here, this answer immediately followed one he gave about Kanye specifically -- so you gotta figure this applies to his old buddy too.

But on why he and Ye aren't cool anymore, explicitly, John says it's more about the fact he didn't get behind KW's presidential campaign ... but, instead, cosigned Joe Biden/Kamala Harris. Apparently, Kanye took great offense to that -- seeing it as a personal betrayal.

Adele and Eminem are on the cusp of becoming EGOT winners, because they just snagged a crucial letter in the acronym ... a couple of Emmys, respectively.

The artists won awards Saturday during the 2-day Creative Arts Emmys ceremony in Los Angeles. Adele's 'One Night Only' show -- where she was singing at the Griffith Observatory last year -- took home five Emmys, in fact ... including for Outstanding Variety Special.

As for Em ... he too won for Outstanding Variety Special, although his was for the live version (Adele's was pre-recorded). As we reported ... him, Dre and the rest of the SB gang are all Emmy winners now for their Halftime Show performance earlier this year.

With Shady, that means he's just a T away from EGOT. His longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, noted that on Twitter.

Just for a refresher -- Eminem has won an Oscar for Best Original Song in "Lose Yourself" ('8 Mile), tons of Grammys, and now ... an Emmy for his Super Bowl gig. Adele has also won an Oscar for Best Original Song in "Skyfall," Grammys galore, and now this as well.

The Tony is by far the hardest award to win for entertainers who don't normally do theater work (like these two) ... but there's ways to earn one without having to necessarily perform.

They could each write songs for Broadway shows and win that way, or contribute to the musical arrangement of an original song -- which is well within their wheelhouse. Both could easily do something like that and potentially win a Tony, assuming they're interested.

If they each won EGOTs, they'd join a relatively small and prestigious list of past winners -- including Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Rita Moreno, Mel Brooks and a handful of others.

For now, though, they're on the list of 4-award winners, sharing company with Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte.

Not a bad crowd!

Pat Stay, known as one of the best battle rappers in the game, is dead after a stabbing incident in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The stabbing happened early Sunday morning in downtown Halifax, according to police -- and while the authorities haven't confirmed Pat as the victim ... his brother, Pete Stay, confirmed his death to CBC.

Police responded just after 12:30 AM, and Pat was taken to a hospital ... but he later died from his injuries. No one's been arrested for the stabbing.

Pat was from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia ... hardly a hotbed for hip hop, but he was still revered within the industry for his freestyling during live rap battles.

Stay had a large social media following, and dropped a new track on YouTube just 2 days ago that rips into The Game -- it's called "The Game DISS."

The video includes brief quotes from Drake, Method Man and Joe Budden ... who all praised Stay's battle rapping.

Drake's take on his skills was, "Pat Stay's definitely one of, if not, the best."

Police are asking anyone with information about the stabbing to call 902-490-5020.

The Weeknd barely got started performing the second of his 2 sold-out shows in L.A. Saturday night when he lost his voice ... and he was almost in tears.

SoFi Stadium was packed with 70,000 fans when 15 minutes in the band started playing "Can't Feel My Face." Thing is ... the Weeknd was nowhere to be seen.

Turns out he was backstage as the song played, trying to figure out what to do because had had no voice. Something happened during the previous song -- he yelled and apparently it blew out his vocal cords.

The audience didn't know what was up ... the song played and there was no Weeknd in sight. When the song ended, he came onstage and told the crowd, "It's killing me," but the show had to abruptly end because he had no voice.

He said, fighting back tears, "I can't give you the concert I want to give you," promising everyone would get their money back and he would reschedule soon.

The Weeknd was profusely apologetic and clearly emotional. This was a big part of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour, and he knew how much the show meant to his fans.

You hear pretty much the entire crowd was on Weeknd's side, applauding him for being transparent.

After he left the venue, The Weeknd posted, "My voice went out during the first song and I’m devastated. Felt it go and my heart dropped. I promise I'll make it up to you with a new date."

This isn't the first speed bump for the tour ... it was postponed twice before because of the pandemic.

The incredible Super Bowl Halftime Show got a big score Saturday night ... an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special, and some very big names took home some hardware.

Dr. Dre, who produced and performed in the show, won along with Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent.

The halftime shows are always big, but this is the first one that was honored with an Emmy.

Now get this ... Eminem is now one award away from an EGOT ... all he needs is a Tony and he joins a very small group.

Everyone in the group except Snoop has also won a Grammy.

The show was electric, with iconic songs like "California Love," "No More Drama," "Lose Yourself" and "Still D.R.E."

Some other Emmy winners -- Adele for "One Night Only," and The Beatles "Get Back" documentary.

Congrats!!!

Dave Grohl had some musical and emotional backup at the tribute concert for the Foo Fighters' late drummer, Taylor Hawkins ... his son got behind the drum set to honor his dad.

The London concert was packed with stars who participated, including Paul McCartney, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Travis Barker, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.

Dave got super emotional as he performed "Times Like These."

There were incredibly touching moments ... Tyler's 16-year-old son, Oliver Shane, played drums on "My Hero."

Travis got behind the drum set for a spectacular version of "The Pretender," and "Monkey Wrench."

There were other musicians who joined in ... The Darkness’ Rufus Tiger Taylor and Justin Hawkins, Wolfgang Van Halen, AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Rush's Geddy Lee, Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, and Oasis' Liam Gallagher.

As we reported, Taylor was found dead in a hotel room, aged 50, just hours before he was due on stage with his bandmates in Bogota, Colombia, in March. The cause of death was cardiovascular collapse. Taylor was only 50.

There will be a second tribute concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood Sept. 27th.

Dr. Dre and Diddy’s first-ever studio session brought out the best in everyone in the room ... especially an up-and-coming artist named Pheelz, who soaked up light-years of music wisdom.

Over the course of a pretty legendary night last week, Dre took a liking to the Nigerian singer and producer ... who gave Doc the nickname "Mayowa," which means "joy bringer" in his native tongue.

Pheelz tells TMZ Hip Hop, being within arms reach of Dre, Diddy, Jimmy Iovine and others in the studio that night was a sight to behold ... and he's sure the finished product will be a win for fans.

He says growing up in Nigeria, he developed a connection with Dre through his music ... which impacted his own producing career.

In 2020, Pheelz won Producer of the Year at the Headie Awards -- Nigeria's top hip hop honor -- and says by linking with Dre, his art is that much better following the studio session.

Talk about a night to remember ... Pheelz had a front-row seat as American powerhouses Diddy and Dre joined forces for tracks that will end up on Dre and Snoop's upcoming joint album.

Sources involved in the blockbuster recording session tell us Diddy took Dre's studio coaching to heart, and their chemistry began to build on the spot.

Pheelz has been slowly building his U.S. visibility and this iconic moment will go a long way to that end. He just released his Davido collaboration titled "Electricity" ... and is set to perform at the BMI Awards in Miami next week.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's girlfriend is legally barred from contacting him following her domestic violence arrest, but the rapper tells us he doesn't think the no-contact order is necessary.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi's girlfriend of 4 years, Jade, is prohibited from having any communication with him, including phone calls, texts, letters and social media.

Jade's also barred from using a third party to contact 6ix9nine ... and she's got to stay at least 500 feet away from 69.

Tekashi tells TMZ ... his relationship with Jade is fine, and he's allowing Jade and her child to stay in his Florida home until the case is resolved. 69 tells us he will shack up in a hotel as the legal process plays out, and when it's over he will move back in with Jade and her kid.

TMZ broke the story ... Jade was arrested last month after getting into a dustup with Tekashi in Miami, with their altercation caught on video.

For his part, 6ix9ine thinks Jade attacked him because she was drunk and was being influenced by her friends.

Kevin Bacon might be the winner of the "It's Corn" challenge ... 'cause he's got a take that's stripped down, but so damn soulful. Seriously, just look at this thing!

Here's the actor taking up his trusty guitar to do a rendition of the now-viral track -- which was recently remixed by the Gregory Brothers ... who took what this little kid named Tariq hilariously said in an interview about his favorite food and turned it into a catchy song.

Of course, the OG clip took the internet by storm ... you got this little kid doing a MOTS interview, where he's eating corn on the cob, and going on and on about how much he loves it with tons of enthusiasm. It's actually super hilarious -- with a lot of quotable lines.

That's exactly why this song was made ... with Tariq's family splitting the profits from its publication and streams. Clearly, it's captured the attention of some very famous people.

We know Kevin's pretty hip when it comes to what the youth is listening to these days ... and he's right on it with this entry. No goats this time around, but it's still a helluva ditty -- especially when you see he's strumming along with the signature vegetable itself.

Kanye West is fired back up again -- now re-focusing his outrage at a specific Adidas executive ... who's plastered all over Ye's Instagram page, with some interesting commentary.

Ye went on the offensive Saturday with a slew of new posts that have Daniel Cherry III in his crosshairs. DC is Adidas' Senior Vice President/General Manager -- and Kanye is dragging him through the coals over what he apparently sees as hijacking his Yeezy brand.

We saw this earlier in the week ... KW was upset over a perceived feeling that he's being iced out of managing Yeezy via Gap -- and now, he's going back to the source in Adidas.

In one of his newest messages -- which looks to be aimed at Cherry -- he references "VCs" ... or venture capitalists. Kanye writes, "VENTURE CAPITALIST WHO'S ONLY ADVENTURE IS CAPITALISM. CANT CREATE SO THEY TRY TO OUT COUNT THE CREATIVES."

Ye adds, "DIE SLOW." There's more  ... Kanye seems to allude to some sort of history he and Cherry share -- alleging DC recently told Lil Uzi Vert that he should've "taken it to the hands" with Ye years ago, which is seriously pissing him off. He says he's already got a fake NYT death cover story in the can for when Cherry gets fired -- something Ye's predicting.

He also writes ... "I GUARANTEE YOU'LL HAVE TO RELOCATE BEFORE I'M LEGALLY FINISHED WITH YOU." Kanye has photoshopped tons of pics of Chery in different scenarios with mocking captions ... alluding to the notion Cherry was hired to manage Yeezy without Kanye's knowledge and is supposedly running it into the ground -- at least from KW's POV.

In one of his new posts ... Kanye also appears to be texting Kim about where their kids should go to school -- picking up where he last left off. Lots on Kanye's mind right now ... and he's airing it all out publicly for the world to see.