Music

Boosie Badazz is feeling optimistic about former Houston rap collaborators Trae Tha Truth and Z-Ro potentially settling their feud -- which already got violent -- and all it took was J Prince coming on the scene.

Boosie was recently back in his favorite VladTV hot seat and revealed he'd seen the Trae and Z-Ro fight footage, but didn't have much of a reaction. The Louisiana rapper chalked up the scuffle-up general town bidness, and expressed regret 2 artists he previously worked with came to blows.

He's also happy no one was shot or killed, especially in the aftermath of PnB Rock's murder.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Z-Ro was jumped by Trae and several others outside an event for 50 Cent's Tycoon Weekend earlier this month after initially denying the altercation took place.

The silver lining, as Boosie sees it, is that Rap-A-Lot Records CEO and Houston OG J Prince was recently "at the table" with Z-Ro ... which typically signals a peace treaty in the works.

PnB Rock's murder investigation is taking a deep dive into his past -- because, apparently, cops are under the impression this might've been more than just a random robbery ... on the contrary, it may have been a planned execution by a foe.

LAPD sources tell us the case is moving in several concurrent directions -- and one involves detectives digging into the late rapper's personal life ... especially when it comes to who he rubbed elbows with -- or possibly butted heads with -- resulting in would-be beefs.

We're told investigators are especially interested in his ties to Atlanta -- where he apparently spent quite a bit of time -- as well as his home city of Philly ... and they're asking any and everybody if PnB had known enemies who might've had it out for him.

PnB's lyrics are also under a microscope at the moment, with cops wanting to see if he referenced any feuds he might've had with any of his peers and/or other individuals.

This is an interesting development. Cops initially thought it was a fatal robbery -- in which random thieves came across PnB and/or his girlfriend's social media, saw what they were up to, and went on the attack. But why then didn't they just snatch his chains and leave, rather than shooting him multiple times and killing him?

Cops now believe this could've been a more elaborate scheme by someone with a vendetta.

No matter how you cut it ... the fact that this L.A. investigation is now crossing state lines is pretty stunning -- and they certainly wouldn't do that without at least a good hunch.

Now, as for where things stand in terms of ID'ing the suspects and/or the getaway car ... our sources say cops are still trying to track down the vehicle through video feeds. We're told they're getting lots of tips, but it's taking time to sift through them to see which are legit.

Roddy Ricch is calling his hometown a danger zone in the wake of PnB Rock’s slaying inside a beloved L.A. restaurant.

The Compton-bred rapper admitted his PSA was a bit out of the ordinary for him, but felt the need to speak out as things continued to spiral.

He posted ... "LA ! Usually I try to mind my business and let the world rotate but we gotta do better ... It’s too much senseless violence. Too much opportunity and motivation to take things other people work hard for. It’s too much life to live to take someone else’s away."

In addition to PnB Rock's murder last week, Los Angeles has seen an upswing in violent crimes ... including armed robberies and burglaries, and Roddy's calling it out.

He added, "I love my city but we can’t keep going out like this. Before you know it, it’ll be nobody left to take from or kill. Let’s stay on point stay aware and find better ways to pursue our dreams because this shit turning into ALL NIGHTMARES."

Roddy and PnB were friends and former labelmates at Atlantic Records where they collaborated on PnB’s 2019 album "TrapStar Turnt PopStar."

LAPD's investigating potential motives in the case … including the possibility PnB’s murder was preplanned and detectives are examining his lyrics for clues to any potential beefs.

Diplo has emerged victorious against a woman he claimed was harassing him and his family -- and could walk away with over a million bucks for it ... once the judge signs off.

The DJ's case -- which dates back to last Spring -- went to arbitration after he sued Shelly Auguste for allegedly hounding him with threats of revenge porn ... not to mention what he claims was an incessant badgering of his baby mama and other relatives.

According to new court docs, Diplo is asking the Los Angeles Superior Court to confirm the monetary award that was greenlit for him by the arbitrator ... a cool $1.2 million and change -- which covers damages, attorney fees and other costs.

Diplo's legal team is clearly viewing this as a decisive win, calling her an "obsessive and unstable fan" who was out to exploit a one-time consensual relationship with their client for as much money as possible ... adding, "Her fifteen minutes of fame are now over."

You'll recall ... this all started in 2019, according to Diplo, when he hooked up with this lady -- only for things to fizzle out the following year. He claimed that she wouldn't let it go, though, and pestered both him and his brood with provocative messages and his nudes too.

Diplo was so overwhelmed by the situation, that he says he had to sell his house just to get away from all this -- that is, until he filed suit and took her to court. He also took out a TRO against Auguste -- and she did the same, only to later have it tossed -- and it's finally over.

Diplo's attorney, Bryan Freedman, tells TMZ ... "We are all extremely pleased for Wes (Diplo) and his family. What happened here is simple. The arbitrator looked at all the facts. She evaluated the evidence impartially. And justice prevailed."

Tekashi69 is being forced to cough up some serious dough to Fashion Nova, according to a judgment in the company's 2020 suit ... and his bill could skyrocket if the other defendants don't pony up the cash.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, show Tekashi agreed to a judgment against him in the amount of $350K, after Fashion Nova alleged he and others walked away with their cash in 2018.

Tekashi agreed he alone is responsible for paying off around $39K of the total.

However, he could wind up paying WAY more ... because if the other defendants -- such as booking and entertainment companies -- don't cough up any of the remaining $311K, Tekashi will remain on the hook to satisfy the full judgment.

Tekashi puts it simply, telling TMZ ... "That's hilarious," laughing at the amount of money he could owe. Unclear why he finds the situation funny ... seems like a big chunk of change.

As we reported, the clothing co. paid Tekashi an advance of $225K for brand promotion in 2018 -- he got locked up 2 weeks later ... making him unable to perform his duties.

DJ Envy thinks all rappers should invest in some form of protection for their jewelry following PnB Rock's murder, and "The Breakfast Club" co-host has much experience insuring valuables.

We caught Envy strolling through LAX, where he said hip hop's latest tragedy resonated greatly with him as he too has a prized collection of jewelry and chains.

At the core, Envy feels the world should be a place where people should be allowed to wear the spoils of their success without fear of violence ... but he's quick to acknowledge that just ain't reality!

Envy admits he tends to leave the flashy stuff locked up at home when he's traveling for DJ gigs or car shows -- but if he does hit the scene with a bit of bling, Envy says he's always trailed by security and sometimes self-protection.

He's also been robbed before, and says sometimes it only takes one time getting burned before you opt to carry your own heat.

As we've reported ... PnB was murdered last week in an L.A. Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, and the killer made off with his chains as he lay on the floor dying.

Lil Baby is feeling it from fans after he was spotted partying in Vegas, hours after canceling a show in Vancouver ... but he certainly didn't wanna talk about it.

Baby hit Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with some friends Tuesday, and while we asked him several times about the incident from over the weekend, he only tried to deflect the attention elsewhere before eventually hitting an ice cream truck, where he ordered Flamin' Hot Funyons.

As we reported, Baby's fans in Vancouver went ballistic over the weekend, destroying property, when he pulled out of his performance at Breakout Festival. The rapper stated, "I have been going so hard these past few months without any breaks that it finally caught up with me."

However, he was seen just hours later partying in Vegas at Zouk Nightclub for Canelo Alvarez's victory over Gennady Golovkin with the likes of Travis Scott and DJ Drama.

New Orleans having America's highest murder rate in 2022 makes veteran NOLA rapper/activist Dee-1 sick to his stomach, and it's also why he's taking issue with Fat Joe's recent remarks about robberies.

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Dee-1 following the new report about murders rising 46% in NOLA since last year. The city is close to passing the 2021 total of 221 slayings, and it's only September.

Dee -- who's currently at Harvard University -- says it doesn't take a 4.0 student to see hip hop has been amplifying street activity across the board, and Joe Crack's street-influenced commentary following PnB Rock's murder has him extremely frustrated.

Joe recently appeared on Charlamagne's "Hell Of A Week" and said he's fine with someone robbing PnB, but not the murder -- but Dee says that mentality ignores the root problem.

Dee says Joe and other OG's should know better and thinks artists have been hiding behind the "freedom of speech" rights for too long ... highlighting bad stuff to sound good.

As for his hometown, he says too many in NOLA were competing to have the hardest 'hoods in America, and tragically they've succeeded.

Dee is at Harvard via the hip hop fellowship Nas started years ago, and as part of his studies, he's examining hip hop culture at its core ... in addition to its influence on the youth.

If you noticed Freddie Gibbs trending Tuesday it's because he's promoting his new album, and firing off some stray shots while he's at it.

The Gary, Indiana native checked in with Funk Flex at NYC's Hot 97 to deliver a freestyle over Amerie's "Why Don't We Fall in Love" instrumental ... all in the name of plugging his upcoming project -- "SSS a.k.a. Soul Sold Separately" -- and teasing the embattled R. Kelly over his money woes.

"Fuck R. Kelly, bitch I’m the new king of R&B,” Freddie rapped before later promising to put money on Kellz' books for using his name as promo.

The embattled R&B legend recently had to forfeit his prison piggy bank of $28k to pay restitution to his victims, and the future isn't looking up for him either.

Funk Flex got quite the kick outta the diss lines, especially when Gangsta Gibbs clarified he had no "free R. Kellys" to give out ... only thoughts and prayers.

Freddie also revisited his uncooked beef with Akademiks by firing off the homophobic verse ... "Bout to squeeze Akademiks' titties, I love a fat bitch /You a d**k-in-the-booty n***a, go get the strap bitch."

Despite the aggressive rap, Gibbs said he could also see him and Ak having a lot in common ... if they ever had an actual conversation.

The two have been throwing Instagram shots for some time, mostly to entertaining results.

To put the icing on the cake, Freddie unveiled the 'SSS' tracklist, with features from Rick Ross, Pusha T, Anderson .Paak, Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul and Moneybagg Yo ... via the first single "Too Much."

The U.S. Space Force has released its official song ... and folks online certainly don't appear to be warming up to the new jam.

The military branch unveiled its official tune Tuesday during an Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland titled "Semper Supra", which means "Always Above" in Latin.

One social media user wrote, "Wtf is this? Might as well use the #StarWars theme song! What a joke! #spaceforce". Another guy criticized its "night and day" lyrics saying ... "there is no night or day in outer space..."

FYI, the Space Force was born in 2019, so it was only a matter of time before it adopted an official song like every other military branch.

Of course, this isn't the first time the Space Force raised some eyebrows. You'll recall, it got a lot of backlash in 2020 when the force dropped its camo uniforms. And folks pointed out the fact that it might not be the best idea, when trying to fly under the radar in space.

Future's joined the ranks of Drake, The Weeknd and Kanye other artists flipping their publishing rights into big fat paychecks -- he's sold off his entire catalog to Influence Media Partners.

The deal is said to be worth a "high eight-figures," according to Variety, and includes collaborations with the aforementioned superstars over the course of 612 tracks.

Future's take on the deal is ... “I put everything into my music, and I wanted to make sure these were in good hands as I thought about the next chapter of these songs."

He adds, "I’m proud to partner up with Rene [McLean] and the team at Influence Media and send a signal that this music has timeless value. My music is my art, and these songs represent some of the most precious artwork of my career.”

Future has been making music professionally since 2004, and in April he dropped off his ninth studio album, "I Never Liked You" ... which topped the Billboard 200 and went gold in less than 2 months.

The trend of artists selling off their publishing catalogs has run rampant over the past few years ... but don't include Kanye among those guys.

Earlier on Tuesday, Billboard released a report claiming Kanye was seeking up to $175 million for his catalog ... which came as news to him, as he debunked the story on Instagram after consulting with his team.

More women have come forward accusing Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine of sending flirty messages, including screenshots they claim prove the singer was behind the conversations.

A comedian named Maryka posted a series of screengrabs Tuesday of an alleged convo with the singer in which he tells her, "Distract yourself by f****** with me!" Maryka also posted a private video Levine allegedly sent her in which he says, "I'm stupid," though the context in which he sent it isn't totally clear.

Another woman, Alyson Rosef, also posted a series of DMs, allegedly sent to her from Adam which read, in part, "I shouldn't be talking to you you know (right)?" During another exchange, when Alyson states she only likes metal music, Levine allegedly responds, "Said no hot chicks ever other than you."

Alyson says she made the decision to post the DMs because she feels really bad for Adam's wife, VS Model Behati Prinsloo, and encourages other girls to do the same.

As we reported, Instagram model Sumner Stroh was the first to expose Levine's messages, saying the two had an affair, and showing one message exchange where Levine said -- about the upcoming birth of his child -- "Ok serious question. I’m having another baby and if it’s [a] boy I really wanna name it Sumner. You ok with that? DEAD serious."

In a statement to TMZ Tuesday, Adam said of the allegations against him, "I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life."

50 Cent says an innocent photo he took with a surgeon is being used to falsely imply he's a plastic surgery client who had a penis enhancement procedure ... and now he's suing.

Fifty is suing plastic surgeon Angela Kogan and her businesses, Perfection Plastic Surgery and MedSpa, claiming they keep circulating an old photo of them together, making it look like he needed to go under the knife to enhance his penis.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, 50 Cent says he took a pic with Dr. Kogan back in February 2020 because he thought she was a fan ... and he says ever since, Kogan and her companies have used the photo to pimp their products.

50 Cent claims it started off with Kogan and her companies using the photo on social media to promote the plastic surgery clinics, but he says things took a "disturbing" turn in August, when The Shade Room did a story with Kogan about the rise in male sexual enhancement procedures and used the pic.

The "In da Club" rapper says the image pops up any time the article is posted or shared online ... and he claims the implication is he underwent a penis enhancement procedure.

50 Cent says Kogan and MedSpa know he never went under the knife there, for a penis surgery or otherwise, and he wants them to stop sharing the photo, saying it's exposing him to ridicule, damaging his professional and personal reputation and violating his right to control his name and image.

Fifty wants a court to step in and stop Kogan and MedSpa from falsely saying he's their client and from sharing the photo ... and he also wants money.

We reached out to Kogan and MedSpa ... so far no word back.

Erica Banks can't afford to be seen at the club with girls who aren't on her level ... and by her standards, that means skinny, bad dressers who haven't been to the hair salon can stay home!!!

The 1501 Certified Ent. rapper was recently speaking to fans on Instagram Live about her female club friends' terms of agreement, and she's not ashamed to say she discriminates! Erica explains she nixes women from her entourage who aren't thick enough, or if they're too skinny.

Also, if you aren't red-carpet-ready with your fits, you need not apply.

Fans accused EB of being on a high horse with a sadiddy saddle ... especially after she infamously bragged about getting a BBL in the spring, but the "Buss It" rapper didn't budge on her stance.

The Texas native claimed the surgery didn't change anything (on the inside at least) while clinging to her right to pick her friends to her liking ... even if she's handpicking their attributes!

All hope isn't lost for the thin and underdressed -- Erica offered a conditional invitation for swag-challenged females to kick it with her, but only at album listening parties or cookouts.

Adam Levine says the IG model who claims she was manipulated into having a year-long physical relationship with him is full of it ... though he admits he "crossed the line."

Adam tells TMZ, "I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life."

He goes on ... "In certain instances it became inappropriate. I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family."

And he says ... "My wife and my family is all I care about in this world. To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility. We will get through it and we will get through it together."

Sumner Stroh laid it all out on TikTok Monday morning -- just a few days after Adam's wife, Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo, announced their 3rd pregnancy.

Sumner claimed she was tricked into having an affair with the singer ... saying it happened at a point when she was young and naive -- adding she now feels exploited.

She even showed alleged screenshots where he messaged her after months of radio silence ... writing, "Ok serious question. I’m having another baby and if it’s [a] boy I really wanna name it Sumner. You ok with that? DEAD serious."

The Internet blew up over the claims ... with Adam trending on Twitter. Some were buying it, while others suspect Sumner of chasing clout.

Adam and Behati have been together since 2012 -- they did split briefly in May 2013, but announced their engagement a couple months later.

Paris Hilton's dog is nowhere to be found -- which is prompting the heiress to offer a big reward for her return.

PH announced her Chihuahua, Diamond Baby, has been missing since last Wednesday. She says they're in the middle of moving, and that one of the movers must've left a door open ... 'cause the pooch has vanished -- and Paris is desperate to get her back.

She writes, "My family and friends have been helping me search high and low throughout my entire neighborhood and have gone door to door but we still haven’t found her.😭 We have hired a pet detective, a dog whisperer, a pet psychic and looking into dog finding drones now. I’m doing everything in my power to get her back."

Paris adds that she's been reluctant to let the public know about this because it could backfire, with someone potentially finding the dog and wanting to exploit the situation ... and/or possibly hurt the dog.

At this point, though, Paris says she's willing to get any help she can to track her pet down -- and put out a thorough description on her IG stories ... noting she's willing to pay up.

Paris says there will be a "big reward" for whoever helps bring Diamond Baby back into her arms, no questions asked -- but she doesn't allude to what sorta dollar amount might be attached. There are emails Paris has noted that folks can reach out to with good info.

The dog's been with Paris for at least a couple years, and she regularly features DB in her videos, and it even has its own IG page too.