Music

Gunna is currently making another play at coming home while his criminal case is pending … a move fully supported by Kevin Liles, head of Gunna's label ... 300 Elektra Entertainment.

We caught up with Kevin Thursday in D.C. during the “Rap and the Rules of Evidence” panel … and he doubled down on arguments made to the court when Young Thug was attempting to get placed on house arrest ahead of his trial.

Kevin tells us his longtime allegiance with Young Thug extends down the YSL family tree and he considers him, Gunna and everyone else at the label his “sons.”

Gunna’s attorneys are actively arguing for his freedom in Atlanta for the third time, and Kevin insists Gunna is not a violent offender and shouldn't be locked up!

During the panel discussion, which was powered by The Recording Academy, RIAA and Industry Blackout ... Kevin seemed touched by the earlier convo and got emotional explaining the hardships of YSL's Rico case.

The bromance between Stephen Curry and Suga is continuing to blossom ... with the Warriors superstar gifting the BTS member some signed worn shoes after Golden State's preseason contest in Tokyo!!

As we previously reported, the two have basically become besties during the Dubs' trip to Japan ... with Suga hitting up their practice and handing out signed albums to the whole team, and getting a signed Curry jersey from the 2022 MVP.

The whole hangout was documented on social media ... which had the entire BTS ARMY excited the huge basketball fan was getting a personal experience with one of the NBA's best teams.

The 29-year-old K-pop icon was present for GSW's 96-87 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday ... and after the game, the buds met up for yet another special moment.

Curry decided to give Suga a special sneaker gift ... saying, "Here you go, my man. These are the ones I warmed up in."

"Thanks for coming. All the best. My kids loved the video, so thank you, bro. Appreciate you coming."

Suga looked appreciative of the gesture ... and we're sure he'll take great care of the sneaks.

The concert Coolio would've headlined in Germany this weekend will go on, and Haddaway says all of their fellow '90s hitmakers are doing everything they can to turn the night into a tribute for the rapper.

The "What Is Love" singer tells TMZ ... work's already underway to make the show in Germany this weekend a full homage to Coolio. He says they plan on showing some throwback pics and playing some hits they collaborated on over the years.

The singer still remembers being blown away by Coolio's live shows back in the day, too ... and he wants to make sure this concert goes down just as the rapper would've wanted it.

Even though it's a last-minute call, Haddaway says singers Robin S. and Crystal Walters already have an open invitation to join him on stage Saturday -- they all were part of the same friend group in the '90s.

These '90s live shows have been going down with Coolio and Haddaway all summer by the way -- they'd already put on more than 14 concerts throughout Europe.

"Futurama" fans will still be able to hear Coolio featured on their favorite show -- the late rapper recorded segments for the animated series before his death -- giving show creatives a chance to give Coolio, and his character, a proper send-off.

David X. Cohen, Executive Producer of "Futurama," tells TMZ he was shocked to hear about Coolio's passing, especially because he recorded lines for their upcoming season just weeks before.

For those unaware, Coolio's appeared in a few episodes of the show in the past, playing Kwanzaa-bot -- a counterpart to Chanukah Zombie and Santa Claus Robot. His first appearance was way back in 2001.

David says the rapper looked and sounded great as always when laying down his lines ... even taking over the recording session by producing tracks on the fly for the episode.

The "Futurama" team is going to dedicate his episode to him and feature Coolio rapping over the closing credits so they can give him "the best send-off we can."

David adds, "Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot." David says Coolio also shared he had picked up a new hobby during the pandemic ... sewing!

A father and son have both been charged with murder in the shooting death of rapper PnB Rock.

L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón made the announcement Thursday, saying Freddie Lee Trone and his 17-year-old son were both charged with one count of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery as well as two counts of second-degree robbery.

Freddie Lee Trone is still on the run from authorities.

Shauntel Trone, the 17-year-old's stepmother was also charged in connection to the murder with one count of accessory after the fact.

TMZ broke the story, PnB was killed inside a Los Angeles Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant earlier this month as he sat and ate with his girlfriend.

Law enforcement sources tell us Freddie Lee Trone and his son were already in the parking lot when PnB arrived at the restaurant. We're told the 17-year-old is the alleged shooter, and Freddie was the getaway driver. Our sources say they burned the vehicle after the murder.

PnB was only 30.

Boosie Badazz isn't a fan of Netflix's new series centered around serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer ... and he wants the Black community to rally to boycott the whole project

According to Boosie, Netflix’s record-breaking "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" needs to be banned from the face of the earth and all the victims’ families should be paid restitution. Many of Dahmer’s victims were both Black and homosexual, and the Louisiana rapper wants African Americans to unify and get the show booted from Netflix.

Boosie didn’t mince his feelings on the series, repeatedly calling the show "sick" throughout his spew.

The call for a boycott comes off the heels of the family members of Rita Isbel, one of Dahmer’s 17 victims, lashing out at Netflix for continuing to rehash history for no cause other than making money.

It’ll be a tall order to get the series removed … Netflix is boasting its fifth-highest premiere behind titles like "Stranger Things" and "Squid Game" with 196.2M hours watched to date since debuting September 21.

Perhaps Boosie is just being suckered by a good storyline. Michael McCann, the former Milwaukee D.A. responsible for locking Dahmer up, recently told TMZ that Netflix’s troupe about cops refusing to take the disappearance of minorities and gay people seriously played no role in the serial killer’s long reign.

Coolio died Wednesday in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper who achieved enormous success in the 90s was visiting a friend late Wednesday afternoon when he passed away.

Coolio's longtime manager, Jarez, says Coolio went to the bathroom at his friend's house, but when he didn't come out after a while ... the friend kept calling for him, and eventually went in and found Coolio laying on the floor.

We're told the friend called EMTs, who arrived and pronounced Coolio dead on the scene -- and Jarez tells us the paramedics suspect he suffered cardiac arrest. An official cause of death has not been determined.

Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., came up on the L.A. rap scene in the late 80s, but blew up nationally in 1995 when he released "Gangsta's Paradise" for the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film, "Dangerous Minds."

The song reached #1 and stayed there for 3 weeks.

While 'Paradise' became his signature hit, Coolio had several others ... including 1994's "Fantastic Voyage" -- which hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 -- as well as "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)" and "It's All the Way Live (Now)."

Coolio was 59.

RIP

"Kenan & Kel" star Kel Mitchell is remembering all the good times he had with Coolio ... telling us the late rapper was super fun to hang out with because he was always full of good vibes and good stories.

The former Nickelodeon star joined "TMZ Live" Thursday where we asked him about his experiences with Coolio, who famously teamed up with Kel and Kenan Thompson back in the day for their show's theme song.

Kel says folks still ask him about the song, and he says Coolio brought the "magic" to the catchy track.

TMZ broke the story ... Coolio died Wednesday at a friend's house in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement sources tell us first responders performed CPR for 45 minutes in a frantic effort to revive him.

Kel says Coolio was like everyone's favorite uncle ... because when he showed up at the function, it was a sure sign of a good time.

Coolio performed his last show ever last week in Texas with Vanilla Ice, who says he's mourning his late friend's death.

Vanilla Ice tells TMZ he couldn't sleep Wednesday night after learning Coolio died, and he woke up Thursday morning "still in shock and freaking out."

Coolio and Ice go way back, and they were touring together for the past 6 years on the "I Love The 90s" show, including a stop last week in Cypress, TX which ended up being Coolio's last gig.

Vanilla Ice tells us Coolio came out onstage with him Friday night to freestyle during his set, and after the show, they hung out in Ice's dressing room with Coolio smiling and talking about life and seeming to be in great shape. The last thing Coolio said to Vanilla Ice ... "See you tomorrow, homie."

TMZ broke the story ... Coolio died Wednesday at a friend's house in downtown Los Angeles. Law enforcement sources tell us first responders performed CPR for 45 minutes in an effort to revive the rapper.

Vanilla Ice says he can't stop thinking about how last week's gig was Coolio's last performance ever ... and he's remembering Coolio as a legend whose legacy will live on through his music.

Ice adds ... "My heart goes out to all the family. I'm truly devastated. He was a great friend."

TMZ obtained video of Coolio's last performance, and folks who were there say he performed on stage for 45 minutes and was talking a lot to the crowd. We're told his voice seemed really raspy, but he didn't appear ill.

Last year it was Snoop Dogg ... and Shaq's calling on some of his celebrity friends once again to help him raise cash for a great cause -- the NBA Hall of Famer's throwing his 2nd annual "The Event" in Las Vegas -- and the lineup's packing serious star power!

"We've got some great performers," Shaq told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), saying ... "H.E.R., Pitbull, Maroon 5, Maren Morris, John Mulaney, you know this is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year. You know the mission of the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation is to help underserved youth reach their full potential."

The event goes down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Sin City on Saturday ... and Shaq has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs and Communities in Schools. All of the money raised will go directly towards charity ... not administrative fees or anyone's pockets.

"All proceeds, all proceeds go to helping underserved youth. Not 85 cents on the dollar, not 95 cents, 100 percent. All proceeds go to helping underserved youth."

Shaq, of course, wants people who are financially able to help ... but if you can't, O'Neal still wants you to come out and enjoy the show.

"We just want people to come and have fun because if you look at the stars we have now, this is a big-time concert."

And, if last year's event is any indication, Saturday's party will be lit. Snoop and Shaq took the stage together in 2021, and performed "Nuthin' but a G Thang."

DJ Akademiks recently stirred up a hornet's nest with his "old and dusty" comments targeting some hip hop pioneers, but Quavo and Takeoff are dodging that drama -- they have the blessings of the Wu-Tang Killer Bees in their corner!!!

We caught up with Quavo Tuesday at LAX ahead of the release of their new album "Only Built 4 Infinity Links" ... the same one that effectively drops Offset from Migos after the year-long feud.

The title is a direct reference to Raekwon and Ghostface Killah's classic album, 1995's "Only Built 4 Cuban Links" -- and Quavo tells us he got direct permission from Rae himself to pay homage with the new record.

The platinum-selling album 'Cuban Links' is one of the most decorated in hip hop history ... practically birthing the 90s rap mafioso era, and furthering the legacy of RZA and Wu-Tang Clan for generations to come.

Quavo says he reached out and told Rae it wouldn't be anything short of an honor to carry on the legacy, especially given everything he says Wu-Tang Clan did for the culture.

He and Takeoff have been putting in overtime pumping out the music ... spearheaded by the hit "Hotel Lobby" single which dropped in May.

EMT's frantically tried to revive Coolio after his body was found in a downtown LA. home, but after 45 minutes of CPR he was pronounced dead.

TMZ broke the story ... Coolio was at a friend's home late Wednesday afternoon when he went to the bathroom. We're told he was in there for quite a while, and the friend became concerned and began calling for him. When Coolio didn't respond, the friend went inside the bathroom and found the rapper laying on the floor.

He called EMT's who quickly responded and saw no signs of life. They administered CPR for 3/4 of an hour before concluding it was futile.

Coolio's manager told us the 59-year-old rapper came down from Vegas, where he lives, to L.A. so he could either get or renew his passport.

The manager said there was some problem with getting the passport in L.A. and the 2 had talked on the phone about going down to San Diego to get the job done.

As for why he needed to go to the passport office ... he had shows scheduled in Germany this weekend.

The manager says he was getting ready to join Coolio when he got the call that he had collapsed in the bathroom.

As we reported, police did not find drugs or paraphernalia in the bathroom.

R. Kelly's not just going to prison for his sex crimes in New York, but it also looks like he'll be ordered to pay a fortune to some of his victims ... including picking up the tabs to deal with their STDs and their psychological trauma in the aftermath.

There was a restitution hearing in Brooklyn Wednesday, where a judge weighed in on what Kelly will have to cough up, money-wise, to a couple of his victims in that case ... in which he's already been convicted and sentenced to prison.

For a victim named "Jane," the judge indicated Kelly will be ordered to fork over around $300K to cover treatment related to herpes, as well as psychological care that she apparently requires. Ditto for another victim in that case named "Stephanie," although a firm number hasn't been decided in her situation just yet ... the judge put a pin in it and will circle back later.

A 3rd victim, "Sonja," was denied restitution. So, at this point, it looks like Kelly will be on the hook for hundreds of thousands ... and possibly more.

Remember, Kelly's already been handed down a sentence of 30 years behind bars in this case -- where he was alleged to have committed federal sex crimes.

He was also recently convicted in his federal case out of Chicago -- in which he was accused of similar crimes -- and there could be restitution in that case, as well.

Kanye West has hired yet another divorce lawyer, this time tapping into the same attorney who represented Melinda Gates in her multi-billion dollar divorce case with Bill Gates.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Ye's retained Robert Stephan Cohen of Cohen Clair Lans Greifer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP as his sixth divorce attorney in the back and forth with Kim Kardashian. Interestingly enough, Cohen is based in New York, and the Kim divorce is in Los Angeles, so Ye's also bringing on Nicholas A. Salick of Salick Family Law Group, APLC as his counsel in California.

Not only has Cohen represented Melinda, but he's also had clients like Rupert Murdoch, Chris Rock, Athina Onassis and more.

TMZ broke the story, Kim filed for divorce in November, and a judge declared her legally single back in March, after she filed docs stating, "I very much desire to be divorced." The couple still has to iron out custody and property details.

We know Kim and Kanye already had a prenup in place, so property shouldn't be an issue. As far as custody, that seems to be settled too, as Kanye recently said Kim's got the kids about 80% of the time and mostly raises them.

LAPD is naming a suspect in the murder of PnB Rock ... he's still on the loose, and should be considered "armed and dangerous."

Cops announced Wednesday morning, Freddie Lee Trone, is the guy detectives have fingered as "a person involved" in the Sept. 12 slaying of the rapper as he sat in a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.

They've released this photo of Trone, but haven't yet said if he's the only person they're seeking in the case. You'll recall, police said there was a getaway car waiting outside the L.A. restaurant after PnB was shot and killed.

The killer fled with several gold and diamond chains the Philly MC was wearing as he ate lunch with his girlfriend.

Police are urging the public to contact 911 if you see Trone or have any info on his whereabouts.

Hailey Bieber is clearing the air about the fan-fueled notion she stole Justin Bieber from Selena Gomez -- saying that couldn't be further from the truth.

Her appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast dropped Wednesday, and they got right into the subject -- with host Alex Cooper directly asking if there was ever any overlap between Justin and Selena's relationship and Hailey's with Justin ... especially right before they got married.

Hailey flatly denies it ... essentially saying she's not a homewrecker and was never romantically involved with JB while he was with another person -- Selena or otherwise.

She goes on to say she's aware the timing of things -- especially from the outside looking in -- might appear like there was a quick succession of romances, from Selena to Hailey, but she insists she waited.

And, this part will interest Selena fans ... Hailey suggests Selena and Justin 2.0 wasn't as serious as the rest of us thought at the time!

Just to clear up the timeline here ... Justin and Selena were hanging out A LOT in late 2017 and seemed to rekindle their relationship through early 2018, until they abruptly split. Soon thereafter, Hailey entered the picture, and before long they tied the knot.

Based on what Hailey's saying here, it sounds like there's more to the dynamic (Justin and Selena's, that is) than the public knows, but again ... she's firm on never having double dipped with Justin while he was with other women.

One more interesting tidbit from her -- she says Justin and her getting together might've actually been the best thing to help him move on from Selena ... even if it looked somewhat quick to the outside world. She also addressed the toxic fandom.

Selena stans have long gone for Hailey's neck over the idea she swooped JB, but Hailey says those fans simply have it wrong, and hopes they understand that the person they're hating on from behind a screen is a regular human with emotions.

When asked if Justin or anyone in their circle now has ever asked Selena to try to put an end to the hatred her fans are dishing ... Hailey says no -- adding Selena doesn't have to, as she doesn't owe her anything and that there's no personal beef between them whatsoever.

She ends by saying she's spoken with Selena since marrying Justin, and that she respects Selena. HB also finishes by noting, she and Justin know the truth ... and they're at peace.