Music

Billy McFarland, the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival, has a new project on the horizon ... and it might be similar to what got him in so much trouble in the first place.

Billy posted a teaser clip to TikTok Monday ... fessing up to his wrongs at the last festival -- before hinting at what's next.

He says he's got something new coming -- showing a treasure map ... as well as a brief look at a phone number. We checked it out, and once contacting the number, you're asked for contact info and given a video clue as to what's coming from Billy.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ he's creating another festival, among other things in the near future.

As we reported, Billy was released from prison early back in March, spending 4 of his 6-year sentence behind bars. He was transferred to community confinement and was expected to stay in confinement through the end of August.

Of course, the infamous Fyre Festival was organized by Billy back in 2017 and was set to go down in the Bahamas -- before quickly turning into a disaster. He ended up pleading guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud over the disastrous failed event.

Lil Durk is off the hook for a 2019 shooting case in Georgia, and the 5 felonies he was charged with should have been dropped long ago for a lack of evidence ... at least according to his attorney.

Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis recently filed paperwork with the court declining to move forward with the case against Durk because of "prosecutorial discretion," but she's declined to elaborate beyond that. Willis noted there was probable cause to initially arrest Durk, but after a thorough review of the facts, she decided against moving forward with the case.

Durk's attorney, Manny Arora, tells TMZ ... Willis simply didn't have enough evidence to prove her case against the rapper.

Arora insists Durk never committed a crime that day despite his presence at the scene. He added it was a "shame" it took 3 years to finally drop the charges, but he's not surprised since he believes prosecutors often drag out cases to save face.

TMZ broke the story...Durk surrendered to police in May 2019 in connection with a non-fatal shooting at The Varsity restaurant in Atlanta.

Police responded to a 911 call on Feb. 5 and found a man with a gunshot wound. Witnesses told police the wounded man had been involved in an argument with an unknown black male before the shooting. The man was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. He ultimately survived.

Durk was originally hit with a slew of felony charges ... aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and more.

Khloe Kardashian is publicly sending her support to the Jewish community amid Kanye West's continued antisemitic rants ... becoming the first to do so in her family.

The youngest of the OG 3 sisters reposted a simple statement which reads ... "I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people." Pretty straightforward, but powerful at the same time -- especially since it's her ex-brother-in-law fueling the hate against Jewish people.

Her remark comes as Ye's bigotry sparks rallies in his name with neo-Nazis coming out of the woodwork in all sorts of forms throughout Los Angeles.

None of the other Kardashians, Kim included, have spoken up about the issue so far ... instead, it seems like they're just giving Kanye the silent treatment.

Khloe might be the first KarJenner to pipe up, but she's certainly not the first A-lister in general to say something about the wave of antisemitism.

Sofia Richie, Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Aniston and several others reposted the same message Khloe did, but also expressed their horror and anger over the images of that Nazi rally over L.A.'s 405 freeway.

For his part, Kanye continues to get further and further isolated -- both professionally and socially -- but his biggest business partner, Adidas, is feeling the heat the most right now.

They've remained silent throughout this whole mess.

Olivia Wilde was in Harry Styles' house this weekend -- and she turned out to be a pretty good guest ... with a great view of the show, and some killer movies to boot.

The director/actor was in attendance for her boyfriend's concert Sunday at the Forum in L.A. -- where she was spotted down on the ground floor in what appears to be a VIP area within the barricades encircling the main stage.

Looks like she digs the tunes just as much as his fans do, 'cause she was dancing up a storm throughout his set ... particularly rocking out during his performance of "As It Was."

It ain't the first time OW's been to one of Harry's concerts -- she was actually at his last MSG show in person as well, so now ... a little love on the opposite coast too. Just goes to show they're still going strong, even amid continued coverage of her that's unflattering.

Of course, this time, we're referring to the alleged salad dressing fiasco that supposedly erupted between her and her ex, Jason Sudeikis ... not to mention the whole dog thing.

Blue Ivy Carter had some play money to throw around at an auction this weekend -- but even her sky-high allowance has limits, it seems, 'cause she lost out on pair of diamond earrings.

Jay-Z and Beyonce's 10-year-old placed an $80,000 bid on some diamond earrings Saturday night during the Wearable Art Gala in L.A. -- where stars were out in abundance. Keke Palmer and Blue's grandma, Tina Knowles, were heading up this portion of the purchases.

Check it out ... BIC shot her paddle up when the Lorraine Schwartz jewelry got called out, surprising the auctioneers on stage. Unfortunately for Blue, someone else wanted them more.

Monique Rodriguez -- founder of the beauty company Mielle Organics -- got in on the action as well ... via her husband, Melvin, who started throwing up his own paddle, going higher and higher until Blue eventually tapped out in the six-figure range.

The Rodriguezes walked away with the bedazzled earpieces at $105k, and Monique proudly showed them off on social media. It's not the first time Blue's lost in an auction either.

In 2018, Tyler Perry topped her for a painting of Sidney Poitier, on which she bid $19k, but TP was determined to take it out ... and did. As he noted at the time, he wasn't about to be beaten by a child -- even if she is Jay and Bey's kid.

Big Sean is all geeked about becoming a parent -- he and his partner Jhené Aiko are expecting a baby boy, and it means Sean's gonna be stepping away from his J-O-B for a bit.

We got Sean Don at LAX and tried to get some insight on potential baby names. He admits it's a great topic to cover, but also said he's coming up empty on options -- or, at least, that's what he's telling us.

Ya gotta figure he and Jhené have discussed a few.

The glowing couple just celebrated the pregnancy with a dazzling baby shower, and Sean tells us he's actually looking forward to taking some time to get acquainted with his son.

Fans demand so much from artists -- especially in the streaming era -- but Sean definitely agrees there should be some sort of paternity grace for dads in hip hop.

While he doesn't have a foreseeable date for his return to music, Sean still has a musician's ear -- he recommended DJ Drama and Jeezy's "SnoFall" mixtape ... as well as Taylor Swift's Spotify-crashing "Midnights" album for your playlist updates.

Zuri Craig -- who's worked with the likes of Tyler Perry, and once wowed on 'America's Got Talent' -- has died.

His family confirmed his passing Sunday, throwing up a tribute post on Zuri's official ZoReMi Entertainment page and writing ... "It is with profound sadness that we announce the transition of our beloved son, brother and friend, Zuri Craig."

They continued ... "We thank you in advance for your prayers. Please honor our privacy at this unimaginable time of mourning." They note he died on Friday -- a cause of death has yet to be released, but more info seems to be forthcoming.

Craig might best be known for his time on 'AGT' back in 2015, when he and his singing partner, Jeffrey Lewis, cleaned up that season by impressing the judges and audiences alike.

They first knocked it out of the park by crooning to James Brown's 'This Is a Man's World,' and later got a gold buzzer from Michael Buble after tackling Mary J. Blige's "I'm Goin' Down." They went pretty far, but in the end ... placed 5th overall, despite a helluva run.

Even before that, though, Craig was already rubbing shoulders with some Hollywood heavyweights -- including TP, who noticed him and Lewis from YouTube covers they were doing as early as '09. This landed Craig a job on some of Tyler's 'Madea' plays.

Craig has starred in/worked on a few ... "Madea's Big Happy Family," "Madea Gets a Job" and "A Madea Christmas." He and Lewis even appeared on 'Oprah' in the early 2010s.

He's also worked on podcasts and other shows over the years -- and was even set to produce a live production in Atlanta, 'Soul Food Live,' starting next month ... with ads already being made and the cast already chosen. Zuri was 44.

Travis Scott is shrugging off a rumor he was hanging out with a rumored ex-GF last week -- calling the allegation and a blurry on-set video clip of himself ... "a lot of weird s**t."

Travis is referring to a video recently posted on IG by a woman named Rojean Kar, who he allegedly hooked up with way back before he and Kylie Jenner met and started dating.

The clip, in her IG stories, shows Travis on the set of a music video he's directing ... and it makes it seem like Rojean is just a few feet away from him. She joked in her caption, "I'm directing obvi."

But early Sunday morning Travis denied any knowledge of her being on the set -- if she actually was -- and even further, seems to be denying they were ever a thing.

His response says, "An uninvited person was sneaking photos on what was supposed to be a closed set while I was directing a video. I am saying this for the last time. I don't know this person. I've never been with this person."

For her part, Rojean claimed, in The Shade Room comments, she didn't even know Travis was going to be on the music video set, and said she was absolutely invited to be there. She doesn't say who invited her, though.

Travis' denial seems to have pissed her off ... she posted a video saying the rapper is full of BS, and claimed to have receipts proving they once dated.

What we do know for sure is Travis never publicly declared they were dating when they were first linked in 2013 -- but, they had posted pics and videos together. There were rumors she was at the center of Trav and Kylie's 2019 split, but even Rojean denied that.

In her video, she does claim to have been with Travis on Valentine's Day ... another claim he's shooting down by posting a photo with a very dismissive caption.

Madonna apparently wanted credit for "paving the way" for a ton of modern-day artists to embrace their sexuality -- but the way she said left a very bad taste in Cardi B's mouth.

Madge pissed off Cardi this weekend with a passive-aggressive note she posted on her IG Stories -- one in which she celebrates the 30-year anniversary of her infamous "S.E.X." book, but in the same breath ... seems to take some shots at a select few ladies by name.

She describes the boundaries she pushed back then and how influential her book turned out to be in pop culture despite the backlash she endured, going on to say ... "Now Cardi B can sing about her WAP, Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked ass and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball," adding, "You're welcome bitches 🤡"

That last part is what's pissing off CB -- 'cause she's on Twitter right now absolutely s****ing on Madonna for it. In one tweet, she says ... "These icons really become disappointments once u make it in the industry that’s why I keep to myself."

There are other tweets where Cardi expresses her anger over the fact Madonna felt the need to both ask for a pat on the back while also hurling what Cardi perceives as an insult.

It seems Cardi's catching a little bit of heat for being so vocal about her criticism of Madonna ... with some folks telling her to chillax -- but she's doing the exact opposite, digging her heels in and insisting on defending herself against anyone ... icon status or not.

For Cardi, it comes down to tone and she simply feels Madonna could've made her point without being rude. And as most people know, CB's not afraid to square up (digitally) against anyone these days. She's in constant feuds on Twitter, and now Madonna's on the list too.

Madonna versus Cardi B ... what a world!

If there was any doubt Kanye West is sowing seeds of hate with his bigoted and antisemitic remarks ... a Los Angeles rally should erase all of it.

These banners were draped on an overpass of the infamous 405 freeway, and the organizers implored drivers to "Honk if you know Kanye is right about the Jews." The fiercely hateful words and rally appear to be the work of a group called the Goyim Defense League.

The Anti-Defamation League describes the group as a loose network of virulently antisemitic conspiracy theorists -- and that very well may be, but Saturday's impromptu rally suggests the group is suddenly emboldened ... clearly by Kanye's words.

Members of the group were also throwing up the Nazi salute at passing drivers.

The menacing sight -- imagine being a Jewish person seeing that on your drive home -- comes, not coincidentally, on the heels of Kanye repeatedly spewing tropes about Jewish people controlling everyone in Hollywood and in banking.

Two weeks ago, he tweeted he was "going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE" after Instagram restricted his account.

During his Piers Morgan interview, Ye said he only had one regret about his antisemitic comments ... but he stood by his most dangerously bigoted remarks.

As we reported, Kanye told photogs Friday night the backlash against him only proves his point about Jewish people controlling the narrative -- however, Saturday's rally shows Ye is also driving his own narrative ... a pretty hate-filled one.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's newlywed bliss is showing again -- this time on a family shopping trip that's gonna leave the city slickers looking real country and western.

The couple hit the Sunset Strip Saturday, laser-focused on one item ... cowboy boots.

Jen's kiddo Emme was with Bennifer when they strolled into Boot Star -- pretty obvious what they sell -- and she was first in the group to get fitted for a red pair o' s**t kickers and matching shirt.

Ben was trying on a few different cowboy hats, which has us thinking a group costume might be in the works for the Afflecks' new blended family.

It is their first Halloween as Mr. and Mrs., so we wouldn't be surprised.

J Lo and Ben are a little more than 3 months into their marriage, and it shows -- the shopping spree included plenty of smiles and PDA.

Stacey Abrams is leaning into her celeb connections to rally support ahead of election day -- which landed her on stage with Latto to deliver a message about abortion rights in Georgia.

The candidate for Governor came out during Latto's Saturday night gig in ATL, and not coincidentally, she came out as the rapper performed "Pussy" ... the anthem she wrote after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Abrams was kicking it with backup dancers as Latto did her thing -- and carried a "my body, my choice" sign over her head the whole time.

When the song was over she got on a mic and told the crowd ... "I just want to remind you that if you believe in my body, my choice, I need your vote," Abrams said.

Playing to the crowd, Abrams referenced Latto's mega-hit as she yelled, "I need your big energy. Let’s get it!"

Last week Abrams debated her opponent, Georgia's current Governor Brian Kemp, and early voting has already opened in that state.

Trap music pioneer Drumma Boy is basking in his hometown's newfound hip hop dominance ... especially because he's been waving the Memphis flag for years in his music!!!

DB was in his studio putting the finishing touches on his new album "Welcome to My City Vol. 4" when he told TMZ Hip Hop ... the project includes GloRilla, Project Pat, Big Boogie, Jucee Froot, Big Moochie Grape -- all Memphis artists who bleed 901 culture.

In addition to the booming talent of NLE Choppa, Duke Deuce, Key Glock and Big30 ... adjacent to legacy acts such as Three 6 Mafia, Yo Gotti and 8Ball & MJG -- Drumma is confident saying Memphis has ended Atlanta's nearly 3-decade reign as hip hop's top hub!!!

DB recalls having to migrate to Atlanta to shop his beats ... citing infighting within Memphis as the primary reason.

He credits Three 6's Gangsta Boo for spreading his name around town ... eventually getting on the radar of Big Boi and André 3000 of Outkast, Pastor Troy and Jeezy.

Gavin DeGraw was forced to pull the plug at the last minute on a show for the Boys & Girls Club -- his team says he was sick as a dog, but he's already planning to make good.

Sources connected to the fundraiser tell TMZ ... Gavin was booked to perform last weekend at the 2022 "Enchanted Masquerade" Chrysalis Ball for the Boys & Girls Clubs in Collin County, TX.

The club serves upwards of 5,000 kids, and Gavin's performance was the first big in-person event they'd planned since COVID shutdowns. So, that's why organizers were so bummed when Gavin had to cancel on the very day of the event.

Our sources tell us the singer's team notified the Boys & Girls Club that Gavin had fallen so ill, he had to be hospitalized ... and wouldn't be able to make it to the event.

We're told event organizers had already spent $20k in production costs, and they ended up using the band originally booked for their after-party to replace Gavin.

It is unclear what Gavin's illness was -- our sources say his appearance fee will be returned, but the Club won't get the production and rider costs back.

Understandably, there were some disappointed folks at the fundraiser.

DeGraw's team says he's since made a full recovery, and while he regrets having to cancel ... he hopes to come back and support the organization soon.

Beyoncé fans are mad at Kelis for not getting as upset at 2 women playing with her hair as when she flipped her lid over Bey allegedly using her music without permission.

The latest Twitter fracas is underway now ... the Beyhive is seriously voicing their displeasure over a video the "Milkshake" singer posted that shows her having her braids felt up by a couple ladies in Singapore, where Kelis is apparently visiting at the moment.

The clip shows Kelis seated at an outdoor table with a friend, who's filming, when these two gals start to caress and feel on her braids ... without notice or permission.

Kelis is taken aback but rolls with it, playing with their hair in return, and kinda letting them have their way -- they seem pretty fascinated with her 'do. While she looks confused, it doesn't seem Kelis is all that fired up about the awkward encounter ... more so amused.

That's where Beyoncé stans are jumping in ... chiding her for not showing the same amount of gusto for these women as she did for Bey's sample in "Energy" from her new album ... which used a part of Kelis's hit song, supposedly without being properly cleared.

You'll recall, Kelis was very public with her resentment over that. She called it disrespectful/ignorant ... and suggested Bey was somebody in the biz who had no soul or integrity. It was harsh, but it worked -- because Beyoncé yanked the sample and reworked the song in the end ... just one of many problems she had with the roll-out at the time.

Now, in light of this latest Kelis news ... some are saying Kelis is "all bark, no bite" -- among other mean comments -- suggesting this is objectively more objectionable, and that she picks and chooses when to get angry ... and may have a problem with Beyoncé, specifically.

Some fans who were hoping to see their favorite 2000s emo bands in Sin City this weekend are out of luck -- the date's been canceled ... all thanks to Mother Nature.

Organizers behind the "When We Were Young" festival announced Saturday that their same-day kickoff in Vegas was being nixed because of strong winds being cited by the National Weather Service -- this despite the gang saying they've been actively preparing for this.

It sounds like the gust speeds were simply going to be too high and dangerous -- upwards of 60 MPH, they say -- which has forced them to shut it down until tomorrow, Sunday the 23rd.

The show, for now, is supposed to carry on as scheduled for those ticketholders, as well as ones for next Saturday -- the 29th ... but the folks who had tickets for today will have to seek a refund, which festival honchos apologetically say will be issued within 30 days.

This year's lineup is jam-packed with bands that were all going to perform the same set times for both days -- including headliners Paramore and My Chemical Romance ... not to mention Avril Lavigne, Bring Me The Horizon, All-American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, Dance Gavin Dance, Taking Back Sunday, AFI, We The Kings, Bright Eyes, A Day To Remember and more.