Music

Diddy went above and beyond to make sure his guests were safe at his birthday party ... making sure security was on point after a gun issue caused a scene the last time he hosted a shindig.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the legendary rap mogul had super tight security Friday night for his 53rd birthday bash, with everyone in attendance passing through a metal detector before being allowed inside.

The party went down at Diddy's Los Angeles mansion and we're told one of the streets by his estate was shut down. Our sources say guests were shuttled up to the house, and if they weren't on the list, they were turned away ... no exceptions.

It appears Diddy wasn't taking any chances after what happened this past summer, when he hosted a BET after-party at the same property -- as we first reported, a woman trying to make her way into the after-party was arrested outside Diddy's house after allegedly flashing a gun at other partygoers.

The beefed-up security also follows some recent fatal gun violence involving rappers Takeoff and PnB Rock, who were both shot dead.

Diddy's security seemed to work too ... we're told there were no issues surrounding the party.

As we reported ... Diddy's bash was crawling with celebs, including Travis Scott, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Teyana Taylor, Tinashe and Jermaine Dupri and Kehlani.

Yung Bleu knows the lane is crowded for upcoming 11/11 music releases, but he's telling TMZ Hip Hop why there’s no sweat dripping off his brow.

We spoke to Bleu ahead of the release of his 2nd album "Tantra" … which he says will show his range as an artist -- and that means as a rapper, an R&B singer and everything in between!!!

Bleu admits he wants to do well right out the gate, but he adds ... the constant convo about 1st-week numbers is tiring -- mainly because of the amount of music that's being released.

He doesn't feel the need to rally around 1st-week sales or placements, noting there are still 51 more weeks in the year. Given the fact there are so many artists, on so many platforms, these days ... Bleu thinks anyone with a spot on the Billboard or Apple Music 200 is winning.

He admits even having trouble streaming all the releases himself, but he's confident fans will gravitate toward his music ... even if they don't get to it right away.

He has a good reason for feeling that way -- Bleu's debut album, "Moon Boy," has carried him since July 2021 -- which led to going on tour with Chris Brown and Lil Baby while also seeing his "Bad" single go gold.

As far as the new music goes, he just dropped his Lil Wayne-featured "Soul Child" single, which completes his trifecta of working with Young Money legends … having previously scored tracks with Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Rick Ross is currently entangled in a great debate with his homies, who insist he has way too much stuff filling closets at his 235-acre Promise Land estate … and based on the visuals, they might be right.

Rozay showcased mounds of clothes, shoes and other Boss trinkets Monday inside his sprawling estate -- in fact, the display and debate occupied several IG stories.

Rick argued against being a hoarder, calling for A&E to take a formal inspection, much to the annoyance of his biz partner Alex Bostic … who demonstrated just what a cushion the floor has become by plunging back into it without fear of cracking his skull.

Ross' humble home in Fayetteville, GA is one of the largest estates in the U.S. -- and it's home to the largest swimming pool in the country. Size matters, in this case ... as Rick says he can't be a hoarder with so much wide open space around him.

Earlier this year, he hosted a grandiose car show which featured hundreds of custom whips sprawled out across the Promise Land property, but now he's tossing around the idea of a yard sale to end all yard sales.

Aaron Carter was very clearly struggling with an addiction to huffing compressed air, and investigators found evidence of that at the site of his death.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were multiple cans of compressed air in Aaron's bathroom and bedroom, as well as prescription pills. It's not clear if that's what caused him to drown, but obviously, it's a big clue into what may have happened.

Our law enforcement sources say the last time anyone saw Aaron alive was 2 AM Friday. We're told Aaron's live-in housekeeper heard a knock at the door at 2 AM and answered ... she says cops had come to do a welfare check ... unclear who called them. Our sources say the housekeeper opened the door and when Aaron heard what was going on he told them to leave and ordered the housekeeper not to bother him.

We're told the housekeeper didn't see Aaron all day Friday, and Saturday morning she went to his bedroom door to see if he wanted coffee. She heard his dog inside the bedroom going crazy, so she opened the door and found Aaron's body in the tub.

Law enforcement believes Aaron's body was in the tub for a long time as there was a smell of decomposition and the water had turned an unnatural color. We're told the tub's jets were still running when Aaron's body was found.

TMZ broke the story, cops were called to Aaron's L.A. area home Saturday for a report of a drowning. Dispatch audio from the 911 call revealed a chaotic scene inside Aaron's home with dispatchers describing a "female yelling" for help. We're told that was the housekeeper.

Aaron's cause of death is currently deferred by the L.A. County Coroner's Office until toxicology results are returned ... which could take months. We're told no suicide note was found and there were no signs of foul play.

Of course, there's been an outpouring of love and tributes for Aaron since his death -- Hilary Duff said, "You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent…boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

The Backstreet Boys also sang and paid tribute to Aaron, his brother Nick got emotional during the show in London.

Late Migos rapper Takeoff's funeral is set for this coming Friday, and much like his career, the homegoing will be big … going down at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The venue, which is home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, has the capacity to host more than 20,000 people.

Rev. Jesse Curney, III of New Mercies Christian Church will be officiating the services, which will begin at 1:00 PM … according to Atlanta radio station V-103.

In a statement, Rev. Curney said, "I was really sad to hear the news. Kirsnick has been a faithful member since he was ten years old. He and his family were active and avid supporters of the church and the community as a whole."

Emotions in the city have been heavy since Takeoff was shot and killed on November 1 in Houston.

Graffiti artist Armondo "Ape" Monoletti crafted a mural in Atlanta, just hours after the tragic news and friends and fam of Takeoff held a balloon sendoff over the weekend in his honor.

Aaron Carter's friends, family and even his fans believed the singer was in a dark place, and desperately needed help ... but clearly, it was too late.

In a video allegedly captured from a live stream the singer did in the days leading up to his death Aaron reads a message he says is from his fiancée Melanie which states, "You're going to die."

The words clearly upset Aaron, though we're told he only cherry-picked one part of her text to read to his fans. The text from Melanie was a cry to him to stop huffing on Instagram Live, which had been alleged by many fans. Melanie told him, "If it's true what you're doing, you're not going to end up alive. You're going to die. I love you, this is not safe. Please don't do this to yourself."

Aaron's fans were also very active in commenting on his live streams and social media posts, sometimes voicing their concern if he seemed to be out of it. After his death, one fan wrote, "I was watching his IG live the other day thinking the guy needed help asap."

TMZ broke the story, fans called the cops to Aaron's home for a welfare check in September after they believed he was huffing during a live-streaming session. First responders made contact with Aaron, who told them he'd been asleep, and they left as there was no additional cause for concern.

In another video from Aaron's live just a couple weeks before he died, Aaron expressed his love for his older brother and Backstreet Boys star, Nick Carter, during a live session -- letting Nick know he always would have his back.

Nick released a statement about Aaron Sunday, saying, "My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed."

TMZ broke the story, Aaron was found dead inside his L.A. home Saturday -- cops responded to a call for a drowning ... and multiple sources tell us he was found in his tub.

Justin Bieber was a crazed fanatic during LAFC's championship game on Saturday ... completely losing it as his team came away with the thrilling win!!

LAFC ended up beating the Philadelphia Union in penalty kicks to secure the title ... and JB was clearly on pins and needles as the drama unfolded.

Bieber and his wife, Hailey, sat among the normies throughout the game ... and after the home team came away with the 'ship, Justin lifted her up in celebration.

Biebs even had his own custom LAFC jersey for the game ... draping it over his head as he cheered on his squad.

Justin and Hailey weren't the only A-listers in attendance -- Magic Johnson and Will Ferrell, who are co-owners of the team -- were also at Banc of California Stadium for the matchup.

It was a busy weekend for the duo -- as we previously reported, they were living it up at Odell Beckham Jr.'s birthday bash later that night.

Jessica Simpson is responding to some serious concerns from her fans ... after being featured in an ad online that many saw as anything but normal.

Jessica starred in a new Pottery Barn Kids clip last week ... where she showed off her 3-year-old Birdie's room -- showing how the company's collection brought the place together.

Seems harmless enough ... but the comment section quickly filled up with concerning messages -- with many asking if she's ok, and one even writing "blink twice if you need help Jess." Some saw the performance as forced, with the speech just feeling off.

The 42-year-old singer responded to the noise Sunday night ... posting a clip of herself singing in her studio in order to "ground myself and heal" -- adding, "peoples' comments and judgments can still hurt deeply with their incessant nagging."

She doesn't directly call BS on the worrisome fans' fears, but adds, "The most important thing I have learned through the last 5yrs without alcohol being a guard for escapism, is that I CAN and ALWAYS WILL get through it."

Post Malone is going all out for his fans these days, and his latest move might take the wedding cake -- yeah, he officiated when 2 fans tied the knot on his stage!!!

It all went down after Post's Saturday show in Seattle ... 2 excited fans hopped on stage, where PM was waiting for them and started the ceremony. The women stood face-to-face, as the rapper demanded everyone's attention and then he guided them through a few brief matrimonial steps ... as the crowd cheered from the front row.

After the couple exchanged "I do's" Post gave 'em the green light for THE kiss. Oddly, Post declared them wedded "in the eyes of space" ... but that seemed to work just fine for all parties involved!

This ain't Post's first rodeo pulling out stunts for fans during his shows ... and it looks like he's getting a good rep for being the go-to guy for whatever fans want to pull off at one of his concerts.

You'll recall, PM did a gender reveal last month during his concert in Tulsa ... letting a couple fans know they're having a girl. As they say, the Post Malone delivers!

Kodak Black took great joy in responding to 21 Savage's claim he is the top dog from their 2016 XXL Freshman class ... applauding 21's confidence, but calling him a liar.

21 was on Clubhouse promoting his recently released "Her Loss" album with Drake when he made the bold proclamation he'd be unbeatable in a Verzuz against anyone in the bunch of rappers who debuted 6 years ago.

That list includes Lil Uzi Vert, Anderson. Paak and Desiigner ... and Kodak was the first to take the bait, hopping on IG Live to accept 21's challenge.

Kodak gave 21 props for the confidence, and said any rapper worth their mettle should brand themselves invincible. Ultimately though, he thinks 21 is full of so much CAP ... he seemingly grabbed every hat in his house to drive home his point!!!

Both rappers have several platinum and gold albums, Billboard hits and guest features with superstars like A$AP Rocky, Gucci Mane, Travis Scott and more.

Lil Wayne has declared his beloved Packers' season over following yet another loss on Sunday ... and he seems to be laying the blame squarely on Aaron Rodgers for it all -- saying the team shoulda punted the QB before the year began.

Weezy didn't mince words when venting about Green Bay's 15-9 loss to the 2-6 Detroit Lions ... clearly believing the year is already done -- despite eight games remaining on the schedule.

"RIP to the season," Wayne, a HUGE Packers fan, tweeted.

The loss to the lowly Lions dropped GB to 3-6 ... and with games against Dallas, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Miami and Minnesota still left to go, the rapper probably isn't wrong to bury his favorite squad.

But, it was the second part of his tweet -- one in which he wrote, "We should've gotten rid of 12 before the season" -- that was eyebrow-raising.

Yes, Rodgers has not been good this year -- he threw three more interceptions on Sunday -- but the rapper has always been in the superstar's corner.

Nick Carter says he's totally shattered by the death of his brother, Aaron, and proclaimed his love for his younger sibling despite their complicated and often rocky relationship.

In a lengthy tribute posted to Instagram, Nick poured out his heart, which he now says is "broken," sharing his deepest thoughts about Aaron's sad demise.

Nick's full statement reads, "My heart is broken. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held on to the hope that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed. Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss, but the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here. I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz. Now you can finally have the peace you could never find here on earth….I love you baby brother."

As you may know, Nick and Aaron almost never saw eye to eye during their relationship, mainly in recent years. And, Nick publicly acknowledged this fact, pointing out his brother struggled with drug addiction and mental illness.

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron was found dead in his L.A. home Saturday morning after police received a 911 call of a man who drowned in a bathtub.

Authorities haven't confirmed an official cause of death, but we're told police will be doing a deep dive into his past drug use.

Aside from Nick's passionate words, Aaron's twin sister, Angel Carter, also honored her brother in an Instagram post ... vowing to hold onto their most cherished memories and sharing a series of throwback photos together.

"Storage Wars" stars Rene & Casey Nezhoda are licking their wounds after dropping a bundle on a unit that belonged to a member of Wham! ... 'cause it turned out to be a total waste!

Rene tells TMZ they paid $4,100 for a storage locker that had been owned by Deon Estus ... the bass player for George Michael's '80s hitmaking group. Besides Wham!, Deon had also played with Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, Elton John and Annie Lennox ... plus, he had a top 5 hit as a solo artist.

So, you can see why Rene thought he scored when he nabbed the locker in Vernon, CA.

Well, instead of Wham!, it was more like Ooops!

He says it was abandoned and a complete waste of his money ... filled with dirty dishes, pillows, blankets, scarves a DVD player and receipts among other worthless items.

Rene says they did find a guitar case, but of course ... there was nothing inside. Giant swing and a miss.

Deon's stuff had been sitting in the locker since 2018. In case you didn't know, the iconic bass player died last October at the age of 65.

Justin Bieber got down and a little dirty with his wife Hailey on the dance floor at Odell Beckham Jr.'s star-studded 30th birthday bash Saturday night ... and TMZ caught it all on camera!!!!

Check out this video we obtained showing a bare-chested Justin nuzzled up behind Hailey, clad in a skin-tight outfit, as they shimmied their hips and shuffled backward together. The lovebirds were each holding longneck bottles, hoisting them to the beat of the music. They seemed to be in great spirits, not to mention totally in love.

Of course, the Biebers weren't the only celebs having a blast at the party, several A-Listers showed... Kim Kardashian, Tristan Thompson, Idris Elba, Kendall Jenner and her boyfriend, Devin Booker.

Other bold-faced names included ... Saquon Barkley, Tyga, Chantel Jeffries, Teyana Taylor, Chris Brown, Josie Conseco, Dennis Graham, Stassie and Lori Harvey.

Kid Rock is not biting his tongue when it comes to Oprah Winfrey's political views ... blasting the talk show host for her latest endorsement in the Pennsylvania senate race.

The rapper fired off a tweet Saturday, calling Oprah a "fraud" for supporting Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman instead of his Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz. KR seemed pissed because Oprah turned her back on Oz -- a longtime friend -- for political reasons.

KR wrote, "Oprah helped Dr. Oz with his career. I assume because she vetted him and found him to be a wonderful person. Now she is against him. Oprah is a fraud. -Kid Rock." No secret whose corner KR is in.

Last Thursday, Oprah announced she was supporting Fetterman -- despite him suffering a debilitating stroke in May -- during a virtual voting town hall. "I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania, but I would tell y’all this — if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons,” she said.

It's interesting ... Dr. Oz rose to fame as a health expert on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." His own talk show launched in 2009 was produced by Oprah's production company Harpo. Oz's show ended in January this year as he prepared to make his senate run.

Aaron Carter's death came as a shock not only to his family, but to the entertainment world ... and many celebs are now paying tribute to the late pop star.

Actress Hilary Duff took to Instagram to express her sadness over AC's death ... "For Aaron– I'm deeply sorry that life was so hard for you and that you had to struggle in front of the whole world. You had a charm that was absolutely effervescent…boy did my teenage self love you deeply. Sending love to your family at this time. Rest easy."

Reality star Paris Hilton weighed in on Twitter ... "Sad to hear about the news of @aaroncarter 😢 He was always kind to my family and I. He had a good heart. Gone way too soon. 😔Sending my thoughts and condolences to his loved ones and family.  RIP 🙏"

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Diane Warren gave some words of wisdom ... "fame at a young age is often more a curse than a blessing and Surviving it is not easy. RIP Aaron Carter🎤💔."

Singer Tyler Hilton -- no relation to Paris -- shared fond memories of Aaron ... "No….This news is heartbreaking… this kid had such a spark. Known him for years and always really liked him, he was warm and really funny. Loved putting on a show and he was good at it. Ill find some pics of us and post more later… damn RIP budddd #aaroncarter."

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron passed away Saturday ... police responded to his Lancaster home after receiving a 911 call at 11 AM Saturday that a male had drowned in the tub.

As of now, authorities have not released an official cause of death, but we're told police will be doing a deep dive into his past drug use.