Music

Cardi B and Offset were spotted for the first time since the death of Takeoff ... heading off to go honor the rapper ahead of Friday's big memorial.

The 2 were dressed in all black Thursday in Atlanta, looking somber as they gather with what appears to be some close friends.

It's the first time we've seen Cardi and Offset since November 1 -- when Takeoff was fatally shot and killed at a bowling alley in Houston.

Fans of Migos know the group wasn't together when Takeoff passed ... Offset was already on the outs, while both Takeoff and Quavo had been doing their own thing -- but it doesn't look like that's gonna stop Offset from honoring his bud.

As we reported, Takeoff's huge memorial is going down at State Farm Arena in ATL. The venue recently lit up its big sign out front, which reads "Celebrating the life of Takeoff."

On the heels of Aaron Carter's death, some of his fans are making life even harder for his fiancée Melanie Martin by harassing her ... and occasionally even spooking her in person.

Sources connected to Melanie tell TMZ ... ever since Aaron died, going online has been a nightmare for Melanie because she's getting so many hateful messages from the singer's supporters.

The constant harassment includes fans wishing death on Melanie, while others accuse her of being responsible for Aaron's death.

She's also come face-to-face with some real-life drama.

Our sources say folks have been showing up at Aaron's Lancaster, CA home ... where he was found dead in a bathtub. We're told they come onto the property and go right up to the windows of the house or vehicles to peer inside, and it's scaring the hell out of Melanie.

TMZ broke the story ... there was a police presence outside Aaron's home earlier this week, while Melanie was moving some of her things out of the house.

We're told Melanie called police to the house to keep the peace. Due to all the harassment directed at her, she wanted to ensure there'd be no issues while she was at Aaron's house.

Our sources say Melanie was retrieving baby items, diapers and clothes for their son, Prince, along with some of her things ... and now Aaron's fans are accusing her of stealing his possessions, which we're told is NOT the case.

It's all getting to Melanie ... we're told she's scared and now understands the issues Aaron was living with for years, because the online harassment turned from him toward her.

Marc Lamont Hill is standing with Megan Thee Stallion against Drake's bars -- and others in hip hop -- and he's getting flak for it online ... something that doesn't surprise the author and activist.

On Thursday, Marc -- along with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, Tamika Mallory and several other influential leaders -- joined the Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium in signing an open letter in support of Meg.

The letter denounces violence against women, in general, but also strongly proclaims the culture "failed" Megan after she was shot in the foot ... allegedly by Tory Lanez.

Marc tells TMZ Hip Hop he was approached by Tarana about the letter ... and immediately decided to join the cause.

He says it was a bit mind-boggling seeing so many dudes angry that he spoke out against Drake's "Circo Loco" lyrics -- the ones about the "stallion lying about being shot" -- but ultimately wasn't totally surprised.

According to Marc, hip hop has allowed misogyny to run rampant in otherwise good music for years ... and when Drake is your favorite artist, you're bound to get a little defensive.

Following the track's release, Megan ripped into Drake and social media trolls as a whole ... vowing they would regret making a mockery of the alleged situation.

Her attorney Alex Spiro told us the same thing and then some ... proclaiming all the artists who publicly flipped on Megan will have a stain on their character when all the facts come out in Tory's trial.

Marc says his job as a journalist is to challenge the dominant mind from subscribing to the norm, so he's aware of the uphill battle ahead.

The rap track Eli Manning has been working on with Fivio Foreign is finally here ... and let's just say, the former New York Giants star was spittin' some crazy bars!!!

Just kiddin' ... but the song is still fun nonetheless!!!

The ex-quarterback, Fivio, and Eli's former center, Shaun O'Hara, officially dropped the song on Thursday ... with a hilarious video accompanying it.

In the song -- a "Giants on 3" remix to the NY rapper's "1 on 3" tune -- Manning and O'Hara take turns rappin' over Fivio's beat.

Neither former Giants player is all that great on the mic -- but, hey, at least Fivio killed it!

The video, meanwhile, is pretty awesome ... Eli and Shaun rocked colorful outfits and did their best to at least pretend to look like they belonged in the booth.

Eli, Shaun and Fivio initially began working on the music earlier this week ... when all three were seen in the studio taking shots together.

Score 1 for Anna Wintour in the Vogue war with Drake and 21 Savage -- a judge is forcing the rappers to shut down all their album promotions using a fake magazine cover ... at least for now.

As TMZ Hip Hop first reported ... Vogue publishers Condé Nast slapped the duo with a lawsuit over the promos they plastered around several cities and online. The phony Vogue, featuring 21 and Drizzy, was used to hype their new album, "Her Loss."

Now, a federal judge is siding with Vogue by issuing a temporary restraining order to shut down all current and future use and display of the mocked-up cover. The order also blocks them from using Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's likeness.

Prior to the album's release, Drake had posted the fake Vogue, and even shouted out Anna ... thanking her for putting them on the cover. Of course, that was all made up ... and, in fact, Condé Nast says it had explicitly told Drake and 21 they did NOT have permission to do the Vogue stunt.

Drake's taken down that post in accordance with the restraining order.

AEW star Max Caster threw shade at Tom Brady, Kyrie Irving and Herschel Walker while rapping right before his match on Wednesday -- targeting three of the most controversial athletes of the moment.

Max and his tag team partner, Anthony Bowens, were walking to the ring to take on The Gunns and Swerve In Our Glory ... when the 33-year-old got busy on the mic.

Caster wasted no time going after TB12, who's struggled all season (game-winning drive on Sunday, aside) as he deals with his high-profile divorce from ex-wife Gisele.

Check out the performance.

"Acclaimed on the mic got the place going crazy, ya'll about to take more L's than Tom Brady," Caster rapped.

"Keep the fence work (???) it's awkward, we got the receipts like he's Herschel Walker."

"I'll make you cry til' you're eyes are burning, I'mma make you say sorry like Kyrie Irving."

Sheesh!

Of course, Tom's Bucs squad is 4-5 ... and after struggling on the field at times, some fans have wondered if he should have stayed retired.

Meanwhile, Herschel, a football legend and current U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia (his race is going to a runoff in early December), has been under attack after he was accused of reportedly paying for a woman's abortion ... despite running on a pro-life platform.

As for Kyrie ... he recently apologized to the Jewish community (though many were unfulfilled by his words) after he posted a link to a controversial film containing antisemitic messaging.

Adidas' announcement it will sell Yeezy designs without Yeezy branding should be money to Kanye West's ears ... TMZ has learned he has that in writing, but he's not getting a dime.

Sources with direct knowledge of the deal Ye signed with Adidas ... tell us there's a clause in the contract that calls for the rapper/designer to get a reduced fee if Adidas sells his designs without his branding.

That's interesting because when Adidas cut ties last month with Ye -- over his antisemitic and bigoted statements -- it said it would not pay him a single cent from that day forward. Of course, that was before Wednesday's announcement it will roll out some of Ye's shoes in 2023 ... just with the Adidas name and markings, instead of Yeezy.

TMZ asked the German shoe co. if it planned to follow through on paying Ye's reduced fee, and a spokesman said he's getting zero, zilch, null ... bupkis.

Now, there's most likely a morals clause in the contract as well -- and Adidas could easily say Ye's hate speech constituted a breach which nullified their deal. Adidas is providing no further explanation, so we've gotta read the tea leaves.

G Herbo and his Swervin' Through Stress foundation is partnering with Dion's Chicago Dream to tackle the city's food insecurity crisis, as an estimated 500,000 citizens are living in a food desert ... desperate for essential nutrition.

Sources in G Herbo's camp tell TMZ Hip Hop the "Survivor's Remorse" rapper will provide the org with a monthly financial contribution, in addition to using his celebrity to raise awareness for the cause.

Their goal is to raise $500K to clear out the extensive wait list ... which has grown to 450 Chicago families.

Dion is a Navy vet who's experienced homelessness and Herbo's a vet of the unforgiving Chicago streets. We're told they've bonded over their shared desire to end their community's struggles.

Herbo earned his ambassador stripes ... taking to the streets with Dion and surprising a Chicago resident who couldn't believe a local hero was delivering fresh food to his doorstep.

Elon Musk's Twitter regime is royally pissing off Doja Cat and she's not afraid to curse him out for it ... even though she's also asking for his help.

Doja was up early Thursday furiously ripping the new $8 Twitter Blue subscription ... and noticed she couldn't remove her Twitter subheader name after changing it to "Christmas."

Doja posed the question, "Why can't I change my name on here" -- and then aimed her scorn directly at the Chief Twit, saying ... "also f*** you Elon."

Elon got a kick out of being publicly dragged but assured the superstar artist he was diligently working on the bugs behind-the-scenes.

Doja isn't the only one feeling the brunt of the pay-for-clout subscription.

A fake LeBron James tweet about leaving the Lakers recently sent the sports world into a temporary frenzy and several high-profile accounts have vowed to stop tweeting.

Takeoff’s life is being celebrated in the exact Houston location where he was shot and killed.

The memorial for the Migos rapper -- complete with flowers, photos, heart-shaped balloons, and a sign that reads "R.I.P Takeoff" -- was set up outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling, right in the hallway where someone opened fire last week following an argument with Quavo.

As we reported, the hail of gunfire struck Takeoff and 2 other people, who survived their injuries.

Fans are flocking there to pay their respects by leaving lit candles. They've also removed petals from flowers and placed them on the ground in a line to symbolize Takeoff resting in peace.

Let It Slide -- a nonprofit anti-violence organization -- traveled from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the memorial site to spread their message ... stopping the bloodshed and choosing peace.

As we reported, Takeoff's funeral will be held Friday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

French Montana's birthday checklist is complete -- celeb guests, fancy mansion party and exotic animals chillin' with said celebs ... check, check and check!!!

The rapper rang in his 38th at his Hidden Hills mansion Wednesday night, surrounded by Jamie Foxx, Vin Diesel, Soulja Boy and Swizz Beatz.

Tiffany Haddish was also there, and she came ready to party ... as she spent most of the night at the center of the dance floor, alongside her pals Jamie and the birthday guy.

BTW, Swizz gets credit for arriving with the most "Unforgettable" gift for French -- dude pulled up with a damn camel!! They joke around about it spitting, but for real -- where ya gonna put that thing?

As we reported, French was honored last month at the 2022 Pencils of Promise Gala ... for helping raise more than $226 million for healthcare in Africa.

Aaron and Nick Carter had a tumultuous relationship over the years, and the brothers were never able to have a one-on-one conversation to bury the hatchet before Aaron's death.

Family sources tell TMZ … Aaron believed he was on good terms with Nick in his final days, but he never actually had a conversation with Nick himself.

We're told in the months leading up to Aaron's death, his estranged sister, Angel, got word to Aaron that she and Nick loved him and wanted him to get healthy ... and because of this, Aaron felt Nick and Angel were being supportive and they were all on good terms.

Our sources say Aaron further believed things were okay between him and Nick because past correspondences with his family were usually explosive, and the recent signals coming from Angel and Nick stood in stark contrast to the past.

Remember ... Nick and Angel each had a restraining order against Aaron, so any direct correspondence between the siblings would have been out of the question ... at least legally.

As we first told you, Nick first got the restraining order back in 2019 after claiming Aaron threatened to kill Nick's pregnant wife and unborn child. Angel got her restraining order the same year, accusing Aaron of threatening to send hit men to her door.

It sounds like the ice was finally thawing ... and we're told Aaron felt Angel's message was Nick's way of getting word to Aaron that the brothers were back on good terms.

When Nick paid tribute to Aaron at a concert this week, he mentioned how he still loved his little brother despite their rocky relationship, saying Aaron's death broke his heart.

The Country Music Awards has some interesting moments Wednesday night ... and one of the baddest-ass moments was divorcées Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce, and Kelly Clarkson rockin' out together.

The 3 singers joined forces for Country's biggest night in Nashville ... bringin' it all for a rendition of Kelsea's latest hit, "You're Drunk, Go Home." Needless to say, the crowd was lovin' it.

TMZ broke the story ... production sources for the CMAs told us the trio was planning the powerful performance last month -- doing a song all about female empowerment, and about guys who hit on women at bars after getting plastered.

As you know, Kelly and Carly both filed for divorce in June, 2020 ... Kelly from Brandon Blackstock after 7 years of marriage, and Carly from Michael Ray after less than a year.

As for Kelsea, she pulled the plug on her 5-year marriage with Morgan Evans -- the 2 finalized their divorce a week ago. She's been very open about how tough divorce can be ... recently posting an emotional confessional from the bathtub.

Al Sharpton is laying into individuals who blame hip hop culture for Takeoff's homicide, and says social media only fools you into thinking rappers are more violent than society, at-large.

We caught up with Rev. Al Wednesday in NYC, where he pointed out hip hop is filled with artists who are responsible and actively lift up their communities. He says it's unfortunate the advent of social media helps to amplify violent incidents way more than the good ones.

The Rev accurately pointed out all the other music genres where violence has occurred for decades -- and he largely agreed with what Method Man told us about the Takeoff tragedy.

The Wu-Tang Clan star was peeved over the slain Migos rapper's passing, and equally annoyed over all the scapegoating of rap.

In fact, Rev. Al is giving hip hop credit for being proactive when it comes to spreading awareness against gun violence.

Late 1980s rap songs such as Stop the Violence Movement's "Self Destruction" and West Coast All Stars' "We're All In The Same Gang" are evidence of that.

Sharpton also recalls R&B singers getting into shootouts before the dominance of rap ... a fact to which superproducer Teddy Riley can cosign.

In 1989, entourages for Teddy's group Guy and New Edition began beefing ... leading to NE’s production manager Ronald Byrd fatally shooting Guy’s security chief, Anthony Bee.

The biggest night in country music turned into a bit of a roast of Eli Manning -- with Peyton tossing several barbs his little bro's way throughout the evening ... and it was all hilarious!!

The Indianapolis Colts legend was co-hosting the annual CMA Awards show with Luke Bryan in Nashville -- and while a bunch of music stars caught playful shade from the duo ... Eli appeared to find himself as the butt of the jokes more often than not.

In fact, it only took about 10 minutes into the show for Peyton to make his first dig at the former New York Giants star, who he co-hosts his weekly "Monday Night Football" "Manningcast" with.

"Peyton, let me break it to you, I don't prepare," Bryan said during the opening monologue. "I'm just kind of a wing it kind of host."

"Trust me, that's clear," Peyton responded. "So, what you're saying is, this is my worst nightmare. But it's actually OK, because I do a show with my brother Eli -- I'm used to this lack of professionalism."

A couple hours later, Peyton threw some more quills Eli's way while chatting with the Brothers Osborne.

"So, let me guess," Peyton said turning to the country music group. "Your mom makes you work with your brother too, right?"

Eli certainly noticed it all -- and took to Twitter to gripe about his older bro.

"If my math is correct," the younger Manning said, "that is the 3rd shot Peyton has taken at me on the CMA's."

Snoop Dogg's life story will soon be everybody's entertainment on the big screen!!!

Tha Doggfather announced Wednesday his biopic would mark the 1st production for his newly-minted Death Row Films with famed director Allen Hughes of Hughes Brothers' fame set to direct.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" co-writer Joe Cole will pen the script and Snoop will produce the feature flick with Hughes and his Death Row Films partner Sara Ramaker.

From his time as a Crip-walking, Long Beach shorty down to his globally-massive rap career, Snoop's movie could be just as action-packed as fan-favorite films "Menace II Society" and "The Book of Eli" ... which Hughes co-directed.

Rappers have enamored audiences at theaters for years through their bios -- even posthumously.

The late, great Biggie Smalls had his "Notorious" feature released in 2009 ... over a decade after he was killed and Tupac's "All Eyez on Me" dropped in 2017, over 20 years after his murder.

The 9-man Wu-Tang Clan took their story to the next level ... carving out a television series now on its third season that even uses rappers Joey Bada$$ and Dave East as cast members.

And as far as accolades go, the N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton" chronicled the lives of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the rest of the posse and famously earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay ... and Eminem became the first rapper to ever win an Oscar thanks to his "8 Mile" soundtrack classic "Lose Yourself."