Music

Kanye West says the Balenciaga scandal is proof that Hollywood's celebrities are muzzled -- and speaking of silence ... he thinks Elon Musk should let Alex Jones break his.

The rapper was leaving a Messianic church Saturday where he was met with a small crush of paps who were ready to record him ... but not question him at all. Instead, KW just started speaking freely about his antisemitism scandal/fall from grace -- among other issues.

Ye suggests more people were outraged by what happened to him than what materialized publicly -- which he says is also evident in the lack of celebs who've decried Balenciaga.

Of course, he's referring to a wildly inappropriate ad campaign featuring little girls posing with BDSM-themed teddy bears ... not to mention court docs referencing a child porn case snuck into the background. The company apologized, but is still reeling from the fallout.

After that thought, Ye transitioned to another one ... namely, Twitter's continued ban of Alex Jones' account, which Kanye says should be reversed by Elon immediately.

His rationale there boils down to ... Christ. Yep, you gotta hear how Kanye phrases this one -- because it has strong echoes of his new pal, Nick Fuentes, who has often called for America to get back to its Christian roots -- which he usually couples with white nationalism.

As you know, Kanye has cozied up to Fuentes in recent weeks ... who accompanied Ye to a dinner at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday where Trump was present. KW has also brought Milo Yiannopoulos onboard ... so a lot of alt-right guys, and now -- he's singing Jones's praises.

The comment section for Don Toliver's new music video reads like a Russian Bot Farm -- at least that's what the internet thinks ... accusing his label of attempting to juice his stats.

Here's the deal ... Atlantic Records is under fire on Twitter, with a ton of people reading into the engagement numbers for a bunch of its artists -- specifically, on YouTube, where some feel like the data ratios for new projects just aren't adding up (likes to views, etc.)

DT's video for his song "Do It Right" -- which was posted just a few days ago -- is the prime example being hoisted up on the bird app as supposed evidence of fakery that's alleged to be afoot ... most notably, in the comments, where many see telltale signs of phony fans.

You can go check it out for yourself -- there are a lot of strangely written comments that have flooded this upload in the past 48 hours, with more and more pouring in with odd spelling, unconventional capitalization and grammatical errors. Others make no sense at all.

Plus, there are a lot of comments that have posted nothing but emojis, which are also seemingly jumbled together at random. When you click on some of these profiles, it looks like their accounts are relatively new and have only one comment ... for Don's 'DIR' video.

Indeed ... it certainly comes across as bizarre, and some -- including media personality DJ Akademiks -- have made outright allegations of this happening on a mass scale at Atlantic.

There are other Atlantic artists who've been lumped into this phenomenon, and none appear to have addressed it just yet ... including Toliver. It's worth noting -- while some point to the comments and seemingly lopsided engagement stats on their own as proof, there's no real smoking gun that we can find. This mostly amounts to people speculating and theorizing.

Still, we've reached out to both Atlantic and Toliver's camp for official comment ... so far, no word back.

Matty Healy is back to planting his lips on people during live performances -- something that apparently needed to be clarified as unproblematic in 2022 ... by the kiss-ee herself.

The 1975 frontman was performing with his band in Vegas Friday to a packed crowd. At one point, he was singing their song "Robbers," during which he pulled up a female fan from the crowd and started to get all love-dovey with her in the middle of the show.

Soon enough, he went in for some suck-face ... and she kissed him back. It got a huge response from the audience -- mostly ladies losing their minds in jubilation.

On Twitter, the reactions are by and large joke-y jealous posts -- with tons of folks writing it should've been them, etc. But it would seem some on the bird app were offended on behalf of this gal who made out with MH, because she felt the need to clear something up.

She identified herself as the woman who was kissed and made sure to clear Matty's name of any perceived wrongdoing -- namely, kissing someone without their consent -- by writing, "On a real note I do want to state some facts before we get any farther, i had this on my phone because he mentioned at some point 'I can only make out with you'."

The woman added, "So I did this, he saw it and brought me up, HE ASKED before he kissed me!  Also I’m a grown age of 24." In other words, Matty boy had permission here.

FWIW, the eccentric singer has a bit of a history of smooching with people on stage ... female and otherwise. He's puckered up with men in the past too, notably in the UAE where homosexuality is generally criminalized. Dude just likes to spread the love.

Irene Cara, the singer behind huge '80s hits from "Flashdance" and "Fame" has died.

Cara passed away in her Florida home Friday, according to her rep. Details surrounding her death were not disclosed.

Irene won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "What a Feeling" -- the iconic song from "Flashdance" which made her a household name.

Irene also scored big with her monster hit, "Fame" from the movie of the same name. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Actress" for her work in the movie.

Cara went on to appear in other movies, including "City Heat," co-starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. She also played opposite Tatum O'Neal in "Certain Fury."

In 2004, Irene was honored with a Prestige Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Her rep said, "It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara. Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief. She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films."

Irene was 63.

Kanye West has lost friends, fans and billions of dollars in business deals, but he seems to have picked up at least one amid his antisemitic rants ... white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

West and the former YouTuber -- who lost his account for violating the platform's hate speech policy -- were spotted together at LAX earlier this week. We're told they were heading to Miami, and video of the duo arriving at MIA confirmed as much -- indeed, they were shoulder-to-shoulder cruising through the terminal.

Kanye announced Tuesday he was making the trek to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, tweeting ... "First time at Mar-a-Lago. Rain and traffic. Can't believe I kept President Trump waiting. And I had on jeans. Yikes. What you guys think his response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?"

In a video posted Thursday, where West announced his run for President in 2024, he disclosed he and Fuentes both met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago -- and that things got heated between himself and 45 ... claiming Trump made disparaging remarks about his soon-to-be ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.

But, Trump fired back in a statement ... "Kanye West very much wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago. Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about."

It's curious because Fuentes is famous within right-wing circles and would have had to pass through security at Mar-a-Lago to attend the dinner.

As for 24-year-old Fuentes, he's been banned from platforms including Twitter, Twitch and Reddit for his hateful views. In 2017, it was reported he spoke positively of "a tidal wave of white identity" after he attended the Unite the Right rally.

He's denounced those who call him a white nationalist, calling the term an "anti-white slur."

Of course, Kanye's spewed antisemitic remarks, even doubling down on them on multiple occasions -- and in 2019, Fuentes compared the Holocaust to a cookie-baking operation -- prompting people to label him a Holocaust denier. Fuentes has since claimed he wasn't serious when he said it.

There's a super rare piece of Bob Dylan history going up for sale ... the original lyrics to one of his most famous songs, "Desolation Row" ... and it's got a six-figure price tag.

Bob scribbled the poetic lyrics on a couple sheets of paper way back in 1965, and now the manuscript is hitting the open market for the first time ever. The parchment also has a few of Bob's edits.

The good folks over at Moments In Time are handling the sale ... and the asking price is a staggering $425,000 ... so ya gotta have some pretty deep pockets.

As Bob's fans know, "Desolation Row" is generally considered one of his top five songs of all time. The sprawling song features a ton of lyrics -- the track is over 11 minutes long -- with Bob flexing his skills as a poet with tons of literary imagery.

"Desolation Row" is the last track on Bob's famous 1965 album, "Highway 61 Revisited," which opens with his biggest hit, "Like a Rolling Stone."

Kanye West released his first video for his 2024 presidential run, and he claims Donald Trump has some super unkind things to say about his then-wife, Kim Kardashian, but what exactly 45 allegedly said is a mystery.

Ye, who posted the vid on Twitter, says Trump was pissed when he suggested a demotion -- that Trump become his Veep ... "I think the thing Trump was most perturbed about [was] me asking him to be my vice president. I think that was lower on the list of things that caught him off guard."

It seems he's saying this conversation occurred recently at Mar-a-Lago.

Kanye says Trump told him he released Alice Johnson not because of Kim but because of him, and then claimed Trump lobbed some insults about Kim. What those insults are -- well, we don't know because there's a big 'ol bleep over the comment.

Kanye, who did not declare he's running although he has said it in the past, had some convoluted things to say about the January 6th insurrectionists -- that he challenged Trump for not "acting to legally protect those who invaded the U.S. Capitol Building ..."

Ye says Trump yelled at him during their encounter, saying he "started basically screaming at me at the table, telling me I am going to lose," then laughing as he added, "Has that worked for anyone in history?"

Shakira is firing back at Spanish prosecutors, claiming she's the victim of a smear campaign and has the receipts to prove it.

The singer filed legal docs Friday in Spain, answering allegations she failed to pay more than $14 million in taxes for income earned from 2012 through 2014.

Shakira says during that period, she was NOT a resident of Spain. According to the laws of the country, she's required to pay taxes if she spends 183 days or more there in a single year.

She says during the period in question, she actually paid $10,141,075 in taxes to the U.S. government -- this is the time when she appeared as a coach on "The Voice." She says she was not in Spain for the requisite period of time -- 183 days.

Prosecutors are seeking an 8-year prison sentence and a $24 million fine if she's convicted in the upcoming trial, but she says in new legal docs she's paid more than $90 mil to Spain's version of Uncle Sam.

According to the legal docs, Shakira declared herself a tax resident of Spain in 2015, after settling there with her family and enrolling her son in school.

Shakira claims the government is also gunning for her failure to pay in 2011 ... she says she was on a global tour and only spend a grand total of 60 days in the country.

Action Bronson's time in the squared circle wasn't just a one-time thing -- the rap star tells TMZ Sports he's ready for his next wrestling opportunity ... saying there's "storylines galore" just waiting for him!!!

The "Subzero" MC recently made his debut with All-Elite Wrestling this year at Grand Slam ... teaming up with Hook to beat Matt Menard and Angelo Parker in an awesome match.

Bronson was legit impressive in the showdown -- throwing dudes over his shoulder and slamming them to the canvas in the entertaining appearance.

But, AB tells us the September event was just the beginning -- 'cause he's waiting by the phone for his next shot.

"I'm ready to go," Bronson said at LAX. "I'm always ready."

When we asked if this is a new career to add to his resume, Bronson says it's something he'd love to do ... but the clock is ticking.

"I'm an old man, bro. I'm an old man. But, I still got some good athleticism in me. Seven more years of athleticism if I play my cards right. I'm telling you."

Bronson says he doesn't have one specific opponent in mind ... adding, "I see storylines galore. I feel like there's a storyline for the next 10 years with me."

BTW -- Action Bronson has been losing a ton of weight recently through boxing and weightlifting ... and he tells us the mindset he has when it comes to getting right.

Al Roker was MIA from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in nearly THREE DECADES ... and it's all because of his recent health issues.

Earlier this month ... Al was taken to a hospital to be treated for blood clots in his legs and lungs. He was discharged Thursday morning, but he didn't feel up to hosting the world-famous parade so he decided to watch it on TV from his kitchen.

As you know, Al's been a TV host for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the past 27 years. During the "Today" show broadcast, Al's cohosts sent their well wishes to the iconic weatherman.

Al posted a video to his Instagram, showing him leaving the hospital and referencing the Thanksgiving Day Parade. He said he was thankful to be heading home in time for some turkey.

Meanwhile back on the ground, Flavor Flav got super into Paula Abdul's live performance.

Those Kardashians live to tease -- no one does it better -- because they made the cliff-hanger for season 2 of their Hulu reality show all about a little baby who won't have a name until season 3!

Kylie Jenner said on the season finale she hasn't chosen a name for the 9-month-old, whose birth certificate anoints him with the name Wolf.

Kylie and Travis Scott felt the name didn't fit the kid, but they didn't reveal the new name, and at the end of season 2, she said they still haven't figured it out. BUT, BUT, BUT ... she says tune in to season 3 because she may unveil the kid's new moniker!!!

For now, the baby still goes by Wolf.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are partners in more ways than one ... telling us they're both going to hit the kitchen ... cooking up a storm for Thanksgiving!

We got Chrissy and John at Bristol Farms Wednesday, as they were stocking up on all of the ingredients for what sounds like a delicious Turkey Day feast.

Chrissy says they're cookin' for lots of friends and fam ... and to make everyone happy she's whippin' up a bunch of dishes.

John's no slouch when it comes to Thanksgiving either ... he says he's going to deep fry a turkey and prepare some macaroni and cheese to boot.

Take notice, guys ... Thanksgiving isn't just for watching football and waiting for the food to hit the table ... at least not at Chrissy and John's house.

Of course, not everyone knows what they're doing in the kitchen ... our photog included ... and THAT can make Thanksgiving a daunting proposition.

Turkey? Check. Sweet AND mashed potatoes? Check, check. Mac and cheese?! You better believe it!!

Pop star Bebe Rexha tells TMZ Sports she'll have ALL the Thanksgiving dinner fixins ready to go after she performs at the Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills game on Thursday ... and she made sure to bring her mom along for the feast!!

The "I'm Good" crooner spoke with us at LAX prior to heading to the Motor City for her gig at the Turkey Day game ... and she says despite being on the road, she's not going to miss out on the traditional grub.

Bebe says she's already ordered all the dishes to have a complete dinner ... setting it up perfectly to chow down right after she leaves the stage.

Of course, not everyone who works the Turkey Day games is as lucky -- FOX sideline reporter Erin Andrews previously told us she usually only has a PB&J sammich in the hotel after she wraps up her duties on Thanksgiving.

Bebe thoughtfully sends EA an invite to her Turkey Day gathering ... but unfortunately, she'll be in Dallas to report on the Cowboys game.

Tinashe and James Charles are among the celebrities giving back for Thanksgiving ... throwing on aprons to pass out warm meals to folks down on their luck.

The L.A. Mission on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles was crawling with famous folks Wednesday, as dozens of celebs got hands deep in mashed potatoes and gravy ahead of the holiday.

There were tons of reality TV stars volunteering, including "Vanderpump Rules" cast members Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix and Raquel Leviss.

Other celebs serving up turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, collard greens, and biscuits included "Shahs of Sunset" alums Reza Farahan and Golnesa "GG" Gharachedaghi ... plus film producer Randall Emmett with his family, Kaycee Stroh, Emily Tosta, Tiffany Smith, Emma Caufield Ford, Frank Grillo, Chris McDonald, Montana Tucker and Julie Ann Emery.

Politicians got in on the act too -- like incoming Mayor Karen Bass, incoming L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Also serving meals to the 1,500 folks who needed some food ... Miss California USA Kelley Johnson and health and wellness entrepreneurs Liv Lo Golding and Hayley Hasselhoff.

Across the country in Atlanta, Sierra Glamshop from "Love & Hip Hop ATL" got in on the charitable action too -- dishing out $20k in gas cards and $20k in food cards to families that needed them from her beauty salon The Glam Shop.

The man who was seen in video brutally beating another man after an Elton John concert at Dodger Stadium last weekend has a VERY different story of what went down, and he says the alleged victims are really the villains.

Attorney Glen T. Jonas, who represents the man who's wearing a blue t-shirt in the video, tells TMZ, "The so-called 'victims' drove their SUV in a restricted area, hitting my client with the SUV mirror."

Jonas says his client didn't incite the husband and wife in the SUV. He says they got out of their vehicle and began screaming profanities, accusing his client and others of hitting their mirror.

Jonas says they then attacked his client and 2 women, adding, "The driver used a wrestling move, grabbed the woman by both legs and lifted her up, causing her head to smack the concrete." He says while this was going on, the wife choked and pulled the hair of the other woman.

The attorney says his client came to the aid of the woman whose head was smashed into the concrete. Jonas says the video only shows the end of the altercation when his client repeatedly punched the man.

Jonas' take is this ... "An initial aggressor that loses a fight is not a victim, he's just a bully that earned his karma."

Jonas does not want to ID his client, because of the heat he's taking on social media.

So far, only one of the involved parties -- the man in a black t-shirt -- has been arrested for vandalism after allegedly damaging a phone someone was using to record the incident.

One man is lucky to be alive after suffering a brutal beatdown in the parking lot after an Elton John show ... and new video from the attack shows just how violent things got.

The extended video, obtained by TMZ, shows a man in blue repeatedly beating the victim in the Dodger Stadium parking lot Thursday night -- the victim puts his hands up before getting kicked back down to the ground.

A different attacker wearing black then lands a violent blow on the man's face, seemingly knocking him out. One of the attackers calls the victim a "fat f***ing f*****" a couple of times before they take off.

The man in black was so eager to get his licks in, he can be seen violently pushing a female friend out of the way and to the ground. You also see him charge a bystander filming, appearing to snatch the phone out of his hand and shove him.

As we reported, 1 arrest has been made so far in the gruesome attack ... although the suspect hasn't been identified.

LAPD told us it all stemmed from a fender bender between 2 different parties ... which escalated into the violent beatdown seen in the most recent video.