Music

Nick Carter is still front and center with the Backstreet Boys, and based on their live performance Friday night ... fans are backing him after a woman sued him for sexual battery.

BSB took the stage at MSG for Jingle Ball -- singing the Wham! classic, "Last Christmas" -- and the crowd went wild, particularly when Nick solo'd on the first verse. It was the group's first performance since Nick was accused of the 2001 assault.

TMZ broke the story ... Shannon Ruth, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy, filed suit Thursday, claiming Carter forced her to perform a sexual act on him while on his tour bus. She was 17 at the time.

Nick denies the alleged incident ever happened, but as we reported ... ABC canceled a Backstreet Boys primetime holiday special that was set to air this coming week.

Several Nick Carter hashtags, including #IStandWithNickCarter, were trending Friday, in response to ABC's move and the lawsuit.

Other performers Friday night included Dua Lipa, Lizzo and The Kid LAROI.

The all-star lineup drew plenty of NYC celebs in the audience too ... such as Bethenny Frankel.

Britney Spears put a cap on her birthday week with a little booze, a lot of cake and a middle finger for her haters.

Decked out in a red jumpsuit and set to Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" ... Brit broke out some of her usual dance moves, and seemed to indulge in champagne.

Near the end of the video she puts her whole face in a creamy birthday cake, and happily smears it everywhere.

The celebratory post is one of her first since last weekend's head-turning shout-out to her sister. As we reported, the seemingly sweet note to Jamie Lynn Spears caught everyone off guard, since Britney's been on the warpath against her -- along with their mom and dad -- for years.

BS shut down her IG a few days after that -- leading some to believe the Jamie Lynn love-in was either a sarcastic jab or not really posted by Britney.

She acknowledged her IG pause in Friday's caption, saying ... "Yep it's my b-day all week and I know my Instagram has been down a few times but honestly I did the last two times myself !!! Oops ... I accidentally pressed wrong button."

Not sure her suspicious, and protective, fans will buy that, but she's back ... with a face full o' cake.

BTW, Britney also dropped some early New Year's resolutions -- including her desire to crash a wedding and sing a few songs.

One of Madonna's iconic '80s MTV Video Music Awards -- this one for "Best Female Video" -- has a new home after a lucky buyer snatched it off the auction block.

RR Auction tells TMZ ... Madonna's VMA, aka the Moonman trophy, for her hit song "Papa Don't Preach" went to the highest bidder, who dropped $38,484.

As we reported ... the shiny Madge memorabilia was expected to fetch around $60k before the bidding began, so someone got themselves a sweet deal.

In case you didn't know, the song came out in 1986 as a single from her album "True Blue" ... and it became the pop star's 4th number-one hit.

"Papa Don't Preach" -- Madonna's song about teen pregnancy -- ended up garnering 3 VMA noms and a Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance."

A few other big-ticket items at the auction included Tom Hanks' screen-worn military uniform from "Forrest Gump" ... which sold for $20,771.

R. Kelly isn't admitting a damn thing when it comes to the "I Admit It" album that dropped Friday -- speaking from jail, he calls the recording a plot to screw him over in court.

TMZ obtained this audio Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, says he recorded Friday shortly after they'd met. The disgraced singer immediately shuts down the notion he'd put out any music right now, much less something with the lyrics, "I Admit It," because he's trying to appeal his latest federal conviction.

Even more mysterious ... Kelly seems to insinuate the album recordings aren't even his voice. He says, "I hope people recognized my voice and know that" he wouldn't be recording in the middle of a legal battle.

As we reported, it certainly looked and sounded like he'd release a 13-track album, with the title track addressing many of the allegations leveled against him.

After just a few hours, though, the project was pulled from Spotify and Apple Music -- as Kelly's label, Sony Music, denied any involvement in the recording or in distributing it to the streamers.

His legal team later told us, they were investigating to figure out who may have released the music. BTW, we know it was uploaded by Ingrooves, a distributor owned by Universal Music Group ... with no ties to Sony Music.

Also, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed R. Kelly didn't produce any songs using equipment in prison.

During this voice recording, he seemed to want to prove it's not his voice on "I Admit It" -- so, he broke into a few bars of his song, “When A Woman's Fed Up."

He thinks there's a clear difference, but listen for yourself.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is making good on his promise to celebrate his birthday all month ... even if has to cut the festivities short to conduct an interview!!!

The Bronx-born rap star stumbled into The Breakfast Club on Friday still lit from his latest birthday celebration to promote his long-awaited comeback album "Me Vs. Myself."

When the ball dropped at midnight, the newly minted 27-year-old was front and center in Times Square soaking up love from his adoring fans.

A Boogie says he later fell through Starlets strip club for the after-party ... and graciously gifted Charlamagne with the stacks of singles in his designer jacket during the interview!!!

A Boogie says he tossed $30K in strip clubs over the past two nights ... which means he hasn't been sleeping and flexed the Walmart-sized bags under his eyes to hammer home his point.

He also had been under the impression they were $100 bills. A gracious Charlamagne accepted the generous gift but also stressed the importance of donating to charity ... to which A Boogie agreed.

A Boogie's new album features guest spots from Lil Durk, Tory Lanez, G Herbo and Kodak Black, who hops on the follow-up to their nearly-diamond collab "Drowning."

R. Kelly's legal team is digging deep into the mystery of who dropped an unauthorized album using his name and recordings, and his attorney says they've already got their sights set on a few possible suspects.

R. Kelly's criminal defense attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, tells TMZ the disgraced singer's lawyers, entertainment attorneys and trusted friends are all trying to get to the bottom of who currently has access to his music catalog. She says they have a small group of people who they've ID'd as culprits ... but notes a potential problem could be his material changing hands.

Bonjean says she spoke with R. Kelly Friday afternoon -- he was surprised and upset about the music's release without his permission.

Bonjean tells us stuff like this has been a reoccurring issue for R. Kelly ... claiming a bunch of studio equipment, computers and masters were taken shortly after his 2019 arrest. She says there's also been an issue with his calls and emails being stolen from prison.

As we reported, an album called "I Admit It," featuring a bunch of R. Kelly's SoundCloud tracks, silently made its way to major streaming platforms Friday but was quickly removed. A source at Sony Music told us it appeared to be a bootleg version.

SZA finally answered the prayers of her fans, releasing her new album "S.O.S." after a nearly 5-year drought ... and her supporters' emotions are in shambles!!!

Thousands of enthusiastic fans worshipped SZA as their "toxic queen" Friday on social media ... lapping up her lyrics as their new hostile gospel.

As the album title suggests, the TDE 1st Lady tackles a ton of alarming topics. She hits everything from admitting to getting a BBL on the opening title track, and desires to kill ex-lovers on songs "Kill Bill" and “Smokin on my Ex Pack” among those detailing other relationship drama ... which Drake helped shape back along the way.

Drake and SZA dated years ago ... a fact he made public to the world via 21 Savage's "Mr. Right Now" song back in 2020.

In a new interview with Big Tigger for Audacy, SZA revisited their relationship, comparing Drake to "Regina George" from the iconic film "Mean Girls" 'cause of his passive-aggressive ways.

SZA was reacting to the recent 'SNL' skit that lampooned Drake's past exes banding together to start a support group but says they still remain friends to this day!!!

"S.O.S." serves as the follow-up to SZA's debut album "CTRL" -- which dropped all the way back in June 2017.

The project features a hefty 23 tracks ... which makes sense. TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the sultry singer ahead of the big drop and she told us she was sitting on 100 songs and obviously picked her favorite quarter of tracks.

YG is honoring his late friend Slim 400 with help from Lil Wayne on a new sobering track on the one-year anniversary of his murder.

The song "Miss My Dawgs" borrows a script from Wayne's 2004 'Carter 1' track with the RIP vibes and features both rap stars rapping fondly of the lost loved ones using big crimson energy.

YG posts up next to a hearse throughout the black-and-white visual as splices of Slim 400 footage pepper the clip. The video ends with a throwback photo of YG, Slim, Wayne and Meek Mill ... harking back to the good times.

Slim was shot and killed on December 9, 2021 in Inglewood after being confronted in the driveway of a residence.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story over the summer ... Inglewood police arrested a man and woman in connection to Slim 400's death and charged them with murder and possession of a firearm by a felon and accessory after the fact, respectively.

YG showed Wayne his appreciation for the collab by gifting him with a diamond-encrusted 4Hunnid label chain ... and fans can anticipate hearing the song live.

Kelly Clarkson is looking for some serious protection from a woman she claims made multiple unwanted visits to her home ... asking a judge for a restraining order.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly's requesting a TRO against 56-year-old Huguette Nicole Young ... and the singer also wants her family, her nanny, and her house manager protected from the alleged trespasser.

The docs, filed by her attorney Ed McPherson, say the alleged harassment started at the end of October -- and Michael Lopez, who says he's been running Kelly's security for the past 5 years, claims Young has shown up to her home at least 18 times, often leaving gifts and notes for Kelly.

Lopez claims Young left an assortment of items on Kelly's porch -- including things like dog toys, stickers, plants, and seeds.

The legal docs claim another security guard once told Young she was on camera and is trespassing, and they say she apologized but kept returning to the home after the warning.

Kelly's asking a judge to keep Young at least a football field away from her home, job, and children's school.

As we reported, police got involved after Kelly's security finally called LAPD to file a report ... and law enforcement sources told us the department's Threat Management is investigating.

R. Kelly just dropped the biggest surprise album of 2022 ... a project called "I Admit It" with lyrics that address the years of allegations leveled against the disgraced singer.

The 13-song album features tracks with titles like "I Found Love," "Good Ole Days" and "Freaky Sensation."

But his last 3 tracks might be the most revealing -- it's a 3-part piece called "I Admit it (I Did It)," where he unloads a ton of stuff he's done in the past. He put the full 19-minute track on SoundCloud back in 2018, but this marks the first time it's made it to Apple or Spotify.

In it, R. Kelly talks about helping people that ended up turning against him ... before admitting to a laundry list of things -- including "I done f***ed with a couple of fans" and says he even slept with his girlfriend's friend.

He digs even deeper, "How they gon' say I don't respect these women when all I've done is represent" ... and "You mad I've got some girlfriends."

R. Kelly directly addresses the allegations as the tracks go on ... saying, "They're brainwashed, really? Kidnapped, really? Can't eat, really? Real talk, that s*** sound silly."

While it's unclear exactly who he's talking about, he also seems to blame the parents of one of his female flings for introducing them. Saying, "And if you really, really wanna know. Her father dropped her off at my show. And told this boy to put her on the stage. I admit that she was overage."

As we reported, Spotify made the call back in 2018 to stop promoting his music when allegations about running a sex cult continued to pick up steam ... but it sounds like R. Kelly's made it back to the platform with his telling tracks.

Freddie Gibbs' love for Tupac quickly turned into jokes during a recent visit to the popular basketball podcast "All The Smoke" ... after Matt Barnes outed a crew member whose mother once dated the late rap icon.

The crew member gave himself away off-screen by putting his head down when Matt dropped the bombshell ... derailing the convo with merciless jokes.

Freddie and Matt immediately launched on the guy ... with Freddie quipping the opening lyrics to Pac's classic sex romp "How Do U Want It" which was dedicated to the guy's mother.

Despite being in awe of Tupac and even owning up to emulating his shaved head, Freddie admitted his fandom for Pac would've shrunk if he was a teenager during such a relationship.

Stephen Jackson tried to keep the peace but Matt laid the jokes on even thicker ... claiming the poor guy had to suffer when Mr. "I Get Around" paid his house a visit. 🙈

Russ knows his worth as an artist ... and according to his calculations, record labels are gonna need more than 8-figures to lockdown his catalog!!!

On his new song "Too Much," Russ humbly brags about turning down a $50 million deal to buy out his discography ... further detailing his investment savvy later in the track.

A post on Russ' TikTok account also indicated selling his catalog would've been the equivalent of selling his soul ... and he apparently likes living, so the songs are staying with him for now.

He didn't reveal his failed bidders but his last major label venture was with Columbia Records before he ended things to start his own Diemon musical imprint earlier this year.

The last time we spoke to Russ ... he scolded ALL rappers for still signing to record labels, as he's adamant artists have all the tools at their disposal to DIY ... which is totally the "CHOMP" rapper's mantra these days.

He recently gave fans and artists a tutorial on recording songs -- from out of a suitcase while on the road!!!

Tina Turner and her family have just suffered another devastating loss, her son Ronnie has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they received a 911 call Thursday morning from a person who said Ronnie was outside their home and having a hard time breathing. A few minutes later, he wasn't breathing at all.

Paramedics rushed to the San Fernando Valley address -- where bystanders were attempting CPR -- but the efforts didn't work, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It's currently unclear what led to Ronnie's medical emergency, but we know he's had health issues for years, including cancer.

It was back in 2018 when Tina's oldest son, Craig, died by suicide. Tina gave birth to Craig before she met Ike, but he adopted Craig once they wed.

As for Ronnie, he too made a name for himself in Hollywood -- as an actor in "What's Love Got to Do With It" in the '90s.

Ronnie was 62.

RIP

Congrats are in order for Becky G and Sebastian Lletget -- the soccer star got on one knee and proposed to the singer on Thursday ... and she said, "YES!!!"

The couple shared the exciting news on Friday ... showing a picture of the FC Dallas midfielder getting on one knee and whipping out a massive diamond ring.

The Manhattan Beach location appears to have a significant meaning for the global pop star and athlete ... as she captioned the pic, "Our spot forever."

The duo started dating in 2016 ... after Becky's "Power Rangers" costar Naomi Scott, who is married to Lletget's old teammate, Jordan Spence, set them up on a date.

They've been inseparable ever since ... and Becky recently referred to Sebastian as her "best friend" in an interview with People.

"We've been together for over six years now and it's brand new in many ways because we're really embracing the shifts and changes that are happening in our lives, within ourselves and supporting each other in that," she said in October. "And you can't really force things. But recently things have really been aligning."

Rappers are often dinged for their lack of unity, but some of the industry's biggest OGs, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort are showing the culture how to get money as the supergroup Mount Westmore ... and they just dropped their debut album together!!!

The four rap legends put their love for Cali rap on display with the 16-track effort ... with production from the likes of Rick Rock, Ant Banks, Big Zeke, Soopafly, Kato On the Track, Fredwreck, Dem Jointz, ProHoeZak, and others.

Cube, E-40 and $hort have been holding down the campaign trail on platforms like RapCaViar for Snoop ... who's currently out in the boonies shooting a movie, but the story goes, it was a simple round of phone calls to make the group an actual thing.

Mount Westmore says they're spitting ageism culture in hip hop in the face, All four superstars are over the age of 50 but feel like they're in their prime as artists. That's what you call "dangerous MCs!!!"

Meek Mill is eager to teach his billionaire pal Michael Rubin the latest hip hop dance craze ... but the problem is, neither of them can actually nail the moves!!!

The Philly rap legend went live on Instagram with the Fanatics founder Thursday night at a party where Lil Uzi Vert's red-hot "Just Wanna Rock" came on, and attempted to play dance instructor ... with hilarious results.

Meek attempted to get low with Mike with a little hip action, but was clearly out of sync and Mike eventually threw in the towel to return to his drink. 😂

The dance simulates riding a dirt bike, which Uzi loves doing, so fans really don't need much rhythm ... even if they do look a little silly!!!

Uzi's official video for "Just Wanna Rock" dropped last month, and already has more than 500 million TikTok impressions -- most of which contain the correct dance moves.