Music

Meghan Markle's looking real Yoko Ono-ish lately ... at least that's the harsh -- and kinda hilarious -- comparison France's former First Lady Carla Bruni is making.

Carla posted posting a photoshopped pic from Prince Harry and Meghan's engagement photo shoot ... but replaced the Duchess of Sussex with Yoko. Her caption is the real punchline ... lyrics from The Beatles' 1967 hit, "All You Need Is Love."

For those unaware, Carla's comparing Meghan's involvement in Harry's life to Yoko's relationship with John Lennon, which has widely been portrayed as the reason The Beatles broke up. So, yeah ... major shade!

Carla, who's married to former French Prez Nicolas Sarkozy, has her followers pretty split on the meme -- some found it hilarious, while others aren't singin' the same tune. One person even called out Carla, saying "Girlfriend have you looked in the mirror?"

As you know, it's been a tumultuous ride for Harry and Meghan as of late, and it seems more drama is coming to the surface with Harry's new memoir, "Spare" ... including his sharing of text messages between Meghan and Kate Middleton.

Dr. Dre just went in hard on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, threatening her with legal action for exploiting his music "to promote your divisive and hateful political agenda."

Dre's lawyer, Howard King, fired off a letter to Greene, saying "Mr. Young [Dre] has not, and will never, grant you permission to broadcast or disseminate any of his music."

As we reported, Greene posted a video of her walking to the House floor Monday, using Dre's song, "Still D.R.E." as the music bed.

King fired off a demand letter to Twitter, asking the company to block her post. For its part, Twitter not only blocked the post ... it also locked her Twitter account.

But King wasn't done. Dre's lawyer went after her in a blistering way, saying "you would have a passing familiarity with the laws of our country. It's possible, though, that laws governing intellectual property are a little too arcane and insufficiently populist for you to really have spent much time on."

Dre and King were not done ... "We're writing because we think an actual lawmaker should be making laws not breaking laws, especially those embodied in the constitution by the founding fathers."

And then the ultimatum ... King demanded that Green cease and desist from using any of Dre's music, and he set a time deadline ... "please provide me with written confirmation that you have complied with these demands before January 11, 2023 by 5:00 pm EST."

Before the letter was sent, Greene told TMZ, "While I appreciate the creative chord progression, I would never play your words of violence against women and police officers, and your glorification of the thug life and drugs."

We will follow up on this ... promise!

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene used a Dr. Dre song to tout her political prowess -- but she didn't have the green light for it ... according to Dre himself.

The Georgia lawmaker posted a highly-produced clip to her social feeds showing her strutting her stuff through the halls of Congress, apparently flexing the fact that she helped get Rep. Kevin McCarthy elected as House Speaker ... after an excruciating process.

In the video, you see her walking around and feeling herself -- even taking a call from "DT" at one point -- and all throughout ... DD's "Still D.R.E." beat is playing in the background.

The fact she even knows the song took some by surprise, let alone her feeling free to drop it into her GOP-fueled vid. You can count Dr. Dre as one of those shocked to hear his work being used by MTG ... because he tells TMZ he never gave the okay for this to happen.

The mega-producer tells us ... "I don’t license my music to politicians, especially someone as divisive and hateful as this one." So, yeah ... he ain't a fan of her collab here in the slightest.

No word on whether he plans to do anything about it, or if he's just gonna let it be. Fact is ... Republican politicians have long used popular songs for their political purposes for years now, starting with the head honcho himself -- Donald Trump -- who does it often at rallies.

Countless artists have told us they don't condone it, and some have even demanded he stop -- but Trump has continued on anyway ... often without any real repercussions of note.

We'll see if Rep. Greene follows his lead and does the same with Dre.

Kanye West is back to his regularly scheduled program -- getting out and about again, and with a new mystery woman by his side during his first time in public in several weeks.

Ye appeared to be all smiles Sunday afternoon as he drove around his Maybach in Bev Hills. In what's become his typical single guy move ... he had a new female companion riding shotgun for their Sunday Funday.

Unclear who the woman is, but they were basically hand in hand as they walked into the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

Ye's been off the map for several weeks now -- rumors started spreading he was missing when his ex-business manager Thomas St. John said Ye was nowhere to be found.

As we reported, Ye made himself persona non grata just about everywhere after he unleashed a slew of antisemitic remarks and bizarre comments ... all of which ultimately cost him a ton of business deals, and his billionaire status.

At one point, he was traveling the country with white nationalist Nick Fuentes by his side, and the duo went to Mar-a-Lago to dine with Donald Trump, stirring a war of words with the former president.

Travis Scott seems to be moving solo now ... seen for the first time since word got out that he might be on the outs again with Kylie Jenner, and he's not looking too happy.

The rapper had his head down as he stepped off his private jet Sunday afternoon in L.A. ... shortly after reports came out he and Kylie might've broken things off. He clearly had a somber look on his face ... possibly breakup-related, possibly just regular fatigue.

If the split is real, it sure looks like Trav engaged in some retail therapy -- he had a ton of expensive bags as he got off the PJ ... including a Birkin bag worth about $50K and an extremely rare vintage Takashi Murakami Louis Vuitton trunk, which is said to resell for nearly $100K.

You'll recall, Kylie and Travis were first linked together during Coachella in April of 2017, and they welcomed baby Stormi the following February.

They briefly called things off in 2019, but rekindled their romance ... and their baby boy (the one with the mystery name) was born in February 2022.

Young Thug's RICO trial is about to get started -- during which prosecutors will present evidence backing their case, and, controversially, that will include some of his lyrics.

Opening arguments are scheduled to kick off Monday in Fulton County, where YT is facing serious charges ... including conspiracy, participating in criminal street gang activity, possession of a firearm and controlled substances charges, among others.

He's pleaded not guilty -- with his defense attorney insisting his name will be cleared through the proceedings.

Thug is just one of several individuals who've been charged in the sweeping case -- but he's a key defendant, as the feds allege he's one of the head honchos of YSL (Young Slime Life) ... which they claim is not only a music label/brand, but a violent criminal enterprise too.

The allegations against Thug and the other 27 co-defendants date back to 2015, and some defendants -- not Thug -- are facing murder, attempted murder and armed robbery charges. Even more alarming is the fact prosecutors are expected to cite specific lyrics YSL members have rapped to help build the case against them.

It's caused a lot of outrage, with some arguing rap lyrics shouldn't be allowed as evidence in the case ... claiming they often blur the lines between artistic expression and reality.

It's unclear which lyrics, exactly, are going to be mentioned ... but some of the songs prosecutors are looking at have been revealed. They include Young Thug's 2018 hit, "Anybody," plus tracks from YSL's 2020 compilation album like ... "Take it to Trial," "Ski" and "Slatty."

Prosecutors allege YSL members, including Thug, explicitly refer to criminal activity in those tracks -- and that they furthered the objective of the group ... namely, "Preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise."

While Thug is about to have his day in court ... one of his cohorts and fellow labelmates, Gunna, already accepted a plea deal that saw him released from custody. He was sentenced to 5 years with one year credit for time served. The remaining 4 years were suspended, so no more time behind bars if he stays out of trouble.

Nick Carter is putting his feelings about his late brother Aaron Carter on wax -- as they used to say -- writing and recording a song where he sings about their rollercoaster relationship.

Music industry sources tell TMZ ... Nick got to work on the song shortly after Aaron died in November and as you'd expect -- considering the brothers' history -- it's a very emotional track.

Despite their complicated relationship, we're told the song expresses Nick's unconditional love for Aaron and his heartbreak over his brother seemingly never finding peace in his life.

Nick's been teasing a new project on social media, and we're told he also filmed a music video for the song ... which includes never before seen footage of Nick and Aaron together from when they were younger.

Remember, the Carter bros had tons of ups and downs over the years ... with one of their lowest points coming in 2019 when Nick got a restraining order after claiming his younger brother threatened to kill Nick's pregnant wife and unborn child.

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron was found dead in his home in November.

Lizzo is starting the new year with a list of grievances about the state of social media -- including the notion that "cancel culture" has been warped into something unrecognizable.

The singer has been expressing a lot of opinions lately about what she sees as total nonsense when it comes to what people focus on online -- especially as it relates to her. On Sunday, though, she had a new thought ... namely, that cancel culture itself is appropriation.

Here's how Lizzo puts it ... "There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected." She adds, "I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems." In the comments, several people seem to agree.

Her cancel culture theory is just the latest idea she's voiced on this issue. Earlier this week, she was addressing social media discourse at large -- suggesting users (probably Twitter ones) needed to do a better job at filtering truth from fiction before jumping to conclusions.

This goes beyond people having full-blown debates about her figure, BTW -- which continues to be a subject of conversation. Now, there seems to be talk about Lizzo's music, and which groups she may or may not be catering to ... not to mention opinions on her race.

Speaking of fat-shaming, Lizzo is again tackling that head-on. It seems she's receiving a bit of what Adele was subjected to when she noticeably lost weight ... people criticizing her for not "loving herself" as she was -- this after she'd been mercilessly mocked for years when she was doing exactly that and championing body positivity. A lose-lose scenario, really.

Of course, some might say she'd be better off tuning all of this noise out and carrying on with her business -- but Lizzo's never been one to bite her tongue. On the contrary, she speaks her mind ... which is what so many people love about her to begin with.

Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were just 2 of the famous faces who came out for one lucky guy in Hollywood -- mega-agent Cade Hudson, whose birthday was a who's-who!

Several A-listers attended Cade's 36th bday party Saturday, which he hosted at The Park Santa Monica -- where the beachside streets looked more like a busy night in WeHo based on how many celebs and paparazzi were around.

We got a look at some behind-the-scenes shots of the action inside, and it seems everyone was having a ball helping CH ring in a new milestone of life. Take a peek for yourself.

Here's a taste of who else rolled through for the festivities ... Robert Pattinson, Rachel Zoe, Jeff Ross, Claudia Oshry, Edward Norton, Suki Waterhouse, Hayden Panettiere, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Jordan Barrett, Emma Roberts, Darren Criss, Ashley Benson, James Marsden, Jeff Beacher, Ryan Phillippe, Rodger Berman, Brandon Davis, Demi Lovato, and Sanaa Lathan. As for Brit and Paris, we're told they were together all night.

Singer Kelsea Ballerini was on hand as the talent -- she sang a few songs, including, "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" and "Peter Pan." The party was catered by Craig's.

The moment Cade blew out the candles was caught on camera, and it seems the place was packed to the gills ... making for quite the rager. He also got on the mic at one point, and his guests poured on a ton of love as he recounted some standout memories.

It's also worth noting that Cade was able to get Britney to show up for something like this -- she's been mostly to herself these past several months ... and rarely ventures to L.A. proper for outings. If she does, she almost always avoids the paps -- and did so in this case too. Still though, she made an exception for her manager ... whom she's known for years.

Joe Don Rooney -- lead guitarist for the country music trio Rascal Flatts -- is in the middle of a contentious divorce from his Playboy model wife ... he says she cheated on him and she says he's a cheater who's hooked on drugs and alcohol.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the musician claims his wife, Tiffany Fallon, is having an affair with her personal trainer. He says the affair started before he filed for divorce in January 2021 and believes the "adulterous relationship" is still going strong.

Tiffany cops to adultery but denies it was the cause of their marital breakdown and says the affair only began after Joe withdrew from the marriage due to "habitual alcoholism and drug abuse." She claims he's guilty of adultery, as well.

As we reported ... Joe was busted for DUI in September 2021, when police in Tennessee said he crashed his car into a tree. Tiffany cites Joe's DUI case in the docs ... saying it's the culmination of ongoing alcohol and drug abuse.

For his part, Joe denies abusing narcotic drugs ... though he admits he's used cocaine a few times. He says he suffers from an alcohol disorder and is getting treatment, but says his boozing isn't the cause of the marriage collapse ... he says she started having an affair in 2020 when he was on the wagon.

French Montana and members of his team were desperate to find safety in the seconds following the chaos of gunfire in Miami Gardens ... ducking into a fast food joint.

We've obtained video from inside a KFC restaurant where French and others gathered to find safe shelter. French isn't saying much in the clip, but you see him peering outside toward the scene.

A witness inside the restaurant tells us French remained there for 30 to 40 minutes, while cops arrived and victims were taken to the hospital.

As we reported, as many as 10 people were hit by bullets Thursday night when shots rang out into a crowd of people who had gathered at The Licking restaurant to celebrate the release of French's new mixtape, "Coke Boys 6: Money Heist Edition."

It's unclear what led to the shooting, but one witness on the scene tells us they believe it was the result of an attempted robbery during the celebration.

A rep for French confirmed to us he was not injured in the melee, and everyone is expected to survive ... including a bodyguard who was listed in critical condition.

In a statement Friday, French said, "Last night, I was in Miami celebrating the release of my CB6 mixtape w/ friends at a local restaurant. We unfortunately were at the wrong place, at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & families at this time."

Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn are battling it out for bragging rights over who had a rougher life ... and it's getting ugly.

Britney fired back at her younger sister with a social media rant Friday, after Jamie Lynn complained on TV about growing up with a super famous older sister.

The sisterly beef reignited this week when Jamie Lynn said on FOX's new reality series, "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" that she struggles with self-esteem living in Britney's shadow.

Britney's having none of it, though ... she says Jamie Lynn and the rest of her family and friends were living it up while she was wasting away under a conservatorship.

What's more, Britney's none too pleased Jamie Lynn is whining on national TV ... Britney says she'd rather spit in her family's faces and "trash them on Instagram cause that’s all my family has ever been to me !!!!"

Jamie Lynn says she's proud of Britney and loves her to death, but grew up feeling like she didn't have anything for herself because her older sister found fame at such a young age.

Britney's response ... "It honestly blows my mind the hardships you say you have had with having me as your sister."

While Jamie Lynn says she's having a hard time finding her own identity outside of being Britney's sister, Britney's claiming she suffered nerve damage during the conservatorship.

French Montana is coming under fire from the Miami Gardens Police for not securing permits for his video production that turned into a bullet festival with 10 people shot.

Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt just blamed the rapper and his crew for all the violence and chaos.

Noel-Pratt said investigators have learned event organizers (i.e. French and Co.) failed to fill out an application to obtain the necessary permits for the video shoot, which is a violation of city policy.

"As a result of this disregard of the procedures, the unauthorized music video production led to an unfortunate situation," the police chief said.

He added, "If the necessary agencies were notified ahead of time and protocol followed, police officers would have been in place to safeguard the community and assist with deterring and responding, if needed, to any situation that may arise."

French has a completely different take. He tells us he was NOT shooting a video in Miami, but rather "celebrating the release of my CB6 mixtape w/ friends at a local restaurant." He says they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when the shooting occurred.

TMZ obtained new video of Cage The Elephant vocalist Matt Shultz being put inside the back of a police car with his hands cuffed behind his back after his arrest this week for possessing illegal guns in NYC.

Check out this footage of the two-time Grammy-winning musician sporting a formal shirt and tie and surrounded by police Thursday morning outside The Bowery Hotel in the East Village. Cops took Shultz to a police station, where they processed him for criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, both felonies.

According to law enforcement ... Shultz's problems started late Wednesday night while he was a guest at the hotel. A worker spotted Shultz brandishing a handgun in a first-floor bathroom and reported him to a superior, who, in turn, called the NYPD.

We're told police responded to Shultz's room and knocked on the door .... Shultz answered the knock and stepped out into the hallway.

Cops allegedly asked Shultz if he had a firearm ... to which, Shultz replied, "two .45 caliber guns." When pressed about whether he still had the weapons, Shultz told cops he "may, but did not know," leading to his arrest, police said.

Investigators then got a search warrant and recovered the two loaded firearms from inside Shultz's room.

Sammy Hagar takes pride in being the first celeb to have a popular tequila brand ... which is why he explains on "TMZ Presents: Sammy Hagar's Paradise" that selling it was the craziest thing to ever happen to him!

The former Van Halen singer says when he created his Cabo Wabo Tequila line, no other stars had ever done anything like it ... adding that his business started booming like no other.

Remember, we talked to him back in July and he told us he was making a great fortune from his booze, books and bars ... way more than any money he racked up from his music.

Well, now he's telling the story behind his successful tequila. At first, Sammy says he wouldn't dare sell it because he was bringing in so much cash. But, that all changed when he secured a wild offer -- one that literally had him rolling on the floor laughing.

The Red Rocker says the company Grupo Campari agreed to pay him $100 million ... and after that, he sealed the deal!

Ya gotta hear how it all went down.

French Montana is thankful to be alive and that those injured in the shooting in Miami Gardens are all expected to make it ... breaking his silence on the scary incident.

French just addressed Thursday night's terrifying ordeal, writing, "Last night, I was in Miami celebrating the release of my CB6 mixtape w/ friends at a local restaurant. We unfortunately were at the wrong place, at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & families at this time."

Initial reports stated French was filming a music video at The Licking in Miami Gardens, but a spokesperson for the rapper tells us all photos and video taken were to celebrate CB6.

We're also told French was not injured, and those who were hit by gunfire are all expected to pull through.

As we reported, shots rang out Thursday night -- and as many as 10 people were struck by gunfire -- many were injured.