Music

Jason Derulo is facing a new challenge ahead of his big Super Bowl performance -- no, not a TikTok challenge ... he recently suffered a nasty injury and now he's walking on a cane.

A Source familiar tells TMZ ... the "Wiggle" singer was injured playing basketball 3 weeks ago. Apparently, he was going up for a rebound and wound up landing on someone's foot ... he now has a small break in his foot and a torn ligament to boot.

He was lucky enough to avoid surgery, but he did have stem cells injected, which help speed up recovery time.

As of now ... Jason's going to physical therapy daily and is getting around with the help of a cane.

Of course, this couldn't be worse timing for Jason. ICYMI, he and The Black Keys were announced as this year's headliners of the NFL TikTok Tailgate ... which is supposed to go down prior to the big game.

Our sources say, although he may not be fully recovered for the performance, he will power through it, come hell or high water.

The late Young Dolph's life and times have expertly been curated through a traveling pop-up museum ... attracting rap peers like Jim Jones, who recently soaked up the detailed exhibit.

TMZ Hip Hop got vid of the Dipset Capo during his recent visit at the NYC edition of Dolphland as he examined a toy car exhibit that replicated Dolph's jaw-dropping fleet of vehicles.

Key Glock was on hand to greet both Jim and Maino, and we're told more of Big Apple rap's finest -- like DJ Clue and Dave East -- also turned out to support.

Visitors also took in an exquisite bust statue of Dolph, as well as portraits of his Paper Route Empire artists, and the Memphis rapper's album covers such as "Role Model" and "Gelato."

NFL legend and newly appointed University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has been keeping Dolph's name vibrant since his November 2021 murder. He paid his respects by visiting the Denver Dolphland and chopping it up with PRE's Kenny Munney!!!

Lil Jon isn't feeling love or friendship from Live Nation, which he claims is using his song title, "Lovers & Friends," for a festival he's not even playing -- so, now the King of Crunk's threatening a lawsuit.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a copy of the letter Jon's team fired off Monday to the concert-promoting corporation ... detailing his efforts to reach a financial agreement over the incredibly popular Las Vegas festival.

Jon says he and Live Nation began talks back in May 2022 through one of his lawyers, Doug Davis, and assumed Live Nation would do the right thing. We're told he didn't want to push too hard because he was focused on ensuring last year's festival -- headlined by Jon, Usher and Ludacris -- was a success.

Now it's a year later, and Usher recently announced the lineup for this year's lineup -- boasting megastars Chris Brown, Missy Elliott, 50 Cent, Nelly ... but no Lil Jon!!!

In the letter, Jon's powerhouse attorney Ed McPherson compares putting on a "Lovers & Friends" fest without Jon ... to having a "Don't Stop Believin'" festival without Journey, or a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" festival without Jimmy Buffett.

It's an obvious attempt to put the dispute in terms Live Nation's attorneys will understand.

Sources connected to Jon tell us he's been hoping to avoid litigation, and for months, attempted to reach a settlement.

For the record, Jon readily admits his "Lovers & Friends" -- from his 2004 "Crunk Juice" album -- is a cover of Michael Sterling's 1991 song, but insists his version is the one that became "omnipresent in the Black community" ... so much so, Live Nation's slapped the name on its festival.

Bottom line ... Lil Jon believes they owe him big, because Live Nation's trading off his hard work to create such a lasting hit.

Kanye West's presidential aspirations don't come cheap -- just ask his campaign, which paid Milo Yiannopoulos tens of thousands last year ... while reimbursing Nick Fuentes for a few expenses, as well.

According to FEC filings obtained and viewed by TMZ, Kanye 2020 -- his official presidential committee that appears to still be active -- shelled out a whopping $40,000 to the alt-right media personality ... with whom Ye recently cut ties amid his anti-Semitic spiral.

The docs show that Milo was paid this amount for "Campaign Wrap Up Services" ... with the cash getting dispersed about a week or so before Christmas 2022. That would seem to line up with what we were seeing at the time publicly ... Milo tagging along with Ye throughout much of the fall.

That's not the end of Milo's payday, though ... the filings also show a separate $9,955 that was paid to him by the Kanye's campaign in November for what they describe as "Domain Transfer."

Keep in mind ... Milo was claiming in early December that Ye actually owed him $116k for campaign consulting -- but our Ye sources said nothing was ever in writing.

On top of this, the FEC docs also show that Nick Fuentes was paid back by the campaign for some travel costs ... totaling $14,719.87. You'll recall -- NF was on Ye's national press tour for a while too, going city to city with Kanye for months on end.

Some rappers make NBA highlights just by sitting courtside -- but a few artists actually got on the court this weekend to make some Top 10-worthy jumpers!!!

Both Travis Scott and The Game got the royalty treatment during the Utah Jazz win over the Dallas Mavericks Saturday inside Vivint Arena ... and were able to shoot around before the game, targeting nothing but the bottom of the net.

Not to be outdone, YG sank a half-court shot Sunday inside Moda Center, decked out in baggy gear from his 4Hunnid line.

The "Alone" rapper was in Portland for his Red Cup Tour stop and got to see his Lakers beat the Trail Blazers before hitting the stage.

Game hit a couple of consecutive long bombs and went the extra mile and campaigned for an NBA 10-day contract. He also called out Gillie Da Kid to pull up to his home court in L.A. and earn an ass-whooping!!!

Gillie's one of the better shooters in hip hop ... even showing out NBA organizations in the past, so this could get interesting.

Master P is still the only traditional rapper who played in the NBA, having suited up for both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the late '90s.

Rich Dollaz has his daughter Ashley Trowers' back after her arrest for allegedly shooting at her ex in Memphis ... insisting she's a domestic violence victim who acted in self-defense.

The "Love & Hip Hop" alum hopped on "TMZ Live" Monday and emphatically claimed Ashley only fired out of fear, and added she and her child's father have had multiple domestic disputes in the past.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... cops say Ashley was approached by the ex, Demiah Tatum, and his friend Mykel Yates during her first day working security at a Kroger's, and she ended up firing 2 shots at the vehicle.

Rich says Ashley already had a temporary restraining order requiring Demiah to stay away from her -- but he claims Demiah got out of his car to confront her.

Rich says people have told him Demiah's claiming he just happened to "pull up" at the Kroger's where Ashley worked ... but her dad isn't buying it was a total coincidence.

Flavor Flav is reflecting on the tumultuous drug-bingeing past he says nearly cost him his life and did cost him almost $1 million/year -- and he's convinced God allowed him to survive to share his story.

The Public Enemy hype man came clean on DJ Akademiks' 'Off The Record' Spotify podcast ... admitting getting off drugs was the hardest obstacle he's ever overcome.

Flav claims he spent $2400 per day on crack and hid it from those closest to him, including Chuck D and his other PE bandmates.

The Long Island-born rap legend first revealed his crack addiction in his 2011 book, "Flavor Flav: The Icon The Memoir." He tells Ak he was his own biggest and best customer, on account of having a lot of money during his heyday.

Flav also frowned upon today's hip hop landscape ... noting how rappers are filling their lyrics with drug use, which doesn't leave him very hopeful for the future.

He predicts crack will be around as long as there are humans -- a claim on which Boosie Badazz would, no doubt, cosign.

The rapper ranted about today's drugs being too strong. He'd been reacting to Gangsta Boo's death -- which some believe was a fatal OD -- when he offered some wildly irresponsible advice about getting high.

Lisa Marie Presley was on an extreme weight loss regimen in the months leading up to her death, because she wanted to look her best to celebrate the "Elvis" movie during the various awards ceremonies ... family sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say ... 2 months before the Golden Globes, Lisa Marie got plastic surgery and began taking weight loss meds. We're told she lost 40 to 50 pounds in the 6 weeks leading up to the Globes.

What's more ... our family sources say Lisa Marie was taking opioids again -- an addiction she struggled with for years.

Lisa did 2 interviews during the Globes that caused alarm ... she was gaunt, slurring her words and so unsteady she had to hold on to a friend as she spoke. Dr. Drew tells TMZ it was obvious just watching the video ... there were clear markers Lisa was on something.

Family and law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... on the morning she died, Lisa complained of abdominal pain.

Lisa's cause of death has been deferred pending toxicology results, which could take several months.

As the cause of death remains undetermined, there's already a family war brewing. Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie's mom, has filed legal docs challenging a change her daughter allegedly made to her trust. Lisa had appointed Priscilla trustee in 2010, but cut her out in a 2016 amendment replacing her with her daughter, Riley Keough. Priscilla is suggesting in the docs that the 2016 amendment is fraudulent.

TMZ has prepared a documentary on new details of Lisa's death, a possible custody fight and a battle over money.  The doc, "TMZ Investigates: Lisa Marie Presley: Unending Tragedy," airs on FOX tonight, January 30th, at 8 PM.

Miami's Club LIV was the location for a Young Money-sanctioned movie last night ... with Lil Wayne, Drake and 2 Chainz all gracing the stage to celebrate the birthday of DJ Stevie J!!!

Drake was seemingly in a great mood last night after winning big betting on the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles ... and you can see his enthusiasm as he surprised the crowd by rapping along to performances of Wayne's "Steady Mobbin'" and 2 Chainz' "Watch Out."

The event was thrown by Michael Gardner and Louis Oliver and hosted by Wayne ... who was in his element ripping through a flawless rendition of his classic tongue-twisting track, "A Milli."

Drake eventually grabbed the mic, joining Wayne on their platinum collaboration "The Motto" and for his own "Her Loss" opening track, "Rich Flex" ... giving the crowd an impromptu concert on Sunday for David Grutman's club at Fontainebleau.

Meek Mill celebrated the Eagles' big win with a freestyle rap on Sunday ... taking shots at 49ers fans by dropping bars on one of the most iconic diss tracks of all time.

The Philly rapper posted his video to Instagram right after Philly whooped San Francisco 31-7 in the NFC Championship game ... punching their ticket to Super Bowl LVII.

Meek used the beat from Tupac's "Hit 'Em Up" to send his message to the Niners ... which, of course, was a diss track to Notorious B.I.G. -- and to this day, remains one of the top verbal attacks in the rap game.

"This for all my 49ers fans right here ... First off, f*** ya clique and the team you claim," Meek starts off.

"Northside, Southside this an Eagles game. Y'all claim to keep it playa, but we packed ya bag -- plus the other quarterback, y'all couldn't even pass it back."

Of course, Meek is referring to S.F. rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who injured his elbow in the first half. To make matters worse, his backup, Josh Johnson, left the game in the 3rd quarter with a concussion.

BTW, Meek was watching the game in the Lincoln Financial Stadium suite with an A-list crowd -- Kevin Hart, Lil Baby, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Michael Rubin, and former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.

Amy Winehouse fans who got PO'd seeing Marisa Abela in costume for the biopic probably aren't gonna be happy with this latest update, 'cause it's still looking a little ... off.

TMZ obtained photos that were taken out in London Sunday afternoon, where the actress was in full costume portraying the late singer. As you probably know by now, Marisa was tapped to play Amy -- but people online are crying foul, saying it's a complete miscast.

Considering the massive amount of criticism early set photos received in the past few weeks, you might've thought the studio would make a tweak or two to Marisa's makeup or something -- but alas, as seen in these pics, they're forging ahead with what they got here.

Unclear what sort of scene they were shooting exactly -- but eyewitnesses tell us it looked like Amy's onscreen dad, Eddie Marsan, was dropping her off at a rehab center. That would make sense ... this film is focusing on Amy's rise to fame in the early aughts, when she was still living in London. By then, she'd already been using substances, alcohol and otherwise.

The backlash over Marisa's casting is likely to continue as the movie moves along in production -- frankly, MA looks nothing like Amy ... and while the real Amy Winehouse's own father says it's not a big deal at all, that's likely not gonna appease the diehard fanbase.

It's a bit weird everyone's so riled up over the fact Marisa's not a dead ringer for Amy. Truth be told, Hollywood's been in the habit of casting actors who don't necessarily look exactly like the iconic musicians they play, especially of late. Austin Butler excluded, of course.

Plus, ya gotta imagine that the producers -- who are working on this with a blessing from Amy's estate -- want to do her legacy justice ... so a little trust goes a long way for this sort of thing. As they say, it's not always about the look -- but, more so, the essence.

Bottom line ... Marisa still has the potential to wow everybody, so we'll just have to wait and see what comes of the performance when 'Back to Black' eventually hits theaters.

Sam Smith's new music video is stirring the pot for its NSFW content -- but it's also sparking debate on an interesting question ... is sexuality just a straight person's game???

The nonbinary singer dropped the visual treatment for their latest single "I'm Not Here To Make Friends," which is featured on their recently-released album, "Gloria." Safe to say, 'INHTMF' is in your face when it comes to showing off skin and sexually suggestive scenes.

Sam is depicted in several eye-popping outfits, including one where their chest is on display with nipple pasties in place. There are also moments where SS is being sprayed in the face with water ... which kinda looks like something typically left behind closed doors.

Of course, the backup dancers and extras are flaunting their stuff in scantily-clad getups all throughout ... so, objectively, it checks the box for a traditionally provocative project.

Now, the controversy ... Sam has been trending all weekend over this video, mostly invoking outrage from people on the right -- who feel like it's wildly inappropriate ... especially as it pertains to age restrictions and kids who might stumble across it on YouTube.

The argument from that end is that 'I'm Not Here' is just a hyper-sexualized demonstration of perversion for the hell of it, masked as body positivity and LGBTQ+ empowerment.

Of course, not everyone sees it that way. In fact, the rebuttal coming from the other side is ... where's all the outrage when we see cisgender heterosexual men and women doing the same thing (if not worse) in music videos of the past??? It's a fair question to pose.

One individual broke down this apparent double standard quite well on TikTok -- influencer, Max Hovey came to Sam's defense and said the backlash is misguided and misplaced.

Basically, the idea that someone who doesn't fit society's conventional beauty standards can't openly express their sexuality on camera without flack -- while others can get away with it unscathed -- is screwed up ... according to Max and others who agree with him.

FWIW, Sam doesn't seem too bothered by all the discourse -- they're continuing to promote the hell out of this thing and posting clips and stills from the video without reservation.

Marc Anthony's married again -- this time saying "I do" to a 23-year-old beauty pageant winner ... with a lot of famous friends in tow, sans one key person.

The singer reportedly tied the knot Saturday with Nadia Ferreira, whom he got engaged to in May. Per Hola!, the nuptials went down in Miami at the Perez Art Museum. Not only was the place packed with celebs, but public officials too -- Miami's mayor included, who officiated.

Other guests in attendance ... David and Cruz Beckham, Salma Hayek, Lin Manuel Miranda, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Romeo Santos, Maluma, Marco Antonio Solis and more. We know, you're wondering if J Lo showed up ... so far, there's no sign that she did.

This is Marc's 4th walk down the aisle, and Nadia's first. He's been married to Dayanara Torres, Shannon De Lima and, of course, Jen ... whom he shares two kids with. It's unclear if his children with J Lo were there ... ditto for his other 4 kids from previous relationships.

In any event, it seems everyone had a good time ... these photos showing people mingling inside the venue feature nothing but smiles and laughter -- so it would appear it was a hit.

Considering Marc's arguably the king of modern Latin music to this day ... it makes sense he got everyone in the game out to celebrate. Think 'Godfather' -- gotta pay your respects.

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are hiding no more, that's for sure ... these days, they are all over each other in public.

Kelsea and Chase were loving it up at LAX Saturday, kissing and hugging on the escalator and elsewhere as they said goodbye to L.A. for parts unknown.

The "Outer Banks" star and the country singer were quiet about their relationship until recently, but actions clearly speak louder than words, and their actions scream relationship!

As you know, Kelsea just finalized her divorce from Morgan Evans, but she was back on the market for a nanosecond before hooking up with Chase, so good on her!

As for Chase, he's been a free agent since late 2021, when he broke up with his co-star Madelyn Cline.

Kelsea and Chase were first linked at the College Football Playoff National Championships earlier this month. Chase confirmed to our photog that he and Kelsea were an item a few days later.

There have been many famous faces spotted during Paris Fashion Week 2023, but when Sam Smith shows up ... it's lights out! Put on your warmest pair of pants, come on over to France and see if you've got what it takes to master these switch-ups.

The singing stud was recently roaming the chilly streets of Paris but like the boss he is ... he was wrapped up in all black! It may be tricky to find the changes in the two shots, so removing your eyewear is highly recommended.

Good luck!

Tom Verlaine -- the frontman and lead guitarist for the band Television -- has died.

His former partner's daughter, Jesse Smith, confirmed his death to the New York Times Saturday, saying he'd passed away in Manhattan after a brief illness. No other details were shared.

Verlaine and co. were a majorly influential group in the rock era of the '70s, carving out a whole new sound that came to be known as mainstream punk and alt rock today. They got their start as a mainstay act CBGB club in New York ... which was a music Mecca.

Television's debut album, 'Marquee Moon,' is considered a masterpiece and their defining contribution to pop culture ... having gone on to shape the sound of bands after them.

The band broke up a bit after the '70s, and Verlaine went ventured on with a solid solo career through the '80s and '90s ... cranking out a whopping 9 albums all on his own. He and Television got back together in '92 for their third and final album. They've toured together on and off over the years as well.

Verlaine is considered one of the greatest guitarists of the 20th century ... with savants putting up there with other G.O.A.T.S. like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and so forth.

He was 73.