Music

Nipsey Hussle's pal Cowboy is satisfied with the sentence that came down on the rapper's murderer, but still believes the wound left by Nip's death is one that will never heal.

We got Cowboy outside the DTLA courthouse where the judge gave Eric Holder 60 years to life. He told us it's a big win for those closest to the superstar rapper, but he also filled us in on why it's a bittersweet moment.

While the sentencing brings an end to the tragic saga of Nipsey's murder ... Cowboy says he'll still have Nipsey's family's back -- just as he did through the trial -- because they all made an impact on his life.

As we reported, Holder was handed his lengthy sentence Wednesday after a jury found him guilty last year of 1st-degree murder. He gunned down Nipsey back in 2019.

We also got activist Najee Ali after Holder's sentencing, and he echoes Cowboy's feelings ... saying any amount of time behind bars could never bring back Nip, but he too calls 60 years fitting for the crime.

Before this kid curled up on the couch turned into a musical genius and a fan favorite to millions, he was braving the Canadian cold, becoming fluent in French and dreaming of making it big one day in La La land.

This guy does not mess around when it comes to fashion ... One might argue his signature look is a red suit jacket and black pants, but when he first appeared on the scene you'd probably recognize him by his tied-up locs and sleek goatee.

Need one more hint? He's headlined at Coachella and even stayed "After Hours."

Nipsey Hussle's killer, Eric Holder, was sentenced to 60 years to life behind bars, a sentence that came months after a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of 1st-degree murder.

Remember ... Holder gunned down Nipsey in broad daylight back in 2019, and the brutal details were outlined at trial, with prosecutors telling the jury Holder kicked Nipsey in the head after riddling his body with bullets, claiming it was proof the attack was personal.

Deputy District Attorney John McKinney then told the jury Holder told Nipsey, "You're through," to which the rapper replied, "You got me."

As we reported, Holder shot 2 other people while committing Nipsey's murder ... and he was also found guilty of 2 counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, 2 counts of assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Holder may have to keep his head on a swivel in prison ... he was previously jumped by inmates in county jail while waiting for his transportation to court. Holder suffered a big gash to the back of the head that required staples, and the injuries delayed his trial.

Interventionist Ken Seeley is urging all the folks in Britney Spears' inner circle to get on the same page and get her some help ... saying if she continues to spiral, it could cost her her life.

The "Intervention" star joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and, like many folks, he shared some major concern for Britney after someone in her world called off the planned intervention for her.

Ken tells us the key to pulling off a successful intervention is a united front from all the folks involved. He says if one person isn't on board, the whole thing crumbles ... and that's exactly what happened in Brit's situation.

Remember ... TMZ broke the story, those closest to BS wanted her to get help -- for mental health struggles and substance abuse -- but someone pulled the plug. Her lawyer Mathew Rosengart was mum about the failed plan when we asked what went wrong.

As we reported, some fans and folks close to Brit have become increasingly alarmed by her erratic behavior ... like her Tuesday post speaking in an Aussie accent while running around yelling, "Never be a rollercoaster!"

Kodak Black is putting his hard feelings toward Drake on full display ... and it's all over Champagne Papi's decision to record the "Her Loss" album with 21 Savage instead of him.

While talking to RAP on IG this week, Kodak shut down the possibility of any future Drake collabs, claiming to have previously told Drake he wanted to roll out a project right around now.

Kodak and 21 have a shaky history ... having previously screamed at one another over a potential Verzuz battle, and Kodak dragged 21 for his infamous Nas "irrelevant" comments -- but the beef is most likely brewing over "Her Loss" dropping around the same time as Yak's "Kutthroat Bill" album last fall.

Beyond its platinum certification, that meddling "Her Loss" album has had plenty of ripple effects among rappers.

According to N.O.R.E., Future also felt some kinda way about Drake linking with 21 for the project, as it overshadowed their 2015 album "What a Time to Be Alive" ... although Young Scooter called cap on the claim.

LL Cool J is throwing in the towel on his latest studio effort -- which would have been his first album in 10 years -- because he feels the music is pure 💩 to his own ears!!!

A frustrated LL was burning the midnight oil early Wednesday morning ... when he tweeted the official announcement he was flushing the project, saying it wasn't "worthy" for mass consumption.

LL's last album "Authentic," dropped back in 2013 -- the same year he made the critically panned "Accidental Racist" collab with country music star Brad Paisley. Hey, at least LL apologized ... lets all move on.

Now, the legendary rapper's album exit just happens to come as his ex-nemesis, Canibus, is reemerging on the interview circuit with tales of their legendary battle.

In a recent interview with Math Hoffa, Canibus revisited his "weird" first encounter with LL and detailed much of LL's demeanor, from his perspective.

As for present day LL ... just last month he was hyping his new project, boasting the fans just have to hear it.

Maybe he'll bounce back and work out the kinks, but for now, fans aren't gonna hear it. So, no ... don't call it a comeback.

Lil Duval sparked a global debate by declaring Afrobeats would put the nail in hip hop's coffin -- but RZA, one of the guys who helped put rap on the worldwide map, completely disagrees with the controversial comedian.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Wu-Tang Clan figurehead out in WeHo Tuesday and he argues Afrobeats artists are doing their form of hip hop ... no different from rappers in the trap or G-funk creators out West.

Duval was reacting to last Sunday's Afrobeats takeover of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game halftime show ... led by standout artists Burna Boy, Tems and Rema ... and RZA says they deserve a chance to shine and feed their families, just like his generation did.

RZA also tackled another one of Duval's recent hip hop hot takes -- that podcasting has overtaken the music's popularity, another point RZA understood but debunked.

Rappers-turned-podcasters such as Joe Budden and N.O.R.E. have achieved much success on their platforms, but RZA tells us he and the Wu-Tang Clan just sold out shows during their "NY State of Mind" tour ... without the industry spotlight.

Morgan Evans is pointin' fingers at his ex-wife Kelsea Ballerini, claiming what she's been saying about their relationship as it crumbled is far from the truth.

The Australian county singer shared his concerns Tuesday night, saying the things Kelsea has been touting "aren't reality" ... and adding she left out "what really happened."

He doesn't go too much into detail about his side of the story, but notes "If this is what she needs to heal, I hope it helps." He then asks fans to not be mean to him, Kelsea, or each other.

For those unaware, Morgan's post came soon after the trailer dropped for Kelsea's episode on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast ... which highlights the lead-up to their divorce from her perspective, and she calls it a nasty split.

The interview follows the Valentine's Day release of her new EP, "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat," which digs deeper into the collapse of their marriage. To be fair, Morgan dropped a breakup song of his own last year, too.

Britney Spears just took to her Instagram to post a very animated, bizarre video where she talks about everything from fashion to fans calling the cops for deleting her Instagram.

The whole thing is just under a minute long, and Britney talks in a semi-Australian/British accent. It starts out with Britney talking about a dress she made, getting help from a friend to sew it -- but then changes things up, and she talks about a dress that was shipped to her by a company.

Britney poses and dances with the dress -- moving it toward and then away from the camera several times.

She then shifts focus to a story TMZ broke, when fans called the cops to her house for a well-being check after she deleted her Instagram, saying, "So guys, I just want you to know if I shut down my Instagram, do not call the cops."

The next cut of the video shifts, with Britney exclaiming, "Don't ever be a roller coaster!" before darting off screen and running back across before disappearing again.

It ends with Britney yelling, "Never be a roller coaster!!!"

TMZ broke the story, those closest to Britney have become very alarmed by her recent behavior, even planning an intervention to get her help for both her mental health struggles and substance abuse. That intervention was then called off by someone in her camp.

We asked Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, outside the courthouse last week who it was who decided to call the intervention off ... but he was uncharacteristically silent.

Our sources tell us she's taking meds that "hype her up" and she's been "flying off the handle" at various times through the week ... one source told us, "I'm afraid she's gonna die."

Kanye West is all gassed up with his new wife by his side, making a pit stop at a local gas station to fuel up and grab a quick drink.

Kanye and Bianca Censori were out and about Monday in L.A. -- Kanye was dressed in a brown leather jacket -- a change from his usual all-black look. Bianca on the other hand, went with black spandex and her signature bleach-blonde short hair.

Kanye grabbed a Red Bull inside before fueling up his Maybach SUV, unclear why they both got out of the whip, but maybe they're just that inseparable.

As we reported, it was last week when Ye popped into the L.A. County Sheriff's West Hollywood Station after a heated argument with paparazzi, informing deputies he was being harassed ... but it looks like the exchange was without drama.

T.I. is firing back at Boosie Badazz after being publicly slandered with the news their joint album was canceled all because of T.I.'s now infamous story about ratting on his dead cousin.

An incensed Tip took to IG on Tuesday, accusing Boosie of not being genuine and daring the Louisiana rapper to pull up and examine the paperwork evidence for himself!!!

The invitation was also extended to Boosie's "OG Uncle" ... who apparently had the most influence over Boosie's decision to nix the project altogether.

T.I. says Boosie spoke out of turn ... rather unintelligently and ultimately painted his former collaborator's character as flawed.

Boosie has yet to respond to T.I.'s retort but has been resharing clips of his viral interview with the captions that amuse him the best.

Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun are no longer together, she's made the tough decision to call off their engagement almost a year after he proposed ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the now-former couple tell us the two had tried to make things work recently, going "on and off" over the last few months, but it just wasn't right. We're told not only have they hit the brakes on getting married -- they're no longer together as a couple, either.

At this time, it's unclear what led to the split ... but we're told there was no cheating on either side.

The news comes on the heels of photos of Avril out to dinner with Tyga and a group of friends Sunday night at NOBU.

We're told Tyga and Avril appeared extremely comfortable hanging out, and shared a hug in the parking lot before leaving in the same vehicle. The sources we've spoken to say the two are good friends, and have been for some time, but it's nothing romantic.

An interesting note, however, is Mod's rep tells us, "They were together and engaged as of 3 days ago when he left for tour so if anything has changed that's news to him."

Avril and Mod got engaged last year in March during a trip to Paris. He recently released a new album titled "God Save the Teen" with a handful of songs dedicated to Avril.

Warren Sapp is laughing off a riff he had with Nas back in the day, and it all started because the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year's email address referenced his hatred for quarterbacks.

Sapp's talking about the days before cell phones and social media -- just 2-way pagers communicating via email. He says that's how he and Nas stayed in touch after meeting in NYC at the top of the century.

Warren was an NFL sack king at the time, so he created the email address "QB Killer" for his 2-way tag -- which pissed off Nas, who's famously from Queensbridge, NY ... hence, the "QB's Finest" moniker.

So, the next time Warren's in NYC, he hits Nas on his pager and once he saw the "QB Killer" email ... Nas immediately got heated, according to Sapp -- and he says the rapper cursed him out until they cleared up the misunderstanding.

Da Brat and her wife Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart are expanding their household roster, announcing the iconic MC is carrying a child at the age of 48.

There's a first time for everything -- Brat was the first female rapper to go platinum with her 1994 debut album "Funkdafied" and now she's expecting her first child, telling People, "It's been quite a journey."

Brat and Judy made the big reveal Tuesday, introducing Brat's baby bump in a shoot with photographer Derek Blanks ... with a gangsta motif to play into Brat's rapper exterior.

Brat understands there are some possible risks with the pregnancy, adding, "there's a lot of stuff we learned about women over the age of 40."

Brat and Judy already share Judy's three children together -- and the rapper had to overcome a few hurdles -- an embryo transfer that required surgery to remove fibroids and polyps from her body.

The couple says they chose an anonymous donor and will chronicle the pregnancy in Season 3 of their WE TV series "Brat Loves Judy."

Master P doesn't have time to entertain past artists' gripes, and he's kinda serious about proposing a law to make it illegal for them to dredge up complaints about old contracts.

P vented his feelings about this on a podcast, and quickly grew angry recalling how some artists defected from his management ... only to diss him 10, 15, or 20 years down the line!!!

The No Limit Records CEO was responding to D.C. rapper Fat Trel's recent interview where he claimed P strung him along several years ago, while supposedly helping him break into acting -- but he claims P never got him a single movie script to even read.

Trel said he was aiming to land a role in a sequel to the hood classic, "Menace II Society."  Master P tells it differently ... he explained to "The Gauds Show" the movie was like a "Menace II Society," but production kept getting derailed because the lead actor, Gucci Mane, kept getting incarcerated at the time.

P compared unhappy artists to disgruntled baby mamas, and wants a 7-year statute of limitations placed on all the bad mouthing!!!

Interesting idea ... except for the whole freedom of speech thing in the Constitution. Master P, and other moguls, will just have to cope.

Rihanna is hot off her Super Bowl performance, and she's officially hit the big 3-5 ... and what better way to celebrate than with a private bash with some of her closest peeps?!

Naturallly, RiRi hit up her fave spot, Giorgio Baldi, in Santa Monica Monday night, and the place was decked out to the max with balloons -- all for their favorite customer.

Her boo A$AP Rocky guided her into the celebration, and they were joined by Rihanna's BFF Melissa Forde and her brother Rorrey Fenty.

The location couldn't have been a surprise for Rihanna or any of her loved ones -- Giorgio Baldi's damn near the only spot she hits when she goes out for eats.

As you know, the singer's been on quite a roll recently, after performing at the halftime show last week -- revealing to the world she's pregnant once again with baby number 2.