Music

Diplo is the latest major artist to sell their music publishing rights to corporate overlords, and he says there are 2 very good reasons for this trend ... or in his case, 110 million reasons!

We got the famous DJ at LAX and asked why he sold his music publishing rights for his record label, Mad Decent, to Iconoclast -- and he says the brand management company seized the opportunity to nab his musical gold.

Diplo says music catalogs like his, which include popular tracks like Major Lazer's "Lean On," are constantly streamed, and are slow, but reliable and steady, moneymakers ... which adds up to a great long-term investment for corporations and hedge funds.

But, talk about a win-win -- he says it's also a sweet deal for artists, as it allows them to cash out now instead of waiting a couple decades for their music streams to generate a ton of money.

The way Diplo sees it ... he'd rather take the money now, so he can spend and invest -- speaking of which, he told us some of the big plans he has for his financial windfall.

It could be life-changing money -- although Diplo was already a pretty rich dude, he estimates his catalog went for $110 million ... before the IRS takes its cut. Death and taxes, right?

Remember, Justin Bieber recently sold his catalog for $200 million, Dr. Dre sold a portion of his for more than $200 mil ... and Bruce Springsteen kicked off this trend when he sold his for $500 mil back in 2021.

In a truly stunning lawsuit, the woman charged in connection with the theft of Lady Gaga's French Bulldogs, says the singer never delivered on her promised $500,000 reward ... and now she wants a court to force the singer to cough it up.

Jennifer McBride says Gaga made it very clear, she'd pay the $500k "no questions asked" when she announced the reward back in February 2021 after her dogs Koji and Gustav were stolen from her dog walker at gunpoint.

McBride says she returned the dogs to Gaga at the LAPD Olympic Community station on February 26 ... 2 days after they were taken.

Here's the thing ... McBride was charged in connection to the theft with receiving stolen property and being an accessory to the crime after the fact.

As for her relation to the criminals, she was allegedly dating the father of one of the men responsible for assaulting Gaga's dog walker.

She later pled no contest to one count of receiving stolen property and got 2 years probation.

TMZ broke the story ... Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was walking 3 of Gaga's pups in Los Angeles on February 24, 2021 when several men pulled up in a car, jumped out and stole the two dogs ... also shooting Fischer in the process.

Fischer was left on the sidewalk pleading for help when neighbors came to his aid, he survived his injuries.

James Howard Jackson, who cops say was the trigger man, pled no contest to a count of attempted murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Not only does McBride want the $500,000 ... she wants the court to triple the damages to $1.5 million for allegedly posting the misleading reward.

Drake and 21 Savage are shaking off their Vogue lawsuit woes with a new music vid in support of "Her Loss" for the "Spin Bout U!!!"

The Dave Myers-directed project features Drake and 21 in acting mode ... playing the part of a pair of Don Juan's who rescue a damsel in distress overboard on their yacht.

After seducing Drizzy with her curves, the woman ... played by model Precious Lee ... reveals her hidden agenda (to rob them, duh!!!) and pulls off a heist with dozens of more baddies who inflict pain on the rappers while they're tied up.

Don't be surprised if there's a Google search spike in S&M searches over the next week as fans eat up the latest taste from the platinum-selling project.

One person who's definitely no "Her Loss" fan is Kodak Black ... who recently revealed the project caused a rift between him and Drake.

Kodak says he and Drake were supposed to drop a collab album but were blindsided by the 21 replacement ... prompting the "Super Gremlin" to cut all ties with Drake ... at least musically.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made his way onto country star Brad Paisley's new song ... and as Americans seem to be losing passion in helping the war-torn country, you gotta admit ... it's brilliant on Zelensky's part to garner some support where it counts.

Brad dropped the track "Same Here" Friday, exactly one year since the war in Ukraine began -- and he draws a ton of similarities between the USA and Ukraine ... while pointing out how absurd our problems are when compared to what's happening overseas.

Zelensky is featured in the back half of the song, via a phone call between Brad and the Prez ... listing numerous ways both countries are alike.

As you know, America's pretty divided on our ongoing support for Ukraine, especially as President Biden announced a continuation of support this week. Republicans are more inclined than Democrats to pull the plug on Ukranian support, and country music has a big Republican base of fans, so Zelensky is hitting his target audience.

Stephanie Mills is making no apologies whatsoever over ranking Diana Ross above Beyonce ... a stance that just may infuriate the Beyhive forever!!!

The R&B vet hit "The Breakfast Club" Friday to address her recent VladTV interview ... where she boldly declared Beyonce classifies as a rapper, while Diana Ross is the "epitome of glamour!!!"

Rather than backpedal, Stephanie doubled down ... explaining, in her eyes, Beyonce's last few albums have been more in the "hip hop" lane and no one -- Bey included -- can compare to the Motown queen!!!

Stephanie admits she's always been a Diana Ross "stan" -- she literally set the stage for Diana's portrayal of Dorothy in the 1978 film "The Wiz" after playing the character herself for years on Broadway ... but makes no apologies for her commentary.

She did deny the implication that her comments made it sound like hip hop and rap are beneath old-school R&B -- and she got some backup from guest host, Jess Hilarious.

Beyonce's 2022 "Renaissance" album was largely classified as "dance" and helped her break the record for the most Grammy wins ever. The entire album rollout was about glam ... word to the crystal holographic horse she posed on for the album cover.

Billie Eilish says she got a jump scare when she came home ... claiming when she flipped on the lights in her living room, a random man was standing shirtless outside her window.

The singer beelined it to court after Monday's alleged incident and is seeking court-ordered protection from a 23-year-old man named Raymond Black.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Billie claims she received quite the shock Monday when she got home around 7:30 PM and discovered Black had snuck onto her property and made himself comfortable.

Billie claims she has security footage showing Black loitering around her Los Angeles home Monday afternoon, walking around her property, taking his clothes off and helping himself to her outdoor shower as he waited for her to get back.

She claims when she got home, she went straight inside and turned on a light in the living room to discover a shirtless Black on the pool deck staring back at her, with only a glass window separating them.

Billie says she called 911 and police raced to the home within minutes, searching her property for the culprit. She says cops didn't find him there, but ultimately tracked Black down a short while later on a nearby street and arrested him.

While Billie says Monday's alleged incident was super scary, she claims the same man also showed up looking for her at her parent's home ... and says he also made a couple visits to her home last year when it was still under construction.

Billie says his alleged behavior is causing her anxiety, fear and emotional distress ... and she's asking a judge for a temporary restraining order to keep him away from her and her parents.

Kodak Black quickly learned the laws of cyberbullying during his first game of 'Grand Theft Auto V RP' -- but it's his gaming commentary that has fans doing double takes.

While Kodak was hanging with his clique, some poor, unsuspecting sap attempted to get into their inner circle, only to be accosted and robbed of his digital designer jeans for getting too close.

Not satisfied with that level of humiliation, Kodak then aimed his gun at the guy's junk and demanded he take off his boxers to inspect the guy's d**k size. 😲

Someone in Kodak's entourage eventually knocked out the player with a punch ... and while the rapper initially threatened to shoot the unconscious sim, his crew talked him out of it.

Fans' reactions range from head-scratching to downright amusement but the game is literally named after a felony, so etiquette's not really a thing.

Gene Simmons shared a touching moment with his kiddo, dancing with his daughter during her wedding reception ... in a video obtained by TMZ.

The KISS rocker and his daughter, Sophie Simmons, went with "Can't Help Falling In Love" for the first song of their father-daughter dance ... and it's a super sweet moment.

Gene and Sophie share a few words as they show off their ballroom dancing skills, it's clear he's one proud papa.

The wedding reception was Thursday at Delilah in West Hollywood ... and as you can see, it was a speakeasy theme, with tons of gold balloons and most guests wearing black and white.

We're told Jeff Ross was among the celebs in attendance.

The day before the reception, Gene's daughter got hitched to James Henderson in an intimate ceremony Wednesday, exchanging vows in Malibu.

We also obtained video of Sophie getting on the mic and singing during the party, which raged on well into the night. Remember, she's a singer herself.

Chloe Bailey didn't let the haters stop her from releasing her new single with Chris Brown ... pushing it out with a new music video that's already gotten hundreds of thousands of views.

Chloe and Chris' "How Does it Feel" dropped Friday, and in a complete reversal from last week, most of the comments in Chloe's Twitter feed about the song are positive ... and in less than 12 hours, the music video itself has close to 350,000 views.

Directed by Arrad, the video shows Chloe and Chris embrace a couple of times as they're holed up in a penthouse as the two sing the ballad.

Brown defended his name, unleashing on Kiely Williams, Blueface and a laundry list of white celebs who also have been arrested for domestic abuse and whom fans still support.

Rihanna's halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII caused a ton of outrage for folks watching on TV ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, saying her set was too big on sex.

The overall takeaway from the folks who felt compelled to complain about Rihanna to the feds ... the lyrics and choreography were way too sexualized, with some viewers even comparing it to porn.

TMZ obtained the 103 complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency that regulates television -- regarding this month's Super Bowl broadcast ... and almost all of them had to do with RiRi's halftime show.

One viewer in California even compared Rihanna's set to Kim Petras and Sam Smith's performance at the Grammys, writing ... "I don't care what someone worships but children shouldn't be exposed to pornography and as an adult I don't wish to see it ... Where has decency gone? How about respect for others and self?"

In Utah, one viewer bitched ... "This year the halftime show was so indecent I had to turn off the TV because of the pornographic content."

Meanwhile, folks across the country clutched pearls over the "overtly sexual dancing" and song content heavy on sexual content.

Rihanna was pregnant so she didn't dance much ... and most of the ire was directed at the background dancers, who some say made gestures that "were patently offensive and completely inappropriate for children."

When RiRi did manage some dance moves, they drew complaints too ... with one viewer in Florida complaining, "She spread her a** cheek at the crack. She rubbed her pants where her labia were three times."

Matthew Lawrence is praising his new girlfriend ... telling us TLC's Chilli is "one of the most spectacular people" he's ever known.

We got the "Boy Meets World" star Thursday at Nesmon Cafe and Boutique in Sherman Oaks, CA, and our photog asked him if going Instagram official with the singer has changed their relationship dynamic.

Matthew says he and Chilli have agreed to keep their romance private, but that doesn't mean he can't talk about how great a partner she is ... saying he's never met anyone quite like her.

TMZ broke the story ... Matthew and Chilli started officially dating right before Thanksgiving, spending the holidays together in Atlanta, where ML met her family.

Chilli's since met Matthew's relatives, including his famous brothers, and they had nothing but praise for her as well ... telling us she makes Matthew really happy, and that's all that matters.

Remember, Chilli is Matthew's first serious relationship in the wake of his divorce from "Dancing with the Stars" pro, Cheryl Burke. They started hanging out in the summer, going on vacation together in Hawaii and hit it off.

Mac McClung's performance at NBA All-Star weekend should have the Warriors and Lakers feeling foolish, so says Riff Raff who tells TMZ Sports both teams screwed up not signing the hoop star full-time.

Some quick background on McClung ... the Tennessee native has been an acrobatic dunker since high school and played two seasons at Georgetown, where he averaged 14.7 points and 2.2 assists per game. He also spent one year at Texas Tech.

Despite McClung's athleticism and scoring capability, the point guard went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft ... but spent time with the Lakers and Bulls G-League affiliates. He also had a short stint with the Warriors.

The Sixers recently signed Mac to a 2-way contract with their affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats ... meaning he can play up to 50 games before deciding if they keep him full-time.

Now you can see why McClung wasn't necessarily a familiar face amongst the NBA crowd until he won the dunk contest in Salt Lake City last weekend, reviving a competition that has been pretty boring over the past few years.

Mac's cousin, hip hop artist, Riff Raff -- who has been promoting McClung for nearly 6 years -- tells us he's happy MM's finally "getting the notoriety that he deserves" ... and then he proceeded to call out the Lakers and Warriors in the process.

"He's been on the Warriors, they fumbled. He's been on the Lakers with some of his favorite players and he's playing with them and they fumbled that and now he's over there in Philly," Riff Raff said.

"He's the new Ivory Iverson!!!!'

Riff Raff continued ... "Any NBA team owner would be foolish to not wanna fill the stands and get hat hype around their team. To me, and to anybody who actually watches him play, he's a starter."

But, Jody Highroller wants you to have one thing straight ... there's more to McClung than dunking, calling the 6'2" baller an "actual hooper" who's more than just an explosive/athletic player.

But, don't get it twisted ... Riff Raff believes McClung will take over the dunk contest for many years to come, forcing NBA superstars to participate.

Selena Gomez isn't here for all the Internet jabs being thrown by her fans and Kylie Jenner's ... so, she's getting off social media amid all the heat over Kylie, her and their eyebrows.

Selena hopped on TikTok Live Thursday to let her fans know she's a-okay after rumors of a feud with KJ exploded Wednesday -- frankly, the singer's fans are certain Kylie shaded Selena ... despite the fact, Selena says that's not the case.

She added, "I’m gonna be taking a second from social media cause this is a little silly and I’m 30. I’m too old for this."

ICYMI, all the drama started after Selena posted a vid saying she accidentally laminated her brows too much. Then, a few hours later Kylie posted a FaceTime screenshot of Hailey Bieber and herself, focusing on their eyebrows -- and also a selfie with the text, "this was an accident?????" over her own eyebrows.

While SG supporters perceived it as a direct attack ... both Kylie and Selena denied their posts were related. KJ even called it a "reach" from fans.

Still, including Hailey in the alleged eyebrow beef was bound to piss off Selena stans.

HB and Justin Bieber's ex just met up last year for a photo op, attempting to assure their followers there's no animosity between them. If they bought it before, they're definitely not anymore ... not after Kylie's alleged eyebrow shading.

As for why this ridiculous subject (we're talking eyebrows, people) is getting so much attention -- Kylie and Selena both have armies of fans, they're top dogs on IG after all.

As of yesterday, Kylie was number 2 with 380 million followers ... and Selena had just regained the crown with 381 mil.

Morgan Wallen's ex-fiancée, Katie Smith, who he shares a child with, is lucky to be alive after a scary car crash left her with extensive injuries to her face.

Smith took to Instagram to share a photo from the gnarly crash that happened in Nashville Wednesday night. You can see the SUV Katie says she was driving totally smashed up, after she says a semi ran a red light and slammed into the vehicle.

Katie shared images of her injuries, the right side of her face totally bruised and swollen, she says her vehicle spun around several times ... and she's having a hard time walking as well.

It's unclear how if the driver of the semi suffered serious injuries, but it appears Smith's passengers -- she tagged TikToker  Caden Mcguire in the wreckage pic -- also made it out with minor injuries.

Lil Wayne's revealing his secret to staying lean and fit ... and the main ingredient is steering clear of fast food chains and the gym for the past 20 years!!!

Wayne recalls first moving to Miami when he was 19, and says because his mom was a chef, she urged him to hire one of his own.

The Young Money megastar took his madre's advice and has been thriving as a result ... telling Apple 1's Zane Lowe he couldn't ID the smell of McDonald's if the aroma smacked him in the face, as he's royally opposed to fast food.

Wayne also admitted he doesn't do any working out -- with or without weights -- and quipped Jim Jones is one of the only "gyms" he knows.

We guess Wayne doesn't really count his skateboarding hobby as physical exercise ... despite being plenty active. He says it's the camaraderie amongst skaters more than anything that keeps him riding.

The 40-year-old will undoubtedly keep up his nutrition routine this year ... he's set to not only drop his long-awaited "Carter VI" album but embark on a nationwide tour to pump the music.

BTW, personal chef living isn't always smooth sailing -- as we first reported, Wayne's dealing with a wrongful termination lawsuit from one of his ex-chefs.

Adam Levine is taking a car dealer to court who sold him an extremely rare car, or so he thought -- because Adam claims he's been swindled.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the singer's going after classic car dealer Rick Cole, claiming they did a vehicle swap back in 2021 ... giving Cole a 1968 and 1972 Ferrari he says were valued at $950K combined and getting a $100K and a 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder in return.

The real deal could fetch around $1 mil, since only 25 were made ... the docs call it an "extremely desirable and valuable car in the current classic car market."

According to the lawsuit, when the whip was taken to Autosport Designs to market it, it turned out the Maserati wasn't legit ...  claiming Cole took several steps to pass it off as the real McCoy after a failed auction of the same vehicle back in 2015.

Adam says Cole -- who's made deals in the past with Steve McQueen, Robin Williams, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Carson -- kept all those earlier issues under wraps on purpose to make a serious profit.

The Maroon 5 frontman's trust is now seeking more than $850K in damages.