Music

Lore'l definitely had one of the most awwkwardddd class reunions, thanks to Michael B. Jordan's cold shoulder -- but she tells TMZ Hip Hop the online reaction's been even worse than that "Creed III" premiere moment.

We spoke to "The Morning Hustle" host in the aftermath of her viral MBJ incident, and she untangled a lot of misconceptions coming out of their interview, which has made her the target of tons of vile DMs.

Lore'l admits Michael's name was fodder for jokes among 7th-grade students in Newark -- after all, that was Michael "Air" Jordan's heyday -- but she points out she and Michael were only classmates at Chad Science Academy for one year before she moved.

That's why she says the narrative she tormented MBJ throughout high school is pure 🧢.

She also blames misleading headlines stemming from her 2021 podcast where her cohost Dominique Da Diva referred to Mike as "corny" -- that's the comment the Internet jumbled with Lore'l's own back-in-the-day school stories.

BTW, when Lore'l switched schools she ended up being classmates with singers Rotimi and SZA ... who she just saw when her "SOS" tour stopped in D.C., and their reunion went much smoother than the MBJ one!

Tory Lanez's legal team either has some sort of trick up its sleeve to get him out of jail by this weekend, or the people at Rolling Loud are living under a rock ... 'cause he's still on the festival's Cali roster.

Tory was in court Tuesday in L.A. where his sentencing hearing was pushed yet again, this time to April 10. After the hearing, Lanez -- who was dressed in a jail-issued orange jumpsuit -- remained in custody without even an attempt to convince the judge to let him out on bail.

This would seem to pose a big issue for Rolling Loud organizers, who still have Tory slated on the website's flyer to play the festival Sunday.

We should say, it's possible, and likely, when the actual artist set times are released, Tory's name will be left off completely ... but it's odd he's still on the flyer, considering he was found guilty back in December.

There is, however, fine print on Rolling Loud's site to cover Tory becoming a no-show -- "Opening acts, as well as festival performers, are subject to change or cancellation at any time without notice. No refund will be owed if an opening act or festival performer is changed or cancelled."

Tory is facing a maximum of 22 years behind bars. Outside court Tuesday, his attorney David Kenner said the artist is holding up well. He didn't offer much more detail on their efforts to get him out on appeal.

The Internet thinks Selena Gomez has been in a 'Mean Girls' tiff with Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner -- causing her to temporarily shut down her social media ... but it doesn't seem to have affected her mood in real life ... a really good one, it would appear.

The actress/singer was all smiles Tuesday while on the set for her hit Hulu show 'Only Murders in the Building' -- where she was seen coming out of her trailer in Manhattan with adoring fans on hand who were dying for selfies ... something SG was happy to oblige.

She looks pretty radiant here, and that's significant ... because for the past 4-5 days or so, she and her ex-BF's now-wife (Hailey) appear to have been trading barbs online -- with none other than Kylie getting in on it, who appears to be on Hailey's side in a war of pettiness.

Here's the deal ... Selena posted a goofy video last week  showing off her eyebrows, where she said she'd over-laminated, this in an attempt to praise Bella Hadid ... whom she was sorta over-gushing about. Kylie appeared to have responded shortly thereafter ... with this.

KJ threw up a photo of her face -- with a caption reading, "this was an accident???" next to her eyebrows, which many took as a shot at Selena in, perhaps, being attention-seeking.

After that, Kylie posted yet another photo ... this time showing a screengrab of a FT call she was having with Hailey -- and both of them focusing the frame on their eyebrows ... again being perceived as a shot at Selena, only this time with Hailey directly getting in the mix.

The Internet was having a field day -- with TikTokers making tons of analysis videos breaking down the purported feud -- and Kylie finally responded ... saying it was BS, to which Selena also responded in agreement. So, issue resolved ... right??? WRONG! SG wasn't done yet.

It seems Selena had a bit more to say about Hailey in particular ... commenting on an old, resurfaced clip of Hailey making a gagging reaction at the mention of Taylor Swift (Selena's BFF) and Selena responding, "So sorry, my best friend is and continues to be one of the best in the game." On the surface, it sounds like she wanted the final word on it all.

Of course, Selena responding just fueled the speculation about bad blood -- a la Justin Bieber and their messy history, etc. -- at which point Selena said she was hitting pause.

Selena took to TikTok in the past couple days to say she was deactivating her social accounts for a bit, adding that she was "too old" for this ... but not really explaining in detail what "this" was. It doesn't take a rocket scientist though -- either she's actually tired of HB/KJ's antics ... and/or the Internet fanning the flames of a possible beef between them.

Mod Sun is breaking his silence for the first time since Avril Lavigne called off the now-former couple's engagement ... saying he's dealing with a broken heart.

The singer took to his Instagram Tuesday to say, "In 1 week my entire life completely changed…I just know there’s a plan for it all. I’ll keep my head up + always listen to my heart, even when it feels broken 💔"

Mod was on tour, promoting his "God Save The Teen" album when TMZ broke the story that his and Avril's relationship was over ... and it appears road life and seeing his fans has worked as therapy.

Mod continues, "Being surrounded by love every night on tour has been an absolute blessing. I have the best friends in the entire world, thanks for always having my back. See you on stage."

Sources connected to the couple told us they'd been "off and on" for several months before Avril decided to pull the plug.

Ben Kweller, a singer-songwriter who's toured with the likes of Ed Sheeran and others, experienced a major tragedy in his family ... through the unexpected death of his teen son.

16-year-old Dorian Zev Kweller was killed in a car accident Monday, Ben confirmed Tuesday. He took to social media to share the update, writing ... "There’s no way that I can be typing this but I am…. Our son, Dorian Zev Kweller, was killed last night. He was only 16 and he was a true legend. Kindest, gentle soul, a friend to all. If you knew him, you know. We’ll never get over him as long as we’re here on earth. Please keep his spirit alive with your memories and the music he made."

Ben says his son was an aspiring recording artist himself, adding that he would write/produce songs everyday on his own accord ... and that the kid was a true poet with a bright future ahead. In fact, BK says Dorian was scheduled to play his first gig at SXSW in 2 weeks.

He goes on to say this ... "My baby boy was at the starting line with so much life ahead of him… I have no idea why things like this happen. We’re in complete shock and don’t know what the future holds. Lizzy, Judah, and I have no idea how to deal with this disaster. Thank you for your prayers and support and we apologize if we are slow to respond to messages."

The exact circumstances of the crash have yet to be released -- but his mother, Liz, confirmed he'd died in a wreck. Dorian is survived by his parents and younger sibling.

J. Cole gave fans chills Tuesday with the ultra star-studded lineup for his 2023 Dreamville Festival ... because it includes himself, Drake, Usher and Burna Boy as top headliners!!!

The elusive North Carolina rapper only uses social media to get straight to a point -- and this one was directing fans to the fastly approaching festival dates of April 1-2 with a series of head bomb emojis.

A wide range of artists rounds out the bill, including several Dreamvillains, JID, Bas, Lute and Ari Lennox ... and various star power from Summer Walker, GloRilla, City Girls and Lil Durk.

Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park will serve as the event location and tickets range from $250 in the GA and $1500 for the VIP.

Cole's Dreamville is providing the music for the upcoming "Creed III" soundtrack and his manager has been hinting at him dropping his next album as well.

G Herbo got a taste of what it took to bring his 3 kids into the world by messing around with a birth simulator and taking things to the max ... his internal organs be damned!!!

The Chicago rap star was the latest guest on Kai Cenat's live stream and was eager to flex his toughness until he felt the power of the initial setting rupturing his insides.

Herbo first described the feeling as "tingly" as he attempted to use his past labor room experience to guide him through the pain. That didn't really work out for him.

He also took a couple of shots of alcohol as a cheat code, but still managed to successfully get through setting 10 on the simulator. Not exactly the equivalent of a woman having an hours-long labor before birth, but Herbo made sure to give a shout-out to all the mothers who push out babies for real.

He's an extremely active father, but we're sure this experience will make him think differently about making some more!!!

Artificial intelligence now has the ability to mimic Kendrick Lamar's voice almost perfectly, and Young Guru says that's cause for concern -- not just in the music biz, but for all mankind.

The venerable studio engineer, who's worked on the bulk of Jay-Z's award-winning albums, sounded the alarm by posting video of a dude rapping bars into an audio filter which magically makes him sound exactly like the legendary Compton rapper!!!

It really is uncanny, and Guru felt compelled to share it with the public with an ominous warning ... "It’s not the tech, it’s the evil that men do with the tech."

He also highlighted another slippery slope: Voices aren't protected by copyright law, and he fears if the situation isn't addressed ... "deep fake" will become the new "I got hacked."

The hip hop community's already had a brush with AI thanks to Capitol Records' failed experiment, FN Meka, who was quickly shuttered by the label once it was deemed an offensive take on Black rapper stereotypes.

Dozens of music industry pundits, including superproducer Hitmaka, frowned upon the move ... fearing the end of human artists as we know them.

With so much concern over the digital landscape, all eyes will be on Def Jam this year -- the label recently signed a virtual NFT band consisting of a bunch of cartoon whales.

Dave Grohl is proving once again why he's just as much a rock star off the stage as he is on it ... putting his BBQ skills to work to feed the less fortunate.

The Foo Fighters' lead man showed up at Hope The Mission in Los Angeles around midnight Wednesday with some overnight gear and a massive meat smoker. Grohl took the next 16 hours (14 to cook and 2 to let the meat rest) whipping up ribs, pork butt, brisket, cabbage, coleslaw and beans.

You can see from the pics we've obtained just how hands-on Dave was through the whole process, making sure everything was just perfect as he worked in the kitchen.

We're told Dave handled all expenses himself and got some sleep here and there in the parking lot while the meat was getting smoked.

When it came time to serve, Dave chatted up Hope The Mission staffers and guests living there in the shelter. In all, we're told his massive BBQ feast helped feed around 450 guests and 50 staffers.

We're all thinking it, right?

Shakira is going after her ex Gerard Pique's new boo ... putting her on blast for seemingly not following the "girl code" of dating.

The singer didn't hold back in a recent interview with Mexican TV network Canal Estrellas, dragging Gerard's 23-year-old GF Clara Chia Marti by saying there's a "special place in hell" for women who don't support each other.

She also says she's become a much more independent woman since last year's split, mentioning she thought she needed a man to truly feel whole -- but that isn't the case anymore.

She notes she was always emotionally dependent on men in the past, but today she stands "sufficient on my own."

As you know, Shakira and Gerard called it quits last year ... after she says she spotted a jar of jam eaten while she was away.

Gerard and Clara went public on Instagram last month, with a close and personal pic that quickly garnered millions of likes.

Madonna was taking care of her late brother, Anthony Ciccone, before his death -- and despite their complicated history, they were far from estranged ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell us Madonna was actually footing the bill for Anthony's stay at a Michigan rehab center before he died this weekend. We're told he'd been there for a while, and that 2 days before he passed ... Anthony himself removed the feeding/breathing tubes doctors had him using.

Our sources say he was in failing health toward the end -- having lost a lot of weight -- and he knew the consequences of removing the equipment, which ultimately resulted in his death. We're told some family members -- including his sister, Paula, and his father -- had been visiting in his final days, with Paula being at his bedside throughout most of it.

Anthony's rehab care wasn't just a last-ditch Hail Mary ... our sources tell us Madonna and other relatives have been actively trying to help Anthony for years, but, by and large, he rejected assistance, as living on the streets and drinking had become a way of life.

But, in the last stretch ... we're told the 66-year-old couldn't fend for himself, and the fam stepped in.

We're told he suffered from alcoholism, which led to homelessness -- and, as a result, his relationship with his famous younger sister had always been challenging. With that said, our sources tell us Madonna never considered herself on the outs with him, per se.

As we reported ... Anthony's passing was announced this weekend by the husband of one of Madonna's sisters, Melanie -- who remembered him in a sweet eulogy on social media.

Travis Barker released new images of his grotesque hand injury as goes under the knife today ... and his injuries seem even worse than everyone thought.

The Blink-182 drummer posted a video showing his horribly deformed finger getting massaged by a doctor who asks if he feels pain. Travis responds, "I mean, yeah, it's painful."

He also posted two photos -- one showing a close up of his finger with either a lump or a bone out of place. The other picture depicts him with a Velcro strap over his damaged hand.  His caption read, "Surgery tomorrow 🤞"

Travis actually reinjured the finger ... a few weeks ago he said he was playing the drums during rehearsal and smashed his finger so badly it tore some ligaments.

Here's the problem ... Blink-182 has a world tour that kicks off next month, so it's unclear exactly what condition Travis will be in to perform ... at least on the early dates.

Kourtney Kardashian seemed worried, posting ... "🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️❤️"

Finger's crossed ... maybe a bad choice of words.

Maino is maintaining his now viral throat grab of YouTuber Buba100x was completely planned ... and, in fact, he says his theatrical performance should be his big break in Hollywood!!!

We caught the BK-bred lyricist fresh off his guest hosting gig on Angela Yee's 'Way Up,' and he tells us Buba100x intentionally failed to post the choke out ... in order to make folks think it was authentic. No one would flaunt themselves getting genuinely beat down ... right?

The incident happened a couple of weeks ago during the most recent Daniel's Leather fashion show ... Maino is seen slowly losing his temper as the vlogger continues pressing him to try on his chain, only to see the rapper grab him firmly by his throat!!!

Maino says jaws were dropping at the party because he and Buba100x sold it so well.

Social media users haven't reacted kindly to Maino's actions -- prank or not -- but he assures us he's not worried about backlash because that's what the internet does ... no matter what.

What Maino's not opposed to, is extending his stay on 'Way Up' to a more permanent situation.

He says Angela called him an on-air "natural," and having that kinda finesse is vital for a radio career.

The pouring rain couldn't cool down Wallo267's anger towards Gillie Da Kid when he ruined his motivational speech -- but the storm sure did ruin Gillie's concentration.

On Monday, Gillie posted a video that showed him royally pissing off his "Million Dollarz Worth of Game" cohost after his cousin took a little too long with his motivational speech.

Wallo was yammering for over a minute when Gillie interrupted his train of thought ... urging him to hurry "the f*** up!!!"

Gillie's spew was like a domino effect ... Wallo immediately grew enraged that his one-take shot was ruined with Gillie admitting the tensions didn't subside for a couple of days!!!

Wallo's a veteran speaker for troubled youth and probably had a much more successful time speaking on Capitol Hill with Pooh Shiesty's father by his side.

Drake is wishing he didn't include so many past flames in his lyrics ... a regret Angie Martinez says is understandable because guys shouldn't do that!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught the IRL Podcast host out in NYC and she praised Drake's maturity ... but also feels he can make things right by sending those affected some shiny new jewelry to ice their pain. After all, diamonds are everyone's best friend!!!

Drake infamously made girls like "Courtney from Hooters on Peachtree" famous in his raps and made the confession to Lil Yachty during their feel-good interview on a Turks & Caicos beach last week.

The megastar rapper's Young Money boss Lil Wayne just made a confession of his own ... he deserves to be ranked over Jay-Z when it comes to the best rappers in the game.

Angie's interviewed Jay several times in her career, so she knows his competitive spirit first-hand, but she feels that Wayne (and any rapper worth their mic skills) should feel like they're #1 at all times.

The veteran radio host admitted she wasn't a good rapper back in her heyday due to her lack of braggadocious audacity and applauded Wayne watching Jay's throne.

We milked Angie's hip hop expertise for all that it's worth and picked her brain on one last topic ... GloRilla's crazy Anyways, Life's Great Tour.

During her last stop in Philly on Sunday, fans tried to snatch Big Glo's wig ... which she later tossed in the crowd to avoid the ruckus.

The scalping capped off a string of wild incidents during the rap rookie's inaugural tour and Angie thinks the "FNF" artist will be fine down the line ... with a few adjustments to her security staff!!!

Wiz Khalifa is all set to portray George Clinton in the upcoming film "Spinning Gold" ... an A-1 pick as far as the iconic musician's book is concerned ... mainly because it increased his cool factor!!! 😎

We spotted the P-Funk legend at LAX, rocking the latest fabrics in Erykah Badu wear, right on the cusp of him going to meet with Wiz to exchange experiences, among other things.

George tells us he loves Wiz's acting chops -- just as much as he loves his smoking skills and was already looking forward to their sesh.

Although George didn't handpick Wiz for the role, it still will be a symbolic moment -- his grandkids costar as Parliament-Funkadelic band members and will be featured throughout the film!!!

George's been busy in other avenues too ... he recently joined Will Smith and T.D. Jakes in helping raise $10M for Ben Crump's Law School.

George and Ben have a lot in common ... they're both Omega Psi Phi frat guys who hail from North Carolina and reside in Tallahassee -- and Ben's helping George and the gang get their royalties back on track.

They just re-recorded their funk classic "Atomic Dog" ... with several other records on the horizon.