Music

Mark Wahlberg is diving head-first into his Houston Astros fandom ... going as far as to say he'd donate one of his thumbs to help superstar Jose Altuve get back from his injury!!

The 51-year-old actor is usually a Boston Red Sox fan, but has been supporting the 'Stros due to their ability to wreck the New York Yankees lately. Mark has been welcomed to the H-Town fanbase with open arms ... and even gave the ceremonial "Play Ball!!!" call at Thursday's Opening Day game against the Chicago White Sox.

Before his big moment, Mark raved about Altuve's teammate, Alex Bregman ... calling him a good friend and his "favorite Yankee killer of all time."

"I am an Astros fan," he added. "Listen, I live in Nevada now, I'm a fan of real talent. And, you know what, they have an amazing team, and he has amazing talent, but he's also an amazing person, so I'm a big fan of his, especially."

As for Altuve -- who is out indefinitely after breaking his thumb playing for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic -- Wahlberg says he's willing to help out.

"I am also willing to donate either one of my thumbs to Jose Altuve, for sure," Wahlberg told reporters. “So we’re all good. I’m a big fan."

Mark wasn't the only celeb in town for the big game -- Megan Thee Stallion also came through to throw the first pitch!!

As for the game, the Astros lost to the White Sox, 3-2.

Tekashi 6ix9ine should be sleeping a little easier tonight 'cause cops say they have the three men who beat the crap out of him in custody!

A rep for the Palm Beach Sheriff Office tells TMZ ... detectives rounded up Rafael Medina, Jr., Octavious Medina and Anthony Maldonado for assaulting and robbing the New York rapper. The suspects were being booked Thursday evening and processed into county jail.

TMZ broke the story ... three men assaulted the rapper earlier this month while he was in the sauna at an LA Fitness in South Florida. Surveillance video showed them make a beeline for him as soon as they entered the gym.

It's unclear if the suspects have any connection with the gang members Tekashi flipped on in federal court.

Despite the threat of retaliation after he testified, 6ix9ine hardly went into hiding once he finished his abbreviated prison sentence. He returned to making music and trolling his enemies on social media.

Even after the gym attack, he claimed he wouldn't increase his security because he saw the incident as a fluke.

It will be interesting to see if he returns to his regular gym routine now that his alleged attackers are behind bars.

The 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards had a huge turnout ... with some of the biggest names in Hollywood coming out and even taking home honors.

This year's show went down Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton ... and it was all about honoring those in media who have been exemplary in highlighting the LGBTQ+ community and its issues.

The L.A. ceremony was hosted by actress/comedian Margaret Cho, and familiar faces in the crowd included Zaya Wade and her stepmom Gabrielle Union, Lisa Ann Walter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Geena Davis and Vanessa Williams.

Other attendees included Diplo, Orville Peck, Michelle Visage, Billy Eichner, Lance Bass, Jennifer Coolidge, Frankie Grande, Jane Lynch, Chrishell Stause and G Flip.

As far as big winners on the night ... Christina Aguilera, Bad Bunny and Jeremy Pope were among the celebs to take home awards for their efforts.

During the evening, recipients for 15 of 33 categories were announced ... with series like "What We Do in the Shadows" and "The White Lotus" among top winners, along with films such as "Bros" and "A League of Their Own."

Kanye West and his Yeezy brand now have to contend with a lawsuit from a former employee, who claims the megastar rapper/designer owes her a cool $275K.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... Dora Szilagyi was hired to be Yeezy's "Director of Product Innovation" in June 2021, but only after Kanye convinced her to quit her role at Adidas and work for him full-time.

Dora claims she was promised a $275,000 severance payment if she was fired without cause after September 1, 2021 -- but she claims it was never paid to her when she was let go in mid-December 2021.

In the suit, Dora says she doesn't believe Kanye or his company ever intended to follow through on the severance package, and only dangled it to lure her from Adidas.

TLC singer Chilli isn't afraid to put it out there publicly ... telling us she wants to get hitched to "Boy Meets World" star Matthew Lawrence.

We got Chilli Thursday at LAX, and when our photog asked if she thinks she and Matthew will tie the knot in the future she boldly told us, "I hope so."

TMZ broke the story ... Chilli and Matthew officially started dating right before Thanksgiving, and then they spent the holidays together in Atlanta, where he met her family.

She's also met his family, and they keep getting closer.

Matthew recently made it seem like he and Chilli were trying to have a child together, but they've since clarified his comments. In fact, she reiterated to us at LAX ... her man's words were taken out of context.

Regardless, their relationship is clearly going strong ... when Matthew picked up Chilli at LAX earlier this month, they engaged in some full-on PDA.

Bottom line for Chilli ... Matthew's no scrub and she could definitely see them being husband and wife.

Rihanna's doing it all ... embracing motherhood while also working overtime on her career -- no easy feat when you consider the hours she's putting in, but her son's along for the ride.

Mama Rih was cradling her baby boy Thursday morning, fresh out of a photo shoot that lasted from 7 PM to 7 AM ... according to a photo agency. We're told she arrived the exact same way she left, with her sleeping child in her arms.

We don't know what the shoot was for, but it's possible the baby was included.

RiRi, who is expecting her second child, was also accompanied by another pal and her bestie Melissa ... so, looks like she might have some childcare assistance while on set.

TMZ broke the story ... Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child in May of 2022.

You'll recall, she made a surprising reveal for baby #2 during her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance.

She's had a busy year, professionally ... in addition to the Super Bowl, she recently performed her Oscar-nominated song from 'Wakanda Forever' during the 95th Academy Award.

Adam Wainwright proved he has both a golden arm AND golden pipes on Thursday ... the Cardinals star pitcher sang the National Anthem for his team's Opening Day ceremonies -- and crushed it!!

St. Louis tapped the injured right-hander for the awesome honor just before the Redbirds took on the Blue Jays at Busch Stadium ... and check out video of his performance -- he proved he can saaaang!!!

The 41-year-old seemed very comfortable on the mic ... hitting every note as the crowd in the stands went wild.

It was a cool moment for the pitcher, who announced last year that this will be his last season wearing a Cardinals uniform.

Also, if you think this was a fluke ... don't -- Wainwright showed at his Big League charity event earlier this year he truly has vocals!

Flo Rida's son Zohar was rushed to the ICU after falling out of a window 5 stories up, and the kid's mother is taking the building owners to court over it ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the 6-year-old's mom Alexis Adams filed a lawsuit Monday against various entities she claims are responsible for her son's fall from the Jersey City, NJ building. The defendants include a construction company and a window installation company.

Flo Rida is not a plaintiff in the suit ... and DailyMail reported, back in 2018, that Flo hadn't even met Zohar. The current status of the relationship is unclear.

In docs, Alexis says the incident happened at the beginning of March ... and she claims the defendants' negligence led to Zohar's fall from the 5th-story window to the concrete pavement below, leaving him with serious injuries. The little boy reportedly suffered a lacerated liver, collapsed lungs, fractures to his feet and pelvis, and internal bleeding.

She points the finger specifically at "incorrect sized guards" on the windows, and told News12 New Jersey she was completely heartbroken by what happened, adding ... "This feels like a nightmare."

Alexis is now seeking damages, including money to cover Zohar's medical bills. We've reached out to Flo Rida for comment ... so far, no word back.

Gospel music vet Kim Burrell is claiming her music is therapy to Beyonce's ears ... or at least it was when her marriage with Jay-Z was on shaky ground.

Kim's confessional came in an interview with "We Sound Crazy!" back in October, but for some reason, this particular clip started making the rounds Thursday.

KB rolled the calendar back to 2017 when Jay recorded his last album "4:44," a project riddled with apologies to Bey for his infidelities.

Kim provided background vocals for the highly emotional title track -- a feature personally requested by Jay, as he came to align Bey's bad moods with Kim's music blaring through their house.

According to Kim's convo ... Bey even locked herself in a room for 11 hours while playing nothing but Kim's music, but came out refreshed and ready to resume the marriage.

Jay allegedly said he just had to meet the woman who lifted his wife's spirits and hence, the "4:44" collab was immaculately conceived!!!

Fans on social media grew upset with Kim for spilling the Carter family secrets, but she did note she and Jay spoke for "4 hours" ... and there were certain details from the convo she would never share!!!

Juicy J is turning his pain from losing his fallen Three 6 Mafia comrade Gangsta Boo into new music ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The Memphis rap legend is preparing to release his latest mixtape "Mental Trillness" on Friday ... and fans will be delighted to know it samples the late GB's classic track “Where Dem Dollas At” on the Finesse2Tymes-featured "Work Out."

GB's voice pops again on the track “Follow Home Robbers,” where her verse from her 2014 song "Come Off Dat" song is used to complete the record.

Juicy, DJ Paul, Crunchy Black, and the rest of the Three 6 crew have been in mourning since GB's death on New Year's Day -- due to a purported drug overdose -- and he's now using his music to prevent fans from experiencing their own downfalls.

Juicy created the “Mental Trillness" mantra for listeners who are fighting "frustration, depression, confusion, drug abuse, relationship problems" etc. in an effort to get them closer to the healing stage.

He's already dropped off the single "No Rapper" alongside newcomers Aleza, Slimeroni, K Carbon and there's 17 more tracks to follow ... with contributions from the likes of La Chat, Hittkidd, Gilbere Forté, Xavier Wulf and more!!!

Young Metro Boomin is fired up to play ball -- he's partnered with MLB Network to be its voice of Opening Day!!!

The diamond-selling superproducer dropped off a video Thursday morning ... detailing the grueling 162-game regular season with shots of MLB stars like the NY Mets' Justin Verlander, NY Yankees' Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani, Miami Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Jr. and more.

Metro's airtime makes good use of his hit songs "On Time" and "Trance" from his Billboard chart-topping "Heroes & Villains" album ... and also doesn't shy away from his allegiance to his hometown St. Louis Cardinals, rocking their ballcap in a recording studio.

MLB Network tells TMZ it's "thrilled to partner with Metro Boomin for Opening Day, and we’ll continue to explore opportunities to work with him throughout the season."

“You can’t beat this time of year," Metro quips in the vid. "Everybody’s staring at 162. 162 chances to make that beautiful music you can’t get anywhere else. Play ball.”

Billie Eilish isn't letting mother nature rain out her parade -- when a severe storm forced her to cancel a show in Mexico, Billie played on with an acoustic set for her drenched fans.

The singer hit the stage at the Foro Sol CDMX Wednesday night in Mexico City ... the latest stop on her Happier Than Ever Tour -- but instead of performing her usual concert, Billie announced she had to switch things up.

She told the crowd she'd be unable to perform due to the heavy rain ... and she'd been told everyone had to go home.

Clearly, though, Billie wasn't leaving that easily.

She told fans, "I thought it was stupid for me to leave without coming out saying thank you for being here, and standing in the f***ing pouring rain." Then she added she was still going to sing a few songs acoustically if the fans were down.

Of course, it wasn't the show anyone had planned ... but the mini-show seemed to go over well with fans as they cheered and sang along with Billie. She promised to make up the full concert at a later date. It's now been announced the rescheduled concert will be Thursday night.

Billie was joined onstage by her brother and music partner Finneas O'Connell ... who strummed an acoustic guitar as she sang her heart out.

A Tennessee restaurant owned by hip hop star Yo Gotti is the site of a mass shooting that's killed 2 people, and left at least 5 others injured.

Law enforcement officials tell TMZ ... cops were called to Prive restaurant in Memphis around 11:30 PM Wednesday after a barrage of gunfire erupted in the parking lot, following a confrontation inside the restaurant that eventually spilled outside.

We're told one man was found dead in the parking lot, and the other passed away at a hospital.

Police say 4 other men and one woman were also sprayed with bullets. All of them were driven in private vehicles to hospitals for treatment. Their conditions were not released.

While Gotti does own Prive, a source tells us he was not in Memphis last night ... and none of his family members are among the victims.

The assailant or assailants fled and are still at large. Police have not said what triggered the initial altercation.

Images surfaced online showing officers investigating the scene with crime tape around the perimeter of the restaurant and patrol cars parked in front.

You might recall, Prive was temporarily closed in November 2021 for fear of retaliation violence after rapper Young Dolph was murdered about 10 miles away in Memphis. Police officers stood guard outside the establishment, but nothing happened.

Tory Lanez is not going down without a fight ... he has just asked a judge to throw out his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, claiming, among other things, prosecutors tried to dirty him up with irrelevant evidence.

Tory's lawyer, famed criminal defense attorney Jose Baez, claims in legal docs obtained by TMZ, prosecutors submitted a shirtless photo of Tory with a firearm tattoo on his chest. During trial, prosecutors said it was merely for identification purposes, but Baez is calling BS, saying prosecutors used the photo to underscore to the jury his client had a fondness for weapons.

There are numerous other grounds ... notably Baez says it was a reversible error for prosecutors to threaten to present Tory's rap lyrics to the jury.

And there's this ... Baez says the jury heard an 80-minute interview prosecutors had with Kelsey Harris -- Megan's friend who was in the car the night of the shooting. The audio was devastating to Tory's case, but Kelsey later recanted a lot of what she said in that interview.

Baez also says it was wrong to admit an Instagram post that included a comment from one of Megan's producers, claiming cops had matched bullets from Tory's gun to the fragments in Megan's foot.

Another claim ... it was wrong to allow statements Megan made to cops that Tory said to her immediately after the shooting, "Please don't say anything because I'm on probation."

Tory is facing 22 years in prison for three felony firearms violations. He's scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Ice Spice is not the victim of a chain-snatching, but rather the target of a big ol' attempt at clout-chasing for Internet fame!!!

Video of a man claiming to have possession of Ice's icy "Queen" necklace made its rounds across social media Wednesday -- and while many fans reacted with concern for Ice, the whole drama was merely a TikTok user looking to make a viral breakthrough.

The TikTok user fended off a wave of backlash ... we mean, he was bragging about robbing a woman for her chain 😐 ... and a source close to the "Munch" rapper doubled down against the shenanigans, assuring TMZ Hip Hop that Ice has never even owed such a piece.

"Queen" branding actually belongs to Nicki Minaj ... and a closer dive through Ice's jewelry box reveals the Bronx-bred rapper rocked her custom "Isis" name pendant the past couple of years as her star power grew.

In January, she dropped her "Like..?" EP and upgraded to her current $100k chain and showed it off when she pulled up on Kim Kardashian and North West ... for an authentic viral TikTok moment.

Killer Mike and El-P are hitting the road this fall to celebrate their 10th year together as Run The Jewels ... and fans in New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles will reap the benefits!!!

The dynamic duo lifted the veil Wednesday on their "RTJX" tour series, which will see them playing 4 nights in each city ... and each night they'll perform a different album set.

We're hearing plenty of special guests are expected along the way and they're making up for lost time, having performed some of the records only a few times in their 10-year existence.

It's a big year for RTJ ... they've also collaborated with Nike for a furry, active pink SB Dunk High colorway that drops on Mike's birthday this 4/20.