Music

Hip-hop legend E-40 will not be attending Game 2 between the Warriors and the Kings Monday night ... after he was kicked out of Game 1 for what he claims was "racial bias."

Shams Charania just tweeted the news ... saying a rep for the Bay Area rapper said 40 wouldn't be at the Golden 1 Center to see his Warriors play following Game 1's incident. TMZ Sports also confirmed the news.

ICYMI ... E-40 was escorted out of the Kings arena Saturday night after a heated confrontation with Kings fans and security.

40, a big Warriors fan, sitting courtside for Game 1, was accused of standing up and blocking the view of the fans sitting behind him during the game, causing them to complain to arena personnel.

After an alleged back-and-forth, 40 was ultimately booted from the game, missing the end of the Kings' 126-123 win over his Dubs.

The rapper sees the situation differently, releasing a lengthy statement explaining he was "subjected to disrespectful heckling" throughout the game, admitting he "turned around and addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner."

40 said the ordeal was another reminder that "racial bias remains prevalent," explaining "security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault."

The Warriors will look to tie up the series against Sacramento ... but they'll have to do it without their number one celebrity fan in the building.

As for 40, he'll be back in the building in San Fran this Thursday for game 3!

Rep. George Santos is apparently trying to cater to the Barbz -- he just introduced a new bill named after Nicki Minaj that's all about vaccines ... so claims one journo.

Semafor's political reporter Kadia Goba tweeted out some news she says she's privy to -- namely, a piece of legislation the New York congressman has supposedly thrown into the House of Representatives for consideration as a would-be law that bears Nicki's name.

She writes, "Ahem. Rep. George Santos just dropped seven bills in the hopper. Among them, The Minaj Act, named for -- yes, you guessed it -- rapper Nicki Minaj establishes a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence."

We've searched Congress's official site and Rep. Santos's official page, which tracks what bills he's sponsored or co-sponsored, and can't find this new bill anywhere. The House is back in session today, so it's possible Goba got a sneak peek before it hits the system.

The bill would be a fascinating play by the embattled Republican, who's been mired in controversy (stemming from his many lies) from day 1.

Still, he seems to be attempting to curry favor with Nicki's fervent fan base already -- just check Twitter and you'll see they're already loving the move ... and, by extension, Santos. Of course, Nicki's history with vaccine skepticism is well-documented from the pandemic.

Remember, she had a whole ballsy story about her cousin and alleged side effects from the vaccine when they were first being rolled out ... a saga for which she caught a lot of flak.

Justin Hill, an attorney for Young Thug's YSL camp, has some serious cojones -- not only did he disagree with the judge in their RICO case, but he blatantly called "cap" on him in open court!!!

Hill was in court Monday when he was accused by Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville of not making a formal assertion before court started.

Although it was deemed a moot point, Hill stood his ground and basically told the judge he's an honorable fibber as the case proceeded.

Outside the courtroom, Hill, who represents YSL member Damone Blalock aka Bali, doubled down on his choice of words. He told reporter George Chidi he felt misrepresented during the proceedings, and using the word "cap" perfectly defined the moment.

Thugger's RICO case has been filled with unpredictable hijinks -- back in January, one of his codefendants attempted to pass him drugs as court was ongoing and several others, including Gunna, have since taken plea deals.

The Weeknd's new music industry focused HBO series "The Idol" is ripe with real musicians ... and several of them got their shine on various Coachella stages ahead of the show's premiere.

On Monday, HBO rolled out the official trailer and June 4 release date for "The Idol." Spotify's biggest artist of all-time co-created the show with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, and he costars in the lead role opposite Lily-Rose Depp.

BLACKPINK's Jennie Kim, legendary engineer Mike Dean and singer Troye Sivan all have recurring roles in the series and got primetime shine on various Coachella stages.

Weeknd and Mike were part of Metro Boomin's star-studded set on Friday night, Jennie performed with her hitmaking group on Saturday ... and Charli XCX brought out Troye as a surprise guest the same day.

Leonardo DiCaprio is not swooping his longtime pal's ex-girlfriend ... we've learned he and Irina Shayk are NOT an item despite the photos of them chatting it up at Coachella over the weekend.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Leo and Irina are definitely not dating and the two are just friends who were among a large group of people at Neon Carnival Saturday night -- doing what friends do ... hanging out and watching the concert together.

Our sources say Leo and Irina have known each other for quite some time after meeting through mutual friends. Furthermore, Leo is close with Irina's ex-Bradley Cooper and all 3 of them have hung out together before publicly. In other words, Leo isn't back-dooring his friend.

As we reported, Leo and Irina were spotted out late Saturday night and early into the wee hours of Sunday as day 2 at Coachella came to a close ... finishing the night at the party. They were also seen together at Frank Ocean's set on Sunday night.

Irina's friend and fellow fashion model Stella Maxwell was on hand too.

Although the Saturday night pics at Neon Carnival made it seem like Leo and Irina were getting close throughout the night ... our sources tell us there were never cozy vibes between them all night.

Latto seems to have no problem picking at the scab covering her Nicki Minaj beef ... and debuted a new song at Coachella that has fans thinking she once again is firing at her!!!

The "Big Energy" rapper provided exactly that Sunday when she premiered a new track on the Sahara stage ... rapping ether like, “Bitches acting like they running shit, they really ran through” and “She thought I would kiss her ass, she mustn’t have took her meds.”

The biggest clues the song was about Nicki came during Latto's song-ending ad-libs ... "Say she got a problem, imaginary smoke/ Bitch, you said it’s up, then put on the floor”

She then walked off the stage yelling, “Pussy hoe… Let a bitch know, we tired of the subtweets this year” ... as she and Nicki's very public Twitter spat is still heavy fodder for her fans as well as the Barbz.

The two fell out after the 2022 Grammy Award noms were released -- where Nicki's "Super Freaky Girl" was absent while Latto's "Big Energy" record made the cut.

From there, an all-out war ensued, complete with leaked phone calls sparking a rift that still hasn't been resolved.

Chris Cornell's estate -- which is run by his widow, Vicky -- appears to finally be on the same page, legally, with his old band, and it seems like there's even new music on the way.

A statement was issued through Chris's official IG page, and it reads ... "Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, on behalf of the Estate of Chris Cornell, are happy to announce they have reached an amicable out of court resolution."

It goes on ... "The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden's incredible legacy as well as Chris's indelible mark on music history."

The update comes after years of acrimonious legal battles between Vicky and the band since Cornell's death.

From what we know ... she'd actually sued Soundgarden twice -- once in 2019 over royalties and 7 unreleased tracks and again in 2021 regarding the value of his stake in the band ... and there were even complaints to a judge about COVID protocols amid all this drama. It's been a lot.

Now, it seems like they've all buried the hatchet -- which presumably means both lawsuits have been settled. And that's gotta be great news for Chris' fans around the world.

50 Cent and his longtime girlfriend Cuban Link sparked engagement rumors over the weekend after she was spotted wearing a HUGE diamond rock while watching him perform ... but fans shouldn't start cooking up about wedding day scenarios just yet.

A rep for 50 Cent tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the ring is not an engagement ring, but the couple IS very much together.

Cuban certainly helped stir the rumor pot with her IG post showing herself backstage watching her man with a Summer Walker love ballad playing -- plus, her caption had white heart and padlock emojis.

She had to know what fans would think, but again ... we're told there's no engagement.

Frank Ocean was the hotly anticipated Sunday night headliner at Coachella 2023, but he put on a lackluster performance that left many of his fans disappointed.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... the singer kicked things off on a sour note, arriving for his first concert in years an hour late at 11 PM to close out the first week of Coachella. Complicating matters, Frank was hard to see on the dimly lit stage and the low-hanging lighting fixtures often blocked him from the view of the audience, who watched most of his show on large screens.

Things continued to go downhill from there. We're told Frank was lethargic throughout his limited set, so much so he couldn't sing at times. His pre-recorded vocals would play over the sound system, but he couldn't bring himself to mouth the words.

And, for some reason, Frank didn't play his most famous tunes, such as "Thinkin Bout You," cranking out other songs that were less recognizable.

Overall, it seemed, the show was disorganized with plenty of downtime and gaps of awkward silence, leaving the crowd annoyed.

Frank even wrapped up his one-hour performance with an unenthusiastic one-liner ... “Guys I’m being told it’s curfew, so that’s the end of the show.”

21 Savage is coming off a very busy weekend in the desert ... hopping on the bill last minute for the 2023 Revolve Festival, as well as assisting in Metro Boomin's star-studded Coachella set!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of 21 on Sunday blazing through his hits such as "A Lot," "No Heart," and hit Drake feature "Knife Talk."

Fans at Revolve -- a festival going down about 30 minutes from Coachella -- were notified of 21's performance just moments before he took the stage, inducing pandemonium that carried on throughout his 10-song set.

On Friday, 21 also specialized in the element of surprise during Metro Boomin's Coachella performance on the Sahara stage.

21 not only performed a solo set similar to his Revolve performance but also rocked the mic alongside The Weeknd and Diddy for their "Creepin' (Remix)" ... which has been climbing up the Billboard Hot 100!!!

Metro also spiced up his set with other superstars such as John Legend, Future, Don Toliver and legendary producer Mike Dean playing the keys ... arguably making him the producer to beat this generation!!!

The Southern California sun beat down on the Indio Desert for the third and final day of week 1 of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival ... but the celebs dug deep and found the willpower to brave the heat to go out with a bang with big performers like Bjork, Dominic Fike ... and the ever-illusive FRANK OCEAN!

While it took a little more energy to get up after two crazy days at Coachella, Bella Thorne shared a selfie lounging around in a puuuuurfect crochet Hello Kitty bikini ... While James Charles took a knee on day three in a pair of couture khaki fatigues.

If you were bopping around all the private parties you might have thought you showed up to the desert on the wrong weekend ... because lots of influencers were giving some serious Stagecoach vibes with lots of ranch-infused fashion. Olivia Culpo, Ming Lee Simmons and Paige Taylor all had on the same rootiness tootiness trend topped off with a kitschy cowboy hat.

But, make no mistake, the Coachella stages were still heavily infused with Hip Hop influence. Kali Uchis commanded the Main Stage during her Sunday performance and shocked viewer by not only bringing out Don Toliver for a surprise cameo ... but Tyler, The Creator as well!

Hip Hop hotties also made their mark on week 1. Saweetie popped on the Sahara stage alongside her musical peer Latto and was also spotted posing in The VIP with Rae Sremmurd's Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee. Last, but not least, was GloRilla's much-anticipated performance where she was seen rocking a bright camo style that would make anyone red with envy.

Kendall Jenner and her guy Bad Bunny are clearly enjoying each other's company ... because they were spotted getting pretty close to each other as Coachella wrapped its first weekend.

The model and Puerto Rican rapper seemed to be in great spirits Sunday in Indio -- Kendall was all smiles as she kicked it with BB, who was rocking a bandana over his mouth.

The couple got tons of looks from the massive festival crowd while walking the grounds.

They're clearly beyond the point of denying dating rumors, even though we'd already seen plenty of evidence for the last month that they were an item.

As we reported, Kendall was looking like Bad Bunny's number 1 fan Friday night during his headlining performance ... dancing like no one was watching, which of course, they were.

They've been spotted out for sushi together in WeHo, at an Oscars after-party and even riding horseback together -- now after their fun weekend in the sun we can say the lovebirds are Coachella official.

Will Smith is happy to be just another fan in a sea of 'em at Coachella, having a damn good time cheering his 2 youngest kids -- Willow and Jaden -- who were performing at the festival.

Will proudly showed off his view of the stage Sunday ... he was smack in the middle of the packed crowd there to see the dynamic Smith duo inside the Mojave Tent.

He was grinning from ear to ear as 22-year-old Willow performed her solo set, and her 24-year-old brother joined her onstage.

It was a really cute moment for the siblings, who had a huge embrace before rocking out together. Jaden even rocked a "Willow's brother" shirt underneath his leather jacket.

Of course, this is one of the first times we've seen Will in a huge crowd of folks since the infamous 2022 Oscars. Much better outcome this time around.

Trick Daddy has officially ended an era -- his gold grills, which were in dire need of an upgrade after 30 years -- are now gone!!!

Danielle Noguera, CEO of 5 Star Smiles, tells TMZ Hip Hop the Miami rap legend had a moment of clarity about his oral health after refusing to visit the dentist for 15 years. 😳

Trick’s golden chompers were first set in 1994 and remained front and center, if you will, while he made plenty of platinum raps.

But, the permanent caps decayed Trick’s teeth so badly he had to undergo bone loss surgery and currently has temporary fillings in place as his gums heal. He'll have the bottom teeth removed next week.

We’re told Trick has spent $60k on treatment thus far, and the final treatment will be done in about two months ... with a mouthful of porcelain veneers being the final result!!!

“Love & Hip Hop: Miami” will document the entire procedure and the final results in the new season’s first episode later this year.

Mauricio Umansky -- the real estate tycoon who's married to Kyle Richards -- has a spooky story about selling the house Michael Jackson died in ... and if you don't believe in spirits, then explain what you're about to hear!

The 'RHOBH' husband and The Agency CEO joins us on "TMZ Live" Monday with a story that's in his new book, 'The Dealmaker' ... a story about selling the Holmby Hills estate where MJ died back in 2009.

For starters ... how is it that Mauricio locked up the house tight as a drum and, when he came back, the window in the room where Michael passed was open and music was playing? And if you don't believe that, listen to how it happened a second time.

That's all well and good, but he tells a story about what appeared to be a broken chandelier that gave the buyer cold feet. MU threw a Hail Mary to Michael, and his prayer was answered ... scoring an $18.1M sale back in 2012.

Mauricio is dishing out all the deets in "The Dealmaker: How to Succeed in Business & Life through Dedication, Determination & Disruption."

Judge Mathis says he has no hard feelings after going back and forth with 50 Cent earlier this month ... but he's still going forward with his own "BMF" project regardless!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with hizzoner at LAX, where he explained he and 50 haven't spoken since their social media disagreement over Mathis' upcoming biopic, "The First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story."

The TV judge is executive producing the film and 50's ex, Vivica A. Fox, is the director ... but 50 was more concerned with Tonesa being labeled a "BMF associate," because he says her ties are more with Detroit's 263 Crew ... a gang that preceded BMF.

Regardless of what the title says, JM tells us he's a proud Detroit native looking to get Tonesa's story out in the open, which will debut on BET+ later this year.

He also doesn't mind 50's ribbing because he says they're both from the same walk of life!!!

50 infamously got shot 9 times before his rap career skyrocketed, while Mathis says he was shot twice and even showed his bullet wounds!