Music

Desiigner is having problems with his mental health, a struggle he says has been made abundantly clear after we're told he exposed himself on an international flight.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the "Panda" rapper was on an international flight over the weekend coming back to the United States after a trip with stops in Thailand and Tokyo. We're told during the flight he exposed himself, and was scolded by a flight attendant.

Once Desiigner's plane landed Monday in Minneapolis, he was met by cops, questioned and eventually released.

As for what led to the incident ... our sources say while he was on his trip, Desiigner got ill and was prescribed meds, he believes the medication caused some sort of chemical imbalance.

In a statement to TMZ, Desiigner tells us, "For the past few months i have not been ok, and i have been struggling to come to terms with what is going on. While overseas for a concert i performed at, i had to be admitted in to a hospital, i was not thinking clearly."

Twitter's looking really different right now, as some huge celebs are getting stripped of their precious blue checkmarks ... but despite Elon Musk cutting their verifications, some A-listers are handing the bird the monthly fee.

Taylor Swift, Khloe Kardashian, and Ryan Reynolds are among the bunch putting up cash to keep the badge ... as well as Soulja Boy and The Weeknd.

It doesn't stop there -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Carter, LL Cool J, O.J. Simpson, Sia, and John Cena seem to be shelling out the dough, too.

If you click on their checkmarks, you'll now see the following response -- "This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

Worth noting, there are a couple reasons why their usernames still come with a side of blue. For starters, they could be paying to keep Twitter Blue's features -- uploading longer vids, making longer tweets and editing tweets.

Of course, these folks could have been paying the $11/month, and made the decision to unsubscribe within the past month ... so, the checkmark is just there until it expires.

You also might have noticed some celebs who have the check, but say they aren't paying -- well, Elon says he's covering the cost for a chosen few ... his Inner Blue Circle, if you will.

As we reported, celebs like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop group Blackpink all had their verification revoked when the change rolled out Thursday ... but it looks like there are a decent amount doing their part to keep the lights on at Twitter HQ.

Snoop Dogg and Buju Banton are 2 of music's biggest chieftains when it comes to cannabis, so it's only proper they connect to celebrate the "High Life" -- the name of their new single together.

On Thursday, Snoop and Buju hopped on IG Live to premiere their track to their followers ahead of its release tomorrow, and sparked on humongous blunts at the same time!!!

Snoop told Buju the collab was a dream and admitted he regretted not getting Buju on his 2013 "Snoop Lion" reggae project, which still found time for authentic collabs from the likes of Collie Buddz, Mr. Vegas and Mavado.

Buju's not the only music wiz getting lifted with Snoop this 4/20 -- Bebe Rexha just dropped her new joint, "Satellite," with Tha Doggfather ... and she claims his Death Row prerolls had her seeing stars at the video shoot!!!

Freddie Gibbs isn't feeling the holiday spirit as far as 4/20's concerned ... mainly because the "Alfredo" rapper says he smokes every day!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Gangsta Gibbs Thursday at LAX, and he admitted he doesn't see what the big deal is about "Cannabis Christmas," if you will. That being said, he does have a vote for rap's best weed anthem.

According to Fred, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's 1995 burner, "Buddah Lovaz" from the album "E. 1999 Eternal" takes the highest honors in his book.

The Cleveland-bred rap legends specialized in rapping about weed on plenty of tracks for decades, and have helped keep fans' ashtrays filled over the years.

It's anyone's guess when Freddie will make more marijuana music himself. He tells us his acting has picked up to the point where he doesn't feel like hitting the studio!!!

Elon Musk's crusade to remove Twitter's blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts is going into overdrive ... with a couple notable casualties among the celebrity ranks.

Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK all had their blue checks stripped Thursday from their official Twitter accounts.

Elon targeted April 20 as the date for removing legacy blue checkmarks, announcing his intentions earlier this month, but lots of folks weren't sure if the bird app would actually follow through ... and now the reckoning is here.

For years, Twitter's blue checks were coveted ... they used to serve as the social media platform's official verification system, distinguishing prominent public figures from all the normies.

But, after buying Twitter for $44 billion, Elon decided to go in a different direction ... he's now charging folks $8 a month for subscriptions that come with blue checkmarks, and getting rid of the legacy checkmarks.

Tons of celebs have railed against Elon's policy ... including LeBron James, who said he wouldn't pay for a blue check, only for him to switch course.

E-40's been hot about Sacramento Kings' security booting him from Game 1 of their playoff clash against the Golden State Warriors ... but tensions have since subsided, and their beef's officially been squashed.

On Thursday, 40 dropped his new single, "Front Row 40" ... which features the legendary rap star spitting his patented slang from inside the Chase Center where his beloved Warriors play.

Sources close to the production of the Jae Synth-directed video tell TMZ Hip Hop that 40 actually filmed the visual several months ago, and had always planned to drop it parallel to the Warriors' postseason run.

The clip also leverages plenty of star power ... with cameos from JAY-Z, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, 2 Chainz and GSW stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

But, the rollout takes on new meaning now in the wake of his removal from Sacramento's Golden 1 Center last Sunday, which resulted in 40 deeming the org racist -- but both sides are putting it in the rearview.

40 and the Kings released a joint statement that spoke to the issue's conclusion ... “Contrary to speculation, Mr. Earl 'E-40' Stevens did not stand excessively from his ticketed courtside seat; the outcome resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding between both parties.”

Frank Ocean's out at Coachella as a result of an ankle injury, but Benny Blanco says his much-maligned performance still left him inspired.

TMZ Hip Hop caught the decorated producer out Wednesday afternoon in Bev Hills, and he offered a much different take from the majority of Coachella attendees who felt Frank's show was a bust.

Benny says he saw Frank live and thinks the "Channel Orange" singer, hands down, had the best set of Coachella Weekend 1 ... and he insists all the internet chatter won't sway his opinion.

The guy's worked with Snoop Dogg, SZA and Lizzo in recent months, so his ears have to count for something ... even if he's going against popular opinion. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The quality of Frank's set might be up for debate, but with his exit from the festival, it's definitely a one-of-one now.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Frank suffered two fractures and a sprain in his left leg, prompting festival organizers to replace his headlining slot with Blink-182.

Killer Mike is celebrating his 48th birthday today -- fittingly on 4/20 -- but instead of receiving gifts, the Run the Jewels rapper is actually giving one to fans ... his new album single, "Don't Let the Devil!!!"

The song officially marks the upcoming release of "Michael," KM's first solo album in more than 10 years, which is set to drop on June 16.

Mike lyrically tackles multiple issues he feels are plaguing his community and carries on the current RTJ tradition with an EL-P feature, who also produced the track alongside No I.D. and Little Shalimar.

He's also shouting out the sticky icky, since his born day falls on the official THC holiday.

This time last year, he educated TMZ Hip Hop on the benefits of cannabis, and his wife, Shay Bigga, even had a funny cameo!!!

Taylor Swift's ex-boo Joe Alwyn is at least tryin' to shake it off ... surfacing in public for the first time since news broke of their split.

The actor was spotted Thursday in central London ... nearly 2 weeks after the world found out their 6-year relationship was over. He was taking some calls while strolling and, honestly, the dude looks like he ain't getting much sleep.

Hard to say if the frazzled look is related to life A.T. (after Taylor) -- he could be upset about the breakup, or he could just be enjoying his new life as a single guy.

As you know, their split rocked the world of Swifties, but it was reportedly an "amicable" ending. Of course, that isn't always how things go for TS -- with her often taking the drama of a nasty breakup and turning it into a hit song.

Following the split, we've seen Taylor out a few times in NYC, even grabbing dinner with her pal Jack Antonoff ... and putting in some work at a recording studio -- all as she's neck-deep in her Eras Tour.

If you compare their public outings ... Taylor at least seems to be handling the life change a little better than Joe.

DaBaby says there are no hard feelings between Megan Thee Stallion and him -- at least on his end, in the aftermath of their public fallout that played out in rap lyrics.

We caught up with DaBaby in Bev Hills, and he perked up when we asked about repairing his relationship with Meg ... via new songs together.

Megan broke her silence this week for the first time since Tory Lanez's guilty verdict ... and lashed out at those who turned their backs on her. She didn't name names but we're guessing DaBaby fits that profile.

DaBaby and Meg have several collabs together ... including 2020's "Cry Baby," which earned a platinum plaque, but their relationship soured when DaBaby sided with Team Tory at the time he was arrested for shooting Meg.

And yeah, he kind of dissed her on his last album. But he seems to think she's willing to let bygones be just that. We'll believe it when we see it.

DaBaby tells us he has no issues with Tory either, but hasn't exactly been able to communicate with him due to his incarceration, obviously.

Post Malone just saw 3 of his tracks cross the 10-mil sales mark -- shattering Bruno Mars' previous record to become the artist with the most RIAA Diamond-certified singles EVER!!!

On Thursday, Post's hits "Circles," "Better Now," and "I Fall Apart" brought his Diamond total to 8 ... besting Bruno's previous record of 6.

It's another huge W for Post's already decorated career ... his "Sunflower" track from the "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" soundtrack is the RIAA's biggest song ever at 17x platinum!

The last time we saw Post, he told TMZ Hip Hop that song couldn't have become so legendary without the help of Swae Lee.

Post and his label Republic Records are now compiling all the 10-mil winners for the compilation, "The Diamond Collection" ... which is currently being promoted by his new single, "Chemical."

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello didn't just hook up for old time's sake at Coachella ... they seem fully back together, and we know that from a 3-second video shot Wednesday!

Shawn and Camila were hand-in-hand, strolling down a street in Santa Monica ... near a bank of restaurants.

As we reported, they met up at Coachella last weekend and were smooching, hugging and dancing ... but the prevailing view was it was a one-off after their breakup a year ago.

Not the case -- clearly. Here's the mystery ... did they just happen to see each other at Coachella, was there planning, and could they have gotten back together even before the music festival?

S&C first began dating in July 2019, and quarantined together during the pandemic.

There was lots of buzz he recently hooked up with his chiropractor, Dr. Jocelyne Miranda, but that doesn't appear to be the case ... Jocelyne was at Coachella with Shawn and saw it all -- highly unlikely they were anything more than friends.

Kanye West was jammin' at designer Jerry Lorenzo's fashion show ... bopping his head near the front of the audience as they played one of his hits during the night.

Ye appeared to be alongside his wife Bianca at Jerry's Fear of God show at the Hollywood Bowl Wednesday night -- getting up when his track, "Feel the Love" played while his pal Pusha T was onstage.

Clearly, Kanye was digging the shout-out from Jerry, and some audience members reacted to the rapper dancing -- even without seeing his face, everyone knew it was him. Both Ye and Bianca were wearing his trademark full-head masks. Him in black, her in yellow.

Jerry's remained a public supporter of Ye -- even through all the antisemitism -- and posted in January that Adidas just wasn't the same without him.

As for the Fear of God show, Jerry showed off some collabs with Adidas, but with the event being an invite-only affair ... it's clear he's still backing Ye.

Aaron Carter's cause of death -- drowning as a result of being under the influence -- doesn't add up for his fiancée, which is why she wants a second opinion as to how he died.

Melanie Martin -- who shares a child with Aaron -- tells TMZ ... she's not satisfied with the findings of the L.A. County Coroner's Office -- which ruled Aaron's death an accident based on an autopsy following his sudden death last year.

The reason ... she says there are still elements surrounding the circumstances of his passing that don't quite make sense to her -- like the fact he was partially clothed in the bathtub when his body was found ... suggesting to her he was lucid before he died ... which could point to someone else being involved.

Another thing ... there was mention in Aaron's autopsy of a small abrasion on his left eyebrow and another one at the base of his septum. MM tells us that's a red flag to her and a sign of a possible struggle.

Because of these lingering doubts -- which Melanie says she and her son are entitled to have addressed -- she's mulling over the possibility of having Aaron's case examined a second time by a private investigator and medical professional ... only this time, private ones hired by the family.

Melanie also says she wants the additional investigation to give her peace of mind and closure ... as she believes Aaron himself would want no stone unturned.

Here's the reality ... Melanie tells us she simply isn't sure if she'll be able to pull the resources together to do it all. As you might imagine, it's very expensive, and she says she's not equipped at the moment to get it done. Still ... she's considering her options.

Fact is, Melanie is on the same train as Aaron's mother, Jane Carter -- who recently told us the death scene photos that surfaced screamed foul play ... a theory she doesn't think investigators looked into seriously enough.

Melanie says she's even tried doing a little investigating on her own -- going door-to-door for surveillance footage ... but coming up empty. She tells us she wants the homeless housekeeper who was staying with him to get a second look by cops ... not to mention drug dealers she claims had it out for Aaron, and who might've been supplying him.

Suge Knight's name is a constant topic on hip hop podcasts these days, but the incarcerated ex-music mogul is about to tell his life story his way, and says it'll be nothing but raw, uncut facts!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to the Death Row Records founder from the CA state penitentiary where he's doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter -- and also plotting out a 10-season TV series on BLK Prime chronicling his life before during and after launching the legendary label home to Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Even though he's behind bars, Suge told us he plans to provide voice-over for the series like Ray Liotta did as Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" -- and each season will chronicle a different era of his life.

Season 1 will dive headfirst into Pac's stint at Death Row until his death; season 2 will focus on Biggie's presence in the Death Row/Bad Boy beef; season 3 will be about Suge's friendship turned rivalry with Diddy; seasons 4 and 5 will tackle Dre and Snoop respectively.

Death Row's reputation as a hostile work environment has been discussed for years and Suge, being the big boss that he is, couldn't deny his office had its fair share of physical dustups.

According to Suge, he intentionally brought the competitiveness he learned playing football to his office space to make Death Row as tough as its name. He says Pac and Snoop had no problem thriving in the gangsta environment but does acknowledge those crazy times took their toll on the company.

The 5 other planned seasons dig into the N.W.A-era and Eazy-E ... plus the East and West coast tensions, the Crips and Bloods and, of course, Suge's trial and conviction.

The show will begin filming this summer and stream exclusively in the fall on BLK Prime ... a network Suge promises will leave his story intact, no matter how brutal it comes across.

Kick streamer MadiHunni is gonna need a really good dentist after one of her streams ended in pieces, literally.

Madi was vibing out by a pool with some friends over the weekend to LMFAO's song "Shots" before she slipped and completely faceplanted on the ground.

There are a few awkward moments, as she and her friends look completely stunned by her spill ... with the silence finally broken by her friend asking, "Are you ok?"

Madi grabs her mouth, apparently feeling some of her chiclets were missing, picks herself back up and checks out her teeth in the camera ... revealing two broken front teeth!

After the incident, she posted an IG story saying, "just f****** broke my front teeth on @ac7ionman's live stream" ... followed by a series of posts joking about the whole thing and asking around for dentist referrals.

She left off on a positive note, saying .... "tell me why i finally feel pretty for the first time in a month & it's right after i bust my teeth lmao"