Music

Sofia Richie's brother, Miles, missed his sister's wedding because he tested positive for COVID before the nuptials ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Sofia and Miles tells TMZ ... Miles wasn't feeling well before the wedding so he got a COVID test, and it came back positive.

We're told Sofia would have loved for her brother to have been there on her special day, but she understands why he couldn't make it ... and we're told Miles was missed by the family and all the wedding guests.

As we reported ... Sofia and music executive Elliot Grainge just tied the knot Saturday in a star-studded wedding at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France ... with her famous father, Lionel Richie, walking her down the aisle.

Halsey and her boyfriend Alev Aydin are calling it quits, and she wants to make sure their son is, primarily, with her when the dust settles.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... the "You Should Be Sad" singer is seeking primary physical custody of their 1-year-old son, Ender. In the filing, Halsey notes she wants to share legal custody with Alev ... and she's fine with him getting visitation with Ender.

It's unclear what might have caused the breakup, but there are reports it's amicable.

Halsey and the writer/producer have been together for more than 3 years. You'll recall, she announced they were expecting a new baby together in January of 2021.

Michael Blackson is rejecting Desiigner's "mental health" apology/explanation for his recent indecent exposure charges -- instead, he thinks it's simply a sign American culture is too soft!

On Tuesday, Desiigner posted a video of himself bumping a new tune while claiming he was moments from checking himself into a treatment facility as the aftermath of his bizarre Delta flight unfolds.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story, Desiigner is charged with indecent exposure for masturbating in plain sight of multiple flight attendants during a flight from Tokyo to Minneapolis. The FBI says he was even armed with a jar of Vaseline.

Michael thinks Desiigner used mental health as a cop-out for his horniness after he got busted and compared American culture to his native homeland of Africa ... a place he says everything gets blamed on the devil!!!

We recently spoke to G Perico, who doesn't have a dog in the fight in the convo, but unlike Michael, says he can see obvious mental health issues in Desiigner's sitch and wished him well.

Latto's reached the finish line in her airport loaded gun case ... because we're told it's been dismissed, now that she's met all requirements of a year-long program to clear the charges.

According to the L.A. County Superior Court Clerk, the rapper's case was officially dismissed Tuesday -- per her diversion program, Latto completed a gun & safety course, 120 hours of community service, and avoided all firearms to get it done.

Latto's attorney Jamal Tooson tells TMZ ... "I am extremely pleased with the outcome and glad my client can move forward with her flourishing career."

As you'll recall, Latto fans first discovered the ordeal when she rapped about it in Mello Buckzz's track, "Boom Pt. 2" ... saying, "I got locked up in the airport, goddamn forgot the gun."

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... she was busted at LAX in May 2021 and charged with carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a concealed weapon. She started her 12-month diversion program in April of last year.

BTW ... Latto filled the details in for fans, saying she had a loaded Glock in her purse while trying to get on a private flight to ATL. She claimed cops only kept her for a few hours before she was able to take off for her concert.

Colin Kaepernick is mourning the death of Harry Belafonte ... paying tribute to the legendary singer and civil rights activist by thanking him for his mentorship and leadership.

The former NFL quarterback took to Instagram after news of the "Day-O" singer's passing broke on Tuesday ... sharing a photo of them together with a sweet note.

"Thank you, Mr. B, for all of your years of mentorship, guidance, and lifetime of activism fighting for a better future for all of us," Kaepernick wrote.

"You will be missed by many, but your memory and impact lives on. I'm eternally grateful for our time together. Rest in Power."

Belafonte -- who was famously known for marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s -- was a huge Kap supporter ... and applauded the ex-49ers star for standing his ground despite all the backlash he received for protesting racial inequality during the national anthem at NFL games.

"When a Black voice is raised in protest to oppression, those who are comfortable with our oppression are the first to criticize us for daring to speak out against it," Belafonte said of Kaepernick in an interview with NewsOneNow in 2016.

"I think that it's a noble thing that he's done. I think that speaking out and making people aware of the fact that you are paying homage to an anthem that also has a constituency that by the millions suffer is a righteous thing to do."

Belafonte added, "The fact that these people are having these ‘How dare you speak out against lynching?’ and all of the things that racism stands for or the conclusions to racist acts permit – I think is a statement about America."

"I think he's a noble and a courageous man having done that."

Belafonte was 96 and leaves behind his wife, four children, two stepchildren, and grandchildren.

LL Cool J is coming in hot for 2023 ... with his first headlining tour in 30 years in addition to his hip hop cruise later this year!!!

On Tuesday, the "Rock The Bells" legend lifted the curtain off "The F.O.R.C.E. Live" ... an acronym that stands for "Frequencies of Real Creative Energy" and should hold up in real life thanks to the massive tour guest list!!!

DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Roots, and Uncle L's longtime tour DJ, Z-Trip, will accompany him on each of the 24 tour stops, and fans will enjoy a rotating bill of special costars in select cities.

Big Boi, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Common, De La Soul, Doug E. Fresh, Goodie Mob, Ice-T, Jadakiss, Juvenile, MC Lyte, Method Man & Redman, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Rick Ross, Salt-n-Pepa and Slick Rick are all scheduled to join the tour at various points, giving people the opportunity to attend multiple shows without duplicate performances.

The Roots will back all of the artists for one big, continuous musical set opposed to the typical "top-down" headliner approach.

The F.O.R.C.E. kicks off on June 25 in Boston and takes its final bow in Los Angeles in September.

Steve Lacy's considered one of the world's most influential people ... an honor the multi-layered musician is humbled by, but he isn't letting it go to his head either.

TMZ Hip Hop linked with the "Bad Habit" singer Tuesday at LAX as he was headed to shoot a big TV special ... "TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People."

Steve was among the handful of musicians who made the 2023 cut, and was inducted last week by his good friend Chloe Bailey.

He tells us there isn't much science behind his cool factor -- he's literally being himself, and if anyone's inspired by his swag ... cool!

We also asked Steve about his latest body tattoo ... a work of art he says took him 4 hours to complete, and pierced his soul with pain!!! 😫

The Crazy Town boys are living up to their band name -- 2 of the members got into a good old-fashioned fistfight after a show this weekend ... and it was ugly.

TMZ has obtained video of the throwdown that unfolded Sunday in Myrtle Beach, SC -- where CT was performing ... only to have their lead singer, Shifty Shellshock, not show up 'til the very end. Co-vocalist Bobby Reeves had to fill in ... making for a very rocky show.

There's video circulating of Reeves attempting to handle frontman duties -- at times, forgetting lyrics to songs -- while publicly expressing his frustration with Shifty for bailing.

Eventually, Shifty did show up and another clip that's made the rounds shows him and Reeves in a heated argument by an SUV -- with BR rocking a fresh black eye. Now, we know how he got that shiner ... they were trading haymakers after the Myrtle Beach gig.

In our video, you can see Shifty wailing on Bobby ... and they're arguing about money SS believes Bobby stole. Bobby denies that, and goes on to make some pretty vile threats against Shifty's family members ... including his kids.

Eventually, Bobby sneaks in a sucker punch and they go at it again -- only to finally be pulled apart by others. Sources close to the band tell TMZ this brouhaha went down as soon as they got off stage, but in the aftermath, they've supposedly settled things.

We're told it was a "fight between brothers." Unfortunately, this is just the latest mishap in Crazy Town -- one night prior, Shifty got into it with a sound guy during a show in North Carolina. FWIW, the guy's publicly battled addiction for years.

We'll see how long the band peace treaty lasts.

G Perico recently shook off his own run-ins with the law ... and hopes Desiigner does the same after landing himself in hot water last week.

We caught Perico promoting his new DJ Drama-led album, "Hot Shot" outside the "Dub C and Cj Mac Show" in Hollywood ... and picked his brain about Desiigner's current dilemma.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... the "Panda" rapper was recently arrested and charged with indecent exposure for allegedly masturbating in front of flight attendants.

Perico tells us he doesn't know Desiigner personally but says he's witnessed people with mental health issues as a result of his background ... and hopes he gets the necessary treatment.

Desiigner told the FBI agent who interviewed him after the transpacific flight to Minneapolis, he was masturbating because he "didn't really get much cootie" while in Japan.

Harry Belafonte, the iconic and pioneering singer, actor and civil rights activist is dead ... according to his rep.

Ken Sunshine says Harry -- who burst onto music charts in the 1950s before becoming a successful actor -- died Tuesday at his home in Manhattan of congestive heart failure.

Belafonte popularized calypso music in America in the early 50s with his infectious -- still, to this day -- hit song, "Banana Boat Song" ... also known as "Day-O." Younger folks will recognize it as that song from "Beetlejuice."

Harry was born in NYC to Jamaican-born parents, so his music was fueled by Caribbean sounds ... and his breakthrough album, "Calypso" became the first ever record to sell more than 1 million copies in a single year.

His music success made him in a commodity in Hollywood where he immediately landed roles in "Carmen Jones," "Island in the Sun" and "Odds Against Tomorrow." He was also very good friends with Sidney Poitier, with whom he costarred in the 70s classics, "Uptown Saturday Night" and "Buck and the Preacher."

As prominent as he was as an entertainer, Belafonte is equally hailed for his work as a civil rights leader and human rights activist. He was commonly seen marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 60s ... and he was at the forefront of efforts to fight famine in Africa.

He was one of the key organizers of the "We Are the World" charity record in 1985. In fact, Harry was so respected among the packed room of superstars that during the late night recording, they all spontaneously burst into a few verses of "Day-O." Very cool moment.

Just last December -- the last time he attended a public event -- he received the National Order of the Legion of Honour from the French government.

He's survived by his wife Pamela, 4 children -- including actress, Shari Belafonte -- 2 stepchildren and several grandchildren.

Harry Belafonte was 96.

Ed Sheeran is ready to get it on in court ... the federal courthouse where a jury will decide if his Grammy-winning song "Thinking Out Loud" is a rip-off of a Marvin Gaye classic.

The singer arrived Tuesday morning at the Manhattan federal court Tuesday for his trial, and he's expected to take the stand and testify.

Ed strolling into court in a suit and tie caused a media frenzy ... as you can see, the scene outside the courthouse looks like a circus, with tons of photogs and reporters.

In case you missed it, Sheeran was sued back in 2017 by the heirs of Ed Townsend, Marvin's cowriter for the 1973 hit, "Let's Get It On" -- the suit accuses him of copying the soul classic for his massive 2014 ballad, "Thinking Out Loud."

The case has finally made it to trial after multiple delays ... and Ed's among the witnesses expected to testify.

The suit involves the underlying musical composition of the 2 songs, so the jury is supposed to only focus on the melody, harmony and rhythm.

The trial is expected to last up to 2 weeks, and all eyes in the music industry will be watching.

Stay tuned ...

Three weeks after getting chokeslammed through a table by Damian Priest, Bad Bunny got his revenge on the WWE superstar ... cracking him over and over with a kendo stick live on Monday Night Raw!!!

The scene at Allstate Arena in Chicago was wild ... Bad Bunny showed up out of nowhere after Priest was DQ'ed from his fight with Rey Mysterio -- and then went into full-on attack mode.

The "Tití Me Preguntó" singer beat the hell out Priest with the wooden weapon -- hitting him right in the ribs and the back ... before he chased him out of the ring.

The attack, though, didn't stop there -- Bad Bunny got in a few more swings ... before Priest hightailed it out of the area.

Eventually, the rapper grabbed a microphone ... and challenged the wrestler to a street fight at WWE Backlash -- a Pay-Per-View event set to go down on May 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"Damian, I don't know if you know," Bunny said, "but I'm not hosting Backlash anymore. Now, I'm going to Puerto Rico to kick your ass. May 6. Backlash. In mi casa, Puerto Rico. Damian Priest. Bad Bunny. In a street fight."

Seems Priest accepted ... and now the two will finally look to settle some beef that's been stewing ever since the WWE talent chokeslammed Bad Bunny through a table on Raw earlier this month.

Of course, things weren't always contentious between Bunny and Priest. In 2021, they actually teamed together at WrestleMania 37 to defeat The Miz and John Morrison, and Bunny had one of the highlights of the match when he hit the Canadian Destroyer on Morrison.

Morgan Wallen is having some legal headaches after canceling his concert in Mississippi ... 'cause he just got sued by an angry fan!!

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Brandi Burcham filed the federal lawsuit Monday against the country music star, accusing Wallen of breach of contract and negligence.

In the suit, Burcham says Wallen skipped out on his Sunday performance at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, after he claimed he lost his voice minutes before he was to take the stage.

Burcham says that after Wallen made the announcement on Instagram, the large screens around the stadium displayed messages, promising the audience would receive full ticket refunds.

But, Burcham pointed out that the University of Mississippi -- which hosted the sold-out event -- has yet to reimburse ticketholders.

She also says the guaranteed refunds do not take into account concertgoers' "out of pocket expenses," such as food, lodging, transportation and other fees.

Not only that ... Burcham wants to make the suit a class action so she can incorporate other fans impacted by Wallen canceling his show as part of his "One Night at a Time Global Tour."

If the judge certifies the class action, Burcham will likely get others to join the suit. Right after the concert was nixed, video showed many adults upset as they left the venue with their children crying.

We reached out to Wallen's reps for comment about the lawsuit...so far no word back.

Taylor Swift fans are rallying for one of their own, flocking to a GoFundMe page set up for a fellow Swiftie who was killed by a drunk driver after her Houston concert ... and it's garnering a ton of cash in just over 24 hours.

20-year-old Jacob Lewis and his sister April were leaving Taylor's Eras Tour concert early Saturday morning when their car broke down on a highway. As Jacob got out to push the vehicle, he was struck by 34-year-old Alan Bryant Hayes.

Jacob died at the scene, and a GoFundMe was started to help his family cover funeral expenses ... and it blew past the $60K goal in a little over a day -- with Swifties seemingly providing a good portion of that total.

Many TS fans chose to donate $13 each -- Taylor's lucky number. A lot of the comments on the fundraiser are references to the singer's music, too ... like "Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you… Long live, Jacob."

Rae Sremmurd's Swae Lee's gotta be feeling pretty lucky ... an all-out royal rumble went down with security ahead of his Coachella performance, but he and his baby managed to dodge the blows.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of Swae and his entourage attempting to enter the festival grounds at a security checkpoint behind the stage ... but their path was slowed by several security workers, and that's when things got physical.

You can see Swae actually get knocked back against some fencing as all hell breaks loose ... security guards swarm in like piranhas, pummeling another man in Swae's camp. All the while, one of Swae's guards makes sure his baby -- in a big car seat -- is safe.

Management for Swae tells us ... “As Swae Lee attempted to enter the festival with his newborn son and working crew, overzealous security guards confronted them. As 1/2 of Rae Sremmurd, he was due to perform on Coachella’s Outdoor Theatre stage at 5:55 PM. Security claimed not to recognize the talent and then aggressively initiated contact as they attempted to make their way to the stage."

They continue, "The security guards, which we presume are independent contractors, are seen clearly being the aggressors and then throwing gang signs at end of the video in a celebration."

Swae's team says his own security did a bang-up job protecting him, and more importantly, his baby boy. When the dust settled, Swae and his bro Slim Jxmmi got onstage as scheduled to rock the crowd.

Rick Ross is rocking a few shiny tokens of appreciation for recently headlining the High Tolerance 4/20 Carnival in NYC -- no biggie, just a ring, chain and pendant worth more than $100k!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of High Tolerance CEO Manny bestowing the "Rich Forever" rapper with his icy new pieces of hardware, crafted exclusively by Mazza New York.

We're told the chain retails at $40k with more than 19 diamond carats ... and the pendant consists of 14k rose gold and costs over $30k.

The ring stands as Rozay's most detailed HT piece ... it boasts more than 22 carats of VS1 and f-colored diamonds and 14k gold with a retail of over $60k!!!

High Tolerance and Rozay are in business cahoots together and plan on blessing the world with his own brand of THC this summer.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story, Rozay signed on board in March to flood the market with their "High Collins" cannabis strain, named after his old hood in Miami.