Music

Timbaland is going against the grain of the music industry ... while most artists and execs push back against AI, he's actually embracing it with a new track featuring AI-generated Notorious B.I.G. vocals!!!

The mega-producer and Verzuz co-creator was bursting with Christmas Day excitement while introducing the song on IG ... and boldly tagged Jay-Z's engineer Young Guru, who's been one of AI's biggest opponents.

Timbaland presented his Biggie bot production as the solution for the AI debate and gave fans a taste of the song.

After pushing play, Timbaland nodded his head furiously as AI Biggie rapped about the late rap icon's typical love for the finer things in life ... while also weirdly screwing with time and space by name-dropping Nipsey Hussle and Pop Smoke.

Both slain rappers came onto the scene decades after B.I.G. died, and Pop wasn't even born until 2 years after the fact.

Guru didn't attack Timbaland's track, but instead dropped a more general, and ominous, message ... warning humans that playing with AI is like playing with fire.

No telling if the track will ever be released as a single (or if Biggie's estate would even allow it), but the reactions to AI advancement have been a mixed bag so far.

Artists like Jojo, Grimes and LaRussell have spoken to AI's upside ... while UMG boss Lucian Grainge has been pulling out all the stops to kill it.

Alabama Barker has no problem giving social media trolls a piece of her mind ... firing back at folks, especially older ones, who have something to say about her wearing a ton of makeup.

The 17-year-old daughter of Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler clapped back at her haters via TikTok ... after some people online shamed her for looking too grown for her age, specifically calling out her wardrobe and makeup.

Alabama posted a video with a full-beat face, lip-synching to the viral audio clip ... "I'd tell you what you look like but you won’t like it." Her caption read, "When Kathryn with 3 kids only waterline liner, 4 different colored blonde & Tom shoes, talk about my makeup or my age."

Of course, her TikTok only fueled more criticism in the comments ... things like, "I think people are just concerned about the over sexualization of youth in Hollywood/LA culture."

Alabama's response ... "Well I'm doing great thank u."

The Menendez brothers want to have their day in court ... again ... they say they have new evidence backing up their defense that their father was sexually abusing them, but there's a new wrinkle involving a member of the '80's boy band "Menudo."

According to new legal docs filed by attorney Mark Geragos, and obtained by TMZ, Erik and Lyle Menendez cited recent allegations by former Menudo star Roy Rossello that he was sexually abused when he was 13 or 14 by Jose Menendez.

Rosello made the accusations against Jose -- a then-RCA record exec -- in a new three part Peacock docuseries, "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed." In the series, two journalists dove into claims that the band's founder, Edgardo Diaz, brought Rosello to Jose's home in New Jersey to broker a deal between "Menudo" and RCA. But things took a dark turn when Jose allegedly drugged Rossello and then raped the teen.

Per the court docs, Erik and Lyle argued that Rossello's allegations of abuse by their dad only served to strengthen their original contention that they fatally shot Jose and their mom, Kitty, out of self-defense.

The petition also mentioned a letter Erik sent to their cousin, Andy Cano, months before the shootings ... where Erik accused Jose of sexual abuse.

In the letter, which the brothers claimed wasn't shown to the jury at trial, Erik says he wished he could tell his mom about the alleged abuse but says he can't risk it because he feared she would tell Jose. Erik also told Andy his father was continuing to molest him.

The Menendez Brothers say the letter was sent around 8 months before they murdered their parents, and they argued it supported their defense theory that Jose was sexually abusing them and warned them to not speak out about being molested, to the point where they became frightened of their father.

They say jurors never heard from Roy either, and they claimed if the jury knew about Roy's allegations and the letter, things might have turned out differently and they might have bought the defense's theory that the brothers were guilty of manslaughter, instead of murder.

Erik and Lyle filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in an effort to determine whether the new evidence was enough for the court to grant them a new trial or other relief.

Attorney Alan Jackson talked to us in April about the possibility of the Menendez brothers getting a new trial ... and he didn't seem to think it was likely, and told us exactly why.

Dr. Dre's OG secret rap weapon, The D.O.C., has been trying to get his life story out into the world, and thinks he's nearing the finish line after a bit of friction.

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to the "No One Can Do It Better" rapper in the wake of his outburst over the delay of his self-titled film, which screened during the Tribeca Festival ... damn near a year ago.

D.O.C. tells us the forces standing in the way of releasing "The DOC" have subsided, and he's now looking for a suitable distributor for the film. He wants fans to know it features appearances from Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube and Dre that are life-changing ... to the core.

The Dallas rapper turned West Coast transplant, infamously damaged his vocal cords in a 1989 car accident, but has since resumed his rap career ... raspy flow and all. Just last month, he rapped on Codefendants' rap/rock mash-up track, "Fast Ones."

It's because he's gotten back on the mic, D.O.C. tells us he's at peace with not using AI to answer the "what if" on his career course -- even though his inbox is flooded with daily requests to license his voice for an AI recording.

Having been around during the glory and the gory days, we also got D.O.C.'s take on Suge Knight's claim Daz Dillinger actually produced Snoop's "Doggystyle" and let Dre take the credit.

Da Brat's wife Jesseca Dupart is attacking the notion they intentionally chose a non-Black sperm donor for their upcoming baby ... and her explanation is pretty in-depth.

On Wednesday, Jesseca came through with a boatload of receipts and broke the whole thing down. The couple recently conducted an interview where they openly admitted their baby's donor wasn't Black after realizing they had limited choices in the gene pool.

Brat also quipped one of the donors looked like Pinocchio's pal Jiminy Cricket.

So, yeah ... you can see how that got lumped into all the donors being cricket-faced killas!!!

Jesseca revealed her existing medical conditions also cut down her chances of carrying a healthy baby, and noted the lack of Black donors in general.

She even cited a Fox5 NY article from March that reports Black men make up less than 2% of sperm donors nationwide!!!

After weighing their options, Jesseca says she and Brat went with the best match, regardless of race.

Jamie Foxx is back in the land of social media for the first time following his mysterious hospitalization ... breaking his silence with a heartfelt message to those who've been wishing him well.

The legendary actor took to Instagram Wednesday, writing "Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed." Fans flooded the comments with more well-wishes for Jamie -- including one that said, "Forever !!❤️ WE LOVE YOU GOAT!!"

He also gave a shoutout to Nick Cannon, who will be filling his hosting shoes on his game show, "Beat Shazam" ... and told people he'll see them all soon.

As we reported, Nick's taking over for Jamie while he copes with his medical condition -- Kelly Osbourne will swap in as the show's DJ, a spot normally held by Jamie's daughter, Corinne. Kelly shared her views from the DJ booth Wednesday, too.

The jury's still out on what exactly went down with Jamie ... but it looks like he's movin' in the right direction, seemingly well enough to thank his legion of fans for lifting him up.

Jamie Foxx has left a big absence in his hosting duties on "Beat Shazam" ... a hole Nick Cannon hopes to fill while Jamie remains hospitalized with a serious mystery condition.

TMZ has confirmed Nick will take over the hosting duties of the popular FOX game show where contestants attempt to guess songs with lyrics from hits of all genres. We're told Kelly Osbourne will work as the show's DJ ... a position held by Jamie's daughter, Corinne, as she takes leave to help with her dad's recovery.

In a social media post Wednesday, Kelly shared a video from the DJ booth on the "Beat Shazam" set.

Kelly's IG video features an emcee in the background, gassing up the studio audience for Nick. Kelly also posted a photo of the show's rundown.

TMZ broke the story ... Jamie's family and those closest to him continue to ask for prayers, echoing, "Pray for Jamie."

Jamie's hosted the show since 2017, and he's also an executive producer. Corinne's been the show's DJ since 2018, working the past 4 seasons.

The hugely popular music lyric game show was scheduled to go into production just days after Jamie was hospitalized with what Corinne described as a "medical complication" but that was delayed. Nick and Kelly started shooting Wednesday.

As you know ... Jamie was in Atlanta working on the movie "Back In Action" earlier this month when he fell ill, and his fill-ins on that project have been a stunt double and body double.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Missy Elliott is basking in yet another historic moment in her storied career ... as the first female rapper inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame!!!

The Misdemeanor couldn't contain her excitement on Wednesday when the news broke ... admitting she's been crying tears of joy all morning as she thanked the committee.

Missy feels the honor will kick down barriers for other women in hip hop culture to get noticed by the Rock Hall, but it'll take a lot of talent and hard work to match the veteran artist's career catalog.

After getting her start producing alongside Timbaland and writing for Diddy, Ginuwine, and the late Aaliyah, she released 5 consecutive platinum albums that still impact music to this day.

The Spinners, Chaka Khan (via the Musical Excellence Award) and Zach De La Rocha and Tom Morello's Rage Against the Machine also got the nod on Wednesday -- but sadly, for deep-rooted hip hop fans, A Tribe Called Quest will NOT be joining the fold ... after getting the cold shoulder for the 2nd year in a row.

We reached out to ATCQ reps to see if they even care!!!

P.K. Subban body-shamed Lizzo live on-air while breaking down an NHL playoff game for ESPN on Tuesday night ... and his comment was so crass, many online are now demanding an apology from the former All-Star.

Subban -- who joined ESPN's hockey coverage following his retirement in 2022 -- made the remark while he was breaking down Game 1 of the Panthers vs. Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Subban's co-host on the ESPN set, John Buccigross, suggested Toronto should "pack a lunch" after losing 4-2 -- insinuating the team should eat more to make it stronger in Game 2.

Subban agreed ... and then fired off a cheap shot at the "Truth Hurts" singer.

"Maybe they need to pack a Lizzo-sized lunch," Subban said.

The words were immediately hit with backlash on social media ... with many calling for the former New Jersey Devils defenseman to say he's sorry. Others on Twitter urged ESPN to punish its top hockey analyst for the comment.

So far, neither Subban nor ESPN has addressed the controversy. Lizzo hasn't either ... though she's no stranger to responding to comments about her body.

Consequence is buggin' out over A Tribe Called Quest's 2nd consecutive snub from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and says he and the group won't be disrespected a third time!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Cons Wednesday as he stood outside the famed ATCQ mural in Queens, NY ... on the group's Linden Boulevard stomping grounds.

The veteran rapper acknowledged the newest inductees -- including a history-making Missy Elliott -- but blasted the HOF committee for embarrassing the group's legacy, and seems to feel a bit of race-baiting is at play ... with ATCQ dangling on the hook.

Cons also took exception with Billboard's take that Tribe needs to make a bigger fuss to get the committee's rock-minded and majorly white voting base on its side.

Always the team player, Cons tells us he's willing to lead any public campaign necessary to secure the Rock Hall nod and will go to bat for his cousin Q-Tip and the late Phife Dawg any day of the year.

Just call him Snoopstradamus!!!

Hours after Snoop Dogg predicted Jordan Poole would choke in a key moment in Game 1 of the Warriors vs. Lakers playoff series Tuesday night ... the Golden State star did just that!!

The "Gin & Juice" rapper initially offered up the Miss Cleo-like prognostication during an appearance on "First Take" ... when he correctly guessed the Lakers' defense would force Poole into a situation he wouldn't be able to capitalize on.

"We're going to be probably doubling Steph," the Lakers superfan said on the show, "and somebody else is going to be open. Jordan Poole, keep shooting. I like the way you've been missing brother."

Turns out, in the fourth quarter down 115-112 ... L.A. doubled Curry -- which led to Poole trying to make a game-tying 3-pointer from deep behind the 3-point line. But, he missed it ... giving the Lakers the big win.

Poole, though, did have a solid game otherwise ... scoring 21 points (7-15 FGs) -- but his end-of-game brick drew a lot of ire from fans, including Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal.

"I don't like that shot right there," Barkley said on NBA on TNT ... while Shaq added that it wasn't a "good shot" by the guard.

One person who didn't mind the shot was Dubs head coach Steve Kerr, who said in the postgame press conference he was happy with the possession.

Yung Miami is revealing even more about her sexuality after resurfacing with Diddy -- but this time, she wants Megan Thee Stallion to be involved.

The City Girls rapper was a recent guest on "The Jason Lee Show" when she said she's bisexual frfr and not just for play.

Jason pressed Miami about her sexual preferences and she told him about being with women in the past and being attracted to them ... but had no desire to be in a relationship with a woman.

City Girls and Megan have a handful of collabs together, including the exxxtra raunchy "Do It on The Tip" from 2020, so discussing sex isn't exactly a new topic for any of them.

Drake is saying goodbye to the Hills of Beverly ... he's unloading his estate and the asking price is a whopping $88 mil!

The house is a masterpiece, and it's massive -- 25,000 square feet. It's kinda more like a museum than a home, with enormous walls for days that support some world-class art.

The property has amazing views of city lights, canyons and even the blue Pacific.

The main house has 7 bedrooms, a library, a screening room of course, gym, game room and on and on. The house is built for entertaining, so it makes sense there's a garage that will hold 11 cars. Did we forget to mention the hidden tennis court and orchard?

Drake snagged the property just a year ago for $75 mil. He bought it from singer Robbie Williams, who purchased the prop back in 2015 for $32.7 million.

It's unclear why Drake is bailing on the house. He sold his Hidden Hills mansion last year for $12 mil ... that house had an incredible pool/grotto.

Nick and Aaron Carter's mom ended up in jail after allegedly arguing with her husband over their television's remote control.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Jane Schneck was arrested Friday night after drinking with an adult family member and getting into a verbal altercation that turned physical.

We're told Jane was listening to music so loudly on the TV, her hubby couldn't go to sleep ... and they had a confrontation over the remote.

Our sources say Jane grabbed his wrist, because he had whipped out his phone to record what was happening. We're told he didn't like how Jane touched him, so he called police.

When cops got to Jane's Florida home, we're told officers watched his cell phone video and decided they'd seen enough to arrest Jane for battery.

Online records show Jane was booked early Saturday morning. She eventually posted a $100 bond, and was released from custody that evening.

Meanwhile, we're told her husband was not injured and didn't want to go to the hospital.

Stephen "tWitch" Boss' widow says some of her kids still don't understand their father is never coming home ... a question that gets asked a lot in the aftermath of death.

Allison Holker Boss sat down for a televised interview with "Today," in which Hoda Kotb got her to open up about how she and her family are coping with tWitch's passing ... which happened just before the holidays, when he took his own life.

As you can imagine, it's emotional ... but one of the more heartbreaking moments comes when Hoda asks her about the three children she shared with tWitch.

They had a 14-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old ... Allison says at the younger ones, Maddox and Zaia, still can't comprehend their dad is gone forever -- asking their mom if he'll eventually come home.

Allison says the conversations she's had with them these past several months are something she doesn't wish on anybody.

She also talks about the stigma of mental health -- a hurdle tWitch was privately battling. She wishes he would've felt comfortable to share his struggles.

As we reported ... tWitch left a suicide note alluding to past challenges, but Allison now says there was no outward indication she saw to suggest he was struggling or considering suicide.

Trey Songz is now off the hook for his alleged bowling alley beatdown last year -- because we've learned the most serious charges have been dropped.

Songz pled guilty Tuesday to a single disorderly conduct violation in connection with the incident ... while prosecutors agreed to dismiss the 10 original charges against him, which included assault and aggravated harassment.

As part of the plea deal, Trey now has to complete 12 anger management classes by August, and sources close to the case tell us he's already gotten a head start on them.

As we reported, Trey was accused in October of punching a woman repeatedly in the face in a NY bowling alley bathroom, with the woman claiming he also dragged her by her hair.

Another man also claimed the singer punched him in the eye during the incident. Songz turned himself in to police a few weeks later.

Trey’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, tells TMZ, “We appreciate the New York law enforcement and the District Attorney's office for their comprehensive investigation and careful consideration of all evidence, which ultimately confirmed what we had known all along and resulted in the District Attorney’s office choosing not to pursue any of the original charges against our client.”