Music

Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri have officially buried the hatchet, after going over a year without speaking.

The playful reunion took place over the weekend in Vegas at the 'Lovers & Friends' festival and on Monday, Bow Weezy told the world he began following his So So Def Records mentor once again!!!

Bow gave JD a playful shove as their respective entourages teased them about the PDA, giving the longtime fans who hated seeing them apart a sigh of relief at the same time.

Neither artist pinpointed a clear reason for their deflection other than the need for Bow to "be his own man" ... but things were sour for a while. Most notably, Bow claimed Snoop deserved the most credit for his career ... a swipe that fans didn't believe and even the D-O-GG himself didn't cop to it!!!

Diddy was recently caught in 4K strategizing his upcoming Verzuz battle against Jermaine Dupri and turns out it was just that ... STRATEGY, as no such event has been finalized or confirmed, TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The Bad Boy Records mogul was chatting it up backstage with Busta Rhymes and Fabolous in Miami on Friday for a special AMEX event ... when he began to speak on his Verzuz wishlist to have the face-off with JD in his backyard of Madison Square Garden in September.

Diddy then leaned over to Busta with hopes of having him pull an outlandish stunt by leaping from the rafters. The irony he told Busta this as their classic collab "Victory" was blaring in the background shouldn't be lost on anyone!!!

The internet ran with the autumn date, these guys have been dangling the carrot to fans for over a year ... but multiple sources connected to the situation relay to TMZ Hip Hop that no Verzuz has been scheduled for now or in the future.

The clip of Diddy speaking to Busta and Fab also appears to be taken out of context as the convo began midway. Which is why it pays not to take everything you see on the internet for face value, kids!!!

Francia Raisa says she's been on the receiving end of some serious bullying since speaking out on her broken relationship with Selena Gomez after donating her kidney to the singer.

We got the "How I Met Your Father" star out in Studio City Saturday who shared some of the vile comments she's gotten in the wake of her interview where she dodged questions about Selena ... yet sort of threw shade at the same time.

Francia says things have gotten so bad, she's now suffering mentally. She tells us one of the most hurtful comments she's gotten was, "I hope someone goes up your p***y and rips out your other kidney you f***ing whore." So yeah, things have gotten pretty intense.

The two former childhood actors go way back, getting super close through the years ... Francia donated her kidney to Selena in 2017 after hers failed due to her battle with lupus.

Things went south when SG later told an interviewer the only person she was close to in Hollywood was Taylor Swift. Of course, this didn't sit right with FR who unfollowed Selena and the two haven't gotten on the same page since.

Francia says getting bullied by Selena's fan base doesn't make any sense ... especially since Selena's been a huge advocate against this kind of behavior.

Lil Durk is all set to drop his new album "Almost Healed" on Friday, a therapeutic journey he says that couldn't have happened without the love of his family.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Durk out in Beverly Hills and asked about the clinical connotation of the project's title.

The Chicago rap star has endured some heavy times ... his brother OTF DThang and artist King Von were both killed by gun violence in recent years.

However, Durk tells us that his kids and girlfriend India Royale — who he affectionately refers to as his "wife" — have been his rock throughout it all and got him to the brink of a full recovery.

Durk also publicly feuded with NBA YoungBoy's camp following King Von's death ... with Akademiks recently reporting a truce on that beef, claiming to have integral knowledge.

We asked Durk about squashing things with YoungBoy and it was like he got hit with a neuralyzer from 'MIB' ... he had no clue who we were talking about!!!

He did, however, make sure to shout out his "Broadway Girls" collaborator Morgan Wallen.

Joe Budden may be considered to have the top hip hop podcast, but he's not above throwing shots ... just ask Gillie Da Kid.

On the latest "Joe Budden Podcast" episode, Joe questioned Gillie's alleged big money contract for his "Million Dollaz Worth Of Game" pod by taking a shot at his living quarters, quipping, "Your headboard is covering a very small window in your primary bedroom ... I can tell it’s not like that!!!"

DJ Akademiks shared the Budden snipe with a clip soundtracked by Rick Ross' aggressive track "I'm Not a Star" and several gunshot sounds to increase the dramatic effect.

Gillie took the bait and barked back at Budden ... echoing Vivica A. Fox's disses about wife-beating but says he's refusing to escalate things until JBP reaches MDWOG's bank status.

Budden seemed content with getting under Gillie's skin, if not for anything, bringing more attention to his platform.

Complex recently bestowed a #1 hip hop media ranking on Joe Budden's — with Gillie and Wallo coming in at #4.

All signs are pointing towards Matty Healy and Taylor Swift bein' more than just a couple of singers ... because The 1975 frontman took in all 3 of her shows over the weekend, making fans more and more convinced the 2 are an item after all.

Here's the deal ... Matty was spotted once again Sunday at Taylor's Eras Tour concert in Nashville -- grooving along to her hits in a private area with some other folks.

As we reported, he was also seen Friday and Saturday, where one of the nights he put on a seemingly impromptu performance with TS' opener, Phoebe Bridgers -- and even with a group of ladies including Gigi Hadid crowded around him, he's still got all eyes on Taylor.

Of course, this all comes after heavy rumors the 2 are an item ... and if Matty's 3-peat wasn't enough, they were even seen in the same car after Saturday's show, sharing the back seats together. 👀

Some might say he's just one artist supporting another, but come on -- the writing's on the walls!

Chris Brown is finally speaking out about his hectic weekend -- but he's only taking aim at one confrontation he's said to have been involved in ... and not the big one with Usher.

The singer publicly commented on an IG post that was reporting on his face-off from Saturday night, where he was in the middle of what appeared to be a scuffle on the verge of breaking out backstage during Missy Elliott's set at the 'Lovers & Friends' festival in Vegas.

He writes in no unclear terms, "yall been geeked all weekend, y'all dragging it now. It was mad people backstage and security was trying to clear everyone off the stage. People started pushing back.. I INTERVENED To let them know MY CHILD WAS BACK THERE."

CB adds, "So y'all can keep ya narrative."

Of course, he's referring to the video that surfaced Sunday which showed him in the mix. There was no overt violence in the clip -- but considering what had apparently happened just the night before on his birthday ... it was certainly cause for concern.

It goes without saying ... we're referring to the alleged brawl that occurred between him and Usher -- which eyewitnesses have told us did, in fact, go down out in the lot of a skating rink ... where CB's 34th bday bash was being held, and which eventually turned sour.

It's interesting Chris isn't addressing the elephant in the room head-on, which is telling considering the speculation has been at an all-time high all weekend. If there was truly nothing to what's been said to have happened, you would think he'd deny that too.

He didn't, though ... and only wanted to put out the fire on this second incident.

Funny enough, you could argue that both Usher and Teyana Taylor -- who were also at the center of Friday night's purported brouhaha -- have been trying to stamp out this story as well on behalf of Chris ... albeit, quietly and with more signals than actual words.

Usher, for example, made sure to hop on social media Saturday ahead of his set to show that he was just fine ... and that everything, at least on its face, was happy-go-lucky.

There's also the video of Teyana herself dancing during Usher's performance Saturday, where she's getting down to his cover of one of Chris's famous songs. Again ... all subliminal.

Ginuwine can't hop on the pony like he used to ... the R&B vet took a pretty nasty tumble while performing at 'Lovers & Friends' this past weekend!!!

It appears Ginuwine was attempting to get closer to his adoring fans while performing his classic love ballad "In Those Jeans."

Ginuwine attempted to jump between the stage and a platform but completely underestimated the distance and completely flopped off the stage ... and almost pulled the sign language interpreter down in the process.

The scene is pretty comical, all things considered. As the stage personnel and the cameraman rushed to G's side, the song kept playing across the speakers and the interpreter kept doing his job.

They say the show must go on -- which is exactly what Ginuwine told his fans following the show ... as he poked fun at himself by singing Donnie McClurkin's "We Fall Down."

King Charles had a lot on his plate this weekend leading up to and following his Coronation, so it made it all the more shocking he popped up on "American Idol."

The King and Queen Camilla joined hosts Lionel Richie and Katy Perry Sunday night as they live streamed from Windsor Castle... right after Lionel and Katy's Royal performance..

Katy and Lionel, both judges on the show, kicked things off by recapping the weekend and the concert ... Lionel coyly said, "What a party, it was unbelievable. Now we are trying to figure out what we can do to bring something different to the show. So, I have a surprise."

Charles and Camilla both popped up on stage ... with huge smiles on their faces.

Charles said, "I just wanted to check how long you will be using this room for. I just wanted to check." Lionel's response ... "We have to give up the room up right away."

The appearance comes after Charles and Camilla watched LR and KP perform their hit songs from the royal box during the star-studded Coronation concert, which wrapped up the big weekend.

Of course, the events were centered around Saturday's Coronation ... watched by millions around the world.

Distraught Juice WRLD fans can take comfort ... plans for a new mural honoring him are already coming together after the original was abruptly removed from its Chicago site.

Peter Jideonwo, manager to the late "Lucid Dreams" rapper, tells TMZ Hip Hop that he and the family still have no clue who painted over the mural, which had become a beloved cultural landmark.

Thousands of fans flew to the windy city to see the original piece since its intro back in 2020 ... honoring Juice after his December 2019 death from a drug overdose.

The art piece cost the 999 Squad $50K to enlist artist Corey Pane.

No one has taken ownership of clearing the mural and the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation even conducted a paint test to prove it had nothing to do with it.

The city agency tells us there are protocols in place for artists to register, and to be notified when their graffiti is slated to be removed as well.

Although they're still in the early planning stages, Peter tells us he and the rest of Juice’s team are not only plotting how the new installation can be a better piece, but also one that withstands vandals or accidents going forward.

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy have been in one another's vicinity a lot this weekend -- and now, we're seeing them in the same whip for the first time amid their rumored romance.

In new photos, obtained by the Daily Mail, TS and MH were photographed in the backseat of an SUV that was driving both of them ... apparently, back to her condo in Nashville very early Sunday morning. You can't see too much, but you can certainly make 'em out.

Matty's turning to look at Taylor, who's sitting next to him. Unclear if there's someone else sitting behind them -- but in any case, they're sharing a space back there with their driver up front. No PDA from what we can see ... besides deep stares into each other's eyes.

If they were, in fact, arriving at her Nashville HQ this late at night (around 12:30 AM) as suggested -- ya gotta figure Matty might've spent the night.

BTW, this was taken after her 2nd show of the weekend in Nashville ... where Matty actually performed alongside Tay's opener, Phoebe Bridgers on the fly. His appearance on stage Saturday wasn't previously announced, and came as a surprise to many ... just more evidence he's sorta lingering around, it seems, and ready to hop in at a moment's notice.

Mind you, the dude's not in Taylor's official lineup of openers at all, and has no real reason to be there for his own purposes -- seeing how he doesn't have 1975 shows until June.

Remember, he was spotted in the crowd on Friday ... this on the heels of a report by The Sun that claimed they were head over heels in love and have been dating for 2 months.

Even more videos surfaced of him jamming out to Taylor's set on Saturday too, and now that they seem to be cool with being pictured in the same frame -- which they could've easily avoided -- it would appear to be a sign that they may, in fact, be a thing after all.

Meghan Markle was a no-show at her father-in-law's Coronation this weekend -- but she did attend Mother Nature's daily offering of sunshine and blue skies ... some 5,000+ miles away.

The Duchess of Sussex surfaced in public Sunday -- the first time we've seen her out amid all the chatter about her absence during King Charles' crowning ceremony and all the festivities preceding and following it. Here, she's on a hike with friends ... sans Prince Harry.

Indeed, her husband was nowhere to be seen in this rare outing near their Montecito home -- one in which Meg appeared to be getting some exercise with just a couple of longtime close pals ... Markus Anderson and Heather Dorak, both of whom she's known for years.

As you can see, MM looks pretty chipper. She's got on quite the outdoorsy getup -- wearing all-black athletic wear, sunglasses, a scarf and wide-brimmed hat. Very fashionable!

Of course, her vibe here is ... well, just living life. No sign of concern or worry about having missed the big shindig -- just her and her crew doing their thing outside and laughing it up. It's interesting that Harry isn't with her here -- but, he did have a long flight home yesterday.

You'll recall ... he hightailed it out of London pretty much as soon as his pops had his crown on, beelining it to the airport to get back to Cali in hopes of catching some of Archie's bday.

It's likely dad was pooped and might've been catching some shut-eye after a marathon day.

The Coronation of King Charles might be done, but the party's just getting started ... because a massive concert with Lionel Richie and Katy Perry is about to kick off!

The big Coronation Concert, streamed by BBC, is almost underway ... other than the 2 "American Idol" hosts puttin' on a show, it's going to be a packed lineup -- with names like Andrea Bocelli, Steve Winwood, Nicole Scherzinger, and British group Take That jumping on stage.

The event supposedly is featuring prerecorded sketches with big names, too ... like Tom Cruise, Bear Grylls, and Joan Collins.

Winnie the Pooh's even making an appearance -- no doubt matching the same energy from Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Party when she had tea with Paddington.

As we reported, the big bash comes after Saturday's Coronation, which was observed by millions of folks ... whether they were right outside those Westminster doors or halfway across the globe.

Some members of the royal fam had some parts to play throughout the ceremony ... like Prince William, who pledged allegiance once Charles was crowned. 9-year-old Prince George had some big responsibilities, too -- taking on the role of one of the Kings' 4 Pages.

Superfans even camped out ahead of yesterday's festivities, rocking some pretty awesome garbs in support of the big day. While there are certainly a lot of Brits out in support of their King this weekend -- one person who is noticeably absent is Prince Harry ... who made a very brief appearance during Saturday's coronation ceremony, only to bounce soon after.

Like we reported ... the dude was relegated to the cheap seats, and didn't have any major role in it whatsoever. He didn't even get to wear his military uniform, despite having served for Britain. Instead, he was in and out ... showing face, and skedaddling almost as quickly as he came. Reports say Harry wanted to make it back to L.A. to celebrate his kid's birthday.

No matter ... the show must go on regardless, and the performers are about to hit the stage.

Buckle up, we're sure to be guaranteed a solid few hours of music!

Chris Brown was caught on camera in yet another confrontation -- this, apparently, just a day after his dust-up with Usher ... part of which was also captured on video.

New footage circulating online appears to show Chris aggressively trying to reach somebody across from him in what looks to be the backstage area of a venue. Per several blog accounts, this was purportedly taken during Missy Elliott's set Saturday night in Vegas.

No details are out yet about this -- including what led up to it, or who Chris may have been beefing with. We're working to confirm what exactly was going on here -- however, on its face -- it doesn't look good for CB ... who was just in this exact type of sitch 24 hours earlier.

Fortunately, based on what we can see in the video ... it would seem cooler heads prevailed here, and nothing truly violent went down. It's unclear if this had to do with Usher or not.

Speaking of him, Usher was clearly trying to telegraph a different narrative than what we'd been told about the skating rink birthday bash thrown for Chris the night prior -- which allegedly turned brutal for Mr. Raymond, according to eyewitnesses we've spoken with.

He looked totally fine last night, though, and was making sure to show off his face and the fact he appeared uninjured. Chris even came and did his set as well ... with no sign of trouble on stage, or any mention of the alleged brawl that's said to have occurred.

Here's the thing ... we know Chris was pissed off on Friday night, and now -- he once again seems to be pissed here. So, despite their best efforts -- there's obviously friction in the air.

Usher and co. appear to be engaged in a nothing-to-see-here act -- but at some point, you gotta figure they might have to address this straight up ... because the rumors are flying, and there's irrefutable video evidence of Chris acting up and coming across as belligerent.

Luckily, despite the apparent drama behind the scenes, it sounds like 'Lovers & Friends' was a success and went off without a hitch. And, if nobody comments on this any further going forward -- perhaps it's safe to assume they've dealt with it privately/are moving on.

Here's hoping that's actually the case ... 'cause Chris and Usher are known to be boys.

Usher took the stage Saturday night at the "Lovers & Friends" music festival, after a physical confrontation with Chris Brown Friday night that left him bleeding.

Here's the thing ... Chris performed right before Usher, and never made reference to the fight.

As we reported, the confrontation went down at a roller rink party, after Usher and Chris got into a heated confrontation that turned physical. TMZ obtained video of the lead up to the fight.

Thing is ... Usher and Chris were super close, and the party was to celebrate Chris's 34th birthday with lots of celebs on hand.

As we reported, the fight was over Chris' scrapped AMAs performance last year -- when he was set to do an MJ tribute, which as 86'd at the last minute. As for what led up to the fight ... Teyana Taylor, who was at the party, was being confronted by Chris because he blames her for his canceled MJ tribute.

Chris demanded that Usher show her the door, and things escalated quickly.

Bad Bunny impressed Kendall Jenner in addition to millions of wrestling fans Saturday night, after defeating Damian Priest in a featured event.

BB made his grand entrance to his 2017 hit, "Chambea," as fans sang along.

The show went down in Bad Bunny's OG stomping ground ... Puerto Rico.

Kendall's BF is on a roll ... he defeated The Miz in a tag team match at WrestleMania 37.

It's kinda interesting ... both Bad Bunny and Priest are from Puerto Rico, but the crowd was squarely on BB's side.