Music

The Drake curse may officially be over. The hip-hop superstar hit on two massive bets when the Denver Nuggets secured the 'chip in 5 games, profiting over 800 grand!

The 36-year-old superstar placed two bets on the Denver Nuggets back on June 1, before game 1 was played. The first wager ... risking $1 million on the Nuggets to win the series outright (pays 1.23 mil total). The second ... Drizzy put up $250K on the Nuggets winning the series in 5 games (pays $850K).

All told (assuming Drake isn't holding back any losing tickets), the rapper, minus what he risked, won $830K!

It's a good sign for many of the most popular teams across the sports landscape. Of course, Drake's notorious for rooting for, and betting on teams or athletes ... who have then had a reputation for losing.

Thus, the Drake curse.

The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team fell victim to it, and so did the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Conor McGregor, too (though Khabib probably deserves the credit here).

Not all have fell victim. Drake's beloved Toronto Raptors won the title in 2019, Tyson Fury, who the rapper supported against Deontay Wilder in 2021, also won.

Now, you can add the Nuggets to that list.

Garth Brooks has heard all the noise about him promising to sell Bud Light at his new Nashville bar -- and he's here to put out the fire ... by again vowing BL will be on tap.

The country star hopped on camera Monday to address the "stir" that had been caused by his comments last week -- namely, where he alluded to the fact that he'd be serving the now-controversial Anheuser-Busch brand at his forthcoming Honky Tonk on Broadway.

You'd think his OG remarks were quite clear in his stance -- and, on their face, they certainly were -- but GB wanted to hit the point home further by elaborating on his rationale.

Check out his breakdown on why he's going to sell Bud Light in his establishment -- he says this is all about diversity and inclusiveness, which he wants his business to foster ... and which he says he's always been about as a person. We know, that might be a shocker to folks.

As for those who disagree with him on this issue -- and even those who might choose to boycott his bar -- Garth has a telling response ... hey man, that's okay too. It's a refreshing take.

Now, on top of wanting to host a place where all are welcome ... Garth also says that, as far as his beer selection, it's the people and patrons who actually decide what's going to be served -- and they do so with the use of their dollar. Basically, he says Bud Light is still one of the most popular beers around ... and until it isn't, it's going to have a place there.

Garth's got one final message for anyone who wants to swing by and enjoy themselves -- in short, he says to come in with love and acceptance ... and with an open mind too.

The simplicity in his PSA is actually charming, and it sorta puts this whole "controversy" in perspective. We now live in a time where people are riled up about who's drinking what beer -- and the way Garth explains it, that's all pretty damn silly.

Cheers, y'all...

Put away the celebratory joints ... Snoop Dogg will not be the next owner of the Ottawa Senators after all -- the NHL franchise announced Tuesday it's opted to sell its team to another bidder.

Snoop had been a part of the group that L.A.-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks had put together in an effort to buy the hockey team ... but the Sens revealed they ultimately chose to go with the offer that Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer had made instead.

Reportedly, Andlauer and his backers will fork over right around $1 BILLION for the team as part of the sale.

Snoop has yet to comment on the matter ... but it's no doubt got to be disappointing for the rapper -- you'll recall, back when he initially became a part of Sparks' group, he said in an Instagram post that he desperately wanted the squad.

Andlauer, meanwhile, said Tuesday he was fired up to have beaten out the rest to become the team's next owner.

"I believe that the Senators' fanbase is one of the most passionate in the league," he said, "and I'm excited to take the franchise's success both on and off the ice to the next level."

Woah Vicky is ditching her famous look in an effort to go big in Hollywood ... removing her tattoos as she eyes a career as a model and actress.

The internet star went to Bad Habits Tattoos & Laser Tattoo Removal in Fort Lauderdale last weekend, with owner Liz Chaviano telling us it was the first of many sessions to scrub Woah Vicky's many tattoos.

Vicky is heavily inked ... and we're told she's getting the tattoos on her hands, forearm, shoulder and inner biceps removed.

As for the reason behind the change ... Liz says Woah Vicky is seeking a fresh start in Hollywood, and she wants her body to be a blank canvas as her career evolves. She is hoping this will keep her options open when it comes to roles and opportunities.

Woah Vicky's also got ink on her back, stomach and legs and feet ... but it sounds like those are staying put, at least for now.

Outkast will go down as one of the best hip hop duos in history ... but don't cross your fingers for a reunion cuz Sleepy Brown says the group is done for good.

TMZ Hip Hop caught Mr. Brown out at LAX Monday ... and with the 20th anniversary of Kast's monster album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" approaching, we wanted to see if there's any chance they use that milestone to slip back into the music mix.

The Organized Noize producer laid out the obvious for us ... André 3000's cosmic defection from the group caused their indefinite end, and not even a celebration of one of the only rap projects to win Album of the Year at the Grammys can resurrect the movement.

Sleepy and Big Boi have since joined forces ... releasing their joint album "Big Sleepover" in 2021 and still wooing audiences past with their chart-topping classic "The Way You Move!!!"

Outkast has one of the best catalogs in rap music history as well. When it comes to ranking their albums, Sleepy feels the group's 1998 album "Aquemini" holds the 👑.

The eclectic LP spawned the classic records "Rosa Parks," "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" and was the first album from southern rappers to get a perfect rating in "The Source" magazine back in the day.

American singer and California native Colbie Caillat was in her early 20s when she became a well-known star for her hit tracks like "Bubbly" and "Realize" back in 2007.

During this time, the social media site "Myspace" helped Caillat gain popularity and recognition during her rise to stardom, making her the number one unsigned artist of her genre (Folk Pop) at the time.

Colbie has also collaborated with some of music's hottest stars like Taylor Swift for whom she co-wrote and sang background vocals on the song "Breathe."

"It starts in my toes, and I crinkle my nose..."

Lisa Marie Presley's daughter Riley Keough seems to be getting close to the finish line in her winding journey to take over her mother's trust ... she just needs a stamp of approval from the court.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Riley wants the court to approve the settlement confirming she's the sole trustee of Lisa's trust ... which holds the proceeds of a life insurance policy.

As we previously reported, Riley and her grandmother, Priscilla Presley, recently settled their dispute over who would control Lisa's trust ... agreeing to a settlement where Riley got control and Priscilla got a seven-figure payday.

Riley wants the court to approve the settlement the family agreed to ... which also confirms Lisa's ex-husband, Michael Lockwood, as the guardian ad litem regarding these estate matters for their 14-year-old twin girls.

Remember ... when Elvis Presley's only child died back in January, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes family drama ... with Priscilla and Michael squaring off against Riley.

YNW Melly's career essentially came to an end in 2019 after he was arrested and charged with double homicide ... but his streaming has seen a resurgence as of late.

On Monday, Melly's trial kicked off in Florida's Broward County court, where it was uncovered the 24-year-old rapper had absolutely zero RIAA certifications on his wall at the time of his arrest on February 13, 2019 ... but now has 10 platinum plaques and 6 gold.

Fans have especially been running up the numbers for Melly's more sinister tracks ... "Suicidal" sits at 4x platinum while his signature hit "Murder on My Mind" is fairly close to Diamond status at 6x platinum.

Melly and Kanye West's 2020 collab "Mixed Personalities" is also double platinum.

The Florida rapper, born Jamell Demons, stands accused of gunning down his own friends YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser.

Travis Scott's "Utopia" album recently founds its way into the mix of his new Nike campaign, revamping the Nike Mac Attack kicks worn by John McEnroe during his fiery heyday.

The two longtime Nike ambassadors appeared in a new TV spot Monday to preview the Mac Attacks in their OG colorways of Light Smoke Grey/Black-White. In the accompanying photo shoot, the patented briefcase containing the master copy of "Utopia" can also be spotted.

John's been down with Nike before Travis was actually born ... but Travis has loads of Cactus Jack merch collabs underneath the Swoosh umbrella, so their ties with the brand are both deep-rooted at this point.

"The Idol" star Lily-Rose Depp was spotted giving her girlfriend 070 Shake something to smile about ... having some hands-on fun together in the Big Apple.

LRD and her rapper GF were taking in NYC Sunday, but the busy city wasn't the only thing Shake was focused on -- digging around down Lily-Rose's short, black skirt!

Apart from the grabby embrace, the lovebirds grabbed some lunch at Lure and followed it up with a shopping trip at Balenciaga and The Vintage Twin stores.

For those unaware, Lily-Rose and Shake went Instagram official in May when the actress posted a pic of them kissing on her story, captioning it "4 MONTHS W MY CRUSH."

Since then, they've been spotted smooching at LAX as Lily-Rose returned home from the Cannes Film Festival.

And FYI -- Lily-Rose has been previously linked to the likes of Austin Butler and Timothée Chalamet, while Shake's dated singer Kehlani for about a year.

Usain Bolt's speed certainly isn't limited to the track ... 'cause the Jamaican sprinter flew past his opponents to score an impressive goal in a charity soccer match on Sunday!!

The 8-time Olympic gold medalist ditched his running spikes for some cleats at the Soccer Aid for UNICEF event ... and he wasn't just there to show face -- he balled out!!

Bolt -- fittingly rocking a No. 9.58 jersey to represent his world-record 100-meter dash time -- broke things open 23 minutes into the competition ... zooming past the last line of defense to put the ball in the back of the net for team World XI.

The best part of the highlight came when Bolt celebrated the goal -- first, he did English soccer star Marcus Rashford's signature move ... before switching up to his famous "To Di World" point alongside former French pro Patrice Evra.

Bolt's teammate Tommy Fury was the first to run up and congratulate him ... and it was smooth sailing for their squad the rest of the match, thanks to Robbie Keane's pair of goals.

Former One Direction member Liam Payne wasn't all upset about England's 4-2 loss to World XI ... considering the game raised more than $14 MILLION for the humanitarian organization.

Bolt previously flirted with the idea of playing soccer in the States -- remember, he told us back in 2018 he'd listen to offers from MLS teams if they came with the money.

Anita Baker says she won't stand for another minute of disrespect from Babyface or his rabid fan base ... and wants the R&B king to tell his fans he's not the most royal member on The Songstress Tour!!!

On Monday, Anita ripped into Babyface and a random smattering of his followers on Twitter, continuing her tirade from the day before.

According to Anita, Babyface has been breaching his contract as an opening act by staying onstage past his set time, which cuts into her headlining performance.

Fans lashed out at Anita for not acknowledging Babyface as her equal -- to which she informed him the "Whip Appeal" singer is certainly NOT ... at least as where The Songstress Tour is concerned.

The multi-city event is supposed to be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Anita's debut album ... but things have mostly been boiling in beef.

Back in May, Babyface assured TMZ that he and Anita were cool after his set was cut during the New Jersey show ... and this was after a 2-hour delay.

Cam'ron is telling Ja Morant he's seen hoop dreams deflate ... and doesn't want the embattled NBA superstar to flush his career for being too in love with the streets.

The Diplomats founder was once a top basketball prospect coming outta Harlem in the mid-1990s ... but didn't take his academics seriously and saw his career fizzle after tearing his hamstring at junior college in Texas.

Cam'ron shared pics of his basketball playing days throwing up a gang sign to show Ja how unfocused he was at the time, where he says he got kicked outta college for pistol-whipping someone.

The "Oh Boy" rapper says he's not glorifying his past actions and doesn't want Ja, who's currently awaiting NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's judgment after his latest gun-toting video, to make the same mistake.

Ja should probably listen to Cam, as he's had his own run-ins with NBA Commissioners in the past.

Daphne Barak, the journalist claiming Kevin Federline linked Britney Spears to crystal meth, has come under heavy fire from the former couple ... but she's not backing down, insisting K-Fed made the statement, despite his denial.

A spokesperson for Mail on Sunday tells us Daphne and her team spent months working on a documentary with Kevin, his family and Britney's two sons -- Sean Preston and Jayden.

The rep says, "Daphne Barak has assured us that the quotes attributed to Kevin and the family are accurate and fairly reflect the interviews conducted, in which Kevin expressed his fears that Britney might be using crystal meth to Daphne and to her producer Erbil Gunasti and members of the film crew. He did so clearly and repeatedly."

They continue, "Kevin also made it clear to Daphne that he hoped someone would expose the situation, as he saw it, because that would be the way to get help for Britney."

What's more -- they say they reached out to Britney's reps for comments on the meth allegation ... but got no response.

For his part, Kevin's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan tells us in response, "Mail on Sunday knows no more than what they were told by Daphne. Accurate reporting might mean they accurately took down what Daphne told them but in no way means what Daphne told them was accurate."

TMZ broke the story -- Federline went scorched Earth on The Sun and Daily Mail Sunday after a report claimed he stated about Britney, "I fear she's on meth – I've been praying someone would make it public and that she wakes up ... It's terrifying. She is the mother of my boys."

After the story came out, Kevin told us, "It saddens our family that Daphne Barak and Erbil Gunasti have decided to fabricate lies and publish the heart ache our family has endured, along with the trauma of our minor children."

DC Young Fly spared no expense to celebrate the life of his late partner Jacky Oh! ... as evidenced in the beautiful photos from the mother of three's funeral service.

The celebration of life went down over the weekend in Atlanta, with Jacky getting a grand send-off ... her casket was covered in beautiful flower bouquets, and outside the church DC was surrounded by loved ones as he released a dove into the air.

As you can see, Jacky's casket rode in on a horse-drawn carriage ... and everything was white and gold.

Tons of folks turned out to pay their respects to Jacky ... including friends, family and even a few celebs.

The photos show the full scope of Jacky's funeral ... as we previously reported, video of DC Young Fly's funeral speech featured a powerful message about faith, and in the pics you see him kiss her casket.

TMZ broke the story ... Jacky, a mother of three, died May 31 in Miami at 32 years old and her official cause of death has not yet been announced, though there's speculation swirling online that she was in Miami for a cosmetic procedure.

Looking at the celebration of life here, it's clear Jacky made a huge impact on people's lives.

Rubi Rose's 2021 "TWORK" music video was responsible for the destruction of some very valuable art ... so says the owner of the property next to the rapper's Los Angeles filming location.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a renowned contemporary sculptor named Analia Saban's art studio/creative space is suing Rubi, video directors Jay and Georgio Rodriguez, and her label HitCo, claiming the music video shoot involved a high-pressure fire truck hose that ended up causing major damage to the artist's building and art pieces.

Saban claims you can spot the exact moment above when the water from the fire hose breached Analia's studio ... and says the unwelcome water damaged the building, destroyed valuable art, and caused at least six figures in overall damage.

Hollywood Fire Authority, a Los Angeles-based company that rents firefighter equipment, is also named in the suit ... for allegedly failing to properly train Rubi and the crew on using the equipment. After all, the high-pressured fire hoses aren't exactly toys like water guns!!!

Analia says she has undeniable proof the "TWORK" video wrecked her studio and is suing for at least $300K in damages.