Music

Britney Spears says NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama is simply wrong when he says she "grabbed" him from behind ... she insists it was simply a friendly tap.

Britney is responding to the story TMZ broke early Thursday ... that the head of Victor's security backhanded her in the face outside Catch restaurant in Vegas. The account she just posted on social media aligns with what she told the police.

Britney says, "I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again." That hotel is Aria.

She goes on to describe the encounter ... "I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success.  It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention."

Now the dispute ... "I am aware the players statement where he mentions 'I grabbed him from behind' but I simply tapped him on the shoulder."

As for the slap, she says "His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of the crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face."

Britney adds she herself was "swarmed" by around 20 fans on her way into Aria, noting, "My security team didn't hit any of them."

As we reported, Victor spoke with reporters -- including KENS 5 reporter Nate Ryan -- after practice Thursday to detail his side of how things went down.

Britney says, "“I also don’t appreciate nor do I thin this is a laughing matter. Watching the player smile and laugh was cruel and demoralizing with the situation that took place. I am 5’3 and he’s 7’4…”

Sources close to Britney tell us she hasn't yet heard from Victor's team and she's pissed about it ... thinking someone would've at least reached out to apologize.

TMZ spoke to an eyewitness who says he not only saw the head of security slap Britney, he heard the impact.  He also says Britney was furious, screaming "This is f****** America."

As we reported, Metro PD has launched a criminal investigation and interviewed Britney this morning at her hotel. We're told the case will "likely" be referred to the D.A. for review.

Drake took a shot at Childish Gambino during the opening night of his "It's All a Blur" tour, which, for all intents and purposes could be considered a long-delayed clap back!!!

CG previously admitted his Grammy Award-winning track "This Is America" was originally framed as a Drake diss before he turned it into a protest anthem, and Drizzy didn't let that slide.

Fans combing through Wednesday night's concert footage from inside Chicago's United Center discovered Drake emblazoned the side of the stage with the message ... "The overrated and over-awarded hit song ‘This Is America’ was originally a Drake diss record."

Drake's sub was definitely intentional, the CG-targeting caption went up as he performed his 2011 hit "Headlines" ... a track that outlines how he's always the center of news.

Night one was definitely one Drake Stans will remember for ages. 21 Savage also took the stage and the Canadian rapper debuted holograms of himself and the late Virgil Abloh ... and also got pelted by a cell phone.

Victor Wembanyama says Britney Spears didn't just tap him on the shoulder before a security guard put his hand on her on Wednesday night ... the NBA star says she full-on "grabbed me from behind" -- sparking the intense scene.

The San Antonio Spurs' top pick explained his side of the situation to KENS 5 reporter Nate Ryan shortly after a workout on Thursday afternoon ... saying it all went down as he was walking into Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas.

Wembanyama -- the most touted basketball prospect since LeBron James -- said there were a lot of people in the hallway near the eatery calling for him ... but he was instructed not to stop in order to avoid creating a chaotic scene.

One woman, though, kept asking for him ... before she ran up to him and put her arms around him.

He later learned that person was Spears.

"I didn't see what happened, because I was walking straight and we were told, 'Don't stop,'" Wembanyama said. "But that person grabbed me from behind -- not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind -- and so I just know the security pushed her away."

"I don't know with how much force, though. But security pushed her away. I didn't stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner."

Wembanyama said he didn't know the woman was Spears until "a couple hours later" because he never saw her face.

"At first I was like, 'No, you're joking,'" he said. "But, yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears."

Spears' husband, Sam Asghari, also addressed his side of the incident in a pair of Instagram posts Thursday afternoon ... chastising Wembanyama's security guard for getting physical with the singer during the incident.

"The violent behavior of an out-of-control security guard should not cast a shadow on the accomplishment of a great young man on the rise @wemby," he said. "The blame should fall on the coward who did this, the people who hired him without proper vetting, and a systemic culture of disregard for women within sports and entertainment."

Sam went on to say he believed Spears was "physically assaulted," and he demanded to see changes "come from the top."

"And I look forward to those changes," he said.

50 Cent's 'Power Book II' and "BMF" cast members have been enjoying a healthy rivalry, but to hear Gianni Paolo tell it ... Lil Meech needs the back-and-forth way more than he does.

TMZ Hip Hop recently linked up with the real-life Brayden Weston rocking his G-G-G-Unit gear out in West Hollywood ... and he assures us he enjoys the constant mudslinging between sets but says it really only benefits 'BMF's juice.

Last week, Meech and the "BMF" crew stunted on Gianni and the rest of the 'Power' cast by posting in a private jet they say 50 got exclusively for their travels.

As you know, "BMF" is the autobiographical tale of ex-drug kingpins Demetrius and Terry Flenory ... and Gianni thinks the show is staring its expiration date in the face, despite 50's wish for both shows to go for at least 6 seasons each!!!

Gianni tells us he's proud Meech was able to escape the nepo-baby tag but thinks 'Power II' will go the distance on-air.

Switching gears to his love life, Gianni says he'll only enter a relationship if it's with one Coi Leray ... which might be a one-sided dream for now.

Gianni says he slid into Coi's DMs -- instantly jumping to the topic of marriage, and was left on read for his troubles.

An eyewitness to the Britney Spears slap at the hands of security for NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama tells TMZ ... he clearly struck her and she was furious.

Brian Grajales, a Canadian who was outside Catch restaurant Wednesday night says he saw Britney approach Victor's entourage, clearly wanting to take a photo with him.

Brian says she "infiltrated" her way into his circle, leaned in, and in a British accent, said, "Excuse me, sir ... excuse me, sir." She then touched Victor's back, and that's when he says the head of Victor's security backhanded her right in the face.

One law enforcement source told TMZ, the security guy hit Britney's hand and her hand then hit her face, but Brian squarely disputes that. He says the security guy struck her.

Brian says Britney's sunglasses flew off, but he doesn't recall if she fell, but there was a lot of commotion.

He says Victor walked into the restaurant, and, in a British accent, Britney screamed, "This is f**king America!!!"

As we reported, the Metro PD is conducting a criminal investigation, they went to interview Britney this morning, and we're told the case will "likely" be sent to the D.A. for review.

We've now gotten photos showing Britney Spears and Victor Wembanyama headed toward the restaurant's entrance.

You can see Spears come up from behind the young NBA star -- and from there, a witness said she tried to tap him on the shoulder, which led to things getting physical with security.

We just received contrary information about the police investigation from a source high up in the Metro PD. Our source says this is indeed a criminal investigation and they are taking the incident "as serious as a heart attack." The source adds the case will "likely" be referred to the D.A., although that does not mean criminal charges will be filed.

We're told Vegas police brass will be meeting face-to-face with Britney this morning to discuss the incident.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the cops who responded to ARIA reviewed security camera footage showing Smith push Britney's hand away ... and then her hand, not Smith's, struck her face. Cops did not address the velocity of the force of the swing.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the man listed on the police report as the one who slapped Britney is Damian Smith, the Director of Team Security for the Spurs. Our sources say it is not being handled as a criminal matter, because cops determined Smith was not trying to hurt Britney but rather defend Victor Wembanyama.

Britney Spears was allegedly assaulted Wednesday night in Vegas, after a member of NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama's security backhanded her in the face, and she has filed a police report.

The incident went down at Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel around 8:30 PM. Britney, along with her husband, Sam Asghari, and 2 others went to the restaurant for dinner. She was swarmed by fans as she entered the casino.

Britney and co. walked over to Catch, and as they were entering the restaurant, Britney spotted Victor. We're told she's a fan and went over to him to ask if they could take a photo together. She tapped him on his back, right shoulder and, we're told the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs -- the team that drafted Victor last month -- instantly backhanded her, causing her to fall to the ground ... knocking her glasses off.

Britney composed herself and went to her table. We're told the security guy came over to the table and apologized. He said, "You understand how it is when you're being swarmed by fans." He apologized and Britney accepted it. BTW, we're told he also said when he slapped her he didn't know who she was.

Britney's security team spent time with Victor's security guy, and afterward her team filed a police report with the Metropolitan Police Dept. alleging battery.

Originally Published -- 7:35 AM PT

Druski thought his Coulda Been Records label was set to get a boost after taking an IG meeting with Birdman ... but their one-on-one left him thinking otherwise.

The Cash Money Records head honcho didn't appear to be in character when he turned the tables on Druski, accusing him of toeing the copyright infringement line with his CBR imprint, which Birdman says sounds too close to the Cash Money Brothers slogan of "CMB."

The logo similarities are also too sus for the mogul's liking.

The comedian attempted to plead his case by name-dropping Lil Wayne and Drake, but didn't sound like he was sticking to a script as he stammered in Birdman's stone face.

Birdman lightened the mood a bit when he referenced his infamous Breakfast Club interview, and told Druski to put some "respek" on his name ... but also made an offer it doesn't sound like Druski has the option to refuse.

Birdman proposed for Cash Money Records to be Coulda Been's owner and financier in exchange for Druski's elevation.

The rapper also sent a stern warning to Kevin Hart for unspecified issues ... and promised to deliver him the smoke in due time.

Drake's just one show into his extensive "It's All a Blur" Tour, and he's already dealing with the flying cell phone trend -- one pelted him in the wrist mid-performance.

The Certified Lover Boy was serenading the crowd Wednesday night in Chicago with his own rendition of Ginuwine's "So Anxious" ... when he was assaulted with the phone. It hit his left wrist, but he just watched it land on the ground, and was definitely not injured.

Confused fans in the audience wondered what they had just witnessed, but Drake couldn't be sidetracked from his mission ... he never made a big deal about the phone, and simply continued crooning for the crowd.

The phone wasn't part of the plan, but Drake did have plenty of props onstage ... life-sized tributes to both Virgil Abloh and the fertilization of life!!!

Social media has inspired concertgoers to throw phones at performers in hopes of getting an exclusive video, but the movement has resulted in disaster -- ask Bebe Rexha, who's just healing from facial injuries suffered last month when a fan hurled a phone at her head.

Stars like Adele have vowed to strike back if phones fly their way, and we just got Jason Derulo's take on the subject, who'd be proud of Drake's reaction ... because he thinks artists shouldn't take pics with devices thrown onstage.

Taylor Swift's dad apparently knew there were some important happenings taking place concerning Big Machine Label Group just days before his daughter's catalog was sold to Scooter Braun.

In an email, obtained by TMZ, Scott Swift provides help into a "data room" for Ithaca -- the company that purchased BMLG (and Taylor's music) for $330 million. The timing of the email -- June 26, 2019 -- is interesting considering the company sale happened just a couple days later. DailyMail was first to break the news of the new details.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the data room was used to include info about upcoming deals and happenings within the company -- and would have almost certainly included info about the $330M sale.

As we reported, Taylor has maintained she didn't know the sale was even happening until it was finalized and made public. Scott Swift has said he did not participate in any shareholder calls about the sale because they were under strict NDA, and he didn't want to know anything that might jeopardize his daughter's career.

We've also seen a copy of that NDA, which appeared to be standard in its guidelines.

However, Big Machine's CEO Scott Borchetta released a statement shortly after Taylor said she'd been left in the dark, calling Scott out ... "I guess it might somehow be possible that her dad Scott, 13 Management lawyer Jay Schaudies (who represented Scott Swift on the shareholder calls) ... didn't say anything to Taylor over the prior 5 days."

BTW ... Jay still works on Taylor's management team to this day.

We also reported Scott Swift cashed in to the tune of $15 million on the catalog sale as he owned a percentage of Big Machine when it was sold.

A source close to Taylor tells us, "In 2020, the ability to evaluate any opportunity for Taylor to purchase her catalog was conditioned on signing a gag order NDA prohibiting her from ever speaking the truth about Scooter and the situation. Taylor has completely moved on from this saga, and has turned what started out as an extremely painful situation into one of the most fulfilling creative endeavors of her life."

However, our Scooter sources dispute the part about the NDA and gag order ... telling such an order just doesn't exist.

The Taylor source continues, "She re-recorded 3 albums and has 3 more to go. She’s looking forward to the release of her new album tonight."

A recent viral video accusing Colleen Ballinger of wearing blackface and performing "Single Ladies" has it all wrong ... and new footage lays out exactly what happened.

The clip shot back in 2009, made rounds Wednesday ... showing the popular Youtuber and two men performing the Beyoncé classic. Ballinger appeared to be in blackface during the number ... and was slammed on social media as a racist.

However, new video -- obtained by TMZ -- shows a different perspective. Prior to "Single Ladies," Colleen performed a song from the musical "Wicked" with Oliver Tompsett, one of the musical's stars.

Colleen wore green face paint for the tune with Tompsett -- like the Wicked Witch of the West -- and went into "Single Ladies" immediately after the song wrapped.

The sequence of back-to-back songs left zero time for Colleen to wipe off the green paint, resulting in the now-viral video accusing her of wearing blackface for "Single Ladies."

As we reported ... Colleen's under fire for what many have considered inappropriate behavior toward minors as well as racism.

Drake kicked off his "It's All a Blur" tour in Chicago last night with no shortage of stage flair, including a moment where he spits his new poetry alongside a hologram of his younger self.

The megastar rapper lit up the United Center opening with his emotional “Look What You’ve Done" record as younger Drizzy bobbed his head wearing a Chicago Cubs' jersey.

Drake blitzed through 48 songs before the night's end and used various stage props to highlight the hit records ... paying tribute to the city's late hometown hero Virgil Abloh with a life-sized hologram of the fashion pioneer who passed away in November 2021.

The "certified lover boy" also reminded the crowd where babies come from while performing alongside a giant sperm cell.

Ghostface from the iconic "Scream" series also made a cameo, as did 21 Savage, who's co-headlining the shindig.

Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef are calling it quits after 6 years of marriage.

The Puerto Rican pop star and Jwan announced they're getting a divorce in a joint statement Thursday.

They wrote, "We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children and honoring what we have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years."

They went on ... "Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered on peace and friendship to continue the joint upbringing of our children, preserving the respect and love we have for each other."

The now-separated couple shares two young children, daughter Lucia and son Renn. Ricky also has two twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, both of whom he'll continue to raise as a single parent. All four kids were born via surrogates.

Ricky and Jwan first connected on Instagram in 2015 and six months later they began dating after meeting in London. They formally came out as partners on the red carpet at the 2016 amFAR Inspiration Gala and got engaged that same year. Two years later, they tied the knot.

Journey's co-founding guitarist, George Tickner, is dead ... according to his former bandmate, Neal Schon.

Schon, Journey's longtime lead guitarist, announced Tickner's passing Thursday with a social media post saying, "Journey Junkies, I have some very sad news. George Tickner, Journey’s original rhythm guitarist and songwriting contributor on their first three albums, has passed away."

He added, "Our condolences to his family and friends, and to all past and present band members. So heartbreaking. I think we need to do a group hug."

Tickner was the original rhythm guitarist, when he formed Journey in 1973 ... along with Schon and bassist Ross Valory.

Interestingly, he bowed out of the band in 1975 -- before they became hitmakers, selling more than 100 million records -- because he wanted to pursue a career in medicine, and he was serious about it. George earned a scholarship to attend Stanford Medical School.

He never fully gave up on music, though ... he was reportedly writing and doing local performances as a hobby.

George rejoined his Journey bandmates -- and subsequent members like Steve Perry -- back in 2005 when the group got its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That's him rocking that sweet handlebar mustache.

Prior to Journey, George was a member of Frumious Bandersnatch, a psychedelic rock band formed in Berkeley in the late '60s.

Neal's post didn't mention a cause of death. George was 76.

Trinidad James is a big fan of Drake getting a fresh coat of pink for his fingernails before heading out on tour -- and he's offering to help take Drizzy's manicure to the next level.

We got the "All Gold Everything" rapper Wednesday at LAX, and asked him about Drake's unveiling of his new look.

Trinidad's been getting his nails painted and bejeweled for years ... and he's thrilled to see another mainstream artist like Drake joining the ranks. We've seen Lil Yachty and Machine Gun Kelly do their nails, but Drake's the biggest hitmaker to jump on the wave.

The way TJ sees it ... there's a gender stigma around manicures, and he says it's good for Drake to break out of the box.

As we reported, Drake showed off his pink nails Monday on social media ... right before starting his highly anticipated tour with 21 Savage.

Get this ... Trinidad says some of his nail sets cost $7,000 and he gets his nails done 4 times a month. We're confident the cost wouldn't scare off Champagne Papi if he were inclined to do that kinda upkeep.

It finally happened ... after months of trying to link up, Lil Wayne got to meet LSU hoops star Flau'jae Johnson -- and now, TMZ Sports has learned the two are getting to work on a rap collab!!

The "A Milli" spitter and the Tigers guard got to see each other face-to-face for the first time in New Orleans on Sunday ... after Weezy's surprise performance at the ESSENCE Festival.

The two shared a big hug backstage ... and then they posed for a couple pics. They got to exchange some quick words too -- before Wayne had to get to his other obligations.

But, sources close to Weezy tell us following their connection ... they've now put the wheels in motion on a new song -- with plans to get things started on it ASAP.

Of course, Wayne has been trying to get this all going since April ... when he said on ESPN during the women's NCAA tournament that he wanted to connect with Johnson -- an aspiring rapper who's signed to Roc Nation.

At the time, Johnson was stoked about the Wayne shoutout ... tweeting, "Imagine Winning A National Championship Your FRESHMAN Year! Then Getting A Lil Wayne Feature Right After ??! What is life."

Before this Los Angeles native in her ladybug outfit was acting in movies like 'Scooby-Doo' and "Lemonade Mouth," she was just enjoying her summer popsicles, becoming a child star and leading her high school's step team.

Before releasing (just one) of her hits -- "Girls Like Girls" in 2015, her singing career started back in well over a decade ago when she joined the all-girl group, The Stunners, which consisted of 5 members including Tinashe ... She's a true triple threat!

Need one more hint? She enjoys sharing vacay pics with her girlfriend, "The Bachelor" star Becca Tilley.