Music

7/22 -- Broward County State Attorney’s office confirmed this week they're gearing up for a retrial, with a hearing set for this Friday.

YNW Melly's years-long double murder case has just ended in dramatic fashion ... he's off the hook, for now, 'cause a judge just declared a mistrial.

The rapper got the good news Saturday in a Broward County courtroom -- where the jury actually came in on a weekend to reaffirm they had not been able to come to a unanimous decision, this after starting deliberations on Thursday ... following closing arguments.

It's one of the wildest hip hop murder cases to happen ... Melly and his co-defendant Cortlen -- aka, YNW Bortlen -- Henry were accused of killing their friends Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “Sakchaser” Williams in South Florida circa October 2018.

Investigators used forensic evidence to argue Melly and Henry fatally shot the pair in the back of a Jeep Compass and staged the scene to look like a drive-by. The killings, at the time, were described as gruesome ... and alleged to have been carried out in cold blood.

Apparently, however, that wasn't enough to sway the jury ... at least not all of them, anyway.

Melly had been locked up since February 2019 while he awaited trial but the time away didn't hurt his rap career. Fans streamed his music faithfully and ran the numbers up ... his discography now has 10 platinum and gold plaques when he had zilch when he was initially arrested for the murders. Remember, he was facing the death penalty ... so high stakes.

Now, Melly's a free man ... that is, assuming prosecutors don't go after him again -- which they certainly can. It's unclear if the state plans to do it all over again ... stay tuned.

Matty Healy kissed a dude onstage during a Malaysian music festival -- in protest, no doubt -- and now ... the whole thing's been scrapped for the rest of the weekend.

The 1975 front man was performing with his band Friday in Kuala Lumpur, as part of the Good Vibes Festival that was running through Sunday. Unfortunately, the rest of the performers who were booked won't be taking the stage because of what went down.

Throughout their set, Matty made it clear he was pretty pissed about the country's anti-LGBT laws -- which have criminalized homosexual acts, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

He ranted on camera ... and the dude ripped the Asian country a new one, while also promising to perform angry songs as a result -- apologizing to the crowd for having to bear the brunt of his rage. He said there were likely gay people in the audience that night.

Eventually, he hit his point home by locking lips with his bassist, Ross McDonald ... launching into a full-blown make-out sesh in front of everyone, which got oohs and ahhs.

It wasn't long after that the 1975 abruptly left the stage ... only to see Matty briefly return to announce what was going on. He said they'd been banned, and that the show was over.

Unfortunately for everyone ... this ended up getting the whole festival nixed, at the behest of the government. The festival organizers issued a statement, laying the blame squarely at Matty's feet, saying ... "We deeply regret to announce that the remaining schedule of the Good Vibes Festival 2023, planned for today and tomorrow has been canceled following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band The 1975."

They add, "This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued ... by the Ministry of Communications and Digital. The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws." The Comms Minister is also quoted as saying they won't take stars "(touching) on the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the traditions and values ​​of the local culture."

Selena Gomez just turned 31 -- and with this turning of the page, the internet's also adorning her with some big alleged news ... namely, that she's almost a billionaire.

The singer is being celebrated left and right on Twitter right now because on Saturday ... she hit the big 3-1. But more than just sending her well-wishes on her special day -- it seems like people are also congratulating her on this huge purported spike in her net worth.

The number being floated is $800 million. The site CelebrityNetWorth.com is the one that's putting this figure out there, citing the sales of her makeup line Rare Beauty as the X factor.

This new (unofficial) inflated net worth seems linked to a recent Bloomberg report, which says Selena's Rare Beauty blush, on its own, generated around $70 mil last year ... while also claiming RB is expected to fetch at least 3x that amount on this one product in 2023.

If true, it would certainly seem to somewhat back this notion that SG's net worth has, indeed, jumped significantly. Last year, her empire was valued at about $95 million, all told.

It also serves as another testament to the success celebs have found in the cosmetics game. Of course, Kylie Jenner herself became a billionaire with her highly profitable brand -- and now, it would appear Selena is following in her footsteps ... and perhaps even catching up!

Speaking of Rare Beauty, Selena shouted them out explicitly in a birthday post. She writes, "I am thankful for so much in my life and one of the things I am most thankful for is the work we’ve been able to do with the Rare Impact Fund through @Rarebeauty. Because of YOU we’ve been able to raise awareness and increase access to mental health services for young people. This is my true passion in life."

She continues, "People keep asking me what I want for my birthday, and I tell everyone the same thing please do not get me anything but if you want to do something for my birthday, please donate to the Rare Impact Fund."

Jamie Foxx has spoken for the first time about a medical emergency that he says was so serious he wasn't sure he was going to make it.

The actor posted a video on Instagram Friday night, emotionally opening up about the suffering he went through and why he kept the specifics about his medical condition under wraps.

Jamie said, “I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back. I went through something that I thought I would never, ever go through.”

As for why he waited so long to talk ... Jamie said he didn't want anyone to see him with tubes coming out of his body, adding, "I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, a television show."

Jamie shut down online rumors he was paralyzed and blind, while acknowledging he went to "hell and back," but is now able to work despite hitting some potholes in his recovery.

He then gave a shout out to his daughter, Corinne, and his sister, Deidra Dixon, for staying by his side throughout his recent health struggles after his family said he suffered a "medical complication" in April and had to be hospitalized, but he was recently released.

Jamie also kinda made a joke about the theory he used a body double a few weeks ago when he was seen in Chicago swinging a golf club and boating on the Chicago River, pretending to show he was the real deal with a 'Face Off" move!

Choking up, Jamie ended his speech by addressing his supporters ... "I just want to say that I love everybody, and I love all the love that I got. I am on my way back.”

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ, Jamie is not fully recovered but you really couldn't tell from watching him over the past few weeks. He's not committing to all his various projects ... some, we're told, he says he's still not up to doing right now.

Machine Gun Kelly went off at the O.C. Fair after a dude decided to indelicately compliment Megan Fox ... according to the brother of the guy MGK swung at.

Nelson Zuniga tells TMZ ... he and his fam were waiting to get on the UFO ride Thursday night, when MGK and Megan stepped off it.

His little brother, Angel, recognized Megan, telling her she was "beautiful as f***' ... which triggered the now-viral ordeal.

Nelson says the comment enraged MGK, who retaliated with a slap. He says his youngest brother tried to punch MGK but missed.

As for Angel's comment about Megan, Nelson says it was a compliment and MGK should have taken it as such.

As we reported, MGK and Megan's security guard swooped in to push Nelson's brothers back, but he accidentally ended up shoving Megan in the process.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is back to dissing his opps -- and he's convinced Kodak Black to join him along for the ride ... and the team up has left Boosie Badazz utterly dejected!!!

The jaw-dropping alliance was unveiled Friday, and marked 6ix9ine's switch from Spanglish rhymes back to hardcore gangsta talk. Kodak makes it clear his loyalty is mostly to money in the opening lines of his verse, as associating with a "snitch" is typically bad for business.

Kodak did appear to show Tekashi some allegiance by dissing his rival Anuel AA with the opening question "How you lose your bitch to a snitch?" ... a reference to the song's other costar, Yailin la Mas Viral, who happens to be Anuel's ex and Tekashi's new flame.

Messy is as messy does but Kodak sees it as one big payday ... it's not like they're not moving weight like Scarface or anything!!!

Wack's been co-managing Tekashi's career as of late and emerged as the track's orchestra ... saluting Atlantic Records and 10K Projects for clearing the record for the streets, and a vape company for funding the entire shebang, very well he adds.

The song still has to prove itself on the charts, but a livid Boosie Badazz hopped on IG Live ahead of its release to diss the entire collab ... but was mainly hurt over Kodak Black's inclusion, as it goes against Boosie's beloved street code.

Boosie says Kodak's now susceptible to becoming gay for working with Tekashi and went on to claim incarcerated Hot Boys rapper B.G. knows secrets about Kodak he's going to spill whenever he gets freed. For crying out loud, Boosie!!!

Waka Flocka Flame's 2010 party-starter cut "No Hands" is officially legendary, after crossing the 10 million sales threshold.

The RIAA delivered the good news Friday ... prompting Wale to shout out Waka and the track's other contributors, Roscoe Dash and producer Drumma Boy, who handled the dynamite beat.

Drumma Boy tells TMZ Hip Hop about the track's creation ... "[The song] felt special and I felt like the conductor. I saw Roscoe in the corner and really one of the only people really locked in rapping to himself. I said what you got bro ... go in the booth!!!"

He continued, "The rest was history … I had just cooked the beat up from scratch in front of 70+ people so it was like I was the DJ and once I got the people rocking, it was a wrap!!!"

"No Hands" dropped on Waka's first album ... not too shabby for a rookie at the time ... and makes for everyone involved's first Diamond award.

Tony Bennett's music will leave a lasting impression in the history of the business, and his death is already hitting home for millions ... with memorials popping up around the U.S.A.

Check out the beautiful flowers laid next to Tony's statue at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The arrangement was reportedly ordered by the hotel itself ... and the building served as the first place Tony ever sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" back in 1961.

Fans also flocked to Tony's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday to pay their respects and leave flowers on his marker ... a common sign after a celeb death on the Walk.

Of course, New York City is also showing love to Tony, there's been a bouquet left on a bench in Central Park -- the same spot Tony posed for a cute pic with his pooch while out on a walk.

As we reported ... Tony died at home in NYC Friday after a several-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. The singer was first diagnosed in 2016 but didn't announce it until 2021 ... he last performed at Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga in 2021.

RIP to a legend.

We've got a brand new look at Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox's dust up at the Orange County Fair ... and it looks like the singer is the one who threw hands first after getting heated.

Check out the latest angle, obtained by TMZ ... right off the bat, things were lookin' tense Thursday night as the couple hopped off the ride, with MGK beelining it to 2 guys standing nearby.

Seems like the dudes must've said something to irk MGK, 'cause almost immediately he swings at them, appearing to nail one guy in the face -- then, the other guy throws a punch back in retaliation, which is when his security gets involved.

As we reported, Megan got caught between the bodyguard and the randos ... getting slammed into a nearby fence before MGK pulled her away from the mess.

Travis Scott is still lugging around his "Utopia" album ... but as the project's release date approaches, the chain once bounding it to his security team has disappeared.

TMZ Hip Hop spotted La Flame walking into iHeartRadio in L.A. Thursday, and you can see his manager David holding the case without the patented handcuffs his security guards have been using to keep the project secure.

Team Cactus Jack's mission that day was clear ... drop off Travis' new collab "K-Pop" to iHeart ... a song of the summer candidate featuring the talents of Bad Bunny and The Weeknd.

The three megastars combine for billions of streams in their own right ... and are clearly looking to corner the "K-Pop" search term on DSPs -- a very smart move!!!

Travis directed the video and links with BB and Abel through plenty of snazzy backdrops ...  as well as SZA for a couple of steamy scenes.

The "Snooze" singer could be helping spice the promo run ... or there could be more than meets the eye, as time will surely reveal.

Lakers star Austin Reaves is shaking off rumors that he dated Taylor Swift ... saying straight up there's never been a love story between him and the pop singer.

The rumor initially cropped up a few weeks ago ... with some on the internet suggesting they had seen the basketball player with Swift while the two were at an Arkansas bar shortly after she had called things off with Matty Healy.

But, when Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson inquired about it all on the latest episode of the "All The Smoke" podcast ... Reaves said it just ain't true.

"I have never met her, never talked to her," the 25-year-old told the guys on the show. It's "all bulls***. I don't know her."

"I ain’t never talked to her," he added.

As for if Reaves would be down to date her at some point in the future ... Jackson actually tried to pry that answer from the hooper, but the media-savvy Reaves didn't want to indulge.

Megan Fox might be bruised after a night out with Machine Gun Kelly at the Orange County Fair -- their bodyguard took down an alleged attacker, and she got caught in the middle.

The couple hit up the fair Thursday and as they were getting off a ride, witnesses say some guy tried to punch MGK. Bad idea when you see the mountain of a man who was protecting them.

The video starts with their bodyguard slamming the guy back into a barricade -- you can see him in white behind Megan ... who, unfortunately, caught some friendly fire. She also got shoved into the fencing during the brief altercation.

MGK was quick to pull his girl out of the mess before all 3 headed out ... but the whole thing certainly drew a lot of attention.

BTW, no better sign that Megan and MGK's relationship is back on solid ground like a trip to the O.C. Fair -- it's a big couples thing in SoCal.

A Boygenius track got some serious praise from former President Barack Obama ... but band member Lucy Dacus isn't thrilled about the shout-out.

"Not Strong Enough" by Lucy's group -- comprised of fellow female artists Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker -- snagged a spot on BO's summer playlist ... but Lucy replied to the news on Twitter Thursday, writing "war criminal :(."

It's unclear why Lucy called the former prez out -- he does annual lists like this with his favorite movies, books, and songs ... and creators are usually over the moon when their work ends with Obama's stamp of approval.

Other folks among the ranks of Boygenius -- according to Obama -- were Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Janelle Monae, Bob Dylan, SZA, Luke Combs, Ice Spice, and Nicki Minaj ... safe to say it's a HUGE compliment.

For what it's worth, Lucy's been pretty outspoken when it comes to politics over the years -- she's shown support for Bernie Sanders in the past, called Donald Trump an "evil, bigoted man," and Boygenius did a Nashville show in drag, protesting anti-drag bills.

The trio used this year's Coachella performance to fight for equality ... with Lucy supporting the safety of transgender children, Phoebe told the crowd, "F*** Ron DeSantis."

Tony Bennett, the legendary singer and songwriter of numerous classic American standards is dead ... according to his publicist

Sylvia Weiner confirmed to the Associated Press that Tony died Friday at his home in New York City. While no cause of death was revealed, Tony had battled Alzheimer's disease ... he first announced his diagnosis in 2016.

Tony set a standard for American crooners with timeless hits like his 1962 classic, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco," and, in the process, earned generations of fans and admirers within the music industry ... from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

He released more than 70 albums over a career that spanned 7 decades and earned him 19 Grammys. Most recently, he recorded, performed and toured with Lady Gaga ... who had a deep admiration for him, personally and professionally.

In fact, his last public appearance came with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in August 2021, two months before his last release, the Bennett-Gaga set “Love For Sale,” the sequel to their chart-topping 2014 collaboration “Cheek to Cheek.”

That album enabled him to break his own record as the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. He was 88 at the time.

- Three years earlier, he topped the charts with “Duets II,” featuring such contemporary stars as Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse, in her last studio recording

His rapport with Winehouse was captured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Amy,” which showed Bennett patiently encouraging the insecure young singer through a performance of “Body and Soul.”

Despite his medical challenges, Tony continued performing and recording until 2021.

Tony was 96.

Gillie Da Kid's son YNG Cheese was shot and killed in Philly on Thursday evening, TMZ Hip Hop can confirm as heartfelt tributes flowing in for the "Million Dollarz Worth Of Game" podcaster.

Philadelphia police tell us they responded to a shooting around 8:24 PM on the block of 5800 Mascher Street and when officers arrived, they found three shooting victims, including YNG Cheese, real name Devin Spady, who had been shot in the back.

We're told YNG Cheese later succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a nearby hospital ... prompting his cousin and Gillie's 'MDWOG' cohost Wallo to take to IG for a heartfelt eulogy, where he promised to continue to speak out for good.

Cops are still investigating but tell us they are currently looking for a potential suspect with a light complexion male, either Black or Hispanic.

YNG Cheese was 25.

Drake is letting the dogs out ... as in, he's leaving his hotel in a dog mask -- which, let's be honest, beats him covering the Baha Men.

The rapper made a major fashion statement Thursday as he headed over to his performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn wearing a doberman mask over his head.

Champagne Papi also had a glass of wine with him ... and paid homage to his Big Apple surroundings with a New York Yankees baseball jersey.

Drake's currently on the road for his "It's All a Blur" U.S. tour with 21 Savage, and Thursday marks the third of 4 straight shows at Barclays ... with three more NYC shows on deck at Madison Square Garden.