Music

Before this cute kid cheesing for the camera in his Mickey Mouse shirt turned into an EGOT winner, he was just playing on his piano, performing in his church's choir and hangin' with his 3 younger siblings in Springfield, Ohio.

He started to bust out his singing chops under the guidance of Kanye West ... and in more recent years, you've probably heard some of his classic hits like "All Of Me." When he's not "craving" some quality time with his family, you can catch him eating his favorite, rotisserie chicken and steamed veggies.

Netflix is celebrating hip hop's 50th anniversary with a documentary dedicated to all the women of the culture -- well, almost every woman, as fans have peeped the trailer and noticed it excludes Nicki Minaj!!!

On Tuesday, Strong Black Lead pushed out the first look for "Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop" ... which appears to be a gripping depiction of several female rappers' rise to stardom.

The trailer for the doc features commentary from a generations-spanning group of women -- Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shanté, MC Lyte, Coi Leray, Kash Doll -- while also highlighting content from Ice Spice, Young M.A., Latto, Saweetie and others.

However, the preview had zero sign of Nicki, and when her Barbz fanbase picked up on the snub they exploded on Twitter X.

Livid fans made Nicki the subject of several trending topics while accusing Netflix of intentionally trying to erase her from the history books.

The "Pinkprint" rapper is the highest-selling female rapper of all time by several miles with well over 100 million records sold, which you'd think would be enough for a prominent spot in the doc and its trailer. It's worth noting, the trailer opens up with a shot of Cardi B, so lines in the sand were probably drawn!!!

Snoop Dogg seems to be making a statement to Tinseltown about the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes -- 'cause he's nixing 2 of his big shows here in solidarity with the union members.

The rapper announced the move Tuesday, writing ... "We regret to inform you that due to the ongoing strike and the uncertainty of when this will be over, we need to cancel the Hollywood Bowl show."

Snoop adds, "We continue to stand in solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters in the WGA and SAG/AFTRA during this difficult time and remain hopeful that the AMPTP will come back to the negotiating table with a REAL proposal and we can all get back to work."

Snoop's cancelation of his big L.A. concerts appears to be symbolic ... as he has other gigs lined up elsewhere around the country, which he did not address. Presumably, they're happening as scheduled.

Now, while Snoop's decision might seem like it's coming out of nowhere -- after all, musicians aren't impacted by the SAG/WGA strikes -- it actually tracks with some bold statements he's made lately demanding change in the recording industry.

He recently sounded off on modern-day artists getting stiffed on residuals in the age of streaming -- while also pointing out showbiz writers and actors are fighting over the same stuff in their strikes.

Bottom line ... he's quite privy to the struggle, and is most certainly in SAG/WGA's corner in the ongoing negotiations. Also worth noting, his Death Row guys are on board as well -- as a handful of Death Row artists and affiliates have been seen on the picket lines themselves.

Travis Scott has shifted his focus back to promoting his "Utopia" album after a brief side mission with The Weeknd and Bad Bunny ... and the rollout is nothing shy of a summer blockbuster!!!

On Tuesday, Travis gave fans a sneak peek of the "Circus Maximus" movie that will accompany the "Utopia" release on Thursday ... a montage of scenic visuals from all over the globe he orchestrated with some of his favorite directors.

The film will hit theaters that day and could be a hot ticket. Travis is shown trekking through a cave and sand dunes, and there's a speeding cop car and looming helicopters ... real chaotic stuff.

The Astroworld architect's intense promo run also saw him unveiling an alternative version of the "Utopia" album cover ... a slideshow of several zombie-like individuals with white eyes clutching international currency, sitting in a bombed-out car.

The meaning of the artwork remains unclear, but it won't be the final version ... Travis says he's dropping that one on Thursday.

Cryptic theatrics are totally Travis' specialty, word to his scheduled performance this Friday at the pyramids in Egypt.

Ne-Yo is clearly exercising ALL his options in his post-divorce dating life ... the R&B superstar was recently spotted with not one, but 2 damsels on his arm!!!

The "She Knows" singer happily greeted a fan in Miami on Monday who captured him strolling and holding hands with his dual dates. Even with his hands full, he replied to the fan, "Hey, yo, baby. What up?”

If he only had a third hand.

Some of Ne-Yo's fans had a cow over his openly open lifestyle, but they might wanna chill ... the guy isn't breaking any laws.

Per the story we broke in February, Ne-Yo finalized his divorce from his ex Crystal Renay ... and they still remain friends to this day, so he's free to roam as he pleases.

The last time we spoke to him, he told us the single life couldn't be better and he was even open to dating loyal fans.

Rosalía and her fiancé, Rauw Alejandro, aren't gonna be saying their "I dos" after all -- 'cause the famous couple is apparently splitting up.

The two singers have decided to end their fairly new engagement -- this after 2 years together, according to People. Per the outlet, they still have love and respect for one another ... but are calling it quits.

There's no further elaboration for what went wrong ... their uncoupling is certainly shocking fans, as it seems to have come out of nowhere.

Rosalía announced she'd been proposed to by Rauw this past March, and of course ... she said yes. The engagement followed a very public romance they enjoyed since September 2021, when they first went public on Instagram. Since then, they've been mostly inseparable.

While their supporters -- of which there are many worldwide -- are certainly bummed (check X) ... ya gotta figure there are some happy to see these two superstars newly single. Fact is -- they're both incredibly attractive (and talented) ... and now, they're both on the market.

The female fan who caught Drake's attention with her bra at a recent concert is makin' moves after the viral moment ... and we've learned Playboy is ready to sign her.

ICYMI, 21-year-old Veronica Correia tossed her 36G bra on stage during the rapper's show at Barclay's Center in New York last week -- and Drake picked it up, hilariously saying "Locate this woman immediately."

We spoke with Veronica, who gave us a breakdown of that entire night, particularly the big bra moment ... and says Drake's already responded to one of her posts, but she hasn't hit the guy back yet.

She also got a DM from Playboy, offering her the chance to join the team in some capacity -- an offer it sounds like she couldn't refuse.

For those unaware, Playboy's done away with its long-running magazines and has switched over to an OnlyFans-style business model. While Veronica hasn't been that gung-ho for OF, despite getting asked, something about Playboy must've called to her.

BTW, Veronica owns a coffee shop called Café La La in Cumberland, RI ... and after the wild interaction, she's considering renaming a drink after Drake -- either the Drizzy Drizzle or straight up the 36G.

Sunset Boulevard has officially gone country -- all thanks to Tim McGraw -- who not only stunned fans as walked across the famous street ... but then rocked one of the town's most historic venues.

Tim and his band played a secret, invite-only show Monday night at Whisky a Go Go, but rather than sneak in the backdoor, he decided to greet fans in front of the joint ... walking from the London Hotel to the Whisky, and handing out plenty of high-fives in the process.

Once inside, Tim treated fans to a setlist that included everything from his old hits like "Something Like That," "Real Good Man," "The Cowboy in Me" and "Indian Outlaw" to some new songs off his forthcoming album "Standing Room Only."

BTW ... as if the strut across Sunset wasn't enough of a surprise, Tim also brought out his buddy Richard Marx and they sang "Don't Mean Nothing."

McGraw and his band jammed out for over an hour before ending the show with his latest single "Hey Whiskey" ... a fitting tune considering the name of the venue.

Quavo was on board a yacht in Miami when two men allegedly threatened the boat's captain ... and video shows the rapper being detained by police, although nobody ended up being arrested.

TMZ obtained footage from Sunday's incident on the Miami River, and you can see Quavo handcuffed with zip ties as he sits on the boat deck and appears to interact with at least three police officers.

Cops in Miami say they got a 911 call about an alleged strong armed robbery on a yacht, and police say folks on the boat told them two men got aggressive with the captain, who said the rental time was nearing its conclusion … allegedly prompting the men to demand a refund.

The incident report, obtained by TMZ, says one of the men threatened to kill the captain and throw him off the yacht if he turned the boat around.

One crew member told police he saw a man take the captain's wallet and cell phone, but cops say folks on the yacht gave conflicting statements on this allegation.

In the video, you also see a group of women sitting on the dock ... as police lights flash and Quavo sits near officers with his hands behind his back.

Police also say they found two firearms on the boat but add that the guns weren't used in any alleged threats.

Wiz Khalifa is on the road, touring with Snoop Dogg ... so, a group of would-be burglars thought it'd be a good idea to roll up on his L.A home while he was performing.

Key word being thought ... as they, oddly, didn't expect the security guards who sent them running during the attempted Sunday evening heist.

LAPD tells TMZ Hip Hop ... 3 guys tried to get onto the property through a side gate around 6:38 PM -- just as Wiz was in Michigan burning through live renditions of his classic songs for the High School Reunion Tour.

Wiz is, unfortunately, familiar with home intruders ... crooks broke into his house back in 2018, but this time he would not be a victim again.

We're told Wiz's security at the house sprung into action, running out to the gate ... where the 3 stooges spotted them and immediately turned to flee.

LAPD responded to the alarm, but the suspects had bolted by the time officers arrived. They filed an attempted burglary report, and opened the investigation.

Meanwhile, Wiz caught wind of the caper while at his concert venue, and noted the timing ... pointing out he was actually on stage while it was going down.

Britney Spears is brimming with creative ideas on the music front, according to will.i.am -- with whom she just collab'd for her latest track -- and he says there's good reason to expect more music from her.

The Black Eyed Peas frontman's joining us "TMZ Live" on the heels of his and Britney's new single, 'Mind Your Business,' which just dropped Friday. It's the second song Britney's been featured on since her conservatorship ended.

The track came as a surprise to many -- Will acknowledges they actually recorded most of the song back in 2013, but says this was the perfect time to finish production and release it.

That's because of the song's message -- on the surface, it's all about Britney's storied history with paparazzi, and her general feeling of losing all privacy ... but Will adds, it's not just about her.

It's interesting ... he says everyone's personal life is invaded these days, which makes this an issue that transcends celebrity.

As far as any future projects together -- this is already their 4th collab -- Will says it's a bit TBD ... but he does tell us Britney is still very much invested in music -- proven, he says, by the suggestions she was making while they were working on "Mind Your Business."

The food critic in Too Short is putting his stamp of approval on Snoop Dogg's arsenal of food products ... as he's been able to get his chops on as much as he can handle!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked with the OG Short Dog at LAX on Monday who says his Mt. Westmore bandmate has left his personal cereal and wine brands in his dressing room during their tour this summer!!!

Short says he's loaded up with so much Snoop Cereal, he gives some away to fans, who give him rave reviews on the spot as they scarf it down in front of him.

Snoop gave all praises due to Master P and Martha Stewart when he hopped on TMZ Live on Monday and debuted yet another menu item to his growing catalog: ice cream.

Steve-O is firing back at Bam Margera after his former 'Jackass' costar said he sucks at skateboarding ... and he's got video with Tony Hawk backing him up.

In a video response to Bam's diss track, Steve-O brushes off Bam's criticism as jealousy and envy, and then hammers his point home with a skateboard mixtape showing off his skills.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam's featured on a new rap song, and in his verse, he takes shots at all of his former 'Jackass' buddies, mostly knocking Steve-O for his skating ability compared to himself and other pro skaters.

Steve-O says the fans buying his autographed skateboard decks are probably making Bam upset... and he's taking serious offense to Bam's claim he can't skate worth a damn.

Ya gotta see Steve-O's compilation vid -- he's doing kickflips, board slides and wall rides and it's Tony Hawk approved!!!

Singer Tori Kelly is currently hospitalized and getting treatment for blood clots around her vital organs, with one source telling us the situation is "really serious."

Sources close to the Grammy-winning singer tell us she was at dinner in downtown L.A. Sunday night with friends when her heart started beating really fast. We're told Tori passed out, and was "out for a while."

Our sources say Tori's friends wanted to make sure she wasn't taken to a hospital downtown, and instead taken to Cedars-Sinai -- one of the country's premiere hospitals -- so they carried her outside, loaded her in a vehicle and sped to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance.

We're told Tori's getting care in the ICU, doctors have discovered clots in Tori's legs and her lungs ... and are still working to determine if any clots are around her heart. The singer's been in and out of consciousness during her hospitalization.

Tori's been in the biz for a lot of years -- both as a singer and a songwriter -- she took home Grammys in 2019 for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song and won the Billboard Women in Music Breakthrough Artist Award in 2015.

The power of the BTS Army is on full display, backing their captain Jung Kook's debut solo single -- which happens to feature Latto -- and they've pushed it all the way to No. 1 on Billboard!!!

On Monday, Billboard posted updated SoundScan data, showing Jung Kook and Latto's "Seven" dethroning Morgan Wallen's runaway hit "Last Night," and beating out Jason Aldean's controversial 'Small Town' ... which debuted in the No. 2 slot.

The raunchy-n-rosy track hit hard with 21.9 million streams, and saw its video reach 100 million views in just 10 days ... all of which contributed to Latto becoming the first rapper to have a No. 1 hit this year!!!

"Seven" is also the 2nd BTS-led song to top the charts this year after Jimin’s “Like Crazy” debuted at No. 1 in April.

The City Girls are sending out a warning to whom it may concern -- don't you dare question Yung Miami's maternal instincts, or you'll feel the wrath of TWO protective mama bears!!!

Godmom JT posted footage from Rolling Loud with Miami's son in big boy mode, throwing money at strippers while he was surrounded by adults ... a moment many fans thought was too grown for the 10-year-old tyke.

The scenario looked identical to a rap music video, with several people twerking and getting lit to the music. Miami can even be seen smacking Ari Fletcher's butt cheeks at some point.

The backlash pushed Miami and JT to their breaking points, and they exploded on their critics. Miami fought for her son's right to party, and called Rolling Loud the best day of his young life.

JT also backed her up ... revealing her beau Lil Uzi Vert had the area blocked off so Miami's son couldn't get a handful of any of the gratuitous flesh on display ... only an eyeful.