Music

Cops are investigating the connection between Pop Smoke's murder and a dead body found in a barrel on the beach in Malibu ... TMZ has learned.

The barrel, containing the naked body of Javonnta Murphy, washed ashore July 31. We've learned Javonnta is the brother of Jaquan Murphy ... one of the 5 people arrested in the wake of Pop Smoke's murder in 2020.

Jaquan was first charged with attempted murder for Pop Smoke's death, but later cleared. He is, however, currently awaiting trial for an unrelated murder in L.A. County.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... L.A. County Sheriff's Department's investigators are currently looking into the possibility Javonnta's murder was a retaliation killing for Pop's murder. Of course, it's not their only theory, but definitely one they're digging into.

Behind this smiling snapshot is a New York native who is here to remind you there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. Get ready to grin from ear to ear, because ... ain't no "Summertime Sadness" when listening to this songstress' vocals!

This alternative pop singer-songwriter has made music for popular Hollywood movies including, "The Great Gatsby" with Leonardo DiCaprio and "Maleficent" with Angelina Jolie.

Tonight, she'll be joining performers like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Louis The Child at Chicago's Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park.

Ne-Yo says parents shouldn't be letting their kids transition genders ... suggesting minors don't know any better, but that adults should.

The singer spoke his mind in a recent VladTV interview, where he was talking to Gloria Velez. They touched on a number of topics, but eventually ... landed on transgenderism, especially as it relates to children.

He says he feels like a lot of people have lost sense of the definition of parenting -- because, in his mind, it boils down to being wiser than your kid ... and knowing when to put your foot down and say no. In this case, he believes affirming a child's gender identity is wrong.

Ne-Yo's rationale comes down to this ... transitioning genders is a life-altering decision, and he argues children (especially young ones) truly don't know what the hell they want, or on this particular topic ... what they even mean when they say they want to be a boy or a girl.

He hit his point home by saying this ... "I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. And there was two genders and that's just how I rocked. You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, that ain't my business, it becomes my business when you try to make me play the game. I'm not gonna call you a goldfish."

One last thing ... Ne-Yo references California legislation, which he (somewhat mistakenly) says will make it so parents lose their kids if they don't affirm their child's gender identity.

It's not quite what he's describing -- but there is, in fact, a bill working its way through the CA legislature right now (AB 957) that would require a judge in custody disputes to consider whether a parent is affirming their kid's identity in determining who they stay with.

Police have arrested someone in connection to the killing of O'Shae Sibley -- a gay dancer who was recently stabbed to death in NYC ... this after voguing to Beyoncé's music, no less.

The NYPD announced Saturday that they had a suspect in custody, whom they believe is responsible for Sibley's death. The unidentified perp is a 17-year-old boy, per cops, and he's being charged with murder ... which NYPD says is being prosecuted as a hate crime.

The suspect surrendered Friday in Brooklyn, accompanied by a lawyer. He'd been on the police's radar since the July 29 incident ... as they believed he went to school in the area. So far, he's the only one being charged, although it's unclear if he'll be tried as an adult.

The fact this is being pursued as a hate crime lends credence to what friends of Sibley's -- some of whom say they were actually there at the gas station that night -- have been saying on social media ... namely, that the suspect and whatever group of people he was with apparently had an issue with Sibley and co. being gay. It led to a full-blown shouting match, and an eventual scuffle that resulted in Sibley being stabbed ... which was caught on video.

Based on reports, it sounds like the whole thing emanated from Sibley and his friends dancing in the parking lot ... and playing Bey's music in the background. The singer paid tribute to Sibley after hearing about it -- she has his name up on her website's homepage.

Since his death, tons of people have been paying their respects in a number of ways -- including visiting the site of his murder and voguing/protesting en masse, in his name.

Jamie Foxx is apologizing for anti-Semitic remarks he made on social media about Jews killing Jesus ... while making a cryptic reference to being betrayed by a "fake friend."

The actor posted a message on Instagram Saturday, saying, "I want to apologize to the Jewish community and everyone who was offended by my post."

Jamie continued, "I now know my choice of words have caused offense and I'm sorry. That was never my intent. To clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and that's what I meant with "they" not anything more."

He went on to say, "I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community. My deepest apologies to anyone who was offended."

As you may know, Jamie posted his controversial remarks on Instagram Friday, stating, "They killed this dude name Jesus… what do you think they’ll do to you?" The message was soon deleted, but not before users took snapshots and posted them to social media.

Jewish groups spotted the message and started spreading it online, which caught the interest of Jennifer Aniston. The actress was thought to have liked Jamie's post, but later clarified that she hadn't and was horrified by his words.

Jennifer said, "I want to be clear to my friends and anyone hurt by this showing up in their feeds – I do NOT support any form of antisemitism. I truly don’t tolerate HATE of any kind. Period."

Meanwhile, Jamie recently broke his silence about his major health scare in April, which landed him in the hospital for a little over a month. He's recently been seen around Chicago doing some fun activities as he recovers from his medical condition, which has not been publicly revealed. Jamie personally thanked his family and friend in a video posted online.

Taylor Swift is no stranger to signing huge deals, and we've learned there's another one on the horizon ... with camera crews following her "Eras" Tour journey throughout the world.

Camera crews have been present at just about every "Eras" Tour show thus far -- getting plenty of shots of Taylor, her fans and some behind-the-scenes content. It might seem standard for tours these days, but the scope of the crews with Taylor show she's got something more in the works.

We've spoken to sources who say there's not yet a plan for the project -- whether it'll end up on streaming or in theaters. It could be a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, a company with which she has history.

While the details are sparse on how the footage will be used, you can bet Taylor's fans will eat it up ... especially those who couldn't attend "Eras" in person.

As we reported, plenty of stars came out for the first two of 6 L.A. shows -- and Taylor had a super sweet moment Thursday night with Kobe Bryant's daughter, Bianka, when she presented her with a hat and a hug in the middle of the show.

Lisa Marie Presley's oldest daughter, Riley Keough, is now the one and only in charge of her mother's estate ... this after settling with her grandmother, Priscilla Presley.

An L.A. County Superior Court judge signed off Friday, so Priscilla is officially out of the picture.

Riley is now a substantial owner of the Elvis Presley Graceland Estate, but according to the settlement, Priscilla will be allowed to use it as her final resting place. TMZ broke the story, during negotiations between Priscilla and Riley, Priscilla wanted to be buried right next to Elvis, which would have displaced Elvis' mom and dad. Remember, Priscilla was divorced from Elvis at the time of his death.

As we reported, Riley paid Priscilla millions to back off from challenging who administers Lisa Marie's trust ... a trust which benefits Riley, along with Lisa Marie's twins, 14-year-olds Harper and Finley.

A massive set piece from Kanye West's "Donda" concerts is going up for auction ... and it's something that holds a ton of sentimental weight for the rapper.

Jason Levy, president of The Levy Recovery Group, tells TMZ … they were hired by the production company for Ye's "Donda" tour to sell the replica of his childhood home that was on display at his listening parties.

We're told the building's now sitting in a warehouse in the Chicago area, broken down into parts. The live auction's going down at the beginning of October, and the winning bidder has the option of having the production team reassemble the house for a fee.

We're told the item's so unique, there's no telling how high the bids will go. The Levy Recovery Group in conjunction with ZiffCap is running the auction process.

You'll recall, Kanye held concerts for "Donda" & "Donda 2," the first at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2021 and the second at LoanDepot Park in Miami in 2022 ... and the centerpiece was the house that he grew up in with his late mother, Donda West.

It was rumored he would take the music -- and the recreated Donda house -- on tour, but that never happened.

Drake is picking sides in the upcoming Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight ... placing a bet on The Problem Child to fall short ... and judging by the massive wager, Champagne Papi's feeling confident.

Drizzy posted the Stake betting slip on social media Friday night ... and he's risking $250,000 to win $1 million. In order for Drake to cash out, Nate has to win his fight with Paul.

Here's how Drake's explaining his bet ... "Jake is a dog but I can never bet against a Diaz brother that's just how I was raised."

Drake's switching up when it comes to the YouTuber-turned-boxer ... remember, he bet $400k on Jake to knock out Tommy Fury back in February, but Jake didn't make it happen and Drake lost.

But, Jake says Drake has won tons of money on him in the past ... though that doesn't appear to be influencing Drake's bet this time around.

The fight's going down Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas ... and Jake's a heavy favorite, though Drake is going for the underdog here.

Jake and Nate are chomping at the bit to fight ... their Thursday press conference spiraled into a massive brawl.

Tiffany Haddish's rap career is no joking matter ... so claims Fivio Foreign, who's telling us he saw her raw talent for himself after being tapped for a feature.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Fivio at LAX this week ... the "City of Gods" rapper was in town filming the music video for her Lil Jon-produced song, "Party Til Da Club Close."

We broke the story back in June ... Tiffany premiered the song during the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards in June and Fivio's since been added to the track.

Fivio thinks Tiffany's a riot in person and says Dave Chappelle was also on hand for the video shoot ... making their collab destined to top the charts!!!

Chloe Bailey hopped back on Gunna's wave this week with a cover of his biggest solo hit to date ... a backpedaling move claims Akademiks, who thinks she should've been riding with Gunna after he got arrested last year!!!

Ak showered Chloe with backhanded complaints on his Rumble channel Friday ... giving props to her looks and acting chops but had no mercy for the review of "Fukumean" freestyle ... and called her skills all types of garbage!!!

He also slandered Chloe's debut album for flopping badly this past March. Like we said, no mercy was given!!!

Chloe and Gunna were publicly dating throughout 2021 but fizzled several months before Gunna was wrapped up in the YSL RICO case with Young Thug.

According to Ak, if Chloe had been singing to Gunna like that in prison, he wouldn't have had to "snitch" on Thug and would have had an unblemished comeback this year.

Jacquees also caught a stray from Ak when he compared him to Chloe. The "R&B King's" patented a lasting rep making hits out of other people's songs -- namely Ella Mai's "Trip" -- and Ak is predicting Chloe will end up the same way.

Lil Baby opened his Seafood Menu restaurant last month in Atlanta ... and is already learning the ins and outs of customer service.

One woman who seemingly recently stopped by the joint posted a very detailed negative review of Baby's spot that made its rounds on Instagram and TikTok this week.

According to the woman, the restaurant gave her a half piece of fish as one of her ordered items and she further accused them of trying to conceal it under a whole fish.

She also claims to have been shorted 2 shrimp from her 6-piece order, and gave the fries a thumbs down.

Management for Baby's establishment tells TMZ Hip Hop, "Seafood Menu greatly appreciates all feedback, regardless of its nature, as it contributes to the continuous improvement of our customer service. We recently became aware of a video circulating on social media, which appears to depict a to-go order from our opening day."

They continue, "However, we are unable to verify the timing of the video in relation to the food order. It's worth noting that our opening day saw an impressive turnout of over 2,000 patrons, with nearly 99% of reviews being positive. While we regret not having the chance to directly address this concern, we remain dedicated to enhancing our services and serving our underserved community to the best of our ability."

The stalking arrest for Britney Spears' ex-husband, Jason Alexander, came after he allegedly texted, called, and followed a woman multiple times at the gym ... and then showed up at her house.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a woman says Jason followed her to the parking lot of a Life Time Fitness in Franklin, TN on June 17. She says she told him to leave her alone, but instead stated he sent her tons of texts and called her multiple times.

She says he allegedly drove past her house, turned around, and drove past again the day after the parking lot confrontation ... and even claims he approached her at the pool of the gym while she was with her child.

TMZ broke the story, Jason was booked Wednesday morning for the alleged series of incidents and is being held on a $50k bond.

You'll recall, Britney slapped Jason with a 3-year restraining order last year after he crashed her wedding to Sam Asghari at her home. He ended up doing 128 days in jail for the ordeal.

YouTube star Fousey says the first thing that went through his mind after using a racial slur while rapping along to a J. Cole song was having to move back in with his mom ... telling us he worried he would be canceled.

Fousey sat down on the "TMZ Verified" Podcast and told us he regrets singing the n-word on a live stream ... saying it was an honest mistake and explaining why he feared the gaffe would cost him his bread and butter.

As you may know, Fousey is currently on a live stream marathon and earlier this month he went viral for using the racial slur while singing along to J. Cole's "Love Yourz."

Fousey says J. Cole is his favorite rapper and he normally substitutes the n-word for similar-sounding words ... insisting it's not in his character to use the slur, even with rap lyrics.

After the tongue slip, Fousey punched his bed in disgust ... and he says he couldn't stop thinking about being canceled and having to call his mom and tell her what happened, fearing the worst.

LeBron James took in a concert Thursday night, but it wasn't the Taylor Swift show in L.A. ... instead King James attended Brent Faiyaz's show in Toronto with good friend Draymond Green -- and the hoopers were clearly having a blast!

And for once, LeBron even knew the words! 😅

Concertgoers spotted the NBA champs and agent Rich Paul in what looks to be a VIP area, rockin' back and forth to Faiyaz's "Dead Man Walking" hit.

You can tell LeBron definitely knew the song ... he was singing word for word.

Of course, the NBA legend has been known to flub a line here and there in the past.

Whether it's a track by Lil Baby, Pop Smoke, or 6lack's "Stay Down" (remember "yabadabadodobo old navy" -- the lyrics are actually "Hoppin' out the car, no photos, baby.")

All kidding aside, it's awesome to see LeBron in good spirits, out and about ... after the terrifying health scare his family endured last week, when his son Bronny was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest.

Eminem's critics have awakened the bear in 2023!!!

The legendary rapper unloaded fiery disses on The Game, Melle Mel -- and Generation Z rap fans too young to remember his heyday -- after they've all been dragging his name through the mud.

The lyrical retaliation arrived Friday on the track "Realest" -- the debut single for Em and Dr. Dre's new artist Ez Mil -- but it was Slim Shady who stole the show.

As we reported last year, Game spent a full 10 minutes dissing Em on his last album and later claimed superiority over him for never having his songs played in the club.

Em says Game's songs only get club play because those are the range of his performance bookings and is a little jelly of his career. Melle Mel also got shredded by Em, after having boosted his profile earlier this year by ripping Em for being a white rapper who benefits from the audience majority share.

Em openly admits to being a "guest" in Hip Hop on the track, a term used to acknowledge Black culture birthed Hip Hop … but points out how his success helped the genre boom across the globe.

He proceeded to roast Melle's gym rat legacy with a clever jab at the notion he uses steroids rapping, "And I’ll be the last to toy with a juice-head whose brain is like half destroyed like a meteor hit it/ Well, there went Melle Mel, we lost his ass to 'roids." Get it? Asteroids!!! ☄

The young whippersnappers of Gen Z who criticize Em arguably felt the worst of his wrath ... some of them weren't even born when he dropped his first studio album back in 1999, and Em coldly credited their era for elevating the country's school shootings!!!

"Y'all need to stick to what you do best/Shootin' schools up, gat/Go load up rounds in your parents' gats, and go to class and let off with the strap and go to town," Em fumed at the kids.