Music

Britney Spears is swearing off Botox, she says the injections make her face look like someone beat her up ... and now she's going with an alternative cosmetic treatment.

The singer hopped on Instagram for a Friday rant about Botox, recounting some harrowing experiences with the injections ... and propping up a new product she says she's really happy with.

Britney says she's done Botox in the past, with disastrous effects ... saying it made her forehead swell up and eyelids droop, to the point where she was afraid to be seen outside until the side effects subsided.

For Britney, she no longer sees the point in shelling out big bucks for Botox ... and now she's trying SiO beauty patches.

Britney says the SiO patches make her look and feel great ... and she's really pleased with the results.

Stevie J is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop by reaching deep into his own mental crates to find you the greatest beats of all time... to his ears, at least.

We ran into Stevie Friday at LAX, and seeing as how this marks the actual day Kool Herc got on the ones and twos for a 1973 party in the Boogie Down -- birthing hip hop -- we had to get Stevie's perspective on the momentous occasion.

For all the young'uns who only know Stevie from his 'Love and Hip Hop' days ... dude was a beast on the boards, producing some of the genre's biggest hits in the '90s, primarily for Bad Boy Records. So, we asked him to name the top 3 beats in hip hop history.

He took just a few seconds to think about it, and then ripped off his list. First up, Puff Daddy's "It's All About the Benjamins." Stevie didn't produce that one, but he did show himself some love with his second pick .. another Bad Boy classic, this one from Notorious B.I.G.

He had a harder time coming up with his #3, and, arguably, cheated as he tipped his hat to the Wu-Tang Clan.

Not everyone's gonna agree with Stevie, but that's what makes this a great day for hip hop heads -- arguing your top 3, top 5 or even top 10.

Singer Katharine McPhee just went MIA from her concert tour in Asia ... and it's all because of a family emergency.

Katharine posted a statement on Instagram Friday ... apologizing to her fans for missing the last two shows in Jakarta on the Asian leg of her tour with her musician husband, David Foster.

She explained they "had a horrible tragedy in our family" and she had to return home to be with loved ones.

Katharine also said she hopes to come back one day and perform for the crowd.

Absent from her message was what exactly happened and to whom. It was also unclear if David would hit the stage solo to entertain the Jakarta crowd this weekend.

The couple married in 2019 and share a 2-year-old son, Rennie. David has won 16 Grammy Awards during his long career. Katharine was the 2006 runner-up on the fifth season of "American Idol."

DJ Kay Slay's presence as a no-nonsense rap gatekeeper will still be felt ... at least, that's what Papoose is gunning for when he takes over as host of Kay Slay’s “The Drama Hour” radio show this week!!!

Papoose tells TMZ Hip Hop he doesn't logically think he can fill his mentor's shoes, but what he can do is uphold the standards his late mentor revered the most.

Kay Slay died in April 2022 due to COVID-19 complications and Pap says a piece of hip hop died with him ... but salutes LL Cool J for bringing him onboard Rock The Bells Radio on SiriusXM to attempt to revive the spirit.

LL echoed Pap's sentiments about wanting to uphold hip hop's traditions when we spoke to him this week and Pap says he was a great friend to Kay Slay, even being one of the real ones to attend his funeral.

Kay Slay will receive an additional honor on August 13 with a street sign renaming in East Harlem, a move Pap tells us is well-deserved.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" star Pearl is apologizing after a look she deemed "'90s Britney-esque" took a ton of heat after many believed it to be blackface.

Pearl posted, then deleted, a series of photos to Instagram this week showing off the new look -- which featured bleached-blonde hair, a water cup, pink tracksuit and very tanned skin.

Fans jumped on her almost immediately, calling the look tone-deaf and comparing it to blackface. One wrote, "So y'all just gonna stay silent while Pearl from RuPaul's Drag race posts photos of themself in Blackface, all the while other non-Black queens were hyping it up like it wasn't clearly blackface?"

The pissed-off fan then, making a reference to the Alabama riverboat brawl, exclaimed, "Where's my damn folding chair?"

Clearly, the comments reached Pearl, who posted an apology Thursday, writing, "The character i posted this morning was not meant to resemble any other background other than my own. she's platinum blonde/blue eyes & meant to have 2000's britney-esque tan."

Kevin Costner is a big-time Taylor Swift fan, and he doesn't care who knows it ... giving massive props to the singer after taking in one of her six record-setting shows in L.A.

TMZ broke the story -- Kevin was in a private suite Monday at SoFi Stadium with his daughter, Grace Avery, and a group of friends for Taylor's "Eras" tour.

The concert buzz was apparently still running through Costner Thursday when he jumped on his Instagram to rave about the show, posting a series of videos with the caption, “My videos are blurry, but I had an amazing time with my daughter at the Taylor Swift show. I was absolutely blown away watching her art bring so many people together.”

Remember, we got video of the "Yellowstone" star jamming along to "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" -- a fitting anthem given the nasty state of his ongoing divorce with Christine Baumgartner.

But, Kevin wasn't done there ... he also wrote of the show, “I had a great view of her band and had a blast watching them, too,” he added. “An inspiring night. I’m officially a Swiftie!”

Monday marked the first time we'd really seen Kevin let loose since Christine filed for divorce back in May -- ending their 18-year union which produced 3 kids.

Christine cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split -- and it was just last month when a judge ordered Costner to pay $129,755 in child support ... a bargain compared to the $248,000 Christine was asking he pony up.

Kevin Federline's family -- including his sons with ex-wife Britney Spears -- is safe in Hawaii amid the devastating Maui fires, but we're told the horrifying scenes in their new home state are upsetting the boys.

Sources close to Kevin tell TMZ ... he and Jayden James and Sean Preston -- along with Kevin's wife, Victoria -- aren't physically affected by the wildfires because they live on one of the neighboring islands, where they moved just 2 weeks ago.

The fam is settling into a new rental home, but we're told it's been traumatic for them to see all the death and devastation on Maui. As you'd expect, it's dominating all the news coverage on Hawaiian TV stations.

At least 36 people have died in Maui since the fires broke out Tuesday, making it the deadliest blaze in the U.S. since 2018 ... and all of the homes, schools and businesses in downtown Lahaina -- a tourism hot spot -- have been wiped off the map.

TMZ broke the story, Kevin and his sons packed their bags at the beginning of this month, flying to Hawaii with the boys, who opted to not say goodbye in-person to Britney.

Tory Lanez is speaking out against his 10-year prison bid ... but he's not going to apologize for the Megan Thee Stallion shooting, as he still insists he didn't do it.

The Canadian rapper broke his silence Thursday with a lengthy Instagram post, promising to bounce back after he completes his stretch in a California state prison, and maintaining his innocence.

Tory says he's not apologizing for being found guilty of shooting Meg ... he says he was wrongfully convicted. He adds, "I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do."

As you know ... the judge sentenced Tory Tuesday to 10 years in prison, though his high-powered attorney Jose Baez says the plan is to appeal that sentence.

Tory says the conviction is just another moment where he has his back against the wall, but he says he's always overcome adversity and is promising to do so here.

He declares, "I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious."

TMZ broke the story ... Tory's lawyer says he's leaning on his faith and his family and friends as he begins serving his sentence.

Tory says "tough times don't last, tough people do" ... and he's thanking his supporters and promising to see them soon.

Before this ecstatic little girl holding her shoe turned into a singer and songwriter, she was growing up in London, England hittin' the stage at open mic nights (and her father's pub) and dropping song covers on YouTube.

Her YT videos caught the eyes of DJ Fresh who featured her on his song "Hot Right Now." And, it wasn't too long before she was opening for Drake's UK Club Paradise Tour ... She also played Mia Grey in the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey."

"Gonna love you, gonna love you like a black widow, baby!"

Contrary to popular belief, Bun B isn't wishing eternal hell on Tory Lanez amid his 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- the UGK legend wants the rapper to become a better man in prison.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Bun Thursday in NYC, where he said Tory's case is a lesson for society, in general, and less about hip hop culture ... as he sees Tory's punishment as a wake-up call for domestic violence.

Following the shooting in the summer of 2020, Bun was one of the few prominent figures to publicly defend Megan while also calling out Tory, effectively making him a target for Tory's song, "Sorry I Had To" ... a record that later came back to haunt him in court.

Despite that past beef, Bun still offers up OG advice for Tory, telling him to keep his head up and he wants him to return from prison safely after the term is complete.

On a much lighter note, Bun also talked about successfully carving out a niche for his Trill Burgers franchise ... which may be adding Trill Tacos to the menu soon.

Mike Posner says he's going through some challenges in life, but he's using the bad times to work on becoming a better person ... telling us he's embarking on a spiritual warpath.

We got the singer at LAX and he told our photog he's a troubled man these days, though he's determined to spin the curveball life's throwing at him into a positive.

Mike says he knows a lot about darkness and waking up feeling like there's no point to life, but the thing is ... he says challenging times are what make folks grow, and growth doesn't happen when it's smooth sailing.

For Mike, many of his accomplishments have been tough ... just listen, he's absolutely convinced he will come out a stronger person once he navigates this storm.

Mike's climbed mountains and walked across the freakin' country ... and he says they were both extremely hard and awful journeys, but they made him learn and grow.

Ice Cube is giving several of his fellow rappers the opportunity to live out their hoop dreams once again ... with the return of his Big 3 Celebrity Game.

On Thursday, Cube and Monster Energy unveiled this year's lineup... he and Big Daddy Kane for Team Webull will be defending their title against Clyde Drexler and Doug E. Fresh's Team PrizePicks ... come August 19 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Rappers NLE Choppa, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Symba, Rico Nasty, Millionz Dollarz Worth Of Game's Gillie & Wallo will be joining ex-NFL stars such as Terrell Owens and Vernon Davis, among others ... a collaborative effort to raise money and awareness for underprivileged youth.

"We are enthusiastic about this collaboration as it brings funds and attention to significant causes as well as joy on the court,” Cube said of the upcoming event on Thursday.

Cube's been going hard in the paint for the Big 3 this year, ripping "the powers that be" that block his league from expanding.

Harry Styles and his suspected new boo, Taylor Russell, were getting pretty close to each other across the pond ... all smiles at the debut of her brand new play.

The singer was spotted cozying up to Taylor at press night for "The Effect" at the National Theatre in London Wednesday ... we're told Harry was keeping a low profile during the play, making sure Taylor got her props.

After the show, Harry and Taylor were certainly friendly in the crowd -- he even introduced her to his pal, James Corden. While Harry and Taylor never kissed or showed serious PDA, it was clear they wanted to stay close.

We're told Harry left the shindig after a while, jumping into the back of a car by himself while carrying Taylor's stuff. However, sources say Harry's ride pulled up to the stage door not long after, with Taylor jumping in the back seat before pulling off.

In case ya forgot, rumors about HS and TR have been circling for a while ... she was spotted at his Vienna concert last month, getting the true VIP treatment. It looked like she was in an area where members of his crew worked their magic behind the scenes.

Desiigner allegedly admitted to breaking the terms of his pretrial release in the case where he was accused of masturbating on a plane in April ... and now he could land behind bars.

According to docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, the "Panda" rapper's probation officer told the court Desiigner admitted to using marijuana and then failed to show up for drug testing in July. The PO is now asking the judge to see if his pretrial release should be revoked.

We broke the story ... Desiigner was charged with indecent exposure and was ordered not to have any contact with any alleged victims, abstain from alcohol, and refrain from using controlled substances.

You'll recall he said the ordeal in the air was caused by some mental health issues.

Desiigner was also supposed to attend counseling sessions ... something the PO also said he's failed to verify he's doing.

The documents also say Desiigner hasn't signed his co-payment agreement for drug testing and failed to supply a P.O. Box address to the probation department.

Sexyy Red has earned clout in hip hop saying whatever comes to her dirty mind … even if it’s not exactly the truth.

The "Pound Town" rapper had to call cap on her own self after her Lil Yachty interview comment about never using condoms went viral on Thursday -- and many fans started calling her out for sexual irresponsibility.

Sexyy Redd referred to herself as the "raw dog queen" while retelling a past encounter where her ex-boyfriend accused her of sleeping around and leaving used condoms as evidence --only to walk back those comments on Instagram as fan outrage grew.

Elsewhere in the interview, she spoke on being a victim of revenge porn, but things have since done a 180° for the St. Louis rapper, much like her anti-condom comments.

Her Nicki Minaj-featured hit remix "Pound Town 2" was recently certified Gold by the RIAA and her breakout album "Hood Hottest Princess" continues to twerk on the charts as well.

Travis Scott is getting blamed for shutting down all concerts at an ancient Italian stadium ... this after his performance Monday sparked numerous calls from concerned residents fearing there was an earthquake.

The rapper did his Monday night show at Rome's Circus Maximus near the famed Colosseum, but it turned into a fiasco when someone pepper-sprayed 60 fans who then needed medical attention. A 14-year-old was injured in a fall after climbing a wall, according to CNN.

During the unrest, Romans reportedly inundated the local fire department with calls about a possible earthquake writing on social media, "Anyone feel an earthquake?"

But all the shaking residents were feeling was not from a natural disaster ... rather, it was coming from the multitude of fans jumping around at Travis' concert when Kanye West made a surprise appearance onstage and started rapping with his longtime friend.

As a result, Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum Archeological Park, has now called for the end of concerts at Circus Maximus with the exception of operas and ballets.

Russo told CNN ... "The Circus Maximus is a monument. It is not a stadium, not a concert hall. These mega rock concerts put it at risk."

This must feel a little like déjà vu for Travis, who had to endure the whole controversy surrounding his Astroworld debacle in which 10 people died and thousands injured at his 2021 show in Houston, Texas.