Music

Michael Jackson's two sexual molestation accusers will have their days in court after all ... a California court just cleared the way for their lawsuits to move ahead.

In a Friday ruling, the California Court of Appeal revived two lawsuits against the King of Pop's production company ... one from James Safechuck, and the other from Wade Robson, who both accuse Michael of molesting them for many years when they were kids.

Remember ... Safechuck and Robson were suing Michael's corporation, MJJ Productions, but their suits were dismissed in 2021 by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, who found the company had no legal duty to protect Safechuck, Robson or anyone else from MJ because it had no ability to control him.

Now, a higher court begs to differ ... meaning Safechuck and Robson's cases will be sent back down to the trial court.

TMZ broke the story, the same appeals court issued the tentative ruling for Robson's case back in June ... now, that ruling is final and Safechuck is in the same boat.

Robson's case alleges MJ molested him at the Neverland Ranch when Robson was between the ages of 7 and 14.

Safechuck, meanwhile, alleges he was only 10 years old when he met Michael on the set of a Pepsi commercial .... and he claims MJ eventually started bringing him to the bedroom for sexual encounters that continued for over four years.

Michael's accusers, who both appeared in the 2019 HBO film "Leaving Neverland," argued MJ’s corporations failed to protect them from MJ's alleged abuse.

Nev Schulman wants to play matchmaker for a pair of folks who got catfished by people pretending to be Katy Perry and "Stranger Things" star Dacre Montgomery.

We got the "Catfish" star at Aces Pizza in New York City Friday, and our photog asked him about the Kentucky woman who divorced her husband and got swindled out of $10,000 by someone pretending to be the Netflix actor.

Nev says the newly single mother, McKayla, would make a great match for a guy from his old MTV show ... Spencer.

As Nev explains, Spencer infamously got catfished by a woman masquerading as the "Dark Horse" singer ... and their awkward meeting was featured on his show.

Needless to say, Nev thinks Spencer and McKayla have enough in common to strike up a relationship.

While lots of folks are dragging McKayla for thinking she actually had a shot with a celeb, Nev says not so fast ... and he tells us why it's not that extreme of a premise.

Still, Nev cautions anyone going online in search of love to beware of some big red flags ... like when your potential partner starts asking for money. Nev says that's a dead giveaway.

It's funny ... Nev thinks he's actually being catfished here in some ways ... as we reported, McKayla detailed her saga on a YouTube channel called "Catfished."

Kid Rock seemingly can't turn down the light, refreshing taste of a Bud Light -- no matter who is on the can -- sipping on a cold one only months after he obliterated cases of the beer with an AR-style rifle.

That's right, the same guy who exclaimed, "F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch" a few months ago was at Skydeck in Nashville Thursday night, taking in Colt Ford's show.

The former rocker seemed pretty relaxed as he clutched the blue can, taking sips while chatting and laughing with some friends. Unclear if there were other beer options available, but Kid Rock's choice seems pretty shocking considering how hard he went in on the brand earlier this year.

As we reported, Kid Rock posted a video shooting and destroying several cases of the beer on his property in April.

The angry post came in response to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney teaming up with the company for a social media campaign where her face was placed on cans of the beer. We should note -- the Dylan cans weren't for sale to the public, they were only issued to her.

Britney Spears will not have to ante up any money to estranged husband Sam Asghari, at least based on their prenup, but our sources say there's a big reason she'll feel compelled to write him a substantial check.

Sources with direct knowledge of the prenup tell TMZ ... Sam gets no payout in the event of divorce. In addition, the prenup precludes him from getting spousal support. He can keep the gifts Britney gave him and his cars, but that's about it.

Our sources say there's an "extensive confidentiality clause" in the prenup, prohibiting Sam from talking about his relationship with Britney.

So on the surface, it seems Sam's getting nothing of significance, but that's not the case.

As we reported, Sam's lawyer, Neal Hersh, filed divorce docs which ask for spousal support. Given the prenup precludes such support, Hersh's move signals a challenge to the prenup. There are other elements of the divorce filing suggesting a challenge ... writing about community and quasi-community property.

The argument goes this way ... if the prenup is successfully challenged, the confidentiality clause is not enforceable. Even the threat of that will get Britney's attention.

Here's the reality. Multiple sources tell TMZ ... Sam has A LOT of first-hand knowledge about Britney, their relationship, their arguments, her challenges, etc., and if there's even a possibility any of that might become public, Britney will gladly pay Sam for peace of mind.

Our sources say Britney and Sam's lawyers will negotiate and she will end up writing him a check for several hundred thousand dollars and that will be that. Part of that settlement will include a confidentiality clause that will require Sam to return any money he gets if he violates the NDA.

So this one will never go to trial.

Hip Hop’s 50th-anniversary celebrations must've done little to impress Polo G or Yo Gotti … as they've both been speaking out about how the culture's failing to inspire them.

Interestingly enough, both rappers are promoting new projects -- so, their criticism could either be a marketing ploy or just honest commentary. Either way, they're not holding back!!!

Polo launched a mini-rant Thursday, threatening that his upcoming “Hood Poet” album could potentially be his last and ripping the rap game for becoming watered down and lackluster.

The Chicago rapper is arguably entering his prime as an artist -- he broke milestones with his last album, “Hall Of Fame,” shooting to the top of the charts and its single "Rapstar" also going No. 1.

Yo Gotti took his gripes to Power 106 in L.A. this week ... and also griped about the state of rap, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as the beginning of the low points for him.

Gotti says his contribution to the creative drought is his new DJ Drama-led Gangsta Grillz "I Showed U So" ... which dropped Friday.

Jake Paul just released the ultimate flex on his haters ... dropping a rap video bragging about his massive wealth and success -- and he recorded the whole thing during Nate Diaz fight week!!

The Problem Child shared the visuals for his new track, "Witness," on Friday ... and he put his luxurious toys, boxing career and love life on full display.

The 3-minute project includes footage from fight week and highlights from his win over Diaz -- and as it turns out, Jake even recorded himself mouthing the words to the song inside the ring after the match.

While Jake raps early in the track that he's "been tryna keep it humble for y'all," ... the lyrics are anything but -- with the internet superstar-turned-boxer listing all his favorite toys: private jets, Ferrari GTB and SF90, rare watches, and, of course, his $16 million crib in Puerto Rico.

Jake also mentions his recent milestones -- becoming a Sports Illustrated cover athlete, getting his own documentary on Netflix, as well as the Paul brothers being worth a billion bucks combined.

As for his fighting, the 7-1 pugilist spits about working harder than ever and still being hungry for more, despite all his achievements ... and how Cleveland couldn't handle his vision.

Paul even shows off his girlfriend, Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam, in the vid ... saying, "Gon' marry the queen of the Netherlands" as he holds her hand.

Quavo's mourning of Takeoff hit its apex Thursday evening with a high-powered listening session for his album, "Rocket Power" ... which he's dedicated to the late Migos rapper.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video from inside the Hayden Planetarium in NYC, where Quavo previewed the album for some lucky fans, and spoke openly about his pain.

He told the crowd he's been floating through life since Takeoff's death -- comparing it to an out-of-body experience -- and thanked fans for still rocking with him.

Takeoff was shot and killed back in November, just as he and Quavo were revving up the promotion for their joint album.

Luckily, he left behind material Quavo was able to use for this solo project, and Takeoff actually helps kick off the album with the song "Patty Cake."

Drake's son Adonis is definitely giving dad's "It's All a Blur" tour a 5-star rating -- after attending a show last week, he's got one track ringing in his head and coming out of his mouth ... constantly!!!

As proof, Drake shared a pair of videos Thursday where Adonis couldn't stop saying "21, can you do something for me?" That's the opening line from "Rich Flex," the lead track from Drake and 21 Savage's "Her Loss" album.

Adonis was in attendance for Drake's Inglewood tour stop on August 12, and showered his dad with support ahead of the show with a handmade card that said, "Dad I hope you have a great concert."

The end result is Adonis jumping up and down on the couch, still shouting the "Rich Flex" lyrics and Drake added the caption, "Comes to one drake show..."

Drake had asked the audience to refrain from throwing bras as his son was in attendance ... but it was his own father, Dennis Graham, who broke the rules ... by trolling Drake with a super-sized bra big enough to be a hammock!!!

Elton John and Kevin Spacey were having a blast overseas while out to dinner ... enjoying each other's company a month after the singer's crucial testimony in Spacey's sexual assault trial.

The 2 pals dined out at La Petite Maison in France this week, along with Elton's husband, David Furnish, the couples' kids and a few other friends.

They were serenaded by a group called The Snugglers, who posted a clip of the friends' night out on the town. BTW, the group was singing Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" as the table enjoyed their grub.

Elton certainly is a true friend to Kevin, and we aren't just talking about a fun dinner together -- as we reported, he took the stand, remotely, last month during Kevin's trial in London, where he was being accused of sexually assaulting 4 men from 2001 to 2013.

The Rocket Man's testimony challenged the claim of one of Kevin's accusers ... who alleged he was groped by the actor while they were going to one of Elton's annual parties, saying it happened either in 2004 or 2005.

Elton testified, under oath, that timeline wasn't possible ... because Kevin only attended his 2001 party he hosted. David also testified, saying he found old photos to back up Elton's memory.

It was a vital one-two punch in that accuser's case.

One of French Montana's recent compositions of La musica de Harry Fraud is getting them both dragged into court -- the artist behind the track's sample claims the song dropped before they finalized a deal.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, an artist named Skylar Gudasz is suing French, Harry Fraud, French's Coke Boys and Cocaine City label imprints, Sony Music and others for copyright infringement.

In the suit, Skylar says she was contacted by someone claiming to represent French around May 2022, and they inquired about licensing a sample to her 2020 song, "Femme Fatale."

She says that is the song that was eventually used for French and Harry's hit song, "Blue Chills" from their "Montega" album last year.

Skylar says they were still hashing out the licensing deal, when she was shocked to see the song get released in June 2022. Skylar says her contact on the licensing deal reacted to the unexpected early release by texting, "Oh jeez" ... and then contacted French's lawyer.

Skylar says she watched "Blue Chills" get featured on subsequent deluxe and vinyl releases of "Montega" -- all without a licensing agreement in place -- before reaching her wits' end.

She's now going after damages, including all the profits she says were made off 'Chills.'

50 Cent may have run through millions of dollars worth of jewelry throughout his rap career, but says there's a point where you gotta draw the line -- taking aim at Busta Rhymes over his gigantic gold chain!!!

On Thursday, 50 shared BTS footage from his recent "Get Rich" tour stop in Charlotte, where he kicked it with DaBaby, Busta and others backstage.

50 immediately got on Busta's case for his oversized adornment ... joking how he doesn't have any real friends to break the news that his gaudy jewelry was gawdful!!!

One may think that's a shot at Busta's longtime right-hand man Spliff Star but he seems to be cosigning the nonsense -- he's also been spotted wearing a statue's amount of gold around his neck!!!

Busta's been rocking the chain since May when his jeweler TraxNYC unveiled the whopper in a box bigger than the one that contained Jumanji.

Sam Asghari is telling people he believes Britney Spears cheated on him with a staff member at her house, and engaged in other inappropriate sexual conduct as well ... sources tell TMZ.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Sam has claimed Britney asked at least one staffer to shoot video of her naked. Not only that, we're told Sam believes she hooked up with at least one of the male staff members working at her home.

As for how Sam supposedly knows -- our sources say he claims there's footage of Britney and the staffer together in a compromising position.

We're told Britney's in a fragile and hyper-sexualized state, and it's contributed to her dangerous decision-making ... making her a risk to her own safety.

Our sources say Sam acted as a crutch for Britney for a long time, but her recent conduct was too much. We've reported Sam has been over the marriage for a while now, and recent events were simply the last straw, leading him to file for divorce.

As we reported, Britney's now without a support system -- she's iced her family out, doesn't have real friends, and has now lost Sam. We're told there's serious concern from her loved ones, but at this point, there's not much they can do.

Sam Asghari has broken his silence on his split with Britney Spears, almost exactly 24 hours after he filed divorce docs against the pop star.

Sam posted a message to Instagram Thursday, writing, "After 6 years of love and commitment to each other my wife and I have decided to end our journey together."

He continues, "We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other and I wish her the best always. Shit happens. Asking for privacy seems ridiculous so I will just ask for everyone including media to be kind and thoughtful."

While his message is of love, we know the final weeks of the pair's relationship were anything but smooth ... Sam moved out after a blowup fight where he accused her of cheating. Sources close to the couple tell us he suspected she was having an affair with a worker at her home.

Not only that, Sam's told those close to him Britney has attacked him in his sleep. We got photos of him out back in January sporting a black eye and an apparent bite mark on his arm right around the time he said he was attacked.

Christina Aguilera traded in her walking shoes for a set o' wheels at Disneyland ... celebrating her daughter's birthday while also giving her feet and legs a rest.

The singer -- and former "Mickey Mouse Club" member -- took to the Happiest Place on Earth Wednesday, donning matching tie-dye shirts with her partner, Matthew Rutler, and some pals for Summer Rain's 9th birthday.

Her group was escorted by a private tour guide, getting front-of-the-line access to rides like Alice in Wonderland ... but while the rest of her crew was walking around the park, Christina remained seated on a motorized scooter.

Disney normally rents the transports out to guests, and a source close to Christina tells us the singer needed it because she's currently nursing a minor knee injury.

It's nothing too serious, but we're told she's trying to rest it to make sure it doesn't get worse.

Damian Lillard is set to release his fifth studio album "Don D.O.L.L.A." this week -- a feat he says is only reserved for legit artists and not ones halfway committed!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Dame previewing the album last night at Soho House in West Hollywood ... where he told the crowd he considers himself a seasoned rapper at this point, listening to criticisms to always improve on his craft.

The NBA star says March's season-ending injury gave him time to beef up the album ... which boosts guest appearances from Rick Ross, Mozzy and longtime collaborator, Lil Wayne ... who's appeared on ALL of Dame's albums thus far!!!

Several pro athletes also dabble in making hip-hop music, but Dame says he earned his stripes freestyling for "4-Bar Fridays" on IG before graduating to SoundCloud.

Britney Spears got physical with Sam Asghari over the years, he's told people, once giving him a black eye while he was sleeping ... sources tell TMZ.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ...  Sam frequently complained about Britney getting physical with him during their 7 years together. We're told there have been numerous fights where security has had to step in, but in one instance there was no security in sight.

Our sources say there was one occasion where Sam says he was sleeping in their bed when Britney flew off the handle and began punching him. We're told Sam did not strike back, but was stunned as his wife pummeled him.

We're told that alleged incident went down early this year, right around the time Sam was photographed with a black eye and bite marks on his forearm.

Paparazzi noticed the bruising and tried to ask Sam about it, but he tried to play it off ... asking photogs not to shoot him.

Our sources say Sam was particularly concerned because Britney had a fascination with knives. We're told there were knives all over the house, including in their bedroom. Britney, as one source put it, "was paranoid someone was going to get her, and she needed the knives as protection." The sources add Britney tended to "fly off the handle" at the smallest slight, and that terrified Sam.

As we first told you, Sam and Britney got into a huge argument a few weeks ago when he accused her of cheating, and that's what triggered his divorce filing. But, we're told that was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.