Music

American singer Austin John Winkler was 23 years old when he was put on the music maps with him and his band's (Hinder) hit song "Lips Of Angel" back in 2005. -- grabbing over 307 million streams on Spotify and more than 311 million views on YouTube.

In 2013, Austin Winkler stepped away from the band ... Other key members of the group included guitarists Mark King and Joe Garvey, drummer Cody Hanson and bassist Mike Rodden.

And, just this year ... Austin recorded a new rendition of his popular banger "Lips Of An Angel."

"It's really good to hear your voice, saying my name it sounds so sweet ... Coming from the lips of an angel!"

KXNG Crooked a supporter of West Coast Hip Hop, and doesn't think "I Got It Made" rapper Special Ed's shots at N.W.A necessarily come from a bad place ... but still says the OG may have missed the mark in his message.

We caught up with the Horseshoe Gang rapper following Special Ed's particularly passionate take on the group that pioneered gangsta rap ... he blamed Ice Cube, Dr. Dre. MC Ren DJ Yella, and the late Eazy-E for single-handily bringing "the age of destruction" into the rap game.

Ed also made his fiery comments on "Drink Champs" -- while completely sober at that but Crooked still thinks rap media often pigeonholes talent in order to get a negative headline.

Crooked was previously signed to Dre through Eminem's Shady Records/Aftermath imprint and remembers feeling the ripple effects from N.W.A's debut in real-time ... a project that broke ground for highlighting the issues in impoverished hoods -- not glorifying them.

The group's debut "Straight Outta Compton" was inducted into the Library of Congress and Crooked says their success created a negative narrative still being pushed by Ed to this very day.

Crooked's been famously alcohol-free for 7+ years after his own public battles and while he's not in the business of judging folks' life choices, he knows from experience how booze can cause you to speak more loosely.

As a former Death Row Records artist, he recalls being on hand for Suge Knight's infamous 2003 Jimmy Kimmel interview where the music mogul casually floated claims that Eazy was intentionally given the HIV virus that led to his death from AIDS.

Here's something that almost NEVER happens to Taylor Swift ... walking anywhere, much less into an NFL game, with zero fanfare -- but we've learned that's exactly what she pulled off on Sunday.

This shot shows Taylor -- rocking the Chiefs' windbreaker -- walking into Arrowhead Stadium to see Travis Kelce and his team play the Chicago Bears. The woman in the black leather jacket is part of Travis' PR team, and she escorted Taylor and Trav's friends to his luxury suite.

The amazing part is ... we're told there were no fans screaming for Tay Tay as she walked into the stadium, and made her way to the suite.

You gotta hand it to Taylor and Travis for pulling off the perfect sneak attack. No one knew she was going to the game -- we got wind of it just 20 minutes before kickoff -- and, as a result, the Swiftie army was NOT lined up to see her arrival.

Kinda shocking they weren't on the lookout, considering Travis made it known he had invited her to a game.

As we reported, Traylor (yeah, that's what we're calling 'em) were quietly escorted out of the stadium -- and only one reporter, WGN's Jarrett Payton, was able to get a quick shot of them inside.

They pulled away from Arrowhead in a pretty conspicuous way, though -- looking like Danny and Sandy from "Grease" in Travis' metallic purple convertible muscle car -- but they definitely pulled off a 'Mission: Impossible' getting her in on the DL.

The Swifties seemingly rushed to get their Travis Kelce merch after Taylor was spotted supporting her new potential love interest at Sunday's game ... 'cause the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's jerseys are flying off the shelves!!

TMZ Sports has learned -- Kelce's No. 87 threads were among the most popular items on the NFL Shop on Sunday ... this according to Fanatics, the league's official e-commerce partner.

"Yesterday, Travis Kelce was one of the top 5 selling NFL players and saw a nearly 400% spike in sales throughout the Fanatics network of sites, including NFLShop.com," Fanatics tells us.

While it's impossible to tell who exactly made all the purchases, the massive increase in jersey sales comes on the heels of the "Anti-Hero" singer's visit to Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Chiefs whoop the Bears, 41-10.

So, yeah, it certainly feels like Taylor's fanbase is 'shipping' the duo ... and considering how passionate her following is, it wouldn't be shocking if the Swifties emptied their wallets to secure their new favorite athlete's jerseys.

Swift seemed right at home with Chiefs Kingdom as she watched the matchup in a suite alongside Kelce's mom, Donna ... despite being a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Swift and Kelce ended up leaving the stadium together ... cruising away in his old-school convertible.

Taylor Swift is in tight with the Kansas City Chiefs now that she's linked to Travis Kelce -- and as a result of her proximity/influence ... one Native American group is making a big ask.

This all has to do with the famed "Tomahawk chop" that Chiefs fans are known to do during games -- which has become tradition -- to the chagrin of some activist groups, including one that was outside Arrowhead Stadium Sunday to protest the gesture.

This org is called Not In Our Honor, and it's headed up by Rhonda LeValdo, who was out there among other Native American activists and advocates with signage reflecting their demands ... namely, lose the chop and maybe even the team name.

She tells TMZ ... she and her group are making a direct plea to Taylor, now that she's got a seat at the proverbial table, saying ... "We remain hopeful that an outside influence like Ms. Swift could be an ally for us in moving the conversation forward on why the chop is a racist act."

LeValdo adds, "To us, that hand gesture is synchronized racism. We implore Ms. Swift to take the time to understand our perspective and the scientific and psychological research into the harm to youth and communities caused by such behavior."

Worth noting -- TS was on camera during one of the Tomahawk chops at Sunday's game ... but she didn't participate in it, despite many others around her doing so. Instead, she literally danced in place -- but it's unclear if that telegraphed how she feels.

The folks over at NIOH are hoping she's on the same page as them, with LeValdo further telling us she encourages people to read up on their history -- and that they realize the "Chop" is a continued mockery of their Native American heritage and past ... which is riddled with ugly chapters dating back to day 1, when their land was occupied by white settlers.

This issue is part of a much larger conversation as it pertains to sports. The Washington Commanders recently changed their team name amid mounting outrage, and ditto for the Cleveland Guardians. Until now, the Chiefs appear to have mostly escaped the criticism.

Tory Lanez cleared up much of the speculation behind his recent inmate transfer, and just like we reported, he’s making the most of the situation!!!

Fans and haters alike were surprised Monday when Tory’s official social media accounts posted a pretty upbeat voice memo from jail where he sounded like he's free as a bird ... even though that's clearly not the case.

As we previously reported, Tory’s celebrity status has him holed up solo inside the Administrative Segregation at North Kern State Prison in Delano, CA … and the “Color Violent” rapper says he’s loving the extra legroom.

Tory’s new facility isn’t without its issues -- several people have been killed within the prison this year alone -- but Tory says it’s better than the L.A. county jail where they had him on 24-hour lockdown and in his words, they were “hating” on a G.

Tory thanked his supporters for holding him down and expressed how the situation made him fearless.

He's gonna need that confidence ... Tory's just starting a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.

12:55 PM PT -- A source with direct knowledge tells us Taylor Swift did not sneak out of the suite, she walked out with Travis Kelce's family and their entourage.

Taylor Swift fans believe she went to great lengths to sneak out of the private suite where she was watching rumored boyfriend Travis Kelce play football ... Swifties think she left in a popcorn machine.

The fan theory is spreading like wildfire on social media Monday, with Swifties claiming Taylor was inside a large, metallic box that was being wheeled through the Arrowhead Stadium concourse, where tons of folks were waiting to catch a glimpse of TayTay.

Video shows a staffer wheeling the container as one Swiftie claims Taylor's inside the box. It's interesting there's a big bag of popcorn on top of the container instead of inside, plus a law enforcement officer keeping watch.

As you know, Taylor watched Travis' Kansas City Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears, 41-10, Sunday afternoon in KC ... showing up to support him shortly after being romantically linked to the team's star tight end.

Taylor cheered from a suite, where she was hanging out with Travis' mom ... and the two seemed to really get along.

After the game, Taylor and Travis walked out of the locker room area together ... but no one knows how she got from the suite to the stadium bowels without being seen ... hence the popcorn machine disguise theory.

Taylor wasn't too shy once she got near Travis ... they drove off in a convertible and had the top down too.

It's going to be interesting to see where things go for Taylor and Travis ... so get your popcorn ready.

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are the real deal, or just a PR stunt? Vote below.

El presidente Joe Biden dijo una vez a los votantes afroamericanos "No sois negros" si no votáis por él, pero debido a su desconocimiento de LL Cool J ... La supuesta Tarjeta Negra de Biden está ahora en entredicho.

El pionero del hip hop fue honrado en la Conferencia Legislativa anual de la Fundación del Caucus Negro del Congreso durante el fin de semana y el Presi vivió una de sus peores meteduras de pata llamándolo "LL J Cool J".

Para empeorar las cosas, cuando Biden trató de recuperarse de ese error, se refirió a LL como "niño" generando cringe entre los espectadores. También trató de arreglar ese error...

Salió así: "Por cierto, ese niño... ese hombre tiene los bíceps más grandes que mis muslos". Madre mía Joe😬.

Los republicanos están usando la metedura de pata verbal como un golpe político pero Charlamagne piensa que es un golpe cultural, dándole al Comandante en Jefe y a su equipo de redacción el titulo de "Burro del Día".

Como señala CTG, Joe cumplirá 81 años dentro de un par de meses y sus guionistas deberían dejar de intentar que parezca moderno, pero aún tiene edad suficiente para recordar los días en que el término "boy" (niño) era un término racista utilizado para menospreciar a los hombres negros.

LL ha sido un rapero superestrella desde los 80s —uno de los primeros del género— y ha estado deletreando su nombre en las canciones hace mucho. Un pedazo de historia americana que CTG dice que el Presi debe saber.

President Joe Biden once told African American voters "You ain't Black" if you don't vote for him, but due to his lack of awareness about LL Cool J ... Biden's alleged Black Card is now being called into question.

The Rock the Bells pioneer was honored at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual Legislative Conference over the weekend, and the Prez pulled one of his worst teleprompter gaffes ... calling him "LL J Cool J."

To make matters worse, as Biden tried to recover from that flub, he referred to LL as "boy" ... making everyone in the crowd cringe ... even though he quickly tried to fix that screw-up, too.

It came out like this, "By the way that boy — that man’s got biceps bigger than my thighs." Good grief, Joe😬.

Republicans are using the verbal blunder as a political strike, but Charlamagne thinks it's a cultural one ... giving the Commander-in-Chief, and his writing staff, the "Donkey of the Day," and that's not a Democratic compliment!!!

As CTG notes, Joe will be 81 years old in a couple of months and his writers should stop attempting to have him come across as hip ... but he's still old enough to remember the days when the term "boy" was a racist term used to belittle Black men.

LL's also been a superstar rapper since the '80s -- one of the genre's first -- and has been spelling out his name in songs just as long -- a slice of American history CTG says the Prez should know.

Former NFL star Jarrett Payton has no doubts about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce bein' a couple ... and that's coming from the guy who got the viral video of them leaving the Chiefs game together.

Jarrett, the son of football legend Walter Payton, joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about his experience capturing Taylor and Travis leaving Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium together ... and he's telling us why there's real chemistry between them.

Jarrett's quick clip has quite the story behind it -- he says he was on the field filming coverage for Chicago's WGN and was heading to the car when he was stopped by security and told to wait there while they dealt with something ... or someone.

Luckily, he says he was told to stay put in the hallway ... and the 2 strolled past him not long after that.

He also thinks Travis gave him a bit of a look while walking out -- a total "come on, dude" kind of glance -- but Jarrett admits was like a kid in the candy store.

As you know, the internet's been going nuts over Taylor and Travis leaving together ... and the singer was also having a blast in a private box with Travis' mom, Donna, just hours before.

And for those of you who are convinced the 2 are an item, it sounds like Jarrett's right there with you on that one.

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are the real deal, or just a PR stunt? Vote below.

The Pittsburgh Steelers still have yet to make it home following their big win against the Raiders in Nevada .... their charter plane was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday morning -- stranding the team in Kansas City.

The Delta Airlines flight was grounded not long after it left Las Vegas following Pitt's 23-18 victory ... after the plane reportedly experienced oil pressure issues.

Thankfully, a Steelers spokesperson said in a tweet Monday morning that everyone on the flight is safe.

"We are making necessary plans to arrive back in Pittsburgh later today," they added.

Pittsburgh star Cam Heyward was able to joke about it all despite the scary nature of the scene ... poking fun at his teammate, Minkah Fitzpatrick, on his X account.

"Dang emergency landing in KC," he wrote. "I think it’s due to @minkfitz_21 'roughing the passer call' but seriously landing KC."

He later jokingly asked Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift to give him a ride from K.C. to Pennsylvania ... as the two just so happened to be in the area for the Chiefs star's game earlier in the day.

"Yo @taylorswift13 & @tkelce," the defensive lineman wrote, "we might need a ride to Pittsburgh."

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce didn't kiss Sunday ... they didn't hug or anything like that, but it's pretty clear, both during and after the game, they're a thing.

Taylor and Travis left Arrowhead Stadium Sunday after the big game in Kelce's sweet convertible. They apparently went to grab some grub, and according to social media buzz, paid to have an entire restaurant unto themselves. We cannot confirm that, yet!

As they left the stadium, they walked side-by-side around the locker room area, strolling past photogs and looking, well, couplie.

Taylor was all in during the game, cheering on Travis as she sat, and stood, and screamed next to Travis's mom.

There have been rumblings for over a month the 2 were dating, and weeks ago we got the sense the rumors were true.

So how does TRAYLOR sound?

Do you think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are the real deal, or just a PR stunt? Vote below.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have agreed they will NOT take their kids outside the greater New York City area for now ... this, just days after Sophie filed legal docs saying her intention was taking the kids to the UK for good.

Both Joe and Sophie agreed to a temporary consent agreement and filed it with a federal judge. Daily Mail first reported the filing.

As we reported, Joe and Sophie are locked in a legal battle over custody. Sophie went to federal court last week, citing a child abduction law and claiming Joe refused to turn over the passports of their 2 kids. She claimed they had an agreement the kids would live in the UK.

Joe countered, saying a judge in Florida -- where he filed the divorce -- said the kids could not be removed from the U.S., thus setting up a legal battle.

11:15 AM -- Chrisean Rock and Keke Palmer have connected behind the scenes on Monday after much internet chatter.

Chrisean had initially taken issue with Keke going public but cooler heads have prevailed and Chrisean appears to have an ally in Keke while a Blueface reconcillation is still TBD.

Keke Palmer believes Chrisean Rock's issues are reflective of the challenges facing so many other Black single mothers ... publicly offering the embattled reality star support.

Keke, who's a new mother herself, couldn't contain her anger as many -- including Blueface's manager Wack 100, called for Chrisean's baby to be removed from her care.

The way Keke sees it, personal opinions against Chrisean are irrelevant -- maternal health care is the #1 priority in situations like these, and she says neglected kids are the ones placed in the system which often leads to a path of crime.

Keke says there's an ongoing epidemic in health care for Black women and Chrisean is simply one of the many victims.

The CDC reported that in 2021, Black women suffered nearly 70 deaths for every 100,000 live births ... almost 3x the number of White women.

The "Nope" actress echoed much of what Cardi B told us when she spoke about Chrisean's early struggles with motherhood ... but the controversy surrounding her newborn baby is becoming more critical by the day!!!

Chrisean and Blueface are both under fire after the "Thotiana" rapper exposed their son's genitals ... accusing Chrisean of failing to schedule the appropriate surgery to fix a hernia, which has grown rather large.

She's also still trying to live down last week's viral Walmart video that showed her carelessly holding her baby.

Chrisean barked back at Blueface for airing out their baby's business ... but also admitted she hadn't yet set a date for him to have surgery, either.

Should there be legal consequences to Blueface posting a photo of his child's genitals? Vote below.

3:18 PM PT -- And just like that ... Drake has earned his 12th #1 hit with "Slime You Out" ... the most-ever amongst rappers.

Charlamagne Tha God's predictions that nobody was checking for the song were off ... way off.

Drake is finally firing back at Charlamagne after years of sneak disses ... with the 'Breakfast Club' host's critique of his new song with SZA being the final straw!!!

On Monday, Drake emptied the clip in his IG stories ... addressing Charlamagne by his gov't name while accusing him of harboring envious emotions.

He also compared Charlamagne to a low-budget Morris Chestnut and posted several snapshots of Charlamagne modeling to prove his point! The fans got a kick outta that.

Drake was triggered by Charlamagne's review of "Slime You Out," which he essentially called boring, claiming people checked out shortly after it dropped.

The song is projected to top the Billboard Hot 100 this week so obviously people are listening to it, but Charlamagne says he hears crickets.

Following Drake's blasts, Charlamagne blew off the shots while reacting on-air Monday ... joking that Drake picks a beef with him every time it's time for an album rollout.

The two had their back-and-forth exchanges over the years but as Charlamagne remembers things, they buried the hatchet at the conclusion of Drake's beef with Meek Mill around 2015.

9:06 AM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Krayzie Bone is going into a second surgery soon in the hopes of stopping some internal bleeding, which is at the root of his health troubles.

We're told this all started Friday when KB started coughing up blood, after which he checked himself into an L.A.-area hospital. After some tests, our sources tell us docs discovered a bleeding artery in one of his lungs ... and they operated on him.

Afterward, we're told Krayzie was placed in an induced coma -- with the idea being that would help the healing process -- but our sources say the issue wasn't resolved, and that the artery continues to bleed in his lung. Now, they're going back to try and fix it for good.

Our sources tell us his family members have been the only ones allowed to see him, and they're at his side now. Krayzie's team, we're told, is meeting today to get more updates.

Krayzie Bone is reportedly fighting for his life in a hospital -- a scary update that has much of Hollywood sending their thoughts and prayers his way.

The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper is said to be on a ventilator as a result of surgery to deal with a respiratory issue he's been battling, which saw him coughing up blood and requiring to go under the knife immediately ... this according to AllHipHop.com.

The outlet reports KB's initial hospitalization stems from a diagnosis of sarcoidosis -- which causes inflammatory cells to form in different parts of the body. After undergoing a procedure to stop internal bleeding doctors detected, sources tell AHH that his condition worsened.

The news appears to have been confirmed by one of Krayzie's own BTNH members, Bizzy Bone -- who posted on social media this weekend ... asking everyone to keep KB in their thoughts. That, of course, spurred a lot of people to react ... including some big names.

Among the celebs who threw up messages of support ... Juicy J, LeBron James, DJ Paul, and others. Of course, tons of hip hop fans at large are pouring out with tributes as well.

Krayzie Bone's family is reported to be seeking privacy and hasn't expanded on where things stand -- but word is ... he's currently sedated and remains in Los Angeles-area ICU.

His contributions to music can't be overstated -- in addition to being a part of one of the biggest hip hop groups to emerge from the '90s, with an incredibly unique style, Krayzie has gone on to launch his own record label, apparel line and podcast network ... to name a few accomplishments. He's also won a couple Grammys in his day as part of Bone Thugs.

The guy isn't even all that old ... he's only 50. Here's hoping he can pull through. 🙏