Music

If it wasn't for music, Rick Ross could've been a damn good basketball player ... at least, that's according to famed NBA shooting coach Lethal Shooter, who tells TMZ Sports the rapper's got the goods on the court!

Lethal -- real name Chris Matthews -- came to the conclusion after working with the "Hustlin'" artist earlier this month before he had to take a private jet to Las Vegas.

Matthews spent about an hour with the celeb ... and he was so impressed with Ross' work ethic, he said the dude could've been "elite" on the hardwood if he had chosen ball over hip hop.

"As soon he got out of the car, he didn't waste any time," Matthews said of Ross. "He was looking to train. He only took two breaks. He wanted to learn."

Matthews, of course, didn't say an NBA career would've been in Ross' future if he had picked basketball at a young age ... but he explained to us the 47-year-old could've potentially made it as a college hooper if he wanted.

"I feel like people don't realize Rick Ross is pretty tall and anything that somebody put their mind to, they're capable of," Matthews said.

"What I saw from somebody, the age that he's at, that he was learning so fast I think he could've been capable at a young age to play at an elite level as far as high school and college."

Matthews knows a thing or two about A-listers with hoops skills ... he's trained a bunch of celebs over the years -- and told us guys like Future and Mark Cuban have some underrated games.

"When I was training Mark Cuban a few months back," Matthews said, "I felt like you can tell at a young age he was one of those guys that was always gonna bring it on defense, always gonna bring the intensity."

When the 38-year-old is not helping celebrities with their jump shots ... he's going nonstop at giving back to his hometown Washington D.C. -- telling us he recently donated $18K to three different schools in the DMV area.

Celebs are getting down with the spooky spirit this year -- carving out lots of space on their IG grids and sharing their festive photos with you! It's the sweetest time of the year for all the frightening feels, so come eat, drink and be scary with Hollywood!

Gettin' spooky in the Berkshires, Dorina Medley was lit up and V on theme ... flickering over her ghostly candles, Yungblud hit up the produce aisle in full-on skeleton gear, and if you're thinkin' Halsey can live 'Without' her angel wings ... guess again!

¡Este año, las celebridades han abrazado el espíritu espeluznante a lo grande, conquistando sus redes sociales y compartiendo sus fotos festivas contigo! Es la época más dulce del año para sentir todas las sensaciones aterradoras, así que ¡ven a comer, beber y asustarte con Hollywood!

Las celebridades se están poniendo más espeluznantes que nunca en los Berkshires: Dorinda Medley brillaba y está totalmente en sintonía, Yungblud se aventura al pasillo de productos con un atuendo de esqueleto completo, y si crees que Halsey puede renunciar a sus alas de ángel… ¡Piénsalo dos veces!

The 'party's never over' when Billie Eilish is present! Step aside security ... there are some Frigin' Differences to be handled! Do you have a keen eye to find the changes in these two shots? Let's hope so!

The singer-songwriter flashed her "Ocean Eyes" earlier this week, heading into "Jimmy Kimmel Live" looking as cool as ever ... yes, she may have switched up her hairdo, but that's not the only switch-up(s) happening here 😜!  Slither your way through the images and secure the switch-ups in the bag!

¡La 'fiesta nunca termina' cuando Billie Eilish está presente! Hagan a un lado la seguridad ... ¡hay unas condenadas diferencias que resolver! ¿Tienes buen ojo para encontrar los cambios en estas dos tomas? ¡Esperemos que sí!

La cantautora lució sus "Ojos de Océano" a principios de esta semana, dirigiéndose a "Jimmy Kimmel Live" luciendo tan fresca como siempre ... Sí, pudo haber cambiado su peinado, ¡pero ese no es el único cambio que está presente! ¡Deslízate por las imágenes y asegura los cambios en la bolsa!

Westside Gunn is working his best to calm the nerves of his fans worried after he announced his latest album will be his last.

The Griselda rapper tells TMZ Hip Hop fans shouldn't get it twisted ... he's still dropping music -- it just won't be in the multi-song format like he just did with "And Then You Pray For Me."

His last project boasts 21 tracks with everyone from hip hop megastars such as Rick Ross and Jeezy to hungry new jacks like Peezy and Travis Scott deflector KayCyy.

Gunn says in turn, he'll be focused on releasing singles tailor-made to fit the public's needs and also put the possibility of having EPs exclusively produced by RZA and Alchemist out in the air.

He refers to the new project as "art" ... as a one-of-kind painting Virgil gave him before his 2021 death is used for the album cover and says fans will benefit by him dropping more music without the album wait time.

El lugar de descanso final de Aaron Carter ahora se encuentra adornado con un retrato del difunto cantante ... y su hermana gemela está invitando a los fanáticos a visitar su tumba.

La nueva lápida incluye un retrato ovalado de Aaron y reza ... "A la memoria de nuestro amado AARON CARTER, 1987-2022, querido hermano, hijo, amigo y padre de Prince Carter".

La gemela de Aaron, Angel, dice que el nuevo retrato fue instalado el viernes en el Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills ... y al parecer también dejó un ramo de flores frescas.

Angel dice de su difunto hermano, "Adoraba a sus admiradores, y se lo mucho que esto significaría para él, tener ahora un lugar de descanso final en el que todos podamos honrar su vida".

También está invitando a los admiradores de Aaron, compartir sus recuerdos y "nunca olvidar quién era Aaron en el fondo".

El tan esperado álbum de Offset, "Set It Off" finalmente ha llegado ... ¡¡¡y lo celebró con una fiesta en un club en la que participó Cardi B como la mujer entusiasta definitiva!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtuvo material del interior de la fiesta de lanzamiento de Offset el jueves por la noche en Poppy en el oeste de Hollywood. Cardi animó al público a medida que entregaba los tragos de tequila.

Sin embargo, Cardi no iba a permitir que los admiradores bebieran con un estómago vacío ... por lo que repartió raciones abundantes de Shake Shack entre la multitud. Cardi definitivamente se lo estaba pasando muy bien, y en algún un momento se derramó parte de la bebida encima.

La estrella del R&B Mario también estuvo presente y Bronny James fue visto empapándose del album.

Cardi les dijo a los admiradores que ella es una gran fanática de la canción "Worth It", de Don Toliver, y nos dicen que será el próximo sencillo del álbum ... siempre es bueno mantener a la esposa feliz.

Afuera del club, la pareja lasciva se presentó con su dueto "Freaky" - la segunda contribución del álbum "Ser It Off" de Cardi, además de la previamente lanzada "Jealousy".

For Taylor Swift, it pays to take her show on the road -- and into theaters, too -- she could be raking in a whopping $4.1 BILLION from her super popular "Eras" tour.

The eye-popping figure would mean Taylor owns the most lucrative concert tour in U.S. history -- and, in the process, she'd not only be lining her pockets, but also boosting the American economy.

Taylor's multi-billion dollar windfall is an estimate from Peter Cohan, who teaches MBA students at Babson College in Massachusetts. He says he crunched the numbers for The Washington Post, and came out with some astounding figures.

Get a load of this ... Taylor's estimated cut would be larger than the yearly economic output of 42 countries, and a $4.1 billion profit is also enough to send every American a little more than $17.

Swiftee stimulus checks, imagine that!!!

Taylor's making the most of her money from ticket sales and her highly-coveted merch ... while hotels in cities where the "Eras" tour stopped are said to have added $208 million to their coffers, and that's only counting the actual night of the concerts. Realistically, most fans stay at least one extra day.

The economic impact of the "Eras" tour is huge too. For instance, her 6 shows at SoFi Stadium in L.A. injected $320 million into the county's economy, while her Denver shows resulted in a $140 million boost ... and her Kansas City and Cincinnati stops brought in $48 million to each of those cities.

Taylor's sharing the wealth ... as we reported, she dished out over $50 million in total bonuses to her concert crew, and gave every truck driver hauling her tour equipment around the country an extra $100k.

Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce claramente van con todo ... nos hemos enterado que los 2 van a pasar todo el fin de semana juntos después de que ambos se anotaron impresionantes victorias esta semana.

Múltiples fuentes familiarizadas con la situación le dijeron a TMZ ... que Taylor y Travis pasarán el próximo fin de semana juntos -- Travis y los Chiefs jugaron el jueves por la noche, así que tiene un tiempo libre.

No está claro si permanecerán en la ciudad de Kansas para pasar el tiempo juntos, o si van a volar fuera de la ciudad ... pero con Travis con días libres hasta inicios de la próxima semana y Taylor sin subir a un escenario hasta el 9 de noviembre en Argentina, los tortolitos pueden ir a casi cualquier lugar que deseen.

Como lo informamos, Taylor asistió una vez más al Arrowhead Stadium el jueves por la noche para apoyarlo mientras se sentaba junto a su madre, Donna Kelce -- ¡que llevaba un brazalete de amistad, que se han popularizado en los conciertos de Taylor!

No olvidemos que Taylor estuvo en Los Ángeles la noche anterior para el estreno mundial de su película 'Eras Tour', que ya se encuentra oficialmente en los cines - ¡tal vez Taylor y Travis vayan a ver la película durante su escapada de fin de semana!

Aaron Carter's final resting place is now adorned with a portrait of the late singer ... and his twin sister is inviting fans to visit his grave.

The new headstone includes an oval portrait of Aaron and reads ... "In Loving Memory AARON CARTER 1987-2022 Beloved Brother, Son, Friend & Father Of Prince Carter."

Aaron's twin, Angel, says the new portrait was installed Friday at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills ... and it looks like she also left a fresh bouquet of flowers.

Angel says of her late brother, "He adored his fans, and I know how much this would mean to him now having a final resting place where we could all celebrate his life."

She's also inviting Aaron's fans to visit, share their memories and "never forget who Aaron was deep down."

Offset didn't hold any expenses in helping Cardi B celebrate her birthday, gifting his wife 3 new crocodile Birkin bags ... a disgusting gesture as far as PETA is concerned.

PETA Vice President Lisa Lange fired off a scathing statement to the couple Friday, writing, "Instead of using his wealth and influence for good, Offset chose to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into a gruesome, violent industry that electroshocks crocodiles, shoves metal rods into their heads in an attempt to scramble their brains, and mutilates them while they’re still alive."

Lange feels Offset and Cardi are out of touch, adding, "PETA reminds everyone that people who still spend their money on a closet full of dead animals’ body parts either are clueless or simply don’t care about the extreme cruelty they’re perpetuating—it’s just not worth it."

PETA says they learned of the heinous treatment of reptiles through research and an internal investigation sprawling across Asia, praising luxury brands like Chanel, Burberry, HUGO BOSS and Vivienne Westwood for correcting their practices.

Cardi's birthday celebration continued last night as a dual party for Offset's new album "Set It Off" where she fed the crowd burgers ... which is another issue for the animal rights org.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are clearly goin' strong ... we've learned the 2 will be spending the entire weekend together after both scored some massive wins this week.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Taylor and Travis will be together this upcoming weekend -- Travis and the Chiefs played Thursday night, so he's got time off.

It's unclear if they'll stay in Kansas City for their time together, or if they'll jet out of town ... but with Travis now off the clock until early next week and Taylor not taking the stage until November 9 in Argentina, the lovebirds can go just about anywhere they want.

As we reported, Taylor showed up once again at Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night to cheer him on while sitting next to his mom, Donna Kelce -- who was donning a friendship bracelet, made popular at Taylor's concerts!

Don't forget, Taylor was in L.A. the night before for the world premiere of her 'Eras Tour' film, which is now officially in theaters -- hey, maybe Taylor and Travis will go catch the flick during their weekend getaway!

Regardless, they've been seen together quite a bit in the past few weeks -- apart from the viral video of them leaving Travis' game last month, the 2 were also spotted getting close at a local bar, with her arm wrapped around him.

Drake's wallet will be a whole lot fatter if Logan Paul eviscerates Dillon Danis on Saturday ... 'cause the rapper just placed a massive, $850,000 bet on the WWE superstar to score a knockout victory!!!

The "God's Plan" crooner put down the money on The Maverick on Thursday ... revealing he'll get back $1.35 MILLION if Paul comes through.

Drake said he's backing Paul because of all of the trolling Danis has done in the leadup to their much-anticipated boxing match -- which has included a slew of digs at Paul's fiancée, Nina Agdal.

"Never bet against personal vendetta and settling scores," he said of the wager on his Instagram page.

Paul was clearly happy to have Drake in his corner ... he tweeted in response to the bet, "Easy money."

Danis, meanwhile, was pretty pissed, writing in a statement of his own, "850 on my head is disrespect."

It all, of course, nearly didn't happen ... as on Thursday morning, Danis threw a microphone at Paul that opened up a gash near the YouTuber's right eye. Fortunately for fans of the fight, Paul said it didn't do too much damage, and the match is still on.

Offset's long-awaited album "Set It Off" has finally dropped … and he celebrated with a club bash blowout featuring Cardi B as the ultimate hype woman!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage from inside Offset’s album release party Thursday night at Poppy in West Hollywood. Cardi got the crowd amped as she dished out tequila shots.

However, Cardi wasn't about to let fans drink on an empty stomach … passing out heaping helpings of Shake Shack for the crowd. Cardi was definitely having a good time, at one point spilling some of the drink all over herself.

R&B star Mario was also in the building, and Bronny James was spotted soaking up the album.

Cardi told fans she's a big fan of the Don Toliver-featured track “Worth It,” and we’re told that will be the album’s next single ... always good to keep wifey happy.

Outside the club, the raunchy couple turned up to their “Freaky” duet — Cardi’s second "Set It Off" album contribution in addition to the previously released “Jealousy.”

An Israeli teen girl and her family hid from Hamas terrorists for hours on end ... and her mom kept her mind distracted by focusing on an upcoming Taylor Swift concert.

13-year-old Renana Botzer Swissa told CBS News she rushed into her family' safe room Saturday with her parents and grandmother as Hamas aggressors raided the settlement of Kfar Aza -- near the Gaza border.

Swissa says her mom, Ilanit, used Taylor as a means of distracting her teenage daughter from the potentially fatal possibilities that could arise if they were found ... telling Swissa to think about the Europe concert in June as something happy to look forward to.

She says the thought of seeing Taylor live gave her hope that they'd make it out of the unspeakable evil alive, but admits terrible thoughts were still looming over her -- including worries that she'd be kidnapped, raped, or even killed.

Swissa also made a promise to her mom, saying she'd let her give her kisses if they survived ... this after she apparently had been playfully getting annoyed by all the smooches she'd been given.

Since making it out of the safe room alive 16 hours later, Ilanit says she's been giving her daughter nothing but kisses.