Music

Quavo's time away from music last year to mourn the death of his nephew Takeoff left an incomplete collaboration on the table ... but now, he's finished it up.

Up-and-coming rapper Swxm dropped his new single "Swim" Friday which includes a vibrant feature from Quavo ... a track he recorded in Spring 2022 after Swxm sent the track over to one of their mutual friends.

Swxm and Quavo shot the video that summer in both Long Island and Atlanta ... and he and his team worked diligently with clearance attorney lawyer Bob Celestin to get the appropriate paperwork.

Tragedy struck near the day Quavo's label QC/Motown was to sign the side artist waiver agreement -- Takeoff's death on Nov. 1, 2022 -- leaving the song to dwell in purgatory.

Swxm's team tells us Quavo's team reached out just last week excited about dropping the visual, and now we've got the song. Early reactions are good, and the vibes are classic Quavo.

Directed by WillC & Richie4K, the breezy record addresses topics of floating and pushing through life's adversity ... we're told making for an easy bond between Swxm and Quavo.

Swxm lost his mom ahead of the 2020 pandemic and we're told he stays busy by pouring his all into his music.

Since losing Takeoff, Quavo has also been on a mission for the better ... he and his Rocket Foundation just stormed Washington D.C. meeting with members of Congress in an effort to thwart gun violence.

Russell Simmons has been around for all of Hip Hop's 50 years, and isn't phased by the outpouring of complaints about the current quality of rap music this year.

We caught up with the Def Jam co-founder and DJ Cassidy Thursday ... still reeling from the blowout Hip Hop concert from the recent City of Hope x Pass The Mic fundraiser celebration.

T.I., Big Daddy Kane, Redman, EPMD, and an extremely brolic LL Cool J helped lead the festivities for the night ... Russell tells us he flew all the way from Bali just a be a part of it, he couldn't miss it.

Russ also praised fellow friend and hip hop mogul Lyor Cohen for the millions he helped raise toward cancer treatments mostly impacting minorities ... $4.3 million to be exact, proving the culture can still make a difference at the end of the day.

Many artists this year ... Joe Budden, Layzie Bone, Bow Wow and Fabolous, to name a few ... have cast doubts on the future of rap and Juicy J took things even further, declaring a "state of emergency.

Justin Bieber earned the J in his first name on Thursday ... showing off his solid jumper as he drained buckets in a basketball game.

The pop superstar showed up at The Surgeon's studio in Los Angeles to ball out in the famous shoe customizer's organized hoops league ... suiting up for Team Nahmias in their matchup against SRGN.

JB had a couple highlights in the contest ... showing off his range and passing abilities as he played alongside his longtime buddy Ryan Good and fashion designer Doni Nahmias.

It wasn't enough to help his team get the win, though ... as Nahmias fell to SRGN, 109-71.

Of course, the "Stay" singer is no stranger to showing off his athleticism -- whether it's on the hardwood, soccer field or hockey rink ... the guy can hold his own.

It looks like Bieber has stayed busy in the gym ... as his technique has never looked better.

Britney Spears describes the at-home abortion she had, and turns out the whole thing was shrouded in secrecy and torturous for her.

TMZ broke the story ... the bombshell in Britney's memoir -- "The Woman in Me" -- is that Justin Timberlake got her pregnant and made it clear he did not want the baby. Although she apparently wanted the baby, after some emotional discussions, she agreed to an abortion.

She wrote, "I'm sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby. I don't know if that was the right decision. If It had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn't want to be a father."

Now we learn Britney and JT made a pact that no one would know she was pregnant and chose to have an abortion ... so they decided to terminate the pregnancy at home, without a doctor and without telling their family or anyone else.

She writes, "It was important that no one find out about the pregnancy or the abortion, which meant doing everything at home."

Britney says the procedure was "excruciating." The medication caused her severe physical pain.

She writes as she lies on the bathroom floor sobbing, Justin tried comforting her with music -- strumming his guitar.

Britney Spears describió el aborto que tuvo en casa y resulta que todo el asunto estuvo envuelto en un manto de secretismo y dolor para ella.

TMZ dio la noticia, la mayor bomba de su nuevo libro de memorias "The Woman in Me" es que Justin Timberlake la dejó embarazada y dejó muy claro que no quería tener al bebé. Aunque aparentemente ella sí lo quería, después de algunas discusiones emocionales, ella accedió a realizarse un aborto.

Ella escribe: "Estoy segura de que la gente me odiará por esto, pero estuve de acuerdo en no tener el bebé. No sé si fue la decisión correcta. Si hubiera dependido solo de mí, nunca lo habría hecho. Y, sin embargo, Justin estaba tan seguro de que no quería ser padre".

Ahora nos enteramos de que Britney y Justin hicieron un pacto para que nadie supiera que ella estaba embarazada... así que decidieron interrumpir el embarazo en casa, sin médico y sin decírselo a su familia ni a nadie.

Ella escribe: "Era importante que nadie se enterara del embarazo o del aborto, lo que significaba hacerlo todo en casa".

Britney dice que el procedimiento fue "insoportable". Los medicamentos le causaron fuertes dolores físicos.

En el libro describe cómo ella estuvo yaciendo en el suelo del baño, sollozando, mientras Justin trataba de consolarla con música, rasgueando su guitarra.

Bronny James was teachin' fans how to Dougie at a USC hoops event Thursday night ... dancing his tail off during player introductions -- but he sat out all of the night's competitions, an indication he's still not quite 100 percent after suffering cardiac arrest.

LeBron's oldest son received a super warm welcome at the annual Trojan HoopLA shindig at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles ... and he sure seemed to love it all, gyrating to Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How To Dougie" as people in the stands roared.

However, that was about all the physical activity he did during the evening ... electing not to participate in the skills competition, dunk contest and the 3-point contest.

Of course, it's not unexpected at all ... Bronny required surgery just a few weeks ago after he had the issue with his heart back in July -- and everyone involved has been making sure he's been brought along slowly ever since.

It's unclear when he'll be able to officially start putting basketballs in hoops for the Trojans this year ... a timetable has not been given -- but LeBron said just days ago the goal is for his son to make an impact at USC soon.

Meanwhile, there were plenty more highlights from the Trojans event Thursday ... including when freshman forward Brandon Gardner threw down a massive slam over star USC quarterback Caleb Williams during the dunk contest.

Rap stars YG & Saweetie also performed!!

Britney Spears está hablando de lo que ella asegura fue un romance caliente de dos semanas con Colin Farrell hace años, el que comparó con una "pelea callejera".

La estrella del pop escribió acerca de su aventura con Colin en su nuevo libro de memorias, "The Woman In Me", que se publicará el próximo martes.

En un nuevo extracto del libro obtenido por TIME, Britney dice que conoció a Colin por primera vez a través de un promotor en el set de su película "S.W.A.T." de 2003.

Britney dice que las chispas saltaron de inmediato y las estrellas terminaron teniendo un montón de sexo apasionado, que ella describió como una "pelea de dos semanas."

Añadió que "trifulca es la única palabra para describirlo: estábamos el uno encima del otro, forcejeando tan apasionadamente que era como si estuviéramos en una pelea callejera".

Britney también dice que su revolcón con el actor nominado al Oscar se produjo después de que su entonces novio Justin Timberlake terminara con ella en 2002.

Ella admite que no había "superado a Justin" cuando apareció junto a Colin en el estreno de su película "The Recruit", de 2003. Aún se sentía vulnerable tras la ruptura con Justin, pero intentó convencerse de que "no era para tanto" y que "sólo se estaba divirtiendo" con Colin.

En el estreno, Colin le dijo a los medios que "no estaba saliendo" con Britney, pero se refirió a ella como "una chica dulce, dulce."

Ese mismo año, Britney le contó a "W Magazine" que besó a Colin y pensó que era la "cosa más tierna y sexy del mundo", pero que su relación no era "nada serio".

En sus memorias, la cantante no cuenta lo que llevó al final de su fugaz relación con Colin, pero en su lugar dice: "Por un breve momento, pensé que podía haber algo ahí. Las decepciones en mi vida sentimental eran sólo una parte de lo aislada que me sentía. Me sentía tan incómoda todo el tiempo".

Britney Spears is dishing on what she claims was a two-week hot romance she had with Colin Farrell years ago -- comparing their quickie affair to a "street fight."

The pop star wrote about her fling with Colin in her new memoir, "The Woman In Me," which is set to be released next Tuesday.

In a new excerpt from the book, obtained by TIME, Britney says she first met Colin through a club promoter on the set of his 2003 film "S.W.A.T."

Britney says the sparks flew immediately and the stars wound up having a lot of rough sex, describing it as a "two-week brawl."

She added that "brawl is the only word for it -- we were all over each other, grappling so passionately it was like we were in a street fight."

Britney also says her bedroom romp with the Oscar-nominated actor came after then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake broke up with her in 2002.

She admits she wasn't "over Justin" when she appeared alongside Colin at the opening of his 2003 movie, "The Recruit." She says she was vulnerable after the split with Justin, but tried to convince herself "it was not a big deal" and she was "just having fun" with Colin.

At the premiere, Colin told the media he was "not dating" Britney, but referred to her as "a sweet, sweet girl."

That same year, Britney told "W Magazine" she kissed Colin and thought he was the "cutest, hottest thing in the world," but their relationship was "nothing serious."

In her memoir, Britney doesn't get into what led to the end of her sexual liaison with Colin, but she offers this instead ... "For a brief moment in time, I did think there could be something there. The disappointments in my romantic life were just one part of how isolated I became. I felt so awkward all the time."

Several excerpts from Britney's book have already leaked to the media. This week, TMZ broke the story about her tell-all bombshell  ... Britney and Justin made the gut-wrenching decision to abort their unborn child while they were dating in the early 2000s.

Britney Spears ha sido sin duda el tema de conversación esta semana, pero ni siquiera lo habrían notado si la hubiesen visto conduciendo por California sin ninguna preocupación.

La ex princesa del pop fue vista en su Mercedes blanco el jueves, dando un breve paseo por su barrio con gafas de sol puestas y el pelo recogido hacia atrás.

Falta menos de una semana para que se lance oficialmente el libro de memorias de Britney, "The Woman in Me", pero ya se han revelado un montón de primicias, desde su relación con Justin Timberlake y la difícil decisión de abortar hasta los detalles privados sobre su tutela.

Obviamente, los extractos del libro han dado mucho que hablar entre los fans de Britney y ya se han catapultado en lo más alto de Amazon.

Britney Spears is certainly the subject of a LOT of conversation this week, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her ... cruising SoCal without much worry at all.

The former pop princess was spotted in her white Mercedes Thursday taking a short drive around her neighborhood ... wearing sunglasses and her hair tied back.

It's less than a week until Britney's memoir, "The Woman in Me" officially releases, but there's been a ton of scoops to drop from the book the week. Everything from her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and their difficult decision to get an abortion to the private details around her conservatorship are shared in the book.

Obviously, the book excerpts have been major talking points for Britney fans, and it's already catapulted to the top of Amazon.

Don't expect Britney to do any sit-down TV interviews for further book promotion, though, we were first to report she made the decision she didn't want to do any more press outside of an email-correspondence interview with People Magazine.

Britney Spears is NOT singing about her pregnancy with Justin Timberlake or her abortion in the hit song "Everytime" ... so says the woman who wrote the song with Britney.

Songwriter Annet Artani tells TMZ … she worked with Britney on the song back in the day, and while Britney contributed, it was about their respective breakups ... and mostly Annet's.

Annet says when she was writing the lyrics she was coming off a fresh split from Britney's musical director ... and the song is mostly about Annet's relationship ... not Britney's unborn child, as some fans now suspect in the wake of Britney's recent bombshell.

Britney had been broken up with Justin for about 9 months at the time, and the song came out after he released "Cry Me a River" ... but Annet says Britney never mentioned a baby or an abortion during the writing process, and neither topic served as inspiration for the track.

Annet tells us she and Britney would sit at the piano together working on the song ... they were friends and were sharing pain, and they were both sad and would play piano together.

As we reported ... the famous lyric that has fans thinking Britney was secretly referencing her abortion is "I guess I need you, baby."

But, Annet says the tagline was just something she wrote about her own experiences with her relationship. To be even clearer, she says it's NOT a reference to an unborn baby.

As for the song's chorus ... "And every time I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me. I guess I need you, baby" ... Annet says Britney came up with "haunting," though she says they were simply trying to find words with rhymes.

Annet's kind of leaving the door open to the new Britney fan theory though ... she says she was not involved in the music video or the imagery of a woman giving birth, and that was all Britney, so it's possible that visual correlates to the decision she and Justin made to terminate her pregnancy.

Britney Spears NO está cantando sobre su embarazo con Justin Timberlake o su aborto en la exitosa canción "Everytime", así lo dice la mujer que escribió la canción con Britney.

La compositora Annet Artani le dice a TMZ que trabajó con Britney en la canción y nos puede afirmar que se trataba de sus respectivas rupturas... sobre todo la de Annet.

Annet dice que cuando estaba escribiendo la letra que estaba terminando una relación con el director musical de Britney, y la canción es acerca de la relación de Annet y no sobre el hijo por nacer de Britney, como algunos fans sospechaban a raíz de la reciente polémica de Britney.

Britney había roto con Justin por cerca de nueve meses en ese momento, y la canción salió después de que él lanzó "Cry Me a River", pero Annet dice que Britney nunca mencionó un bebé o un aborto durante el proceso de escritura y ninguno de los temas sirvió de inspiración para la pista.

Annet nos dice que ella y Britney se sentaban al piano juntas a trabajar en la canción. Eran amigas y estaban compartiendo el mismo tipo de dolor. Estaban tristes y tocaban el piano juntas.

Como informamos, la famosa letra que tiene a los fans pensando que Britney se refería en secreto a su aborto es "I guess I need you, baby".

Annet dice que el lema era algo que escribió sobre sus propias experiencias con su relación. Para ser aún más clara, dice que NO es una referencia a un bebé no nacido.

En cuanto al estribillo de la canción: "Y cada vez que te veo en mis sueños veo tu cara, me persigues. I guess I need you, baby"... Annet dice que a Britney se le ocurrió "haunting", aunque ella dice que simplemente estaban tratando de encontrar palabras que rimaran.

Annet es una especie de dejar la puerta abierta a la nueva teoría fan de Britney sin embargo ella dice que no estaba involucrado en el video musical o las imágenes de una mujer dando a luz, y que era todo Britney, por lo que es posible que visual se correlaciona con la decisión que ella y Justin hizo para interrumpir su embarazo.

El artista colombiano Maluma va a ser padre e hizo el anuncio a lo grande este jueves por la noche en el lanzamiento de su nuevo videoclip "Procura", durante una presentación en Washington, DC. Aunque el video se centra principalmente en el romance con su novia, Susana Gómez, es en el minuto final cuando el cantante deja caer la bomba.

Allí aparecen los dos muy contentos viendo a su pequeño por primera vez en una ecografía, al mismo tiempo que muestran las reacciones de su familia cuando se enteran de la noticia, todas muy tiernas y conmovedoras.

El video también muestra la celebración del baby shower y la revelación del sexo, ¡la que confirma que van a tener una niña!

También parece que su nombre será Paris, que es el nombre que aparece en la torta y en el collar que luce Susana en el clip.

Maluma y Susana fueron vistos saliendo de Central Park en Nueva York a principios de este mes, probablemente después de filmar todas las imágenes de "Procura" y definitivamente se podía notar la panza del bebé.

Colombian artist Maluma has a baby on the way -- making the announcement in a big way with his new music video.

Maluma shared the happy news in the video for "Procura," Thursday night at his concert in Washington, D.C. ... and while the vid focuses on his romance with his girlfriend, Susana Gomez, the final minute is where he drops the baby bombshell.

The 2 see their little one for the first time through an ultrasound, with Maluma and Susana overjoyed. They also let family members know about the exciting addition, showing their heartwarming reactions.

The vid also shows the couple's baby shower and gender reveal -- which confirms they're having a girl!

It also looks like the kid's name will be Paris, based on Susana's necklace and the name of the cake.

Maluma and Susana were spotted leaving Central Park in NYC at the beginning of this month ... likely after filming all "Procura" footage ... and you can definitely see the baby bump.

7:11 AM PT -- Breakbeat's Dave Mays tells TMZ Hip Hop, “As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th year, more than ever the hip-hop community needs a media platform that they can trust to bring a truthful and authentic perspective on so many important things happening in our world. I’m proud that Breakbeat provides this essential and valuable medium."

He adds, "And I'm so excited to be able to enlist the help of my longtime friend and one of hip-hop’s most formidable, pioneering, and fearless leaders to help Breakbeat continue to achieve this goal. 'Collect Call With Suge Knight' will awaken hip-hop fans worldwide and build bridges across multiple generations.”

Suge Knight might be locked up, but that doesn't mean his voice will remain behind bars ... cuz the Death Row mogul is starting a podcast from prison.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the first intro to "Collect Call With Suge Knight" -- his new podcast with Breakbeat Media CEO and The Source magazine founder, Dave Mays.

Dave tells us they've already stashed about 5 episodes containing half-hour conversations each ahead of the pod's official Halloween '23 launch.

As for topics covered -- we're told Suge won't leave much unturned when it comes to hip hop -- responding to the legions of artists/hip hop pundits who have been using his name for headlines and expanding on his thoughts of Snoop Dogg owning the Death Row brand.

Remember, Suge's got history with everyone from Master P and Wack 100 to Warren G and Akon ... so they're essentially all on notice.

Dave says the pod's not only about slinging mud -- Suge wants the younger generation to benefit from his experiences -- good and bad -- and will be looking to connect them with older artists and also fielding questions from the audience.

Breakbeat will be dropping podcast episodes weekly ... audio on Thursdays and video on Fridays on all major platforms with a sneak peek of the first convo coming on Oct. 24.

Suge called into TMZ Live not too long ago and told us he had no intention of snitching on Keffe D after his arrest in connection Tupac Shakur's murder ... so don't count on that happening on the podcast.

So ya, maybe the saying is true ... just about everybody DOES have a podcast.

Suge Knight puede estar encerrado, pero eso no significa que su voz no será escuchada. El magnate de Death Row está comenzando un podcast desde la cárcel.

TMZ Hip Hop obtuvo la primera introducción a "Collect Calls With Suge Knight", su nuevo podcast con Breakbeat Media CEO y cofundador de la revista The Source, Dave Mays.

Dave nos dice que ya tienen alrededor de cinco episodios que contienen conversaciones de media hora cada uno antes del lanzamiento del podcast de Halloween número 23 y, por lo visto, el personal de la prisión parece no tener problema.

En cuanto a la temática, nos informan que Suge va a hablar prácticamente de todo, respondiendole a legiones de artistas y expertos de hip hop que han hablado en su nombre. Además, va a compartir sus pensamientos acerca de que Snoop Dogg sea el sueño de la marca Death Row.

Recordemos que Suge tiene historia con todo el mundo, desde Master P hasta Wack 100. Desde Warren G hasta Akon... prácticamente todo el mundo estará involucrado.

Dave dice que el programa no es sólo acerca de slinging barro - Suge quiere que la generación más joven para beneficiarse de sus experiencias - buenas y malas - y se busca conectarlos con los artistas de más edad y también responder a las preguntas de la audiencia.

Suge llamó a TMZ Live no hace mucho tiempo y nos dijo que no tenía ninguna intención de delatar a Keefe D después de su detención en relación con el asesinato de Tupac Shakur, así que no cuenten con que eso ocurra en el podcast.