Music

A Trump surrogate is claiming Ice Cube joined forces with the President's campaign to help Black people -- something Cube is now addressing, and not entirely denying.

Cube was forced to respond Wednesday after the Internet went up in flames upon hearing he'd supposedly teamed up with the Trump administration to draft its Platinum Plan, to address issues in the Black community. The plan purportedly dovetails with Cube's own Contract with Black America.

He tweets, "Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA."

When someone accused him of going over to "the dark side," Cube fired back that all politicians are pretty much on the dark side when it comes to helping African-Americans ... which is his ultimate priority, regardless of who he needs to work with to achieve that.

All this hubbub started when senior Trump advisor Katrina Pierson tweeted what some considered fairly shocking news -- namely, that Cube had "stepped up" to work with the Trump administration to develop DT's "Platinum Plan."

Trump's plan -- which he first discussed in Atlanta last month -- includes proposals like increasing capital in Black communities by as much as $500 billion and providing better access to equitable education and job opportunities.

While this development might've been a curveball to many, it really isn't that surprising if you've been following Cube's messaging lately -- he pretty much told us right here on "TMZ Live" about a month or so ago that he'd sit down with both parties to flesh out these issues.

Kottonmouth Kings rapper Saint Dog has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Saint -- whose real name is Steven Thronson -- was found dead early Wednesday morning at a friend's house in Victorville, CA. We're told SD's buddy found him struggling to breathe in one of the home's bedrooms, and called 911.

Our sources say once authorities arrived ... Saint Dog was pronounced dead at the scene. We're told there were no obvious signs of foul play -- a cause of death will be determined pending an autopsy and toxicology report.

Saint was one of the founding members of the Southern California hip-hop group, which was formed in Orange County. He was one of three MCs in the trio, alongside D-Loc and Johnny Richter. Like their band name indicates, the guys loved to rap about weed in all capacities.

He was only with the group for its initial years -- having appeared on 4 of their early projects, including ... "Stoners Reeking Havoc," "Royal Highness," "Stash Box" and "Hidden Stash." After that, he went solo ... but would eventually return to collab with KMK.

He's most known for their early hits like "Suburban Life," "Bump," "Dog's Life," "Play On," among others.

Suburban Noize Records exec Kevin Zinger tells us ... "Anyone that knew Steve saw what a big heart he had. Some of my fondest memories was watching Steve stop the music in the middle of a Kottonmouth Kings show to bring a handicapped fan in a wheelchair on stage so that he could have a better view of the show and even join in singing a few songs. That was just the kind of person Steve was and he touched so many people in a positive way."

He adds, "His legacy will live on in his music and our hearts go out to his Son Max and his entire family, friends and fans worldwide."

He was 44.

Demi Lovato's new song is a direct shot at President Trump, and no ... she's not worried about alienating her fans by getting political.

The singer dropped "Commander in Chief" Tuesday night, and she's already responding to backlash due to the biting lyrics that kick off with ... "Were you ever taught when you were young / If you mess with things selfishly, they’re bound to come undone?"

Unsurprisingly, some fans criticized her for attacking the President and pissing off Republicans who support him ... and even said they were ashamed and could no longer listen to her.

But, Demi doubled down on her stance, and responded to the critics by reminding them she's entitled to political views despite being a celeb ... and she's not just around to entertain her whole life.

She continued by insisting she doesn't give a damn if her new song hurts her, saying ... "I literally don't care if this ruins my career."

Demi adds that her anti-Trump track -- which includes the lyrics, "Commander in Chief, honestly / If I did the things you do, I couldn't sleep" -- stands for something she believes in and it's worth the risk of losing fans.

She concludes by saying as a queer Hispanic woman, she won't be silenced to please an audience.

Lil Xan's gas station blow-up -- after a guy apparently called him out for disrespecting Tupac -- might cost him ... 'cause the rapper's being sued for pulling a gun.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ -- Anthony Sanchez is going after Lil Xan for their June 7, 2019 altercation at an L.A. 7-Eleven ... the tail end of which Sanchez recorded video.

Sanchez claims he asked the rapper about a controversial comment he'd made, calling Tupac's music "boring" -- and says Xan pulled a gun out and pointed it at him.

In the lawsuit, Sanchez says he backed away and began recording the incident, and says the rapper continued to wave the gun around ... taking his finger on and off the trigger. Sanchez says he feared for his life.

The video shows Sanchez called Lil Xan a "bitch" a few times before Xan brandished what at least looks very much like a gun. According to the suit, Xan also threw his cup out of the window as he drove away and hit Sanchez ... which seems pretty trivial after the whole gun stuff.

Sanchez claims he suffered severe emotional distress, and he's suing for assault and battery as well.

Ashanti's 40th birthday trip comes with all the bells and whistles you could imagine -- a private jet, partying with friends, lounging on a yacht, and oh yeah ... it's bikiniriffic.

The singer's celebrating her milestone bday -- which was Tuesday -- by traveling to Antigua with her crew for what she's dubbed #shanbday week ... so you know the celebrating has just begun.

Based on the photos from photographer Phillip Silverstein, it looks pretty damn good so far. Ashanti's flaunting her bikini bod in a sexy silver swimsuit while snacking on watermelon. Undoubtedly juicy ... and refreshing.

Ashanti's also spending time riding jet skis and going to fancy dinners while rocking some fine formal wear. In other words ... she's doing it right.

She thanked all of her fans Wednesday for all the bday love she's been getting ... adding, "I cannot express how happy I am for this next chapter in life."

Lil Uzi Vert took a paintball match to the streets of his hometown, but the fun didn't last long -- cops ended up busting his friends.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Philly-based rapper's pals were detained and cited Tuesday night after reports came in about them firing what appeared to be real guns out the window of a vehicle near N. Philadelphia.

We're told officers eventually found the car in question and searched it ... recovering 7 different paintball guns.

They kinda brought this on themselves via social media. Uzi himself documented the paintball war with his buddies on his own IG Live. Somebody captured the footage and posted it on YouTube afterward, and you actually see the dude firing.

The equipment he's using seems to be pretty advanced -- almost like, well, an Uzi-style paintball gun that can shoot several rounds at once. In Uzi's clip, you can even see some of the damage he or one of his friends did on the side of a nearby SUV ... lit it up pretty good.

At one point, Uzi discusses someone getting "the law" involved -- but he laughs it off, claiming he's the law around those parts.

Not last night! Uzi and co. were all released after getting tickets.

The State of New York just dropped the hammer on the folks who organized the now-infamous Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer ... fining them, and making it harder for them to do it again.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday the promoters who put on the sold-out drive-in charity event in July are gonna be getting a bill soon to the tune of $20,000 ... this after the NY Department of Health conducted an investigation, and found wrongdoing.

Cuomo adds, "The Town of Southampton cannot approve permits for group gatherings without State approval." Southampton officials signed off on the concert ... supposedly, with coronavirus-safe regulations in mind, according to sources connected to the event.

The Gov. didn't see it as a safe environment at all, and after seeing video from the concert, said he was "appalled" at the "egregious" violations in social distancing. While we've been told the promoters feel the clips in question distorted things -- insisting it was, by and large, a safe gathering -- the State has spoken.

Cardi B and Offset are looking more like a married couple who aren't about to get divorced than the other way around -- further proof they might be patching things up.

CB and her not-so-estranged hubby are back home in ATL, and hit the town together Tuesday night with a couple pals in tow. While they were at the venue, Cardi flashed her camera over to Offset, who was seated right beside her.

No PDA that we can see ... but Offset had some footage up on his own IG that was more explicit as far as his feelings for Cardi in the moment. He posted vid of them dancing at the club, and tagged it with "I wanna f**k."  Can't get any clearer than that!!!

The doting husband also recorded Cardi brushing her hair in the car and both of them goofing around. Seems like they're pretty chummy for folks who are headed toward divorce.

This is a continuation of the affection we saw Cardi giving Offset during her birthday celebration this past weekend, where she was giving the dude full-blown lap dances.

We know Offset has saved their relationship in the past ... is it possible your boy has done it again??? Sure feels like it 👀.

Eddie Van Halen's musical genius is unquestioned -- turns out the guy was a bit of a design wiz too, and the nuts and bolts of his iconic inventions could soon be yours to own.

Memorabilia collector Eric Kuck tells TMZ ... he owns an original U.S. patent Eddie submitted in 1985. It includes a mockup Eddie submitted for his "musical instrument support" device, which is really just a guitar body rest that allowed him to free up both hands.

Kuck says he's got the OG drawings -- which are very detailed and totally rad -- plus the certificate of authenticity with Eddie's John Hancock ... so folks know it's legit.

Kuck's planning to sell it in a silent auction at his brother's Tampa-area business, Carrollwood Fine Wine and Spirits -- bidding goes from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15.

Ideally, Kuck wants someone from Eddie's own family to score his treasure. He would be willing to work with the Van Halen family on an agreement if they were interested.

As for how much the patent docs could fetch, Kuck tells us the sky's the limit ... especially since Eddie passed away just last week after a long battle with cancer. FWIW, Kuck says he paid $800 for the paperwork about 15 years ago through an auction ... obviously, it'd be worth a lot more now.

Nipsey Hussle's estate is taking a Crips company to court ... the late rapper's relatives are suing over his famous slogan.

Nipsey's brother, Samiel Asghedom, just filed suit against Crips LLC -- you read that right, the gang's gone corporate -- over the rights to Hussle's "The Marathon Continues" slogan.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the estate claims the Crips organization filed a couple trademarks for the phrase last year -- one for various services and another for clothing -- despite Hussle's family owning several 'Marathon' trademarks of their own related to Nip's well-known clothing store.

It's pretty shocking ... the estate claims the Crips organization filed a trademark application less than 2 months after Nipsey was murdered outside his Marathon Clothing Store.

As we first reported ... Nipsey's fam grew frustrated with the Crips org this summer, fearing something shady was going on with the trademarks ... and Crips LLC claimed it would abandon its applications.

Tory Lanez has just been ordered to stay the hell away from Megan Thee Stallion after a hearing for his felony assault charge.

Tory appeared by phone for Tuesday's hearing in L.A. County court for what was supposed to be his arraignment ... but his attorney, Shawn Holley, requested a continuance. It was granted so he did not enter a plea. The judge, however, issued a protective order against Tory ... and now he's gotta stay at least 100 yards away from MTS, and not contact her.

His bail was set at $190k ... which he'll be posting via a bondsman present at the hearing. The hearing comes on the same day MTS wrote an op-ed for The New York Times on why she speaks up for Black women, saying she's not afraid of criticism and being adamant that saying "protect Black women" should NOT be a controversial topic.

She also addressed the Tory Lanez case, saying, "I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."

Meg added, "My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted."

As we reported ... The L.A. County D.A.'s Office slapped him with 1 count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and 1 count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The D.A. also alleges Tory inflicted great bodily injury on Megan.

If convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

Tory defended himself publicly last week and said he deserves his day in court. As we told you ... the rapper broke his silence Friday morning and reminded fans the "charge is not a conviction."

Joe Biden just found a new, unique way to reach a demographic of voters who might tune out his typical ads -- turning to hip-hop and rap to get out his message.

The Biden-Harris campaign just released a new political spot featuring New York battle rappers Charlie Clips and DNA -- who are incredibly well-known and respected in their craft. Sure enough, both men used their gift of gab and rhyme to hash out the pros and cons of voting ... and to convey what Joe and Kamala say they can do for African-Americans.

Charlie is the disillusioned one ... taking on the role of the on-the-fence voter who's not pleased with this year's choices for President -- like many Americans. DNA's on the other side of things, laying out, in sometimes excruciating detail, why he feels Joe's the better option.

They hit several hot button issues -- Black ownership of businesses, HBCU funding and police reform. We'll say this ... the ad is innovative -- not to mention incredibly well-written as far as bars go. However, it also runs the risk of coming off as pandering ... depending on how people take it.

Kanye West appears to have one final trick up his sleeve in the last-minute blitz of his presidential campaign ... let go, and let God.

Ye just filed legal docs to lock up the rights to "God Save America" -- which he wants to slap on shirts, sweaters and hoodies in what seems to be a final-ditch effort to push his message that was front-and-center in his 1st campaign ad ... bringing faith back to politics.

Unclear if this is a campaign slogan -- like Barack Obama's famous HOPE or Trump's Make America Great Again -- but it sure reads like one. The phrase also feels like a play on "God Bless America" ... both patriotic, but kinda sanctimonious too with "Save" swapped in.

Kanye filed for the trademark last week, which lines up closely with the release of his debut campaign ad ... something that just hit the ether Monday, 3 weeks before voters hit the polls on Nov. 3. Some people feel this ad -- and maybe now this new catchphrase he wants to lock up -- is too little, too late. That, or maybe just in time ... depends on who you ask.

Demi Lovato's would-be groom is pouring his heart out on wax ... with a love song about the first time he met her ... something we're guessing ain't gonna please his ex-fiancee.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Max Ehrich is dropping a new single Friday, and it's all about his relationship with Demi.

We're told the tune is about the night he met Demi, and it tells the story of his inner dialogue -- being terrified of falling in love with her because he knew their relationship was the real deal.

Our sources say Max's song also touches on him falling for Demi right off the bat, and he sings about how he couldn't sleep because he knew he wanted to be with her forever.

As you know ... things didn't work out between them, and Demi recently leaked a song about their breakup. For his part ... well, he went ham, first saying she never really broke up with him because he learned about it in the tabloids, and then somehow invoking Jeffrey Epstein's name in their relationship.

It's interesting ... we're told Max recorded the song in quarantine, in a makeshift studio inside the home he was living in with Demi. So, exactly when did he write this song?

Max's album won't come out until next year -- he signed a music production deal last October before he started dating Demi and finished the second half of the album after meeting her -- but our sources say he wants to drop the single now because of how he feels.

Max's track is set to debut on all streaming services.

As we reported ... Max spent part of his weekend sulking on Malibu beach where he proposed to Demi ... he calls it a "healing experience."

Our sources say Max still loves Demi and while he's doing all he can to move forward, the split's been very painful for him.

"As promised, the Lakers win the 'ship, I'll go get that tat."

That's Snoop Dogg making good on his promise to the Lakers -- getting some brand new body ink to commemorate L.A.'s 17th NBA title.

The rap legend hit up his pal, Mr. Cartoon, on Monday night -- and got a pretty large piece on his right forearm.

The piece includes Kobe Bryant's initials on his wrist -- along with the Larry O'Brien championship trophy above that ... with the Lakers team logo right below the gates of heaven. Pretty cool tattoo.

"Anything for the Lakers, everything for the Lakers, all things for the Lakers," Snoop said ... "F*ck the Clippers."

"That's championship sh*t -- something the Clippers don't know nothing about!"

During the session, Snoop gave tons of love to his tattoo artist, Mr. Cartoon -- who's famously worked on stars like 50 Cent and Slim Thug.

"Only by the best man -- that's the only man who do my tattoos, the one and only. Mr. Cartoon."

After the ink was dry, Snoop threw on his purple and gold Lakers jacket and went on his way.

"We the west and we the best ... f*ck outta here!"

Nathan Apodaca -- the Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- is looking to ride the good vibes to another big payday ... he's turning his viral moment into a Halloween costume!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Nathan will be hawking a costume of himself and it's going up for sale Tuesday night on his website.

We're told the getup includes a gray hoodie that says "Steady Vibin'," black shorts, a pair of knee-high white socks, a mustache and a temporary feather tattoo. We're told they'll retail for $87.99.

People who want to fulfill their dreams and go full Nathan can add a little more to the look ... our sources say the costume will also include an option for an Ocean Spray coupon, with a link to Walmart that comes with a discount code for Nathan's favorite drink.

But wait, there's more ... we're told there's a second add-on for a skateboard.