Music

Post Malone's easing the pain of a brutal season for his Dallas Cowboys with lots and lots of diamonds -- which won't bring back Dak Prescott, but man do they shine!!!

The rapper added to his 'boys bling collection after hitting up Angel City Jewelers in L.A. for a new pendant. This one's 14-karat gold, weighs 207 grams and, most importantly, features a whopping 29 carats of diamonds.

You can see the pendant's a tribute to America's Team and its NFL birth year ... 1960. The pendant also features an American flag, in case anyone forgets their nickname. The pendant's value is over $50k, which falls way short of the $250k he dropped for his other Cowboys chain ... but still, it's insane.

There's a nice custom touch on the back ... the words "A Star is Born July 4th" -- PM's birthday -- and the oh-so-humble title of "#1 Fan."

Tough to argue with that, though, when Post's still dropping 5-figures to celebrate a team that's struggling hard.

Diddy battling Dr. Dre is the next epic "Verzuz" the people wanna see ... the masterminds behind the battle show-turned-phenomenon know it too -- and they're not ruling it out.

"Verzuz" creators, and producing icons, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz joined us on "TMZ Live" to talk about how to follow up the record-setting 9 million viewers they got for Young Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane.

That battle rated higher than any singing talent show or music awards show, aside from the Grammys -- but Timbaland and Swizz have some ideas on how to go even higher.

Enter Diddy and Dre? We asked them point-blank about the matchup social media's been screaming to see -- and you gotta see their reactions. We'll give Swizz credit ... he didn't tip his hand, but certainly makes it sound like there have been conversations.

Translation: They're saying there's a chance.

In fact, both legends told us no one thought Jeezy and Gucci could ever be in the same room ... just to talk, never mind facing off in a music battle. So, they're making it clear -- everything's on the table now as far as upcoming "Verzuz" showdowns.

Check out Wednesday's "TMZ Live" to see what/who else they've got cooking for season 2 of "Verzuz."

Forget Brad Pitt, there's a new "Fight Club" in town -- and this time, it's Snoop Dogg calling the shots!

The rapper has teamed up with Triller co-owner Ryan Kavanaugh to launch a brand new pro boxing league called "The Fight Club" ... and we're told there's already a blockbuster event in the works!

TMZ Sports was talking with Kavanaugh about Snoop's wildly entertaining performance as a commentator at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight ... when Ryan dropped the bombshell on us.

"This was the first event of a league that we have called 'The Fight Club,'" Kavanaugh said.

"It's a league owned by Proxima, which is the parent company to Triller and Snoop, and this was the first of many, many events."

Kavanaugh says Snoop is a co-owner of the league -- plus, he'll be doing fight commentary and helping book the fights and musical acts!

"This is gonna be big," Kavanaugh says ... "The whole idea is we want to change up the way that boxing is done."

The plan is for "The Fight Club" to put on both sanctioned fights and non-sanctioned fights ... basically, like the Mike Tyson card.

Kavanaugh says he's already got a MAJOR sanctioned fight in the works involving some huge stars.

"I can tell you that the main fight — I can't say it yet — but it’s gonna be something that everybody wants to see. If you thought [Tyson vs. Jones Jr.] is big, I think that this would be even larger from a worldwide-appetite perspective and something that people want to see."

Kavanaugh says the undercard will be stacked too -- they're currently looking at social media stars, actors, musicians, athletes and pro boxers to get in on the action.

BTS is so big, they just forced their government to give 'em a longer leash on when they'll have to drop everything and enlist in the military ... which is unprecedented.

South Korea has long had a law called the Military Service Act -- which requires every able-bodied male in the country to serve at least 20 months before they turn 28 ... and K-Pop boy band members were no exception.

On Tuesday, however, the parliament tweaked that -- allowing top K-Pop artists (who receive government accolades) a 2-year deferment, which they specifically did to appease the oldest BTS member, Kim Seok-jin, who turns 28 this week.

S. Korea's justification for bending the rules ... BTS brings so much cultural and economic prosperity to the country -- especially now that they've broken through with international audiences -- it'd be a shame to rip a key member away when he's about to be in the prime of his musical career.

Mind you, K-Pop singers will NOT be completely exempt from serving -- they'll have to put down the mic and pick up a gun by at least 30 under this rule change ... but the fact S. Korea bent over backward for their biggest boy band is astounding.

Strangely, the nation does allow certain exemptions to their conscription policy -- Korean Olympic athletes who get medals, and Korean musicians who get awards don't have to serve at all, so long as they're internationally recognized as such.

Cardi B's getting inspiration today from a little girl named Lyric ... whose story, Cardi says, should remind all of us to be kind and appreciate everything we have.

As Cardi says ... Lyric is a "very strong girl" from Houston who is fighting brain cancer and has undergone 4 surgeries, but she's still smiling and spreading joy.

That's evident by the fact the rapper says so many people have DM'd her about Lyric ... and obviously, love her and want her to get better.

Funny thing is, Lyric seems to be making other people better by being such a shining light despite her ordeal, and putting a smile on their faces. Cardi's so moved, she poured out her heart about Lyric ... saying she feels like she has it tough sometimes, but now realizes it's nothing compared to what Lyric is going through, and that's truly inspiring.

Pitbull is climbing on board the fitness equipment train just like Jay-Z ... he's investing in the same startup and hooking up students in the process.

Here's the deal ... Pitbull is the latest celeb to invest and partner with CLMBR, and he's helping some charter school students gain access to one of the startup's flagship products, a vertical climbing machine.

Pitbull's collab with CLMBR calls for one climbing machine to be donated to each of the 11 Sports Leadership and Management public charter schools around the country.

There's about 1,000 kids in each SLAM charter school, and they're getting unlimited access to the on-demand, instructor-led fitness content available on the climbing machines. It's like Peloton, but instead of using a bike, you simulate climbing.

Pitbull's got a special connection to SLAM ... he helped start the first school, which serves K-12 students seeking careers in sports leadership and management, back in 2013 in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, where he grew up.

Famous Dex's home became the site of a SWAT standoff when cops suspected he might have hurt his ex, and possibly barricaded himself inside with weapons.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police were called Monday morning in regards to a potential domestic disturbance at Dex's crib. The caller claimed an argument between Dex and his ex-GF turned violent ... and he allegedly had at least one gun in the house

We're told when cops arrived to the scene, they found the woman had cuts consistent on her, and -- believing Dex was still there -- called for backup from SWAT.

Aside from the tipster's claim, Dex was armed, we're told police were also aware of a troubling video he'd posted on social media, showing him with a firearm.

The clip in question depicts Dex holding what appears to be a TEC-9 semi-automatic weapon, complete with a magazine of ammo, and he's incoherently addressing his fans while waving around the gun.

We're told when the cops got inside the house, Dex was nowhere to be found. For now, we're told he's just listed as a suspect in a felony domestic violence report ... and cops are investigating.

Lil Wayne is blaming an "unrelated 3rd party" for screwing up his plans to perform at the Mike Tyson fight -- telling TMZ Sports there's no bad blood between himself and Triller.

Our Weezy sources tell us the rapper cut short his Thanksgiving weekend celebration with his family in Louisiana so he could be in L.A. to perform at the fight -- and he DID actually make the trip out.

But, something went wrong on the day of the fight leading Wayne to bail on the entire event.

So, what happened?

"Unfortunately there was an unrelated 3rd party who attempted to insert themselves in the production process between Triller and Lil Wayne the night before the event and the morning of and it unfortunately caused enough of an issue that Wayne couldn’t perform," Triller said in a statement co-issued by Wayne.

The details behind the scenes are unclear -- but one source put it this way ... one of the event's producers "interfered with Triller and Lil Wayne at the last minute trying to insert themselves and ended up creating a mess and all around confusion. At a certain point, Wayne got frustrated and decided it was best to pull out of the performance. By the time Triller learned about the mess it was too late."

Wayne -- who is actually a co-owner of Triller -- said he's proud of the way the event turned out, "but was truly disappointed I was precluded from performing by the 3rd party."

Tichina Arnold believes there's a real catch-22 with the Grammys right now ... and it may signal the end of the music industry's biggest award having any real significance.

Fresh off co-hosting the 2020 Soul Train Awards, Tichina joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to address the fallout of some big-name artists -- most notably The Weeknd -- getting snubbed for Grammy nominations last week. She says the major problem is talented artists, whose music is popular, are often a total blind spot for the people in charge of choosing noms.

The Soul Train Awards honored several acts -- like Chris Brown, H.E.R. and Summer Walker -- overlooked for the Grammys' major awards this year ... and Tichina says artists are not only noticing it, but they're fed up.

Halsey, Drake, Elton John and The Weeknd himself have all openly suggested there's a disconnect between the music and most award shows.

Tekashi 6ix9ine had deep concerns about COVID when he was in prison, which is why he got out early ... but those concerns have evaporated in a big way, 'cause dude hit a packed strip club ... and didn't seem too concerned anymore about catching the 'rona.

The New York rapper celebrated his girlfriend Jade's birthday Sunday by walking into a gentleman's club with two human-size sacks full of cash ... which he and the crew dragged over to a VIP section and started unloading singles on dancers.

Based on what we can see ... it looks like they might've rolled in there with upwards of $200k on hand -- at least that's what Jade's claiming.

Speaking of her, 69's GF documented much of their good time on IG -- where she was seen wearing a body-hugging, green bodysuit ... while Tekashi was decked out in all black with a ton of bling and a new mustache. One thing they weren't seen wearing at all ... face masks. Nobody in the video seems to be rockin' one.

We should note that it looks like they were somewhere in Florida here -- just the night prior, there were reports that 6ix9ine and co. had been spotted in Miami.

It's perfectly legal there to be up in the club right now -- even without face coverings, although it'd be wise to wear one. That said ... it's funny how Tekashi's urgent fears of catching COVID-19 just earlier this year have vanished.

You'll recall ... part of the reason why Tekashi was even allowed to finish his sentence from home was because he cited asthma and other underlying conditions he claimed made him susceptible to contracting the disease from inside prison walls -- and a judge believed it and let him out early.

Cher spent some time with the Asian elephant she helped rescue from miserable conditions in Pakistan ... following him to his new home in Cambodia.

The icon's been working with other animal activists since 2016 to free Kaavan ... a 36-year-old pachyderm dubbed the "world's loneliest elephant" after his partner died in 2012.

Kaavan had been living for years in Pakistan's controversial Islamabad zoo, where he reportedly suffered from lack of exercise and other ailments due to living in an inappropriate structure.

Thankfully, the zoo was closed earlier this year and thanks to the efforts of Cher and her charity Free the Wild ... the animal welfare organization Four Paws got permission to remove Kaavan and send him to a sanctuary in Cambodia.

Cher visited Kaavan where he was being held in Pakistan to celebrate his departure a couple days ago, and followed him to the Siem Reap International Airport Monday for his arrival.

Lil Yase -- an up-and-coming Bay Area rapper -- was shot and killed this weekend in what amounts to a mysterious murder with no explanation thus far ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Yase tell us ... he was, indeed, shot early Saturday morning -- and his body was discovered somewhere in the southern section of the East Bay ... which is miles away from where he was last seen.

Our sources tell us Yase was hanging out with his crew late Friday night at a recording studio in Marin County -- slightly north of San Francisco -- and left on his own at one point around 11:30 or midnight, telling his buddies he'd be right back.

We're told no more than an hour and a half later, word came in that Yase had been shot dead somewhere in the East Bay -- which is damn near an hour away by freeway, depending on what part of town you head to down there.

We're told folks in Yase's inner circle are dumbfounded -- as he had no known enemies and had done nothing they can see leading to something like this. Our sources say Yase might've played tough in his music, but in reality ... all he was really about was rapping, promoting his label (Highway 420 Productions) and labelmates, and gaming. That's it ... he had no beef with anyone anywhere, we're told.

He had just posted a photo of himself on Friday, showing his Thanksgiving festivities ... with a caption that read, "If my n**** trippin den I’m trippin it’s up wit UNK😤😈 #HappyThanksGivin🦃" It's his last post on IG -- and has since gotten tons of tributes from fellow artists in the Bay Area and beyond in the comments.

Yase started releasing music as young as 18 years old, but truly burst onto the scene with his single "Get It In" in 2015 -- which he went on to create a remix of that garnered even more national attention the following year.

He released a string of hits that racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube over the years -- including songs like "No Diss," "Demon," "What You Mean," "Yeah Yeah," "Furl," "Bum B****," "Mad," "Workin" and many others.

Yase collaborated with artists such as Yalla, A.B. Milli, Cash Kidd, G-Val, That Boy Tyson, Stunna June, IamSu!, Shoreline Mafia and several other musicians, both local and otherwise.

We've reached out to Alameda County to confirm Yase's body is in their possession, and if any suspects have been apprehended -- so far ... no word back.

Lil Yase -- a Sunnydale native -- was only 26 years old. RIP

Lil Wayne will NOT be performing at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight after all -- even though he signed a contract saying he would ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... organizers for the mega event this weekend had a flight booked for Weezy so he could take the stage Saturday ahead of the fight set to go down at Staples Center in L.A. in just a few hours. We're told LW simply never got on the plane.

Sounds like it was a last-minute cancelation -- we're working on getting more info about why that happened, but in any case ... it's a no-show for Wayne, and our sources say folks at Triller are working on adding another big name to the lineup.

So far, rapper SAINt JHN has stepped in and signed on to perform at the fight. We're told there's a real possibility Snoop Dogg could get on the mic, too. He's an investor at Triller, so it's feasible he'd do that.

Even with Weezy out, there's a stellar entertainment lineup -- featuring performances from stars like Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana and YG.

Plus, THE FIGHTS! Both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have said they're gunning for knockouts -- and they looked in incredible shape during Friday's weigh-in.

Plus, the undercard features Jake Paul vs. ex-NBA star Nate Robinson -- and those dudes HATE each other. Should be a good scrap.

As for Wayne, it's strange that he wouldn't follow through if it wasn't an emergency -- the dude was literally plugging his involvement in the fight just on Friday night (on the heels of him dropping his 'No Ceilings 3' mixtape, to much fanfare).

We've reached out to Wayne's camp as well for an explanation and to make sure everything's okay ... so far, no word back.

Demi Lovato's heartsick ex-fiance has found love again -- or maybe it's just a rebound -- but he's definitely trying to make it look like he's moved on.

Max Ehrich hit the beach with blazing hot Mariah Angeliq. They took a sunset stroll at the South Pointe Park Pier Friday in Miami Beach and looked, well, cozy. They were there with singer Lele Pons.

Last we saw Max, he was fretting in the sands of Malibu, appearing crestfallen in the wake of his breakup with Demi ... a breakup which he claims he only became aware of through tabloids, although she strongly denies it. Max, like Trump, seemed to have trouble letting go.

Demi seemed super annoyed by Max's post-breakup antics, and even leaked a song about their breakup.

Drake is in love ... and it shows.

Drizzy posted this super sweet pic of him, asleep on the shoulder of his son, 3-year-old Adonis, and it kinda melts your heart.

Adonis lives with his mom, Sophie Brussaux, but Drake definitely spends time with his son. When Adonis turned 3 last month, Drake celebrated with him at his Toronto estate. He and Adonis are partying hard, around a swarm of white, black and silver balloons.

Drake was initially coy about his parental status with Adonis, but he officially disclosed their relationship on his 2018 album, "Scorpion."

Nelly's custom-made dance shoes were all the rage on this season of "Dancing with the Stars," and now they're going to a great cause -- helping young women who are survivors of human trafficking.

As we told you ... the rapper wowed 'DWTS' fans and the judges with his slick moves and his hip hop-inspired footwear, but now that the dancing competition's wrapped up, he's sending his shoes to The Teen Project to be auctioned off.

Our sources say Yung Swivel's donating at least 10 pairs to the organization -- which also aids young women who've suffered trauma and homelessness -- and his entire collection is expected to fetch $50,000 ... if not more.

Nelly's been a major advocate of The Teen Project over the last few months, helping the org raise $820k overall in 2020 ... which is about $300k more than last year.

The rapper's been working to raise funds for Vera's Sanctuary, a rehab facility operated by The Teen Project for victims of sex trafficking. Our sources say the money raised by Nelly has already been used to send women who've been through Vera's to college.