Music

Daft Punk -- the popular house music duo known for wearing helmets on stage and acting like robots -- have officially called it quits, and did so in a fittingly dramatic fashion.

The French pair, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, just posted an 8-minute video called "Epilogue" ... in which the only sounds for the first 5 minutes are an excerpt from their 2006 film, "Electroma."

In the clip, the guys walk through the desert, coming face-to-face with each other, and then one of them activates an explosive device on the back of the other ... watching him walk away and blow up.

Then, their classic electronic music kicks in as "1993-2021" flashes on the screen ... and the remaining Daft Punk member walks off into the sunset.

We reached out to the group to see if this means they are breaking up, and their longtime publicist, Biz 3 owner Kathryn Frazier confirms it ... but gave no reason.

Daft Punk began blowing up in the late 90s as part of the French house movement, but would go on to achieve mainstream success with "One More Time" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."

They won a Grammy for their "Alive 2007" album, famously composed the soundtrack for "Tron: Legacy" in 2010, and had a smash hit in 2013 with "Get Lucky," featuring Pharrell.

Janet Jackson was so impressed with a UCLA gymnastics star who busted out a floor routine inspired by her music, JANET FACETIMED HER!!

The athlete behind the routine is Margzetta Frazier -- who busted out some of Ms. Jackson's legendary dance moves to songs like "Nasty" and "If" during a competition against BYU earlier this month.

Footage of the routine went viral -- because it's awesome -- and got all the way to Janet, who DEMANDED she talk to Frazier face-to-face (virtually, of course).

The two connected on Friday -- and Jackson gushed about Frazier's routine, talent and raw athleticism.

"I just want too say thank you," Janet said to Margzetta ... "Thank you for sharing your talent. It's so beautiful to see you tumble. Really inspiring."

"It just inspired me to want to do more, and do better and be stronger. I loved it. Absolutely loved it."

Frazier was so touched, she choked back tears and told her idol how much Janet and her music meant to her.

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

Prince Markie Dee went to a hospital the day he died to deal with an apparent cardiovascular issue -- according to his manager -- but doctors weren't able to save him.

Markie's manager and best friend, Louis "Uncle Louie" Gregory, tells TMZ ... hours before he died, Markie went to a hospital where he was told he would need a stent to alleviate a blockage in his heart.

Louie says Markie had gone to the hospital because his hands and feet were swollen, and he figured something was seriously wrong. Turns out he was right. Unfortunately, Louie says Markie died in the hospital before doctors were able to put in the stent.

As we reported ... Markie, one-third of the famous '80s hip-hop group The Fat Boys, died suddenly Thursday at the age of 52.

Although the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner has not released a cause of death -- autopsy results are pending -- Louie says close family friends suspect it was a heart attack.

Louie tells us the final time he spoke to Markie was last Saturday by FaceTime, and he thought something was off -- telling us Markie wasn't up for smoking cigars like they usually did.

Metallica tried rocking out in front of millions of viewers watching their virtual concert -- but the platform hosting their set got cold feet ... and muzzled them to cover their own ass.

This is pretty hilarious (and educational) ... James Hetfield and co. were performing earlier Friday for BlizzCon -- a gaming convention put on by Blizzard Entertainment ... which often uses Twitch to host its festivities. Metallica was booked for a pandemic-friendly gig.

When it was their time to shred ... it appears the admin team at Twitch played it safe, and muted their set for a bunch of people who were streaming it from their website. Instead of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' ... a lot of people heard some cheesy, generic 8-bit folk music ... which had the exact opposite vibe Metallica was trying to communicate -- low key and chill.

Based on different users who were monitoring the set live, it appears the concert was heard just fine as is through Blizzard's official YouTube and Twitch page, but on Twitch's homepage ... you only heard Zelda-esque tunes. Twitch reportedly dubbed over Metallica's entire performance ... and what's being speculated is they did it over copyright concerns.

In case you hadn't heard, A LOT of Twitch gamers and streamers have been getting hit with DMCA takedown requests ... because they were playing parts of songs they didn't own the rights to, or the whole thing. It's been a big Twitch issue throughout 2020.

The irony is ... Metallica was instrumental in forming the current DMCA laws in this country ... due to lawsuits they spearheaded against Napster and other file-sharing services from the early 2000s. It was a big thing back then.

Justin Bieber finally got the keys to his futuristic Rolls-Royce ... and the sight of his new whip brought him to tears.

Ya gotta see when Justin lays eyes on his custom 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith ... he can't believe what he's seeing, and he gets super emotional.

The boys over at West Coast Customs are the masterminds behind the Biebs' jaw-dropping new ride ... the vision is 3 years in the making, so it's easy to see why Justin got teary-eyed.

Justin was floored when he saw the finished product, and he needed a quick lesson on how to even open the driver's door. The car is SICK, and JB is loving the wheel covers, which make the one-of-a-kind ride look like it's floating.

The Biebs couldn't wait to take a quick spin, and ya gotta see this thing on the streets. Somewhere out there, RoboCop just got super jealous.

Justin's new ride has an insane sound system too, so it's basically a rolling music studio.

Kenny Smith says Meek Mill should NOT be canceled for referencing Kobe Bryant's tragic death in his new song ... telling TMZ Sports the rapper deserves a pass for the controversial lyric.

The Philly rapper drew SERIOUS backlash this week when his new collab with Lil Baby surfaced on the internet ... with fans outraged over the following bar -- "And if I ever lack I’m going out with my chopper, it be another Kobe."

While some fans are ready to pull the plug on Meek's career, Smith says he's going to give the guy a pass.

"I'm a Meek Mill fan," Smith says. "I know that he's a huge basketball fan, huge Kobe fan. Whatever he says, I'm always going to give Meek a pass."

The "Inside The NBA" analyst added he knows the sports world is sensitive about Kobe and the January 2020 helicopter accident ... but given all the positive things like criminal justice reform and charitable contributions Meek has done years, he'll let it slide.

"I always give Meek the benefit of the doubt," Smith adds. "He has a track record that speaks pretty long and pretty positive in the past year."

Shanna Moakler thinks her ex-husband and his new GF are a nice match ... but she's not quite ready to hook up with Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian for a double date.

We got Shanna and her boo, Matt Rondeau, at Il Fornaio in Woodland Hills Friday and asked if they'd be down to break bread with Kourtney and Trav. It's a hard pass for Shanna, but in the kindest way possible, we think ... watch the clip.

As you know ... the Blink-182 drummer and Kourtney recently started dating, and while Shanna's in no rush to make a resy with 'em ... she did want to clear the air about some rumored beef.

It all surrounds an Instagram comment she liked which had fans thinking Shanna was shading Kourtney. Ahh, the pitfalls of social media!

Anyway, she says people got the whole thing twisted.

Shanna's been divorced from Travis since 2008, and she's had a couple of run-ins with his former flames ... but she insists there's no ill will towards Kourtney.

Phil Spector, the producer responsible for some of the biggest hits in music, amassed a treasure trove of gifts before he died ... sent by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Elvis Presley.

Spector's estate filed legal docs listing some of his personal assets, and there are some interesting pieces of memorabilia that jump right off the page ... like one of John Lennon's electric guitars.

Spector had a deep association with Lennon ... he produced The Beatles album, "Let It Be," as well as Lennon's solo work like "Imagine" and 'Instant Karma.'

The docs, obtained by TMZ, say Lennon's guitar is accompanied by a handwritten note from his widow, Yoko.

Phil's estate also details his bling ... including jewelry, watches, rings and diamond cufflinks gifted to him by Elvis.

Talib Kweli and his wife, DJ Eque, are calling it quits -- or at least she is, because she's filed for divorce.

According to court records ... Eque filed docs Friday in L.A. She and the rapper/activist got married back in May 2009 at a private mansion in Bel-Air. Queen Latifah and Questlove were some of the guests.

Things didn't always go swimmingly for the couple. Back in December 2010 ... Talib and Eque were reportedly kicked out of an NYC club after they got into an ugly fight. At the time, Eque sources said she'd lost her cool after she saw him in a friendly convo with another female inside the club -- and it turned into an all-out brawl, complete with table and glass smashing.

If Dolly Parton doesn't want a statue of herself at the Tennessee Capitol, then that's exactly what should happen ... according to the politician who suggested it, and already has a plan B.

Tennessee State Rep. Jeremy Faison brought up Dolly's name in 2019 as the best replacement for the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue at the Capitol, and last month another state rep introduced a bill to make it happen.

As we reported though, DP politely turned down the honor, saying she didn't want to be put up on a pedestal. Faison says it's up to the TN General Assembly to honor her wishes, and though the bill is still technically on the table ... he believes his colleagues will rightfully nix it.

He tells us he's not at all disappointed by Dolly's request -- in fact, he admires her even more for it, and says it just proves she's a Tennessee treasure.

The Congressman also suggests there's an overlooked historical figure who would be a great statue replacement -- Anne Dallas Dudley.

Anne was a prominent women's suffrage activist in the early 20th century who founded the Nashville Equal Suffrage League ... and helped women get the right to vote.

Prince Markie Dee, one-third of the famous '80s hip hop group The Fat Boys, has died.

Prince passed away suddenly Thursday, according to SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel, where he used to host a radio show. The report did not mention a cause of death.

The rapper helped start The Fat Boys, a pioneering rap group, back in the 1980s in Brooklyn. The group helped bring beatboxing to the mainstream, as they featured the sound on most of their songs -- and paved the way for artists like Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh.

Even after The Fat Boys broke up ... Prince continued writing and producing for other artists. You'll find his credit on songs by Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child and Frank Ocean.

The Fat Boys had a brief Hollywood career too, as they co-starred in 2 movies ... "Krush Groove" and "Disorderlies."

Prince moved on to a solo career after The Fat Boys, signing with Columbia Records and releasing his debut album "Free" in 1992, featuring his chart-topping single, "Typical Reasons (Swing My Way)."

A career in radio followed, with Prince working as a host for Miami's 103.5 The Beat WMIB before his most recent gig as a host and DJ at Rock The Bells.

His groupmate, Darren "Buff Love" Robinson died in 1995 of a heart attack. Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley is now the only surviving member.

Prince was 52.

Justin and Hailey Bieber can only boast owning one multi-million dollar home in Beverly Hills now ... and they took a hit on the pad Justin pretty much wanted to sell from the jump.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Biebers closed Thursday on the sale of their 6,132-square-foot, 5-bed, 7-bath mansion and pocketed $7,955,000.

Thing is, JB bought the place in March 2019 for $8.5 mil ... so it's a pretty substantial hit.

As you may recall ... just months after buying the property -- which includes a wine cellar, home theater and bar inside and a pool, cabana, and fire pit outside -- he put it on the market via Instagram, saying "I'll sell it with all the furniture. MAKE AN OFFER."

Seems someone finally did, and we're told "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" stars Josh and Matt Altman and Ariana Grande's real estate agent/fiancé Dalton Gomez of the Aaron Kirman Group team at Compass worked with the Biebers to seal the deal. The Altmans and Gomez had no comment.

Steven Schaefer and Jay Luchs of Schaefer & Luchs represented the new buyer.

Fear not ... Justin and Hailey still have a place to hang their hats ...like we told you ... this was just one of 2 Bev Hills mansions they owned.

Billie Eilish is seeking court-ordered protection from a man she claims is harassing her and is potentially dangerous.

The singer filed docs seeking a restraining order against a man named John Hearle, who she claims has been harassing and threatening her from outside her Los Angeles home.

Billie says the guy has been camped out at a school across the street from her crib since the summer, and he's been bombarding her with threatening and disturbing letters.

According to the docs, Billie says she got a note from Hearle saying ... "You can't get what you want, unless what you want is to die for me ... You will know that soon the water will rise, and you might very well die ... You will die."

Billie claims Hearle watches her enter and exit her home, and she says he always says something to her or makes gestures -- including a throat-slitting move -- whenever he sees her.

In the docs, Billie says this is making her anxious every time she comes home and she fears for her safety and her family's too.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the LAPD is investigating, but hasn't made an arrest yet. Billie wants a judge to force Hearle to stay at least 200 yards away from her and her parents at all times.

Cyhi The Prynce says the folks who tried to gun him down chased him at speeds over 120 MPH, and he tried all sorts of dangerous maneuvers to escape before crashing.

The rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and detailed his brush with death ... he says a Maserati started chasing him last week on an Atlanta highway, and stuck to his Bentley SUV like white on rice.

You gotta see him explain all the moves he was forced to make, nearly causing a massive pileup -- it sounds like something you'd see in an action movie!!!

As we reported ... he ended up crashing, and he told cops someone was trying to gun him down.

Dolly Parton doesn't want a bust of her displayed outside the Tennessee Capitol ... she says the timing's just not right.

The legendary country singer turned thumbs down on a proposal from lawmakers in her home state that would honor her with a statue on Capitol grounds.

Dolly says there's just too much going on in the world to spend time, energy, effort and money on putting her on a pedestal ... so she doesn't feel the move would be appropriate.

DP makes some pretty good points and says she's asked state leaders to scuttle the bill, while also thanking lawmakers for holding her in such high esteem. She says she's honored and humbled by all the statue praise.

Dolly's leaving the door open for a Capitol grounds statue down the road ... she says she would proudly be immortalized in several years, or after she passes, if folks still feel she's deserving.