Music

J Lo and A-Rod may have broken up, but there are still some housekeeping matters to tend to  .... notably, who gets the $1.8 million engagement ring?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... J Lo still has the ring in her possession. As you may know, an engagement ring legally is a "gift in contemplation of marriage." When the couple breaks up before hitting the alter, in most states the person who proposes gets the ring back.

Our sources say there's been no discussion between J Lo and A-Rod over the fate of the ring. However, our sources are quick to add ... the former couple exchanged "massive amounts of jewelry." A-Rod bedazzled J Lo with all sorts of bling, and she fortified his massive watch collection. So, they could just call it a wash, but they haven't decided yet.

We're told the engagement ring is NOT in the Dominican Republic, where J Lo's been shooting a movie. She didn't want it lying around every day while she films ... for security reasons.

Juelz Santana is staying grounded in New Jersey, a judge just denied his big trip to sunny South Florida -- this after the feds claim the rapper failed a drug test -- but his team believes it's a mistake.

According to new legal docs, the Dipset MC was asking for permission to fly down to Miami this month for work, but when he asked the court for approval, the feds said he wasn't fully following the rules of his supervised release, and a judge put the kibosh on the whole thing.

Remember ... Juelz is on supervised release after serving 19 months in prison as part of a 27-month sentence in his airport drug case. So, he has to get permission to travel outside NJ, and take mandatory drug tests.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Juelz was planning to travel to Miami with 2 convicted felons -- a no-no under supervised release -- and the Assistant U.S. Attorney also says his recent urine sample tested positive for opiates and methadone.

Add it all up, and the judge ended up denying the request.

Bobby Brown is steadfast in his belief that his ex-wife, Whitney Houston, and their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, died in similar ways because the same person was responsible for both of their deaths.

Bobby put the blame squarely on the late Nick Gordon -- Bobbi Kristina's boyfriend at the time of her death -- during the new episode of "Red Table Talk." He tells Jada Pinkett Smith and co. that he believes Nick supplied Whitney and Bobbi with the drugs that ultimately killed them.

It's been known for many years that Bobbi Kristina's family suspected Gordon killed her -- and Nick was found legally liable for her death in civil court -- but when Bobby was asked if he thinks Gordon killed Whitney too, he replied ... "I believe so."

Bobby points out that Nick was the only person present for both Whitney and Bobbi's situations -- they both overdosed in bathtubs ... Whitney in 2012 and Bobbi in 2015.

He claims Nick was the kind of guy who provided party favors, and it's clear Bobby thinks that's why his ex-wife and daughter are gone.

It should be noted ... cops investigated Gordon in connection with Bobbi's death for years, but he was never charged. He was never a known suspect in Whitney's death.

Morgan Wallen says he's taking time to work on himself after he was seen casually dropping the n-word while out with friends ... and that means he won't be performing live any time soon.

Wallen posted a handwritten statement Tuesday, saying he's taken a couple months away to sit back, reflect and work on being a better person. Morgan says it's been nice to take some time away from music and performances. He's not doing that work, because he says he needs even more time ... so he's not planning any summer tour dates.

Morgan says the time off is helping him find out what he needs to do to improve as a person, and he says he can't wait to see the growth he makes in the next 5 years.

TMZ broke the story ... Morgan was recorded by a neighbor after a rowdy night out in Nashville back in January casually calling a friend the n-word.

After the video was published, radio stations, merchandise websites and award shows banned Wallen -- but his album sales still skyrocketed and now he's thanking his fans for being in his corner, even though he admits "it hasn't been the most popular one to stand in recently."

Visual proof of that support is plastered all over Nashville right now -- 6 billboards are pushing for him to win Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards this coming weekend ... even though the Academy barred him from the competition.

Morgan says he's still figuring out his mistakes, is sorry and is making his amends ... but he says "I am still very proud of who I am and the man I am becoming."

A cleaning woman is taking Chris Brown to court, because she claims one of his dogs got a hold of her sister's limbs ... which sounds like one bloody mess in a lawsuit she's filed.

The woman's name is Patricia Avila, and in docs, obtained by TMZ, she explains she and her sister had been hired by Chris to clean his Tarzana home twice a week for a rate of $600 a day.

She goes on to say they were aware Chris had dogs in the house, but insists they'd always been kept in a separate part of the property whenever they came over to do their work. That is, until one day she claims one of them made its way to the backyard.

This is where things got violent, according to Avila ... who's alleging a harrowing dog attack from Chris' Caucasian Shepherd Ovcharka. In the suit, she claims the dog -- a very large breed -- has a history of being violent and aggressive toward people.

Anyway, Avila claims that her sister went out to the backyard to empty a vacuum ... and before she knew it, the animal was on top of her sister and tearing her body to shreds, ripping 3 to 4 inches of skin off her arm ... and allegedly bit her face and leg as well.

Eventually, she says they were able to get the dog off her sister ... and Chris was apparently the one who called 9-1-1. Avila says she thought her sister was going to die from the blood loss.

Avila says her sister was transported to a hospital and treated for several days ... undergoing at least a couple surgeries. Since then, she alleges the ordeal caused her a lot of emotional distress -- including PTSD, severe anxiety, and panic attacks.

Here's WWE superstar The Miz breaking character to heap some well-deserved praise on Bad Bunny -- admitting the music superstar's performance at WrestleMania was legitimately incredible.

Miz and Bad Bunny have been beefing for months as part of the storyline leading up to WM37 this past weekend -- and when they stepped in the ring to throw down, Bunny was spectacular.

He pulled off everything from a vertical suplex to a Canadian Destroyer (look it up!) ... and even frog splashed off the top rope! It was awesome!

Eventually, Bunny pinned Miz for the win -- but the former WWE champ says he ain't bitter -- it was a true honor just to share the ring with BB.

"Not only did he earn my respect, I think he earned the WWE Universe's respect. I think he earned backstage's respect. I think he earned everybody's respect in what some are calling 'The Best Celebrity Match at WrestleMania in History!'"

Miz says what he's most impressed by is Bunny's work ethic -- BB busted his ass for months at the WWE Performance Center to get ready for 'Mania ... and the hard work clearly paid off.

Sadly, Bunny's run with the WWE is probably over ... at least for now (he's got the whole music thing to get back to) -- but Miz isn't ruling out a future appearance.

"Ya never know when he'll come back! I think he had a great experience, I think everyone had a great experience with him."

YFN Lucci violated his strict bond conditions when he hit up a recording studio and a strip club as his murder case looms ... at least according to prosecutors, who want him back in jail.

According to new legal docs, prosecutors in Georgia claim the rapper violated the conditions of his $500,000 bond the first day after getting sprung from jail as he awaits trial for murder.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors claim YFN Lucci spent his first day on the outside hitting up an Atlanta recording studio, which they say is a violation of his monitored release.

Prosecutors also claim YFN Lucci went to an Atlanta strip club the same day, and they say it's the same club at the center of an investigation into a gang-related shooting.

TMZ broke the story ... Lucci was released from jail back in February, but his bond came with a long list of conditions he must obey until his next hearing.

Prosecutors claim YFN Lucci's ankle monitor was tampered with, because they say there's lots of missing and irregular data regarding his whereabouts for extended periods of time.

Prosecutors also claim YFN Lucci tested positive for marijuana and opiates in a drug test, which they say is yet another bond violation. They want a judge to revoke his bond so they can keep him in custody until the end of his murder case.

TikTok stars Jaden Hossler and Nessa Barrett are still denying there's anything going on between them ... but it sure looks and sounds like there's something brewing.

We got Jaden and Nessa Monday night at The Nice Guy ... a significant sighting considering for weeks now Jaden's ex, TikTok star Mads Lewis, had been posting cryptic messages on social media seemingly calling out Nessa for ruining their relationship.

Here's the lowdown for TikTok novices -- Jaden and Nessa apparently got super close after they dropped their track, "La Di Die" ... and things between Jaden and Mads really hit the fan after Mads and Nessa dragged their drama on social media and podcasts.

Mads -- who has since scrubbed Jaden off her Instagram -- eventually responded by declaring she was never jealous of Jaden and Nessa's song, nor jealous of her. So, there!!!

For his part ... Jaden wants to stay out of the drama. Smart man.

He told our photog this is the happiest he's ever been, but still denied being in a full-on relationship with Nessa. What's more, he wishes Mads nothing but the best, which of course is code for "I've moved on."

A group of popular women in the country music world have folks whispering about a "Real Housewives of Nashville" series, and while TMZ's learned the buzz is a little premature ... it's not far from the truth.

Several of these ladies -- including country star Jana Kramer and Jason Aldean's sister, Kasi Wicks (Chuck Wicks' wife) -- have been teasing on social media that they're filming something together ... something that seems like it could fit in the 'Housewives' canon.

Sources with direct knowledge of the project confirm with us that yes ... these women -- Sabina Gadecki (Tyler Rich's wife), and Jenna Perdue (wife of Dee Jay Silver) -- are shooting a pilot for an ensemble show that's in development.

Our sources said Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany, may have also been involved in the project, but she seemingly shut that down on social media Monday night.

We're told NBC is handling the production, which is currently filming with the women in Nashville ... but it's NOT guaranteed to be part of the 'Housewives' franchise. In fact, our sources say it would likely end up on one of NBC's other networks -- like E! or Peacock -- instead of Bravo.

What's interesting is ... all the buzz being generated by Kramer and the Aldean's sister on social media is coming despite nothing official from the network. We're told no contracts have been signed, and there's been no green light for a series.

The internet is ablaze with fury that Usher allegedly made it rain on strippers with fake ass money -- with his face on it, no less -- but take a breather, because that's not how it went down.

You might have caught wind of this today -- a dancer going by the handle @beel0ove on IG posted photos of three "Usher bucks" that came in $100, $20 and $1 denominations ... all with Mr. Raymond's face in place of the usual dead Presidents.

She posed the question ... "Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??" The insinuation was she actually got the bogus cash for services rendered, and called for Usher to be "blasted" for passing the funny money.

She kinda got her wish, based on all the Usher memes out there now -- BUT, turns out there's way more to the story ... according to people directly involved.

For starters, this all happened at Sapphire in Vegas -- and a rep for the club tells TMZ Usher did NOT tip the strippers with this fake money, and actually dished out authentic greenbacks, while also going on to tip the staff at large quite generously.

We're told Usher and co. ended up spending thousands on the dancers (REAL thousands, mind you) and also enjoyed bottle service ... which he definitely didn't cover with these Usher bucks. It goes without saying ... Sapphire tells us they'd love to host him again, anytime.

Now for some more intel on what the hell actually happened here -- sources close to Usher tell us that somebody in his crew (not him) left some stray Usher dollars behind on the stage as a bit of a gag ... both to be joke-y, but to also promote his new Vegas residency.

We've been assured by folks in the singer's camp that he did, in fact, tip the girls who danced for him ... and that the Usher bucks in question weren't used for payment AT ALL.

DMX's family is NOT strapped for cash, and is NOT asking the public to chip in for burial expenses -- and if you see anything online saying otherwise ... it's total bunk.

X's direct family members tell TMZ ... there's been a lot of unfounded rumors circulating after DMX's death last week, including a particularly absurd one -- namely, that his inner circle is raising money to help pay for his upcoming funeral.

This one's pretty easy to throw water on, because we're told family members are absolutely not raising money, and they actually want the public to know any campaigns suggesting the contrary are completely bogus, and not connected to the fam at all.

The family says it's aware there is any number of flat-out scammers out there soliciting money in X's name ... and they just want fans to be wary.

Here's another thing folks should be on the lookout for ... our sources say X's family is also NOT selling any DMX merch at this time, so if you're seeing stuff hitting the market now -- his family didn't authorize it, and they're not profiting from it.

One last wild theory that's been floating around -- you might've heard Jay-Z and Beyonce bought DMX's masters for a cool $10 mil with the idea of making sure his kids can reap the profits down the line. Yeah, the family's also setting that record straight, and ... it's BS.

The family says X's masters aren't in play with Jay and Bey at all. Yes, some are still under Def Jam control -- but not owned by Jay outright.

Thus far, X has been honored in a few unofficial ways since his passing -- fans created a makeshift memorial outside the hospital he was being treated, and there was also a prayer vigil held a few days before he died.

Madonna just plunked down a small fortune, and now she's proud of The Weeknd's Hidden Hills Estate.

Madonna paid $19.3 million for the home, which is in Kardashian Country. It's been on the market for a long time -- The Weeknd listed it back in June, 2020, for $24,995,000, so there was a significant price reduction.

The Weeknd bought the house back in 2017 for $18.2 million, so with commission at best he broke even.

The house has plenty of room, with more than 12,000 sq ft of living space, 9 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms. It sits on 3 acres with a giant pool in the backyard as well.

But don't worry, The Weeknd still has a place to rest his head, he scooped up a $25m penthouse bachelor pad back in 2019.

DMX is forever inscribed on the flesh of the woman he was set to marry before his untimely death -- because she got some new ink to honor him ... and it's right up his doggone alley.

Desiree Lindstrom -- who was engaged to X, and birthed his 15th child -- actually enlisted the services of a famous tattoo artist in NY to show her love for her late fiance in endearing terms ... hitting up one-time 'Black Ink Crew' star Krystal Kills for the custom job.

As you can see, Desiree got "Dog Love" written on her forearm ... with a big X underneath it. The meaning might seem self-explanatory -- if you know DMX, you know canines were a big part of his artistic aesthetic -- but this wording is actually a bit more personal than that.

We're told Desiree got "Dog Love" etched in for 2 reasons -- one, it's something X himself used to say. Second, our sources say Desiree considers a dog's love to be unconditional, much like X's. BTW, she got this done Friday night ... not too long after he passed.

As we reported ... X died after his organs started failing and brain function never returned.

Desiree was on hand with their young son, Exodus, for one of the vigils held for X right outside the hospital -- part of the outpouring of fan love for him during his final days.

Ellen DeGeneres made quick work of the Beverly Hills home she just put on the market ... but she didn't cash in quite like she probably hoped.

The talk show host unloaded the massive, secluded property she bought just 2 years ago from Maroon 5 frontman, Adam Levine, for a whopping $47 million ... but she was asking for way more than that.

As we first told you ... Ellen listed the 10,000 square-foot mansion for $53.5 mil just over a month ago, which would have netted her a decent profit because she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, purchased it from Adam for about $45 mil.

Instead, it's more like a break-even transaction ... but we're told DeGeneres went ahead with it anyway because she spends very little time in L.A. outside of shooting her show. She's now living full-time up in Montecito.

As for the new buyer -- represented by Brian Lane & Bob Safai of Madison Residential -- they just scored a gorgeous, ivy-covered estate with a resort-style pool, outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, fire pit, dining room bar, 50-foot living room with stone fireplace, indoor gym, spa and a guest house.

There's also a sunken tennis court, as the home used to also be owned by tennis legend Pete Sampras.

Luke Bryan's going to miss out on the excitement of "American Idol" going live for the first time this season due to the coronavirus ... but a familiar face will take his place.

The country music star and 'Idol' judge says he tested positive for COVID-19, so he won't be part of Monday night's first live show of the reality singing competition.

Luke says he's doing well and hopes to be back at it soon, but in the meantime ... Paula Abdul is back!!!

The show just announced while Bryan's quarantining and recovering at home, the former judge will be filling in as guest judge alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

It's unclear how long she'll have to hold down the fort in Luke's chair, but as you know ... she has a lot of experience. Paula joined the series in 2002 as one of 3 judges with Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, and had numerous memorable clashes with Simon.

Grimes might not be of this planet ... that's one possible theory after dissecting her massive new back tattoo, which she describes as "beautiful alien scars."

The Canadian musician unveiled her body art Sunday, a painful-looking assortment of tangled lines that at first glance ... make you think her tattoo artist was just a little high.

Instead, Grimes says it was planned this way from the get-go... with white ink and some help from the "alien computer brain" of another designer.

She says this is the best photo she has so far because "it hurts too much and I need to sleep," adding ... "it’ll be red for a few wks , but gna be beautiful alien scars."

It's all right on brand for Elon Musk's partner and mother to their child, whom they initially named X Æ A-12 Musk ... Grimes explaining the X stood for "the unknown variable."

They later had to change the A-12 to A-Xii due to California law not allowing numbers, but were still able to keep the theme of their son's name ... which also includes aspects of artificial intelligence and their favorite aircraft.