Music

Justin Bieber knows when it comes to showbiz, ya gotta know your audience ... which probably explains the song he chose to perform at a prison -- a tune that was sure to connect with inmates.

As we first told you ... JB and his pastor paid a visit to California State Prison in L.A. County to support the prison's faith-based programs -- but until we got this video, we didn't know he'd belted out any hits for them.

Now, we know Justin did a short set during his trip last month, and it included an acoustic rendition of his single, "Lonely."

We're told Bieber sang 3 or 4 of his songs, focusing on slower tracks that translate better with an acoustic guitar accompanying him ... but it's hard to imagine any of his lyrics hitting harder with the inmates than, "I'm so lonely."

We're told by people who were present that Bieber's mini unplugged set was emotional, empathetic and had him on the verge of tears. It was well received by the inmates and followed by a sermon.

Shock G, famous for Digital Underground's hit song "The Humpty Dance" and his work with Tupac Shakur, is dead.

The rap legend was found dead Thursday in a hotel room in Tampa ... according to his father, Edward Racker.

We're told the cause of death is unclear but there were no signs of trauma. Shock's father says authorities will conduct and autopsy.

Shock G was the lead singer for the pioneering hip hop group Digital Underground, and he gets into character as his alter ego, "Humpty Hump," for the group's famous 1989 song and dance.

Shock was also known for his collabs with 2Pac ... he's featured on Pac's 1993 song "I Get Around" and he was one of the producers on Tupac's 1991 debut solo album, "2Pacalypse Now."

In fact, Shock G helped introduce 2Pac to the music world ... Pac was a member of Digital Underground when he appeared on the group's 1991 song and music video, "Same Song," for his first published work.

Shock G was born and raised on the East Coast, but he eventually settled in Oakland, where he formed Digital Underground in the late 1980s with Chopmaster J and Kenneth Water.

In addition to his work with 2Pac, Shock G produced songs for Dr. Dre, Prince and KRS-One, just to name a few.

Shock G was 57.

Kehlani is coming out as lesbian ... and she says she's the last one in her family to know she's gay.

The singer shared her truth Thursday, saying on video ... "I am gay ga-gay gay gay!!!"

Kehlani says she's been trying to have heart-to-heart conversations with her family and friends about coming out, but she says her loved ones are hardly shocked and keep telling her they've known for some time because, as she put it ... "the f****** closet was glass."

She previously hinted at being gay during a recent Instagram Live when casually said she finally knew she was lesbian. Apparently, some fans thought she might have been joking, but now Kehlani's saying clearly, loudly and proudly.

As you know ... she has a 2-year-old daughter, Adeya Nomi, with guitarist Javie Young-White and her other famous exes include YG and NBA star Kyrie Irving.

Boxing phenom Edgar Berlanga has KO'd all 16 of his opponents in the 1st round ... and when he goes for #17 this weekend, Lil Wayne will walk him to the ring!

The 23-year-old knockout artist dropped the news to TMZ Sports as he gears up to fight Demond Nicholson (23-3-1) on Saturday night ... in what many expect to be another signature violent performance from the young star.

Wayne is a big boxing fan -- and he's clearly taken notice of Berlanga as he's destroyed every pro fighter who's ever stepped in the ring against him.

Fat Joe has also become a huge fan.

And Berlanga tells us ... both rap stars have told him they'll be in the house as VIP guests at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, FL.

"I'm going to spoil it right now for TMZ," Berlanga told us ... "[Wayne's] gonna be there with us this Saturday night, so I have him and Fat Joe."

Wayne won't just be a spectator ... Edgar says the hip-hop icon will be a part of his ring-walk entourage and will perform one of his hits on the way in.

"Lil Wayne is gonna perform and Fat Joe is gonna come to show love like he always does."

FYI, Edgar and Joe are both from NYC ... and go back a few years. FJ has been a regular at Berlanga's fights.

And Wayne isn't just hopping on the bandwagon ... he's been a staunch supporter of Berlanga for a while and has been mentoring Edgar about how to navigate the fame that comes with obliterating 16 straight opponents!

In fact, Weezy even has a near-life-size cardboard cutout of Edgar!

Lil Mosey's in big trouble in the state of Washington ... he's been charged with rape, and there's a warrant out for his arrest after failing to appear for a court hearing.

The “Pull Up" rapper was supposed to appear in court Wednesday, just weeks after he was charged with second-degree rape. We’re told Mosey never showed up ... so now he's a wanted man.

This all stems from an alleged incident back in January after a woman says she and a girlfriend went to a cabin to see Mosey but claims they ended up getting raped by him and another man.

According to the affidavit, obtained by TMZ, one of the alleged victims says she consented to having sex with Mosey in a vehicle but goes on to says she blacked out afterward in the cabin after drinking White Claws and champagne. She claims a short time later Mosey got on top of her and was pushing her legs up and apart while he was having sex with her. She said she recalled having pain in her leg muscles while Mosey was pushing her legs.

She says she blacked out again and woke up to find the other man forcing himself on her.

In the affidavit, the woman says she suffered injuries, including bruising on her arm, neck and inner knee. She also claims she got a message from one of the people at the party that said the guys were talking about "training two girls."

Cardi B is indignant over what just went down on the House floor ... after U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman lectured the FCC about her "WAP" performance at the Grammys.

Here's the deal ... the Wisconsin Republican lambasted the FCC for broadcasting Cardi and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" rendition on national TV last month, saying it's contributing to America's moral decline.

Grothman says Cardi's performance was "inconsistent with basic decency" and even shades Vice President Kamala Harris -- whose name he mispronounced -- for being a Cardi fan.

Cardi fired back ... wondering why he's wasting time on the House floor ranting about her "WAP" performance instead of dealing with critical issues like police brutality.

Cardi says Grothman should pay attention to what's going on in his own state with the Jacob Blake shooting ... and she blames him for not helping Jacob's family get justice.

Cardi B seems to be looking to break into the beauty biz -- and it looks like she wants to keep her B-branding at the forefront of her new venture.

The rapper's company, Washpoppin Inc., just filed legal docs to lock down the rights to the phrase "Bardi Beauty" -- which she apparently wants to slap onto a ton of different merch that screams of the fabulous life.

According to the trademark docs, Cardi is apparently aiming to hawk a bunch of glam products -- including stuff like cosmetics, fragrances, haircare, skincare, nail polish, nail enamel ... pretty much the works when it comes to a beauty line.

Here's another interesting thing ... the docs actually include Cardi's signature -- with her real name, of course -- Belcalis Almanzar -- as the CEO of Washpoppin. Take a gander at that beauty ... it definitely has all the volume and flair you'd expect from CB.

It's wild to think Cardi hasn't already gone the Kardashian-Jenner route to roll out her own line. She's been serving up fashionable looks (both wardrobe and makeup-wise) ... and has even teamed up with different companies, like Fashion Nova, for signature collections and curated items, but doesn't appear to have offered up one that's uniquely her own just yet.

The L.A. frozen yogurt shop Demi Lovato called out over its sugar-free items is debunking the rumor she made amends with a large donation ... and it says it doesn't want one.

The Bigg Chill claims online messages and photos suggesting Demi donated $100k to the shop and wrote a private letter of apology for her behavior are fake and Photoshopped.

The fro-yo store adds ... "We have not heard anything from Demi since her 'sorry, not sorry' apology on Monday. We have not heard from her team." Finally, The Bigg Chill says it's not changing its menu ... and thanked everyone for their support.

As we reported ... the "Dancing with the Devil" artist picked a fight with the fro-yo shop over the weekend, publicly calling it out Saturday for its placement of sugar-free items, which she claims are triggering for folks with eating disorders.

After The Big Chill defended itself, Demi doubled down Monday by complaining about the store's "diet culture" cookies and dropping a "customer is always right" DM on them.

Ultimately, Demi sort of apologized for seemingly using her celeb status to take down a small business. She says that's not her intent, she just wanted to start a dialogue on the issue.

How's this for scary good -- Paris Jackson just upped her acting game after landing a role in the upcoming season of 'American Horror Story.'

Production sources tell TMZ ... Paris will appear in at least 1 episode of the popular FX anthology horror series. The highly-anticipated series, which was delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic, is being dubbed "American Horror Story: Double Feature." Series creator Ryan Murphy recently teased it and said there will be 2 horrifying stories in one season.

Yes, season 10 will be split into 2 mini-seasons. Murphy already confirmed, "One set by the sea" already has its cast ... featuring Sarah Paulson, Macaulay Culkin and Kathy Bates. Murphy said the cast for the second mini-season, "A second by the sand," will be announced soon.

But, we know Paris will appear in the second mini-season.

BTW ... this is not Paris' first acting gig. She's had several already ... including appearing as Rachel Wells in the FOX series "Star" and appearing in the comedy film, "Gringo."

Baby Blue was trying to protect his cousin when he got shot during a robbery attempt, and the bullet pierced his lung and sent him to the ICU ... this according to his brother and fellow Pretty Ricky member, Spectacular Smith.

Smith tells TMZ ... Blue is still in the ICU and has been hooked up to a breathing machine due to his injury, and so far only his mom and dad have been able to see him in the hospital due to COVID restrictions.

We're told during the confrontation at SpareZ Bowling Alley in Davie, Florida ... Baby Blue tried to grab the gun from one of the suspects in the attempted robbery to keep his cousin from getting shot, and he got shot instead.

Smith says the bullet went through Blue's shoulder and pierced his lung, and a graphic video of the scene -- posted by Hollywood Unlocked -- immediately afterward is terrifying and chaotic ... with the cousin screaming out for help.

As we reported ... cops say the rapper was shot during a physical altercation with 2 armed male suspects who approached to try to steal a gold chain necklace. The suspects fled before police arrived and so far no arrests have been made.

Pretty Ricky's Baby Blue is in critical condition after cops say he was shot in Florida during an attempted robbery.

According to police, the rapper was shot Monday around midnight while in the parking lot of SpareZ Bowling Alley in Davie, Florida. Cops say Baby Blue and a friend were next to their vehicles when two armed male suspects approached.

A physical altercation erupted when the men tried to steal a gold chain necklace ... and cops say it was during the scuffle that Baby Blue was shot in the left shoulder area. It's unclear if the suspects took off with the chain.

Baby Blue, who was in town for a release party for his new track, "Jerry Rice," was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition. Cops say the two suspects fled before cops arrived on scene.

Swae Lee is finally hearing from his brother facing a first-degree murder charge in his father's death ... and TMZ has the first look at their phone call from jail, and it's powerful.

The rapper and his mother, Bernadette Walker, got super emotional as they dialed up her son, Michael Sullivan, as he sits in a Mississippi jail and asked about the night in January 2020 when Swae's stepfather -- who helped raise him -- was gunned down.

The emotional jail phone call is part of Swae's new docuseries on Snapchat, "Swae Meets World," which premiered last Saturday and features Swae talking about his stepfather's death on camera for the first time.

Michael, who suffers from a mental illness requiring medication, tells Swae what was going through his head the night his father, Floyd Sullivan Jr., died ... and it sounds pretty intense.

TMZ broke the story ... Swae and Slim Jxmmi's half-brother was arrested for murder the day after their stepfather was shot to death, and Michael's been charged with murder and is facing life in prison if convicted.

Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced huge hits for Meat Loaf, Air Supply, Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Steinman died Monday in Connecticut, according to the state's medical examiner. The cause of death is unclear. We do know it appears it was sudden ... there was a medical emergency call to his home around 3:30 AM Sunday to transport a male patient.

Jim's perhaps best known for his songwriting work on Meat Loaf’s "Bat Out of Hell" -- one of the best selling albums of all time -- and "Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell" ... writing and producing the smash hit, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)."

Steinman's got his fingerprints all over Bonnie Tyler's albums, writing and producing her biggest hit, "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Jim also wrote and composed Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and Barry Manilow's "Read 'Em and Weep," which was originally written for Meat Loaf.

He's also the brainchild behind another power ballad, "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," first recorded by Pandora's Box and then made famous with Celine Dion's cover.

Jim also worked with Def Leppard, Barbra Streisand, Billy Squier and The Sisters of Mercy. You wanna talk about accomplishments ... for 3 straight weeks in 1983, Jim was responsible for the #1 and #2 songs on Billboard -- 'Total Eclipse' was in the top spot, and 'Making Love' was second.

Steinman was 73.

Kourtney Kardashian is the queen of risqué this week -- first she was sucking on Travis Barker's thumb for the 'Gram ... now she's openly asking the public about rough sex.

KK posted a very racy pic -- a photo of a stock image that captures the lower half of a woman, unbuttoned and fairly exposed near the groin area. A belly button and white panties are exposed, which have "Oui" embroidered right on the front ... and in red, no less.

On top of that, there was a question she posed to her followers -- "ROUGH SEX: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT?" So yeah, it seems like she's answering her own question a bit here. But also, she's continuing this recent streak of not leaving much to the imagination.

We're not clutching our pearls here -- just noticing a trend carrying over from the weekend. You'll recall, Kourtney's BF, Travis Barker, posted a video of her sucking on his thumb ... which looked like something else at first glance. Either way, it's been PDA times 10 lately.

Speaking of being cuddly in public ... Kourtney and Travis were doing a lot of that as well over the past few days -- this after Kourtney turned 42 and celebrated her birthday. They were spotted out at some beaches in the OC ... and on both occasions, getting cozy.

They weren't shy about it either ... with Travis grabbing himself a handful while laying out on the sand, and later posting a pic with Kourtney laying on top of him -- derrière in full view.

Britney Spears is getting behind the Black Lives Matter movement -- seemingly the first time she's publicly spoken out on the issue, but some social media followers think she's crossed a line.

The singer posted an image Monday of a Black man wearing a mask and holding a sign that reads, "White people have generational wealth. Black people have generational trauma #WeAreNotTheSame! #BLM."

Brit captioned the post too, with ... "Just sayin'," and the #BLM and #BlackLivesMatter hashtags.

Let's face it ... Britney doesn't typically weigh in on anything political, social or controversial ... besides her conservatorship, of course.

She usually keeps her IG posts pretty light ... and while the change had most of her fans applauding her apparent stance -- others ripped her for what they saw as "profiling," and pointed out many white people don't have generational wealth. One Brit follower reportedly begged, "Please don't go down this rabbit hole."

And, as you might expect, some of the "Free Britney" faithful took her BLM post as a sign she and her social media are being controlled.

Of course, Britney's BLM support comes as the Derek Chauvin jury is deliberating to decide if he murdered George Floyd -- the tragedy that fueled BLM marches and protests around the world.

Britney Spears told fans directly that she's fine and more than happy -- but they still don't believe her, suspecting she's being forced to say so.

Fans have been buzzing since Britney's video late last week in which she said herself she IS okay, and she's just taking some time off professionally as she enjoys herself.

You'd think that'd be enough for the #FB crowd -- but as it turns out, it wasn't ... 'cause folks were leaving tons of comments speculating she was reading a script or the video was edited in a way to mask some more insidious stuff happening behind the scenes.

Unfortunately for the conspiracy crowd ... that is NOT the case -- in fact, sources close to Britney say the exact opposite is true. Namely, the way the video is edited is actually all Britney's doing, and she edited the clip herself. There is NO longer version in existence.

And no ... our sources say Britney is not reading from a script. As for why she's "swaying" as many people noted -- we're told she's just shy and a little fidgety. That's it ... nothing else to it.

If you're wondering why Britney chose this time to address the "are you okay?" question -- we're told it's because Britney does, indeed, read comments left on her posts ... and noticed a lot of folks asking. So, she figured she'd assure everyone she's fine ... despite the concern.