Music

Lil Yachty wants all the fellas out there to know it's okay if you wanna wear nail polish -- in fact, he's got a whole new line out just for that, and he's hoping it's a hit with the youth ... regardless of gender.

The rapper told us why he's diving into the cosmetics game with his nail paint brand called Crete, and he dropped some great nuggets about the toxic masculinity and intolerance that have shamed boys and men who rock nail polish.

When Yachty joined us on "TMZ Live," he said it's not just for girls and women now -- he expresses himself with nail paint, and his goal is to normalize it for all the guys who want to follow suit.

While women can use his nail paints, Yachty says he actually wanted Crete to cater more to male consumers from the jump to help them feel more comfortable with the idea of painting their nails ... without having to hit a salon.

BTW, he flashes his cuticles for us here ... and yeah, it looks like he's on to a winner of an idea. He even entertains the possibility of becoming the next beauty billionaire ... a la Kylie Jenner.

Of course, sentiments on gender norms had been shifting in this direction already ... which only helps Yachty's cause. Celebs like Pete Davidson, A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles and a lot more have embraced the painted nails look

Nick Jonas says he cracked a rib taking a spill on a bicycle, but he's on the mend.

Nick revealed the extent of his injuries Monday night on NBC's "The Voice," saying he also suffered a few other bumps and bruises, and it hurts to laugh. We're sure Blake Shelton will go easy on him, and by "easy" we mean ... not at all.

TMZ broke the story ... Nick was injured late Saturday night while filming a project, and it was serious enough that he needed medical attention at a nearby hospital.

We were told he was released and back home by Sunday, and wouldn't miss his scheduled Monday appearance on "The Voice."

Remember ... the 28-year-old actor/singer suffered a hand injury in 2018, the result of a post-show workout in Mexico. He posted a pic of that injury at the time, showing bandages and a beer.

He's playing this rib injury much closer to the vest, though. Neither Nick, nor anyone connected to him, will say exactly what he was filming when he got hurt.

English songwriter, singer and artist Kate Bush was still a teenager when she shot to fame after releasing her debut album The Kick Inside in 1978 which included some standout singles including "Wuthering Heights," "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" and "Moving."

Bush continued her music momentum with a slew of '80s albums like her 1985 record Hounds Of Love which had the break-out dance single "Running Up That Hill" and "Cloudbusting."

To date, KB has released ten studio albums and her music still finds its way to new generations of listeners, making her a cult classic in the UK and around the world.

Ariana Grande is a married woman, because TMZ has learned she tied the knot this weekend.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the wedding went down at her home in Montecito ... which you might also know as Oprah country. We're told there were less than 20 guests, including family members from both sides and the whole thing was very intimate and filled with a lot of love.

We're told there was no real "ceremony" -- she and her fiance, Dalton Gomez, said their "I dos" in an informal way. It was really just for them. It's unclear how long they planned to do it this way -- in other words, whether it was impulsive or not.

Ariana and Dalton got engaged just before Xmas and have spent a lot of time together during the pandemic. They posted lots of pics chronicling their romance, and after their engagement. Ariana's mom, Joan, gave her stamp of approval.

She said ... "I am so excited to welcome Dalton Gomez into our family! Ariana, I love you and Dalton so much!!!! Here’s to happily ever after! YAY! xoxoxo"

Dalton, a real estate agent, began dating Ariana in early 2020.

Ariana bought the house in June from Ellen DeGeneres. She plunked down $6.75 mil for the estate. A perfect place for a small wedding!

As you probably recall ... it was less than 3 years ago that Ariana and then-fiance Pete Davidson were supposed to get married. They dated for a bit in 2018, and then all of a sudden ... they were engaged.

She seemed pretty smitten over PD at the time, but in October 2018 that ended amid news that her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died ... plus other circumstances were at play.

Kurt Cobain's golden locks are worth more than gold ... a few strands of his hair just sold for five figures at a rock and roll auction.

The winning bid for the late Nirvana frontman's hair came in at a cool $14,145 ... and that's just for 6 strands!!!

As you can see, Kurt's blonde hair is preserved under plastic about the size of a trading card, and the auction house, Iconic Auctions, says the longest strand checks in at about 2.5 inches.

These few slivers of music history come from a 1989 haircut Kurt got while Nirvana was on the famous "Bleach" tour.

The winning bidder's also taking home these pictures of Kurt's haircut. He got the trim from his friend, Tessa Osbourne, and posed for a smiling snap with the scissors still in her hand.

Kurt's hair has been on quite a journey ... the haircut happened in Birmingham, England and Tessa kept the locks in a bag until she gave it to Seattle artist Nicole DePolo after Kurt's death.

DePolo passed the hair along to John Reznikoff, who has a Guinness world record for "largest collection of historic hair," and it finally hit the auction block this month.

Lady Gaga's dog walker is getting back in the saddle after his near-death experience ... he's walking her French Bulldogs again after putting his life on the line for them.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, is back on the job less than 3 months after nearly losing his life while taking her pups for a late-night stroll.

He stopped by her home Friday afternoon in L.A. -- bearing gifts and looking pretty healthy in the wake of his lengthy hospital stay after the shooting and dognapping incident

Although they weren't spotted with him on Friday, we're told he's walking the dogs during the day now ... a departure from the nighttime walk that ended in gunfire and the suspects making off with Koji and Gustav.

The only measure of comfort Ryan can take is that cops say the suspects were not targeting the dogs because they were Gaga's.

TMZ broke the story ... 3 alleged dognappers are charged with attempted murder and robbery and 2 others have been hit with accessory charges.

Remember ... Gaga put out a $500,000 reward after the February 24 dognapping, which cops believe was carried out by a dog-stealing ring, and she eventually got her dogs back safely after they were left tied up in an alley and a woman called the number Gaga posted.

The woman who "found" the pups was also arrested, according to law enforcement sources, because police were suspicious of her from the start.

Ryan, meanwhile, was hospitalized for several weeks and even had part of a lung removed ... but he's looking great now.

Saweetie says the rash of violence against Asian Americans that's stirring fear across the country has affected her family as well ... but she's aiming to put a stop to the hate she believes is at the root of it.

The "Fast (Motion)" rapper joined "TMZ Live" Monday to discuss Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month ... which is perhaps more important than ever as hate crimes against Asian Americans have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saweetie -- who's of Filipino and Chinese descent -- explains how the widespread violence has hit close to home ... especially the video of the elderly Asian woman getting randomly attacked in NYC.

She tells us that could have very well been her own grandmother, and says incidents like that have caused concern among families just like hers.

The bright side, according to Saweetie, is she believes the age of social media is opening people's eyes to how rampant this problem is ... and she's doing her part to raise awareness too.

She'll be performing with Jhene Aiko on Friday for the AAPI Heritage Month special, "See Us Unite for Change" ... hosted by Ken Jeong and featuring appearances by Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Ling and more.

Nick Jonas was injured late Saturday night while filming a new show ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told Nick was on set when something happened -- the sources would not disclose the nature of the accident or injury -- but it was serious enough that he was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Our sources say .... as of Sunday night, Nick is back home and will appear as scheduled Monday night on "The Voice."

The 28-year-old actor/singer suffered a hand injury back in 2018 during a post-show workout in Mexico. He posted a photo of the injury and some bandages along with a beer shortly after it happened.

J. Cole's own sideline story is finally coming full circle on the court -- the guy just made his professional debut as a basketball player ... and he did it in none other than Africa!

The rapper -- who's fresh off a fire sixth studio album -- put on his hooping shoes this weekend not too long after signing a brief three-to-six game contract with the Rwanda Patriots Basketball Club, which is part of the Basketball Africa League.

On Sunday, the club was set to face off against Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers -- a game that was broadcast on national television here in the States. Sure enough, it looks like Cole was part of the starting five at tip-off -- and the dude showed off his famed athleticism early and often.

Different clips captured from the game show Jermaine grabbing rebounds, playing D and hustling up and down the court. He even got his first bucket with a put-back after one of his teammates attempted a layup. It's clear -- the dude can still ball, even at the ripe age of 36.

We say "still" because -- whether you're aware or not -- J. Cole is a noted hooper ... having played competitively in high school and even earning himself a walk-on spot with the St. John's Red Storm team for a while. He ended up leaving basketball behind to pursue his career in music -- but like many among the rich and famous, Cole can hold his own.

He played for the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game back in 2012, and proved himself there ... and now, it looks like he's getting back to his on-court roots in a whole other country.

Unclear what the end game for Cole is here -- but by the looks of it ... he's taking this contract pretty seriously, and based on how big a draw he is -- they may even extend him.

Janet Jackson screams cash ... $125,000 in cold, hard cash!!!

The outfit Janet wore in the "Scream" music video just fetched $125k at auction.

It was part of Julien's Auctions event, titled, "Iconic Treasures From the legendary Career and Life of Janet Jackson."  Janet turned over 1,000 items from her life to Julien's, and it coincided with her 55th birthday.

As for the getup ... we'll use the auction's description -- "A black circular "bubble" textured fabric long-sleeve shirt by Dexter Wong, a pair of black patent leather pants, and a pair of black patent leather over-the-ankle chunky low-heel boots."

The outfit was featured in the 1995 music vid which was a huge hit.

Compassion International, an org that fights child poverty, will get a cut of the action.

Other treasures brought in big bucks, like her floor-length metallic silver coat with lambskin shearling lining, cuffs and collar ... which sold for $50,000.  And there was her silver strink bikini and matching pants which commanded $25,600.

And there's more ... Her jacket from the 1990 Rhythm Nation Tour and 1814 cap and black satin gloves fetched $81,250. And get this ... a pair of earrings Oprah Winfrey presented to Janet Jackson at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball in May 2005 were up for auction. The earrings are in a sterling silver case engraved "A Bridge to Now" on the top and "JJ" on the front and housed in a red leather presentation box.

A piece of Janet's life sure ain't cheap, but clearly worth it.

Lil Reese has reportedly taken another bullet in his hometown of Chicago -- this less than two years after he almost died from being shot not too far from the Windy City.

The rapper was among three people shot Saturday morning in a parking garage in the River North neighborhood, where a shootout appears to have gone down among a group of men ... with all of them supposedly shooting at each other, according to local outlet CWBChicago.

When cops arrived, per CWB, they found three guys who'd suffered gunshot wounds -- plus a stolen Dodge Durango found littered with bullet and crashed at the site. Chicago PD tells TMZ two of the men were transported to one hospital, and another was hospitalized elsewhere. Two are reported as being in critical condition, and the third in serious condition.

It's unclear what Reese's status is at this point ... we're still working to confirm he was involved and how he's holding up.

CWB reposted a video that purportedly captures the aftermath, showing up and apparently detaining someone. CPD tells us there are two possible offenders in custody right now.

Unclear what might've sparked the violence -- but in any case, it's not great news for Reese ... who had just gone through something similar in late 2019, when he was shot in the neck and miraculously survived. The situation then was reported as eerily similar to this one.

Reese is perhaps most famous for his work with Chief Keef -- notably, being featured on the latter's hit 2012 single, "I Don't Like" and his own single, "Traffic."

BTW, Reese is only 28.

Fat Joe seems to think DJ Khaled is the "Quincy Jones of hip-hop" -- but a lot more people seem to think he's dead wrong ... and outright disrespecting the legendary record producer.

Joe made the inflammatory comment this week while chopping it up with N.O.R.E. on his 'Drink Champs' podcast ... talking about the new Jay-Z/Nas song "Sorry Not Sorry" that appears on Khaled's latest album, "Khaled Khaled."

They were gassing up the song -- rightfully so, it's solid -- but then FJ turned the focus back onto DJK ... saying the guy really doesn't get enough credit for what he does.

Joe said people believe all Khaled does is get the biggest names in hip-hop/pop and throw them together on catchy songs -- but he insists there's a lot more to it than that, as several other DJs/producers attempt to do the same time and again and don't get the same results.

Then came Joe's hot take ... saying Khaled's the Quincy of the rap game, and A LOT of people were NOT having it. Joe caught wind of the backlash, however, and tried clarifying a bit.

He writes, "All these back seat drivers Monday morning quarterbacks always got an opinion but can’t do it themselves shit crazy." Joe adds, "To me the term Quincy jones of this time was used in reference to the work khaled has put in years and years of hit obviously there’s only one Quincy but f*ck it tune in tonight EXPLOSIVE lol."

The reason folks are pissed for the comparison is because, well, DJ Khaled doesn't make his own beats ... which isn't a secret either, BTW. He mostly curates, collecting tracks he likes ... and ad-libbing his famous lines over them while getting his music industry pals to feature.

The clock is now ticking for NBC to choose the successor to Ellen DeGeneres' coveted time slot, and although they have a star in their pocket, a lot has to go right to make it work.

Sources at the network tell us -- long before COVID -- NBC honchos launched the Kelly Clarkson Show as the heir apparent to Ellen's syndicated hour. They knew back then Ellen was probably going to pull the plug on the show, and Kelly seemed like a likely successor.

The thing is ... Kelly's show struggled during COVID. Producing the show with guests joining remotely was challenging and the ratings slumped -- but that was the case with most shows through the pandemic. We're told a lot depends on the next few months ... whether the show experiences a surge in popularity as production comes back full force.

If that doesn't happen, NBC may well look beyond its current lineup to find a replacement, and a name that's been bandied about is one Tiffany Haddish. There are many reasons why Tiffany's name has bubbled up to the surface ... one of which is that she has guest-hosted for Ellen with considerable success.

The fact is ... Tiffany would probably kill in the timeslot, but we did some checking and no one in her camp is willing to say if she would even entertain the idea of doing a Monday-thru-Friday talk show, which is a real grind.

If she were interested, given the unbelievable number of projects Tiffany has, it would take the contents of a bank vault to seal the deal.

Kash Doll's gotta be beating herself up, telling cops a burglar made off with $500k of her jewels that she'd still have ... if only she had locked her doors.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the "Rich Hoochie" rapper suffered the massive loss after someone looted her car in the San Fernando Valley while she was filming a music video.

We're told the theft went down between 11 PM and 5 AM. It's bad enough having to deal with the loss, but talk about a migraine trigger ... cops say the burglar gained entry thanks to an unlocked door.

What we don't know ... will insurance cover the loss and if not, what were her policy limits?

Our sources say the burglar swiped tons of expensive jewelry and even a $50k Louis Vuitton box. So far, no arrests have been made.

It's one thing if burglars break windows to get into expensive cars -- sorry, Lil Pump 😡 -- but, to lose the stuff this way -- Ouch!

It's official ... Tessica Brown is now forever etched, or glued, into pop culture, now that Nicki Minaj is shouting her out on a new track, and Tessica's flattered!!!

The Harajuku Barbie just dropped her song, "Fractions" and it includes lyrics referencing the moniker Tessica will have forever... Gorilla Glue Girl. Nicki raps, "... head game slicker than little miss gorilla glue."

Pretty dope, and Tessica tells TMZ ... she thought the line was cute. She says normally she's offended if someone calls her Gorilla Glue Girl, instead of her name, but Nicki gets a pass.

She says even though Nicki didn't reach out in advance to brief her about the shout-out, she hopes to meet her in person one day.

Nicki's still working on her next album -- which Tessica says she'll cop, for sure -- and the new track is part of the "Beam Me Up Scotty" mixtape she just dropped on streaming platforms.

Mel B appears beaten, broken and trapped in a disturbing new video made to raise domestic violence awareness, and it has some people drawing connections to the singer's past.

The Spice Girls singer co-stars in the short film, "Love Should Not Hurt" by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea. Mel plays the role of a woman seemingly living a wonderful life in a mansion out in the country -- but behind closed doors, she's being battered and held captive by her partner ... played by Sam Mackay.

At the end of the short film, Mel's character -- shown with a bruised and bleeding face -- attempts to flee ... as alarming statistics about women being subjected to physical or sexual violence are displayed.

Though it's not explicitly suggested, Mel B's appearance in this video -- a collaboration with the UK org., Women’s Aid -- elicits an alleged violent chapter of her life with ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte.

Mel, who split from Belafonte in 2017, claimed he abused her throughout their 10-year marriage and previously described it as a "reign of terror."