Music

Olivia Rodrigo's latest cover art looks an awful lot like something Courtney Love put out years ago -- and the latter isn't afraid to point that out ... not to mention demand credit.

The 18-year-old singer -- who's blowing up right now from her "drivers license" hit, plus her debut album "SOUR" from earlier this year -- teased a new visual project tied to her record, which will apparently be all about prom ... and OR never being able to attend her own.

She posed for a shoot in which she's in a prom dress, a tiara and mascara running down her face ... with a bouquet of flowers in tow. If that looks familiar, it's 'cause it is ... Courtney's band, Hole, released "Live Through This" in the '90s, and it's got a very similar aesthetic.

CL poked fun at this ... reposting Olivia's photo, and captioning it with, "Spot the difference! #twinning! 🥸@oliviarodrigo 😉👸👸." Seems like it was all in good fun, but it would appear Courtney is legit upset about this ... and perhaps rightly so.

Olivia eventually responded in Courtney's comments, writing ... "Love u and live through this sooooo much." Not really an apology or acknowledgment of inspiration (in our minds) ... and it looks like Courtney thought so too, because she told Olivia to send her flowers and a thank you note, while making sure to note her favorite florist. Indeed, it's deliciously petty.

Some are saying Courtney's expecting too much here -- as there's an argument that artists (especially ones from vastly different generations) are ripping each other's style all the time, consciously or unconsciously. It's also unclear if Olivia was aware of Courtney's work when she/her team were putting this whole concept together. Either way, Court doesn't care.

She dug in, writing ... "Does Disney teach kids reading and writing? God knows. Let's see. Yes this is rude. Rage inducing? Honey if I had a dollar for everyone this happens? I'd be real rich!"

Tyler, the Creator seems to be trying to get ahead of the Twitter outrage machine by apologizing to Selena Gomez (via song) for old tweets that are seriously screwed up.

The rapper addresses messages he posted online back in the early 2010s that were specifically aimed at Selena, Justin Bieber and other female artists ... many of whom he was talking about in incredibly graphic/sexual terms, which are too much for us to re-post here.

The tweets -- some of which are still live, BTW -- are in the vein of sexual fantasies and would-be exploits ... but one touches on SG and JB's former relationship, to which TTC took a sour tone and wrote, "Justin Bieber And Selena Gomez Is F****** Dating. F***."

Apparently, Tyler was into Bieber back in those days (in a romantic way, it seems) ... something he touches on in his new track, "Manifesto," where he briefly gets into this.

On Tyler's second verse, he talks about being "canceled" before cancel culture was a thing -- at which point he says he already apologized to Selena for these abhorrent tweets. In the same breath, he gives more context ... "Back when I was tryna f*** Bieber, Just-in"

Tyler and Justin have hung out in the past, and the former has done interviews in which he said he felt Selena didn't like him ... and was always "mean-mugging" when he was around her then-boo. Turns out, it might've been for good reason ... Tyler was apparently out to bang JB.

If that feels like it's coming out of left field for you, it shouldn't -- Tyler has suggested he's part of the LGBTQ+ community, and seems to get down with both guys and gals.

Yungblud took to the stage this week for a momentous event since the pandemic began -- welcoming back concertgoers (in-person) ... who came flocking in, mostly without masks.

The rocker held his first public show at WeHo's Whisky a Go Go, which was packed to the gills with folks dying to get out and catch some tunes up close and in the flesh. It's all kosher, obviously -- the state of California is open again, and masks are largely optional.

However, it's interesting to see that the majority of people here chose not to wear a face covering ... especially because we've heard it was all basically on an honor system in terms of vaccination. We've heard from people who went that there were no vaxx card checks ... so it's a little dicey. Some may have been vaccinated, others easily might not have been.

That might make you squirm a bit when you see just how huddled and close people got during the performance -- especially when Yungblud got down low to the ground level.

At this point, it appears enough people are getting vaccinated that these people felt comfortable enough to take the chance ... to which we say, rage at your own risk. Word around town is that a lot of these smaller venues aren't checking vaccine status, so ... 🤷🏽‍♂️

BTW, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox were in attendance for this shindig -- they're pals with Yungblud -- and of course, they were doing their thing up in the upper deck ... making out and stuff.

Britney Spears was at the top of her game -- and at the top of album sales in her respective category -- before she was in a conservatorship, and even during ... which mucks up the argument of whether the apparatus was hindering her career in any real way.

Somebody posted a video of a graph over time, depicting Britney's album sales compared to her contemporaries between 1999 and 2017 ... and it's clear that she was the queen of "Diva Pop" during that run, a good chunk of which was during her court-ordered conservatorship.

Remember, Britney splashed onto the scene in the late '90s ... and was a tour de force-type artist in the early-to-mid 2000s. But, after 2008 -- around the time Britney's conservatorship was put into place -- she was STILL the reigning queen in album sales (worldwide) when stacked up against fellow singers like Shakira, Christina Aguilera, P!nk, J Lo, Gaga, Beyonce ... and eventually, the one female pop star who came along to overtake 'em all -- Adele.

BTW, we checked the numbers here ... and this video appears to be fairly accurate as far as who was on top and when -- again, relating to worldwide album sales in this respective window. Even as late as 2017, Britney was beating out the competition ... which is wild.

So ... what does this all mean??? Depends on who you ask, we suppose. On the one hand, you could argue the conservatorship hasn't really harmed her professionally -- as she was clearly very successful even after being placed in it. In fact, we've heard her father, Jamie Spears, say he actually helped whip her finances into shape again following her breakdown.

With that said, it's become obvious that Britney wants out -- she said as much this past Wednesday -- and seems to be putting her professional life on hold until she gets her way.

Britney Spears conspiracy theorists are back at it -- suggesting she didn't write one of her recent, emotional IG posts ... but we've learned she definitely did, and meant every word.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Internet claims that Britney's social media manager, Cassie Petrey, is the one who crafted her Thursday IG post -- the one about fairy tales and Britney's life not being one -- are complete nonsense.

If ya missed it ... some of Brit's fans speculated the post was intended as damage control following her explosive court hearing Wednesday, and pointed to her mentioning her family in a somewhat positive light as proof.

Our sources say this is totally false -- just like the previous rumors that Cassie writes her posts -- and insist Britney has always been responsible for all of the messaging on her social media and always will be.

We're told Britney's social media accounts don't do scheduled posts either, as some fans believe, and she posts whenever she feels like it. We're also told social media has been the one positive outlet for her where she doesn't feel controlled ... so fans should believe what she says there.

Our sources add that Britney's digital team is very proud of her for speaking up in court about her conservatorship, and they note she had no complaints about social media during her testimony.

Some Prince superfan just nabbed an incredible piece of memorabilia ... the handwritten lyrics to "Nothing Compares 2 U," and it wasn't cheap.

The folks over at Boston-based RR Auction sold the awesome rock artifact for a cool $150,986. The notebook paper -- with lyrics written out in cursive (there's a lost art) -- has a back story that goes beyond Prince writing one of his biggest hits.

The fan who forked out the dough also got a detailed letter of provenance from Prince's former assistant, Therese Stoulil, explaining how she came into possession of the lyric sheet.

She says, "There was a knock on my door, and I looked out the bedroom window and saw a black BMW in my driveway and immediately recognized it as Duane's, Prince's half-brother."

Therese adds, "I went downstairs opened the door, and he only said 'this is from Prince' then he got in his car and left. Once I realized what Duane delivered, I was both stunned and humbled."

The sheet still has the white console marking tape Prince use to tape the lyrics to his mic while recording the track!

Although Prince wrote it, "Nothing Compares 2 U" was first recorded by The Family -- a group he formed -- for their 1985 self-titled debut album. Most famously, Sinead O'Connor covered it 5 years later and it became Billboard's "No. 1 World Single" of 1990.

Britney Spears is doing what she loves -- relaxing in Hawaii with her BF after that bombshell court testimony in her conservatorship case ... and the looks on her face are a good sign.

The singer and Sam Asghari hopped on a private jet Thursday ... touching down in paradise for a romantic getaway that looks like it's doing them both some good.

Britney's feeling the island vibes, slipping into a bikini to soak up the sun and sip cold beer on a beautiful resort property. Sam's practicing Aloha too, going shirtless and bringing the gun show to Hawaii.

The Hawaiian scenery is a welcome change for Britney ... remember, during her testimony in Los Angeles, she complained about feeling trapped by the conservatorship, claiming she's been threatened to have Maui vacations denied if she doesn't go to therapy.

Like most couples getting away from it all in Hawaii, Britney and Sam are all smiles ... and it looks like they're definitely enjoying their break.

The fun started shortly after takeoff ... with Britney and Sam posting some silly videos from their private jet, where they played around with some filters.

As we reported, Britney also apologized to her fans for pretending to have the perfect life when she was actually struggling, and she said she was going to start reading more fairy tales.

We gotta say, Hawaii is the perfect place to do a little light reading by the pool or by the ocean.

The woman Diplo has filed a restraining order against and sued for stalking and harassing him has now filed her own lawsuit against the DJ ... claiming he pursued her when she was underage, had sex with her when she was an adult and never disclosed he had an STI.

Shelly Auguste claims in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ -- that Diplo first contacted her via Twitter when she was 17 and solicited nude photos of her ... while also sending her sexually explicit and vulgar comments.

She alleges they exchanged explicit photos before meeting in person for the first time in 2018, when she was 21. Auguste claims she later moved to L.A., and Diplo really began pressuring her for sex by sending unsolicited graphic photos of himself in sexual situations.

According to the docs ... Auguste says she heard a rumor Diplo had herpes and questioned him about it in late 2018, and he got angry and cut off all communication. However, she says they made up in 2019, and in April of that year, she claims she gave in to the pressure and lost her virginity to Diplo.

Auguste alleges Diplo recorded video of their sexual encounter despite her telling him she didn't want that.

Then, in July 2019, Auguste says she went to Diplo's show in Las Vegas, and claims afterward he tried to coax her into a threesome with a girl she believes was underaged at the time. According to the docs, Auguste says she was intoxicated and refused, but claims Diplo forced himself on her as she tried to fight him off.

Shortly afterward, Auguste claims she was diagnosed with chlamydia, and believes she got it from Diplo because she says he was her only sexual partner at the time. She claims he ignored her when she confronted him ... and their issues didn't stop there.

As for Diplo's side, his attorney, Bryan Freedman, tells us, "As has already been made clear in the restraining order we obtained against this individual, she has repeatedly stalked, defamed, threatened and attempted to shake down [Diplo] and his family."

Freedman continues, "These latest false claims are just part of that ongoing campaign of harassment, and we will not allow them to deter us from pursuing justice against her to the fullest extent possible under the law.”

As we first told you ... Diplo filed for a restraining order against Auguste in December 2020, not long after she made revenge porn claims against him. The DJ claimed their relationship soured that year, and she was the one posting his nudes everywhere.

Rapper Gift of Gab -- one half of the famed Bay Area duo Blackalicious -- has died.

The rapper -- whose real name was Timothy J. Parker -- died last Friday ... according to the hip-hop collective Quannum Projects, which first told Rolling Stone. "Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021."

The statement from the collective added, "He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe. We ask that the family's privacy is respected as we mourn the tremendous loss of our dear brother."

Gab had battled kidney failure in 2014 caused by type 1 diabetes ... forcing him to undergo dialysis several times a week. He reportedly got a kidney transplant in January 2020.

Xavier "Chief Xcel" Mosley -- Gab's partner and co-founder of the Bay Area group -- said, "Our brother was an MC's MC who dedicated his life to his craft. One of the greatest to ever do it. He's the most prolific person I've ever known."

He added, "He was all about pushing the boundaries of his art form in the most authentic way possible. He truly believed in the healing power of music. He viewed himself as a vessel used by a higher power whose purpose was to give positive contributions to humanity through Rhyme."

Xcel and Gab teamed up while studying at the University of California Davis. They released several EPs in the mid-90s but it was their 1999 full-length album "Nia" that brought them critical acclaim.

That same album included their iconic hit "Alphabet Aerobics" ... with Gab taking the spotlight thanks to his linguistic mastery of the alphabet with deft speed.

Daniel Radcliffe was a fan of the group ... and proved it with one helluva performance of 'Alphabet' in 2015 as a guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."

It was so well received ... Gab himself reportedly said Daniel "killed it." He went on to release 3 solo albums. He reportedly has almost 100 tracks for future releases.

Gift of Gab was 50.

Paris Hilton made it crystal clear where her allegiance stands in the whole Britney Spears conservatorship case ... she's with Britney, bitch.

The socialite made it known Thursday night during her DJ set for the grand opening of the newest casino on the Vegas strip ... Resorts World Las Vegas. Paris -- who donned an outfit eerily similar to Britney's 2003 wardrobe for the "Toxic" music video -- said 6 little words that had the whole place going berserk ... "We love you, Britney. Free Britney."

Paris and Britney, of course, go wayyy back. Who can forget the "Holy Trinity" outing from 2006? So, it should come as no surprise Paris is on the "Free Britney" train.

Paris said as much in September 2020 ... telling Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM Radio show, "I just love her so much. I feel like if you are an adult, you should be able to live your life and not be controlled."

As we've reported ... Britney's in the fight of her life as she continues her battle to get out from her conservatorship. She railed on her dad, her management, her therapist, lawyers and everyone else in the case during Wednesday's explosive court hearing.

Britney also said she's so angry she thinks her family has abused her ... to the point she'd like to sue them.

Doja Cat brought her world to Hollywood ... with a lavish bash to celebrate her new music.

The rapper threw a star-studded party Thursday night to mark the release of her album, "Planet Her" ... and some of the biggest names in the biz were there, looking just as out of this world as the party itself.

It all went down late Thursday and into Friday morning at Goya Studios, and the celeb guest list was massive -- Saweetie, French Montana, Chloe Bailey, Normani, Ryan Destiny, Ty Dolla Sign, Winnie Harlow, Diplo, Joey Bada$$, Tyga and Swae Lee ... just to name a few.

We're also told The Weeknd made an appearance ... he's featured on one of the album's tracks.

Britney Spears' decision to speak out against her conservatorship is inspiring others in California who are feeling trapped in similar situations ... and they want out too.

It's pretty incredible ... the day after Britney's impassioned court testimony, a California lawmaker spearheading legislation to change the way conservatorships operate tells us his office started getting flooded with calls from folks feeling burdened by their own conservatorship issues ... and they're feeling energized by Britney.

Assemblyman Evan Low tells TMZ ... the citizens reaching out said they were afraid to share their own conservatorship horror stories until Britney spoke out, and they feel her testimony helps to legitimize their claims and concerns.

Low says there are a lot of recurring themes between what folks are reporting to his office, and the conservatorship struggles Britney highlighted in court.

For example, we're told a 60-year-old woman and her husband want to end her mother's conservatorship, and they've spent about $3 million fighting in court to no avail.

Others have been even less fortunate ... we're told a woman told Low it's already too late for her mother, who took her own life after her conservator allegedly put her in isolation and started draining her finances. Before her death, we're told the woman stressed the need for conservatorship changes ASAP.

As we reported, Britney railed on her dad and other conservators Wednesday, saying she wants to end the conservatorship that's been in place for 13 years, and expressed anger at her family for the alleged abuse she's suffering.

Travis Scott's releasing another collab outside of the music biz ... but this one includes a tribute to his friend and fallen hip-hop star, Pop Smoke.

The rapper's Cactus Jack brand has entered a partnership with the popular French fashion house, Dior -- which is also the name of a popular Smoke track -- and Travis revealed the first item in the collection is all about Pop.

It's a t-shirt with the late rapper's face emblazoned a little off-center on the front ... with lyrics from his song on the back. Travis wrote, "U CANT SAY POP AND FORGET THE SMOKE. NOW U IN ALL THE STORES 4 EVER."

Rumors began circulating that Scott and Dior were teaming up on something after he was seen wearing a brown, heavy-duty work jacket with a large Dior logo fused with his Cactus Jack logo, and sure enough ... the rumors are true.

Dior announced a joint Spring-Summer 2022 collection will be revealed in full on Friday at one of Paris Fashion Week's few in-person runway shows.

As you know ... Pop Smoke was shot and killed by 4 masked gunmen back in February 2020 in what appeared to be a home invasion robbery at a rental pad in the Hollywood Hills.

T.I. is legally lashing out at the woman who alleges he put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her, and he wants her defamation lawsuit against him thrown outta court.

Sabrina Peterson's suing T.I. and Tiny for defamation, but in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... T.I. claims her reputation is already so horrible, it's basically impossible to inflict even more damage to it.

As we first told you, in her suit filed earlier this year, Peterson claims T.I. and Tiny smeared her good name with public statements and social media posts in the wake of her allegation against T.I.

The rapper's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, claims Peterson "is an adjudged liar, a convicted felon with a lengthy rap sheet for crimes involving dishonesty and violent assault, and has a reputation for being unscrupulous" ... and he says there's no way T.I. and Tiny could make her rep take a hit.

According to Peterson's suit ... Tiny referred to her on social media as "strange," and added, "everybody know you been special." Peterson claims she's since become the target of online harassment and threatening messages, but T.I. claims she can't sue over those comments because they are just opinions.

"I never boxed. I'm a gang member, so I just fight a lot."

That's hip-hop star turned bare-knuckle boxer (yes, you read that right) talking about why he decided to take a real-deal fight -- NO gloves -- later this summer.

Blueface joined "TMZ Live" and made the blockbuster announcement ... revealing he will make his BKFC debut on July 23.

FYI, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is the most popular bare-knuckle fighting org ... with people like Paige VanZant and Paulie Malignaggi mixing it up in their cage.

It's unclear who Blueface will take on ... but he says it'll likely be another celeb.

"I'm pretty sure it's either gonna be some type of YouTube or TikTok-er or something of that nature," Blueface says.

And, even though the "Thotiana" star doesn't have a traditional boxing background ... don't think he isn't taking the fight seriously.

"I've only been eating grilled and baked stuff lately. Yeah, I'm on a diet and everything. I ain't been smoking, drinking, nothing."

Of course, celebrities and social media stars fighting (Jake & Logan Paul, Bryce Hall, etc.) has become all the rage lately ... something Blueface believes he helped start.

"I don't know if you guys seen but me and YK Osiris was actually boxing in the backyard for fun, kicks and giggles, and that's really how all of this celebrity boxing came about, in my opinion."

Britney Spears is opening up even more on the heels of her shocking testimony -- she's apologizing to fans for pretending her life was perfect when she was actually struggling, but she's gonna do one thing to make it better.

Brit says, "I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way I’ve posted … my life seems to look and be pretty amazing … I think that’s what we all strive for!!!!"

Her IG post continues, "I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years … I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me … but honestly who doesn’t want to capture their Instagram in a fun light."

If you've followed Britney over the years, you know she posts videos of herself dancing, painting and even answering questions from fans -- but Wednesday in court she said that was all masking her real pain.

Britney says, "Believe it or not pretending that I’m ok has actually helped" ... and posted this Albert Einstein quote, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

She finishes her post in saying, "Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence … existence … and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through and hey it worked … so I’ve decided to start reading more fairy tales!!!"

Speaking of sharing her presence, Brit's boyfriend, Sam Asghari, posted some vids of the couple on a private jet -- presumably taking a trip somewhere -- something the singer says she's been mostly restricted from ... so it's gotta be a good sign for fans.

The social media post comes just one day after Britney delivered stunning testimony in court on Wednesday ... comparing her alleged forced labor to sex trafficking, demanding her conservatorship end and she be allowed to get married and have children.