Music

A rare Wu-Tang Clan album once owned by convicted felon Martin Shkreli has been sold by the feds ... wiping his slate clean with the U.S. of A., financially speaking.

The feds said Tuesday it sold "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" ... Wu-Tang's only known physical copy that exists. You'll recall Shkreli, the guy who jacked the price of the AIDS/cancer medicine from $13.50 to $750 a pop, dropped $2 million for it back in 2015 at auction.

The sale of the album will cover the balance remaining on the $7,360,450 in forfeiture the judge ordered Shkreli to pay at his 2018 sentencing. According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds have already collected $5,121,967.70 ... leaving an outstanding balance of $2,238,482.

As for what the album sold for and to whom ... the feds aren't telling. According to prosecutors ... the sale's contract includes a confidentiality provision that protects information about the price and the buyer.

BTW ... the album includes a hand-carved, nickel-silver box as well as a leather-bound manuscript with lyrics and a certificate of authenticity.

Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to be factors in the sudden death of Metal Church frontman Mike Howe ... according to cops.

A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ ... cops got a call Monday morning just after 10 AM in Eureka, CA reporting an unexpected death at a home. We're told when deputies arrived they found Mike dead at the scene.

Cops say drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene. At the time of this post ... the cause of death is unknown.

The band released a statement on Facebook shortly after Mike's passing and said, "It is with our deepest regrets that we must announce the passing of our brother, our friend and true legend of heavy metal music."

The statement continued, "We are devastated and at a loss for words. Please respect our privacy and the Howe family’s privacy during this most difficult time."

Metal Church, universally credited with influencing the thrash metal genre, was formed in the 1980s and released 2 albums before Mike joined the group later that decade. He'd ultimately help pump out the band's third album ... "Blessing in Disguise," which churned out one of the group's most popular tracks, "Badlands."

The group would go on to release 2 more studio albums before the band broke up in the mid-1990s. The band ultimately got back together and Mike rejoined them in 2015.

Mike was 55.

Dua Lipa says she's "surprised and horrified" by DaBaby's anti-gay and sexist diatribe during his set at Rolling Loud ... she says it doesn't sound like the artist she thought she knew.

Dua Lipa, who worked on a song with DaBaby last year, just responded to his homophobic rant ... saying she can't believe he's spewing all that hate.

DL says "I don't really recognize this as the person I worked with" ... alluding to their 2020 collab on the song, "Levitating."

As we reported ... DaBaby told folks in the Rolling Loud crowd to put up their cell phone lights, encouraging them to do so in a very disturbing way by telling them ... "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot."

DaBaby tried clearing up the vile comments following tons of backlash, posting a video where he claims the words weren't directed at his gay fans because his gay fans aren't "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies." In other words, he only made things worse.

Dua Lupa makes a clear distinction between her values and DaBaby's rant ... saying she stands "100% with the LGBTQ community" and calling on folks to come together to fight the ignorance and stigma around HIV and AIDS.

Britney Spears' mother is staying pretty tight-lipped about her daughter, which is interesting ... because she said a lot in new legal docs about removing Britney's dad from her conservatorship.

Lynne Spears was at LAX Sunday with Britney's brother, Bryan, but neither had much to say about the ongoing "Free Britney" saga.

Other than Lynne muttering that her daughter is doing fine, she seemed to want to keep her thoughts to herself ... but we know precisely where she stands on Jamie.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... Lynne says she supports Britney's petition to remove her father as conservator of her estate.

Lynne says she became involved in the conservatorship in May 2019 during a "time of crisis" for which she clearly blames Jamie, saying he had "absolute control" over Britney's money and health decisions.

Lynne claims Jamie hired a doctor to treat Britney, but she and many others believe the doc was prescribing her "inappropriate medicine" she didn't want to take and forced her to enter a health facility after threatening punishment if she resisted.

According to the docs ... Lynne says with the conservatorship in place, the relationship between Britney and her father has "dwindled to nothing but fear and hatred" of Jamie.

Worth noting -- our sources say Britney can't stand her mom as well and they've been estranged for years. Britney also blames Lynne for her current circumstances.

DaBaby just attempted to explain why he went on an anti-gay and sexist diatribe during his set at Rolling Loud ... by now saying his gay fans don't have HIV/AIDS because they're not "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies."

ICYMI, the rapper performed at RL over the weekend, and at one point encouraged the crowd to put their cell phone lights up in a very disturbing way ... telling fans to put their phones up, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n**** d*** in the parking lot."

The rapper attempted to clear up his vile comments Monday, posting a video and claiming his words weren't directed at his gay fans because they're not "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies" and they take care of themselves.

We reached out to festival organizers, but they've been radio silent.

Earlier in his set at RL ... DaBaby also pissed some fans off -- namely, Megan Thee Stallion fans -- when he revealed his surprise guest was Tory Lanez.

Meg had just performed before DaBaby, and in case you forgot ... Lanez is accused of shooting her in the foot after leaving a party last summer. Clearly, many folks think this was deliberate and abhorrent shade thrown at MTS.

Also getting involved in the controversy is T.I., who seemingly defended DaBaby's homophobic comments online, commenting ... "If Lil Nas X can kick his s**t in peace... so should dababy." He added the #equality hashtag as well.

Later, T.I. attempted to clarify his remark by saying he respects gay people, but doesn't believe homosexuals should have more rights than heterosexuals.

He also said he respects all gay people who are living their truth -- like Lil Nas X -- but added that X's performances and music videos "ain't for me" and said he doesn't want his kids watching them either.

Britney Spears and her new lawyer say Jamie Spears has stripped Britney of her dignity, autonomy and fundamental liberties ... and they lay out their case in new legal docs as to why he must be removed as conservator of her estate.

In the new docs, Britney and her attorney, former federal prosecutor Matt Rosengart, claim Jamie has essentially terrorized his daughter, forcing her to get certain treatments and signing off on drug regimens that were allegedly harmful to her.

The docs also challenge Jamie's management of the conservatorship, claiming he's made a king's ransom over the last 13 years. He gets $16,000 a month plus $2k a month for office expenses. He also got 1.5% of the gross revenues from her Vegas residency ... which brought in $137.7 million. The docs say Jamie's cut alone was at least $2.1 mil. The docs go on to say Jamie got $2.95% from Britney's 2011 Femme Fatale tour ... an estimated $500k.

Britney and Rosengart say Jamie is ill-equipped to manage Britney's business affairs, saying his family "struggled financially under his leadership and filed for bankruptcy in 1998."

The docs claim Britney's life has been upended by the conflict she has with her dad. The docs say they don't speak and the current situation is "traumatizing, insane and depressing."

The docs call the relationship "venomous" and "it impairs Ms. Spears's mental health, her well-being, and her ability to pursue and continue with her extraordinary career."

One of the more interesting parts of the document is the intimation Britney may have possibly needed some sort of conservatorship 13 years ago but things have drastically changed ... "Since receiving professional medical care at the outset of this conservatorship over thirteen years ago, Ms. Spears is clearly in a different place now, and she has been for many years. The entire world has witnessed Ms. Spears working tirelessly -- with astonishing dedication, precision, and excellence -- as a musical artist and performer, an exceptional earner for Mr. Spears (and others) who had a financial interest in making sure she would continue to work and perform."

Britney Spears and her new lawyer have made their move ... filing legal docs with the name of a person whom they want to manage the conservatorship ... as far as business deals are concerned.

Britney's lawyer, Matt Rosengart, filed the docs requesting that Jason Rubin be appointed conservatorship of her estate. Rubin is a CPA with lots of credentials which Rosengart presumably believes is perfectly suited to handle Britney's contracts and other business affairs.

Rubin has experience handling financial, elder abuse litigation and has managed complex trust portfolios ... this according to his website.

This all presumes, of course, that Rosengart and Britney can force the removal of Jamie as conservator of her estate.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Rubin would have all financial authority to manage Britney's estate, along with powers of attorney to make health care decisions, and manage real estate.

The powers of attorney are interesting. Health care decisions have been vested in the conservator of Britney's person ... currently Jodi Montgomery.

According to the docs, Britney and Rosengart also want Rubin to prosecute civil harassment restraining orders.

The docs list Britney's cash assets at $2,730,454, and her non-cash assets at $57,666,398. This is almost certainly not her complete financial portfolio. There are a lot of Morgan Stanley accounts listed, and real property (homes) are valued at $8,455,483.

TMZ broke the story ... Rosengart will first try to remove Jamie and then make a full-court press to end the conservatorship.

R. Kelly is facing new allegations in his criminal case out of Chicago -- which is about to go to trial next month -- including claims that he sexually abused a male minor ... whom he's said to have met at a McDonald's.

Prosecutors in Kelly's federal sex trafficking case filed the bombshell Friday, seeking to enter new evidence they say supports their accusations of a slew of new crimes they insist Kelly committed ... including alleged abuse of a male under the age of 18 in the 2000s.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly met a 17-year-old boy in 2006 at a McDonald's ... whom they say Kelly then invited to a party at his Chicago residence. The kid went with his parents, but the feds say Kelly told him to swing by next time by himself ... and, apparently, the 17-year-old did -- at which point, things allegedly turned sexual.

The feds say that upon returning visits to Kelly's place -- and under the guise of trying to help jumpstart the boy's singing career -- Kelly began a sexual relationship with him. Soon after that, prosecutors claim the 17-year-old intro'd Kelly to yet another minor male -- who was either 16 or 17 at the time -- and they say Kelly sought to sexually abuse him too.

It wasn't until years later, it seems, that something materialized between the second John Doe and Kelly, so say the feds. They say Kelly did, in fact, begin a sexual relationship with him as well -- but that he allegedly would command the guy to have sex with women in his orbit ... and allegedly filmed a lot of those encounters. There are new Jane Does sprinkled in the filing as well, BTW ... on top of the ones he's already alleged to have trafficked.

The McDonald's thing is interesting ... we know he's a fan of the Golden Arches. He went there for after posting bail and (temporarily) being sprung from jail more than 2 years ago.

Anyway, there are even more accusations the federal government wants permission to support with new evidence it says it's obtained ... including the claim that someone on R. Kelly's team successfully bribed a Cook County official for inside info on the case back in 2019.

Allegedly, that CC official took $2,500 from this Kelly team member ... as well as a burner phone so they could communicate. The official is said to be a clerk ... but is unnamed.

A judge has yet to rule on what Uncle Sam wants -- namely, to submit this new evidence they say they have, to have it looked over, which they hope leads to even further charges filed against the singer. This trial is supposed to get underway in about 4 weeks.

R. Kelly has other legal trouble in other states ... but the federal case seems to be the one that'll get started first. He's been given more time to secure and confer with new attorneys in the wake of much of his old legal team jumping ship in the past several months.

Kanye West packed the house for his 'DONDA' listening party -- but he packed in a whole lot more than just that ... dude set a record on Apple that no artist has ever come near.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ye's album event this past week at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record ... with 3.3 million viewers who tuned in on their screens.

That's a heck of a lot more than the previous record, we're told, which was set by Gucci Mane and Jeezy in their highly-anticipated Verzuz battle earlier last year -- at a reported 1.8 million viewers. Kanye practically doubled the number as a solo act!

BTW, the 'DONDA' moment was a one-time deal -- meaning it aired live for people to stream, but hasn't gone back up on Apple for folks to watch again. So, that figure -- 3.3M unique sets of eyeballs -- is a one and done. It'd be a little harder to calculate if the thing was in circulation.

Our sources tell us once Kanye releases Donda -- it's projected to drop August 6 -- the Atlanta performance will be posted to Apple for fans to watch again.

Like we first told you ... even though the event is over, the party's still going for Kanye himself ... who's moved into MB Stadium (temporarily) to finish the album. Apparently, he was so inspired by the energy around him Thursday -- he just nestled in and got back to work.

P!nk says she's proud of the Norwegian women's beach handball team for standing up against the "very sexist rules" about their uniforms ... and she's offering to pay their fines for the protest.

The singer-songwriter went even further with her support too ... by calling on the European Handball Federation to instead be "fined for sexism" for levying financial penalties last week against the women.

ICYMI ... the ladies from Norway made a statement on their sport's uniform double standards last week by wearing shorts during a game instead of the required bikini bottoms.

The team had reportedly been planning the protest for weeks -- as you can see, the men are not required to wear uniforms nearly as revealing as the women -- and it resulted in each player getting fined around $177 each.

Chris Brown's a magnetic kinda guy ... or at least his mouth is, after he dropped a fortune to get some unique dental work done.

The singer's got some shiny new gold grills -- 24 karat gold covering all 28 teeth according to his celeb dentist Thomas Connelly -- but that's not what makes 'em special.

Connelly says it's the magnetic retention design, where Breezy's back molars have magnetic gold crowns embedded on them so the grills fit and lock in the magnets with precision on the fronts of all his teeth.

This means CB's grills have no metal covering the inside of his teeth -- like conventional grills -- so he can basically speak and sing normally while wearing them.

Obviously, dental work this revolutionary doesn't come cheap, and we're told the cost for Brown's job was just under $100,000.

Coi Leray had to deal with an age-old adage of show biz -- and that would be, sometimes you gotta deal with a tough crowd ... and, boy, did she deal at Rolling Loud.

The female rapper -- who's relatively new(ish) to the scene but definitely an up-and-comer -- took the stage Sunday for the multi-day music fest in Miami, and let's just say, her many spectators were ... well, less than enthusiastic as she started getting into her set.

As soon as Coi started rapping ... there were a lot of people toward the front of the stage who were just standing around and looking on -- this while CL did her thing with gusto.

The deer-in-the-headlight stares apparently went on for quite some time ... and the performance started trending, with jokes flying at Coi's expense. Some people were making cracks about her, but the sleepy audience was also getting grilled ... rightly so, frankly.

Who knows why the people weren't as hyped as they perhaps could've been. Again, Coi isn't as recognizable of a name just yet -- but still ... you'd think if that many people came to and/or stuck around for her performance, they'd at least show some love/basic signs of life.

No matter, though ... because Coi, professional as she is, powered through the performance -- and eventually found a way to jumpstart the RL zombies who were watching. She ended up jumping down to their level, and at that point, got some reactions and cheers.

In other words, she stuck to her guns and stayed the course ... regardless of what was going on -- or not, rather -- around her, making sure to put on a good show for concert-goers.

Sounds like word of the memes and whatnot eventually made its way to Coi, because she seemed to have responded to the fact she'd gone viral over this. There, too, she showed grace ... and took the high road, showing off her thick skin and sense of humor.

Coi said she appreciates all the love she gets, and that the love actually outweighs any hate. She also added this ... "It's about over 100 artists who performed on that lineup and all people wanna do is eat up my cack. Lol. Gotta love this shit fr I got good problems 😂🖤🤙🏼."

Turns out, Morgan Wallen is looking for a fresh start in more ways than one ... he's leaving the neighbors who called him a menace to the hood and heard him hurl the n-word after a late night out with friends.

According to real estate docs, Wallen sold his 4-bed 3-bath home in Nashville earlier this month for $835,000. The home is part of a duplex with updated features, a rooftop patio and a backyard perfect for privacy.

It was on the driveway where Wallen was captured on a video calling a friend the n-word. When TMZ obtained the video of the incident, neighbors told us Wallen's late-night, rowdy antics were a problem ... and he routinely arrived home in the wee hours, making a whole lot of noise which pissed off everyone who was trying to sleep.

While it doesn't appear Morgan spent much time at the home since February -- he recently revealed to GMA he spent 30 days in rehab -- the neighbors won't have to worry about him anymore ... and vice-versa.

Morgan hasn't hit any big stages since the incident, but he did recently perform at a Nashville bar where the crowd went nuts ... you gotta imagine he'll have a massively successful tour when he makes a full return.

Ex-Bad Wolves frontman Tommy Vext wasn't "black enough" to be part of the band due to his political stances and support for Donald Trump ... so he claims in a new lawsuit against his ex-manager, who allegedly openly dropped n-bombs.

Vext's suing Allen Kovac claiming that, in response to major political differences between them, Kovac cooked up a scheme to steal the heavy metal band they co-founded in 2017.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Vext says Kovack disagreed with his social media posts criticizing protests in L.A. and Portland, as well as statements he made about the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

And, because of that, Vext alleges Kovac launched a campaign to drive him out of music by demanding radio and streaming services stop playing Bad Wolves -- and they complied because Kovac has that kinda "pull" in the industry.

In the docs, Vext claims Kovac tried to block him from making political statements ... and when he refused to be silenced, Kovac tried and failed to try to buy Bad Wolves. That's when Kovac set about getting Vext booted ... according to Vext, anyway.

Vext, who is Black, believes his old bandmates soiled his good name by locking him out of the band's social media, and insinuating he "was not black enough" because of his political statements.

Vext is also accusing Kovac of regularly and openly using "n*****" in casual convos to belittle him, though he doesn't indicate how the alleged racism relates to his lawsuit. Vext only says it caused him to feel intimidated by Kovac ... "an executive showing he clearly felt so powerful as to think he could use the word with impunity."

He's suing for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, and wants tens of millions of dollars in damages.

Tommy tells TMZ, "For several years I've poured all of my energy and passion into building Bad Wolves. We've toured the world several times and charted 6 billboard number 1 singles. All the while I've had to endure disparaging, manipulative and at times racially charged misconduct from my former manager Allen Kovak and his record company Better Noise Music."

He continues, "Allen has forced me out of my own band and is now attempting to slander and cancel me. After several failed attempts to settle amicably, I'm now forced to place this in the hands of the courts."

Kanye West's listening party might be over and done with -- but the man hasn't left the venue where he held it ... he's made the stadium a home until he finishes his album.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Mr. West will miss his weekend performance at Rolling Loud in Miami because he has literally moved into Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

MBS was the location of Kanye's massive album party Thursday -- where scores of people came together to jam out to his new offering, "DONDA," and watch Ye perform.

We're told Ye is STILL IN THE BUIDLING ... and Kanye and team have created a studio space, living quarters and even have a chef to prepare his meals inside MBS.

Kanye was spotted at the Atlanta United soccer game Saturday wearing the exact same outfit he wore at the Donda event ... and had fans wondering -- what are you doing here, bro??? Well, we have the answer -- to put it simply, the guy is still working.

We're told Kanye was so inspired by the "Donda" crowd, he wanted to stay in Atlanta and finish things up ... with a new August 6 release date as the goal.

It's unclear if any totally new tracks will come from Kanye's stadium visit -- or if he's just mixing and mastering -- but it's certainly a unique way to get things done.

Cade Hudson -- one of Britney Spears' best friends and longtime agent -- is finally breaking his silence on her conservatorship sitch ... agreeing with what many have already demanded -- and that would be, #FreeBritney.

The career talent agent just posted a message on social media that is sure to give the #FreeBritney crowd a vote of confidence -- because he says it is, indeed, time to release her from the clutches of the conservatorship ... which he suggests has been a long time coming.

Cade writes, "I've kept my mouth shut for 12 + years on Britney. Enough is enough. After getting thousands of death threats, getting water bottles thrown at my head in bars from bystanders telling me I'm brainwashing her - Britney I'm now speaking up."

He goes on to detail what led up to Britney's breakdown back in '07 ... saying, "Britney who was accused of some errors as a new mom at 26 with 100 cameras in her face daily waiting to document any wrong move she did gets placed under a never-ending conservatorship?"

To that he says ... "Sexism at its best."

CH goes all in, writing ... "This is a violation of someone's basic human rights that were taken away. I've kept my mouth shut out of the fear of losing my job as her agent and losing the career I worked my ass off for 15 years to build, out of threats from the man we all know who, but I won't even dignify mentioning his name. I’m officially done being quiet."

He says he knows the real Britney Spears -- the one who's spent Xmas with him, who's volunteered at dance classes for underprivileged kids, and adds ... "The system and the public failed her. Her new attorney is the best of the best and knows that the work has just begun but it’s progress & hope and that’s all we can ask for now until action can be taken."

Cade finishes his thoughts this way ... "I'll end with a few things, one person who was in her life (again legally can't name names) was also silenced by the people around her. You silencers know who you are. This person has her best interest at heart."

It's unclear who exactly Cade is referring to here, but our best guess ... it may well be her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, who has since resigned from his post.

Brit's BFF adds one more warning shot to people he considered against Britney. He says, "Even if people don't see it now, it will come out. To the ones who should be worried, you know who you are too. The nonsense needs to end, and the healing process needs to begin. The lord tends to pay those people back in his own ways. So for the first time I'm publicly saying #FREEBRITNEY."

He also says it's "Time to get my girl and best friend back" and caps it off with a plea to his old pal, writing ... "@Britneyspears it's your time - the world is listening and is on your side. The world NEEDS you freed and back."