Music

T.I.'s still super chill about his recent bust in Amsterdam ... which he's now calling "a slight kerfuffle" with a dash of "lost in translation."

We got the rapper and his wife, Tiny, Wednesday as they returned to the States, flying into LAX. We asked him to shed some light on the run-in with cops in the Netherlands, and he said the whole thing was a slight miscommunication.

That checks out, 'cause T.I. says he didn't even realize he was talking to a cop! He says the guy's dialect -- a mix of Dutch and English -- totally threw him off.

All good though ... T.I. didn't seem stressed about it then -- he posted video while in custody -- and still doesn't now, saying all's well that ends well.

As we reported ... Tip said he was riding a bicycle when his handlebar broke off the side mirror on a cop car. It's still unclear how the collision happened ... and T.I. couldn't recall any further detail when we asked at LAX.

Moments after he was released, T.I. he went on Instagram Live and chalked up the whole to the cop having a bad morning.

Khloe Kardashian isn't letting on if she has the inside scoop on whether Kanye West will actually release "Donda" this week ... but she still has his back no matter what.

Khloe was at The Grove in L.A. Wednesday with her daughter, True, and mom, Kris Jenner -- along with nieces and nephews Chi, Psalm, Dream and Stormi -- for what led to a rather large ice cream order.

We asked Khloe if Kanye's upcoming 10th studio album's finally coming out Friday -- after already being pushed a couple weeks -- and her answer's pretty telling.

Still sounds like it could go either way, as far as she knows, but she tells us he's family ... so she'll be supporting him no matter what.

Ye's holding a second "Donda" listening event Thursday night in Atlanta in anticipation of the updated August 6 release date, with plans to make it different from the first.

As you may recall ... the initial release date was scheduled for July 23 and he packed ATL's Mercedes-Benz Stadium the night before to debut the album, but it was never made available to the public.

Justin Bieber is apologizing for plugging Morgan Wallen's album -- saying he didn't know about Morgan's n-word scandal, but now that he does ... he admits it's bringing back bad memories for him.

The controversy started Wednesday morning when Justin posted an Instagram story saying he loved Morgan's "Dangerous" album, a post that was quickly deleted ... presumably after he got some backlash, and some knowledge about Morgan's incident.

Justin's been explaining himself ever since ... claiming he had no clue about Wallen's n-word scandal, saying he doesn't support or tolerate racism or discrimination and apologizing to anyone he may have offended by initially supporting Morgan's record.

As you know by now, Morgan was caught on video saying the n-word back in January after a night out in Nashville with friends.

Once Justin heard about that, it immediately reminded him of his own infamous, on camera, use of the n-word when he was 14. He substituted the epithet in one of his early hits, singing ... "There'll be one less lonely n***er."

Da Brat says it's "way better now" being an openly gay rapper, and even though DaBaby's recent homophobic rant makes it seem otherwise -- she's "living out loud" with her ride or die fiancee Judy Dupart.

The extremely happy couple joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and insisted DaBaby wasn't speaking for all of hip-hop when he dropped that homophobic rant at Rolling Loud. Da Brat says there's a different vibe these days when someone comes out as gay versus back when she was coming up in the industry ... when artists could lose everything just for coming out.

Da Brat says there's an easy case in point with Ellen ... whose ABC sitcom was subsequently 86'd after she came out in a 1997 episode. The rapper says that undoubtedly made artists feel like they needed to continue hiding their sexual orientation -- or face the consequences.

Brat herself came out just last summer, saying she was finally free to share her truth because she's established her career after 2 decades. But, mainly, because of Judy ... a successful woman in her own right as CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products.

Da Brat says Judy gave her the courage to be herself, and that supersedes the garbage that came out of DaBaby's mouth. He has since apologized for his "hurtful" and "triggering" comments ... but only after a handful of major music festivals, including Lollapalooza, dropped him from their lineups.

As for how Judy and Da Brat's engaged life is going -- fans can see 'em in action when their new show "Brat Loves Judy" premieres Thursday night on WeTV.

The Weeknd hoped to surprise fans with a really BIG screen showing of his new music video ... but safety concerns for viewers with epilepsy got the project pulled.

Abel's been teasing his new track, "Take My Breath," without an official release date for the last week. Well, sources familiar with the situation tell us it drops THIS Friday. We're told the plan was to premiere the song's video on IMAX screens showing "The Suicide Squad" ... which comes out Thursday night in theaters.

We're told a deal was inked to preview Abel's newest project before IMAX 'Suicide' screenings across the country, which would've been a huge plus for Weeknd -- obviously, that's major eyeballs and a ton of exposure for his latest hit.

Our sources say the honchos over at IMAX just made the decision to pull the video ... on the belief that the light and strobe effects have the potential to be dangerous to those watching with epilepsy and who might be prone to seizures.

Rihanna's put in the work and she's got plenty o' Fenty money -- so much that she's officially a billionaire ... and then some!!!

According to Forbes ... the famous singer is now worth a whopping $1.7 billion -- making her the richest female musician in the world -- but most of it is not a result of her music.

Instead, Rihanna's 2017 launch of Fenty Beauty -- her real name is Robyn Fenty -- with a mission of being more inclusive of all women has been a huge success ... and grown into a cosmetics empire.

Forbes says the bulk of her fortune -- an estimated $1.4 billion -- comes from Fenty, of which she owns 50 percent. The rest is linked to her spin-off lingerie company, Savage x Fenty, and the remaining millions come from her music career.

Of course, Rihanna's beauty brand aspect makes you think of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, who also reached billionaire status thanks to their cosmetics and fashion lines. Though, Kylie's story came with a little more controversy.

Either way, Rihanna's blown past them both, and according to Forbes is the world's second-richest female entertainer ... just behind Oprah.

Biz Markie held a special place in Barack and Michelle Obama's hearts, as evidenced by the words they shared with his widow ... which touched on a long-forgotten moment they shared in the run-up to the 2008 election.

Mrs. Biz ... Tara Hall herself, provided this copy of the letter the Obamas sent ... and it's way more personal than perhaps people might've expected. The poignant correspondence -- on the Obamas' new official letterhead -- begins, "We want to extend our heartfelt condolences to you as you reflect on Biz Markie's life."

Check out the letter for yourself -- BO and MO say that although they didn't know Biz as well as Tara did, he'd left a great impression on the couple as "one of rap's most innovative stylists and as a great man."

They added, "Biz Markie brightened every room he was in, and we will always appreciate him for his early support in 2008, bringing people together to 'Party With a Purpose' and get out the vote." Looks like Barack actually posed with Biz at one of those events.

The former first couple finished by saying Biz's legacy in hip hop will span generations, just like it had for 4 decades prior to his passing.

Michelle and Barack told Tara, "We hope you take comfort in all the fond memories you have with him. Please know that we are holding you, Averi, and your entire family in our thoughts and prayers."

Britney Spears just told a long, bizarre story about getting locked in her bathroom in the middle of the night ... and it's eyebrow-raising for sure.

The pop star just shared her wild bathroom adventure, explaining how she got trapped in there in the first place and detailing the lengths to which she and others went to set her free.

Britney says she got distracted by some leftover coffee on a hunt for some face wash before realizing she was locked inside. She says her boyfriend, Sam Asghari, was fast asleep and she had to scream 4 times to wake him up.

When Sam's attempts to pick the lock failed, Britney says she was able to call security to come open the door ... but it sounds like they were asleep just like Sam.

Britney says another 45 minutes went by before she was finally freed, but only after drinking her stale coffee.

Fetty Wap was emotional when he asked his fans to pay tribute to his late 4-year-old daughter ... soliciting them to post butterfly pics as a way of honoring her life.

The rapper held a picture of his young daughter, Lauren Maxwell, and kissed it during a brief Instagram Live session ... calling her "my shorty." Fetty asked his followers to do him a solid by posting butterflies in the comments section.

They heeded his request ... butterflies popped up all over the place. Fetty said Lauren loved butterflies, despite her insistence she was actually a mermaid.

As we reported ... Lauren's mother, Turquoise Miami, confirmed over the weekend Lauren had passed away. Turquoise posted on Instagram a Boomerang video of Lauren smiling in a swimming pool.

The cause of death has not been disclosed.

In a separate post ... Turquoise addressed her co-parenting situation with Fetty, saying it had improved and that they "came to a better place" for the sake of Lauren.

T.I. says cops in Amsterdam busted him over a bike incident involving an officer -- but he says they never put handcuffs on him, and he's already out of jail after posting bail.

The rapper recorded a video Tuesday while he says he was in custody in Amsterdam. According to T.I., he was riding his bicycle and didn't stop when crossing the street. He says instead ... he kept going and his handlebar broke off a cop's side mirror.

What are the chances??? Still, Tip's taking it in stride ... you can tell in the video, it's probably the chillest anyone's ever been while dealing with the police. He says the cops were chill too, and escorted him to the backseat of their car without ever taking out their cuffs.

It seems he was quickly released ... 'cause T.I. later went on Instagram Live and said he wasn't even tripping about the incident. When a friend of his called the incident "bulls**t" ... T.I. quickly responded saying it wasn't and that "everybody has a bad morning."

Some fans sitting outside a nearby joint recognized him and asked for a picture. The rapper pulled up and sat right next to them and ordered drinks.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez popped into a jewelry store during their romantic European getaway -- trying on some serious pieces -- but there's no ring in play, yet.

The shopping trip went down last week at Faraone Mennella jewelry store in Capri, and a store spokesperson tells us J Lo tried on a number of expensive pieces, including necklaces and earrings.

We're told J Lo tried on a $41,000 green tourmaline necklace ... plus a series of colored hoop earrings ranging from $1,800 to $2,850.

One thing we're told the couple did NOT check out, however, was a ring.

The spokesperson tells us Ben and J Lo took a series of photos together inside the jewelry store, where they were flirty and having fun, and J Lo also took a few selfies with the jewelry she tried on before leaving with their entourage.

The couple didn't officially purchase anything, but the rep says most celebs call in later to have items shipped back home.

TMZ broke the story ... Bennifer 2.0 walked hand-in-hand through the quaint alleyways of Capri, shopping and taking a ton of pics.

As we reported, Jen was spotted in Portofino, Italy over the weekend -- after Affleck left -- wearing a necklace with Ben's name on it and there was also a diamond hanging from the chain.

Miley Cyrus sure knows how to party in the USA ... 'cause right on the heels of killing it at Lollapalooza, she hit the Hamptons for a crypto billionaire's private rager.

The singer performed over the weekend at the home of Mike Novogratz ... CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners. Miley wore a red leotard, black heels and messy blonde hair during her set for Mike's soiree -- keep in mind, he's not just known for his business acumen, but also for being a serious party animal.

While Mike was hanging out with his guests, including Bobby Shmurda ... MC belted out some of her best hits, including "Party in the USA" and "Wrecking Ball." According to Page Six ... she also covered Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."

The private bash apparently had a Coney Island mermaid parade theme. Get this ... there was even a pop-up of Nathan's complete with a hot dog eating contest and an appearance from the 76-hot dog crushing man himself, Joey Chestnut.

There were also tents offering partygoers booze and food ... plus ice cream stands throughout, and one of those "silent disco" areas, where everyone listens on headphones.

Biz Markie is being honored in the wake of his death -- with friends, family and loved ones coming out to speak on his behalf in a major celebration of life ... and TMZ's live streaming the event.

The rapper's funeral took place early Monday in the Big Apple, with a public memorial service to follow ... which you can watch in full here.

Al Sharpton is set to deliver the eulogy -- and other MCs are also expected to be on hand during the proceedings ... including Fat Joe, LL Cool J, Papoose, Big Daddy Kane, Al B. Sure!, Leland Robinson, among others. It's unclear if any of them will actually deliver remarks.

Word is ... Biz will be dressed to the nines, courtesy of the Harlem fashion designer, Dapper Dan.

It's sure to be an emotional moment for New Yorkers and hip-hop fans alike -- as you know, BM was a trailblazer in the genre ... and was loved by many before his untimely death.

TMZ broke the story ... he died last month at the age of 57.

DaBaby's finally doing a mea culpa ... he's apologizing for the third time over his homophobic rant that led to him getting 86'd from various music festivals and his hit song with Dua Lipa being dropped from playlists.

The rapper apologized with a lengthy statement Monday saying he's educated himself and knows better now following the vile comments he made at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. He said, "I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important. Love to all. God bless."

The rapper suggested he's a victim of high-speed social media, saying, "Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes. As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me -- knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance -- has been challenging."

He went on to thank those who came to him "with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That’s what I needed and it was received."

As we've reported ... Lollapalooza organizers yanked him from Sunday's lineup. Ditto for the UK's Parklife festival ... swift action was taken after DaBaby went on stage at Rolling Loud and said, "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***a d**k in the parking lot."

The Weeknd might think he's living the "sober lite" life -- but a renowned addiction interventionist says the language isn't just contradictory, but downright harmful.

Ken Seeley said as much Monday on "TMZ Live," where he broke down why Abel's seemingly innocuous choice of words here can be triggering and counterproductive to people who are actually fighting for their lives to stay sober ... truly sober, that is.

Check it out ... Ken firmly challenged both The Weeknd and Demi Lovato -- who recently said they were "California sober," implying Demi just smokes and drinks in moderation -- telling us the definition of sobriety isn't up for interpretation or cute twists, as the singers seem to be trying to concoct.

He also says addiction is a serious issue -- and the severity of that battle seems to be get diluted by folks making up terms that include sobriety ... that's his take, anyway.

As someone who used to habitually use crystal meth, Ken says he knows the difference between actual sobriety and recovery ... and suggests TW and DL use the latter phrasing if they are actually on that path.

Both artists are admitted former heavy drug users ... but it's unclear if they consider themselves straight-up addicts, per se.

Britney Spears desperately wanted to say "Aloha" to a curly-tailed cutie she spotted on her tropical vacay -- and she excitedly did just that when the opportunity presented itself.

The singer was spotted practically jumping for joy Sunday when she came across a potbellied pig in Hawaii ... where she and her BF, Sam Asghari, have returned for vacation again.

With all her recent conservatorship drama playing out in court, it's been a while since we've seen Brit looking so genuinely giddy as she does here. She completely freaked when she saw someone's pet pig out for a walk on Maui.

Britney bent down to pet and stroke the little guy. Apparently, she's gotten the word ... domesticated pigs are super smart, and make a nice alternative to cats and dogs.