Music

Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, are being sued by the woman he was convicted of trying to rape in 1995, who claims she's being harassed ... especially after declining Nicki's offers to change her story.

The woman, Jennifer Hough, was the victim in Petty's 1995 conviction for first-degree attempted rape -- the reason he has to register as a sex offender. You'll recall, he was charged with not registering and recently took a plea deal.

Hough claims in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Nicki and Kenneth have directly and indirectly harassed her and threatened her to not speak about the incident, and she says they've inflicted emotional distress upon her as a result.

According to the docs ... Hough says this started after Petty and Minaj began dating in late 2018, with Minaj allegedly making comments about how Petty was "wrongfully accused" and claiming Hough had recanted her story back then ... something she denies.

Then, in March 2020 after Petty was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender ... Hough claims Minaj called her and offered to fly her and her family to L.A. in exchange for recanting her rape claims against Petty and helping him out.

Hough says she declined and within days, she and her family "suffered an onslaught of harassing calls and unsolicited visits." Shortly after, she claims Nicki had people reach out to Hough's brother and offer a $500k payment in exchange for a statement recanting her rape allegations against Petty.

According to the docs ... Hough says this was followed by Nicki sending lawyers to her home to try to pressure her into recanting her story, and she began to panic and feel unsafe because she was being harassed at home.

After one more alleged cash bribe offer of $20k and another alleged threat to her safety, Hough says she moved from her home in August 2020 ... and continues to live in fear.

She's suing Nicki and Kenneth for intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment and witness intimidation ... as well as suing Petty for sexual assault related to the 1995 conviction.

Rihanna's fashion show nearly got a musical artist decapitated, because they played the wrong version of a song at a fashion show ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Rihanna's Fenty brand is being sued by a musician who claims RiRi's company reached out to use one of her songs during a Savage X Fenty show last fall, but screwed up by playing a version of the song that included a sample of sacred Islamic proverbs being chanted.

The artist, who's filed the suit as Jane Doe to protect her identity, claims she immediately got threats on her life when the fashion show was live-streamed to millions.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the artist made it clear to Fenty reps one version of the song had the religious verses and one did not, and she warned them not to use the Islamic proverbs.

Despite a public apology from Rihanna following the immediate backlash, the artist claims she was forced into hiding after receiving a barrage of death threats over the song. She claims the constant threat of being decapitated and murdered led to anxiety and depression. The artist also tweeted an apology for unknowingly including the sample in her song.

Also of note ... we've learned that once Rihanna's team found out the song played during the Fenty show contained the offensive lyrics it was edited out of future viewings.

The artist says she still fears for her life and remains in hiding ... and she's going after Rihanna's business arm for more than $10 million in damages.

High school hoops star Amari Bailey is now part of the OVO family ... 'cause Drake just hooked him up with an incredible iced out chain of his jersey number!!

Of course, Bailey's mom, Johanna Leia, is currently dating the 6ix God ... and the couple has showed up to the young hooper's games together recently to show support.

The 17-year-old is certainly reaping the benefits of his mom dating the biggest rapper on the planet -- showing off his brand new piece on Instagram.

The bling has a #10 pendant -- his Sierra Canyon jersey number -- infused with all types of colored diamonds ... and the famous owl logo of Drake's OVO brand.

Bailey clearly loves the gift -- he's been posting videos and pics showing off the piece.

It appears Bailey has braced himself for the haters, captioning his post ... "Insert comments below pt.2🤣🤣🤣🔟🌊"

If you forgot, the Toronto rapper was spotted -- by ABC7's chopper -- having a fancy dinner date with the UCLA commit's mom at Dodger Stadium last month.

We found out it was actually a thank you from the Dodgers for Drake's huge donation to their charity ... and the couple had already been together for months.

Jessie Woo's on the rise as a singer and comedian on "Wild 'N Out," and this Whitney Houston bit she did will either make her way more popular, or draw a ton of hate ... just depends.

So, the segment tasked comedians on the show with creating outgoing voice messages impersonating famous people, and Jessie arguably drew the short straw by getting Whitney.

For her impression, Jessie did new lyrics for "I Will Always Love You," and really got the crowd going at first. Hey, she's got a good voice, but as she cruised into the crescendo of the song's chorus ... Jessie dropped a bomb by cutting the song short and saying, "I'm dead," and walking off.

The crowd was stunned, so it begs the question ... too soon???

Whitney died of accidental drowning with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. in February 2012, and, online at least, opinions seem split on whether joking about it should be off-limits.

Many on social media are calling out Jessie's joke for being "lazy," "insensitive," "offensive" and "disrespectful." Others, however, find it hilarious, with one person saying they laugh every time they watch ... even though they're a Whitney fan.

Worth noting -- Jessie posted a tribute to Whitney on her Instagram a few days ago, for what would have been the late singer's 58th birthday. She's really got the pipes to pull it off, too!

Jamie Spears has agreed it's time to step down as conservator of Britney's estate -- he just said so in new legal docs -- and he wants to work with the court on an orderly transition.

We've learned Jamie's lawyer is filing legal docs in which he says, "There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate ... and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears' best interests."

And then, he lowers the boom ... "Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests. So, even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."

The docs go on to say, "Regardless of his formal title, Mr. Spears will always be Ms. Spears' father, he will always love her unconditionally, and he will always look out for her best interests."

He goes on to attack Lynne Spears, saying she has had little, if any, involvement in the conservatorship, let alone Britney's life for the last 13 years. He says her credibility is undermined because Britney herself refused to even see Lynne when she was at a mental health facility in 2019.

He does say he essentially saved Britney when she was "in crisis, desperately in need of help" 13 years ago, adding, "Not only was she suffering mentally and emotionally, she was also being manipulated by predators and in financial distress. Mr. Spears came to his daughter's rescue to protect her."

In the docs, Spears' lawyer says Jamie had been working on a plan to leave the conservatorship with her then-attorney Sam Ingham.

He says he has never forced her to do anything, including performing.

We contacted Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, and he was unmoved by Jamie's decision to step down, telling TMZ ... "We are pleased but not necessarily surprised that Mr. Spears and his lawyer finally recognize that he must be removed. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others."

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber would love to see restaurants, arenas and other public venues require proof of vaccination -- as COVID surges in Florida -- but, first he says they have to battle Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Gelber joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday to address the dire situation -- Florida accounts for nearly 20% of new COVID cases in the U.S., and more than 90% of the state's ICU beds are full. He calls the alarming rise in cases an "unforced error" that's costing tens of thousands of lives.

The Mayor's laying blame squarely on Gov. DeSantis for outlawing mitigation efforts such as a mask mandate -- even as Florida's now had to request 200 ventilators and 100 breathing devices from the federal government.

Gelber says he hopes DeSantis reconsiders his ban, but in the meantime he's sued the gov over the issue, and sent a letter trying to convince him to change his stance. Although, he admits they don't talk anymore.

Miami Beach, in the meantime, is doing its part by teaming up with celebs like Gloria Estefan and DJ Khaled for a PSA to mask-up. And, they did it by remaking Gloria's hit "Get On Your Feet."

You can't love dessert as much as Britney Spears does -- at least not based on the sounds she was putting down when her BF was tempted ... by an ice cream sundae.

So, outwardly this is a video of chiseled Sam Asghari fighting off his desire to suck down some ice cream -- but Brit steals the show with her reaction to the delicious treat. You know the ol' saying -- you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream.

Well, Britney's blown that outta the water. Instead of screaming, she's just moaning in a way that's orgasmically reminiscent of Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally."

The most frustrating part -- it's not clear if Sam actually ate the sundae or let it go to waste because he suggests it doesn't fit into his diet and fitness plan. In other words: Where's the climax???

Later in his IG Story, Sam also whipped up some sort of cake dessert for "someone else that can eat this at the moment" ... and again, all signs point to his GF.

The judge overseeing Britney Spears' conservatorship case isn't just unpopular with Britney's fans -- the woman is having her life threatened ... a scary development that's now on law enforcement's radar.

The #freebritney crowd's outrage started bubbling over after Judge Brenda Penny's ruling last week ... you'll recall she decided against immediately suspending Jamie Spears from the conservatorship, and denied Brit's request for an emergency hearing on the matter. We're told scores of death threats against Judge Penny were posted online ... with many people calling for her to lose her life and "die."

As a result, our law enforcement sources tell us the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is keeping an eye on the online activity -- as we're told they've seen some of the posts and indeed found them to be concerning.

It looks like some of the comments were vague, while others were more direct -- like one user who wrote, "I have a feeling this judge Brenda Penny is going to have a horrible mysterious death #freebritney." There've also been some racial slurs hurled at the judge, who is Black.

The hashtag #BrendaPennyIsCorrupt was also trending after her rulings.

We're told none of the posted threats appear to rise to the level of criminality -- not yet anyway, but LASD will continue monitoring.

As for the ruling that apparently angered many people, Judge Penny didn't give any specific reasoning, but, logically, it seems -- based on what's been filed in court -- she didn't see an urgent need to call the hearing on Jamie's future as conservator of Britney's estate.

Yella Beezy is in police custody in Texas, where he's been arrested on weapon and drug charges ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper was busted Wednesday for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon ... according to records. The drug charge is a felony and the weapons charge is a misdemeanor.

Yella Beezy posted video on social media Tuesday night appearing to show law enforcement searching a car. The video shows flashing red and blue lights and cops digging into the trunk and passenger door of an SUV pulled off on the side of the road. YB captioned the video, "They stay fwm."

It's the second arrest for Yella Beezy in 6 months ... as we first reported, he was busted on weapons charges in Dallas back in February, but he claimed it was a setup.

Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Scott, was hospitalized following a suicide attempt during which she became combative with law enforcement ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... police and emergency workers responded to a call of a suicidal person at Kim's home in Michigan on July 30.

We're told when they arrived, Kim was so combative she had to be restrained by deputies ... and was so violent, paramedics were unable to check her vitals.

Our sources say it appeared Kim had cut herself, as she had several small lacerations on the back of her leg and a good amount of blood was on the floor.

Kim was rushed to a hospital for both medical and psychological evaluation, but is now back at home and is recovering. It's unclear if she's getting additional care.

Yup, NFL lineman Jordan Mailata can still REALLY sing ... his Eagles squadmates filmed him belting out "Tennessee Whiskey" at a team meeting this month -- and it's downright incredible!!

The 6-foot-8, 346-pound tackle has never been shy about showing off his voice ... and he did it again this week in front of teammates who couldn't have been more impressed.

Check out the video filmed by linebacker Shaun Bradley -- despite not being a rookie anymore, Mailata grabbed the mic at Philly's "Rookies Sing" event and absolutely slayed Chris Stapleton's classic tune.

There were high notes, low notes and runs ... and the Eagles peanut gallery couldn't stop gushing over the guy.

"Dayyummmm!!" Bradley wrote of the karaoke performance. "I felt that mf note in my soul."

Of course, this should come as a surprise to no one ... 'cause Mailata has performed beautifully at Eagles camps in the past.

You'll recall, the dude sang 53 seconds of Mark Lowndes' "Hold" during his rookie year in 2018 ... and, yeah, it's still amazing to listen to.

Country singer Clare Dunn is terrified her alleged attacker -- a Lyft driver in Nashville -- is out there abusing another woman, because nearly 2 months after she was beaten on a roadside ... he's still free.

Clare says she'd been out in Nashville with girlfriends on June 25, and around midnight she got Lyft to take herself and one of her friends home. The driver dropped off the friend first, and then started a 10-mile drive to Clare's place -- but she knew something was wrong when he refused to take the route she requested.

The singer -- who lives in Colorado, but was in Music City working on an album -- says the driver sped onto a highway before finally pulling over about a mile from her stop, and dragging out of the backseat by her collar and slamming to the ground.

Clare says she was face-down in a ditch as she desperately tried to dial 911 on her phone, but couldn't as he was assaulting her. She was out cold for some period of time, and when she came to she started screaming ... and the driver fled at that point.

Clare went to an emergency room for treatment and filed a police report. She's identified the driver to a detective, and while there's a warrant out for the suspect's arrest ... cops still haven't tracked him down.

She told People, "He's out on the street — is he doing this to someone else? Does he have a wife he's abusing? Does he have a girlfriend he's abusing like this? Because he obviously has no regard right now."

Lyft says it's fired the driver and is helping law enforcement with the investigation.

Washington D.C. artist Ginuwine (real name Elgin Baylor Lumpkin) was only 26 years old when he became a singing sensation after his debut album Ginuwine ... The Bachelor was released in 1996 and featured the singles "Tell Me Do You Wanna," "When Doves Cry" ... and of course the chart-topping sexy song "Pony."

After the success of his first album, Ginuwine continued to release platinum albums like 100% Ginuwine and The Life over the next 5 years but hasn't released a studio album for nearly a decade since his 2011 holiday release of A Ginuwine Christmas.

Ginuwine continues to keep the crowd grooving with his live performances and took the stage last week in Albany, with lots of shows planned for the next year.

The Kid LAROI revealed he's been locked in a room for 7 days because he has COVID ... only to scrub that announcement from his social media a short time later.

The teenage singer revealed the news in a now-edited Instagram caption Monday in which he was celebrating his #1 hit with Justin Bieber, "Stay," and thanking all of his fans for their support.

LAROI, who hails from Australia, wrote that all he ever wanted was to "make it big" in America and show everyone what folks Down Under have to offer.

He then said he hasn't been home in awhile because of COVID, adding ... "which I currently have rn and have been locked in a room for the past 7 days."

The singer quickly deleted that line in his IG caption, but if it's true -- it means he could have performed at the huge July 29 concert at Lollapalooza in Chicago with Miley Cyrus while infected -- or contracted it while at the festival.

We've reached out to LAROI's rep for some clarification ... so far, no word back.

Britney Spears didn't want to wait until September to ask a judge to boot her dad from her conservatorship, but the judge just shut down her request.

The singer's request to move up the hearing to sometime this month or to at least suspend Jamie immediately until the final hearing, was denied ... according to a new court order, obtained by TMZ. There's no specific reason given for the legal "no" ... but it was denied without prejudice, meaning she can bring it up again.

But, at the moment, Jamie's going to stay on.

As for why ... typically the issue is whether waiting for the scheduled hearing would cause irreparable harm to Britney. Her lawyer, Mat Rosengart, said Jamie's presence was taking a toll on Britney's mental health, and he says doctors felt that way as well. But, the judge apparently didn't think there was enough proof that waiting would cause such damage.

Jason Isbell has a simple reason for requiring proof of COVID inoculation or a negative test result to attend his shows ... he wants people to feel safe and survive the virus.

The country star joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday and told us about the new precautions in effect on his tour, and why he's not afraid to do something that might piss off a large portion of his fan base.

Jason says he just wants concertgoers to feel a little safer in a large crowd of strangers and he doesn't want any blood on his hands ... hence the vaccine or negative test requirements.

Naturally, Jason is getting tons of pushback from country music fans who live in areas with low vaccination rates -- but he's also getting heat from other artists after a year that saw them lose concert revenue.

Jason and singer-songwriter Marc Broussard got in a Twitter war over his COVID protocols ... but Jason says he's just trying to help prevent another shutdown so artists don't have to cancel shows in droves as they did in 2020.