Music

The Game is already callin' a Soulja Boy knockout if a fight with Aaron Carter actually goes down ... telling TMZ Sports, the boxing match would be a "sloppy slugfest!!!"

If you missed it ... Soulja and AC have been going back and forth after the singer called him out for a celeb boxing match ... with Draco saying he'd "beat the candy out his pockets!"

We learned there's an actual offer on the table for this to pop off ... and when we told The Game about the possibility, he straight-up said, 'that's f**kin' hilarious!"

"I think it’s gonna be a sloppy slugfest, you know what I’m saying, most definitely," the 41-year-old rapper told us Thursday.

"But, I think Draco could put him down, man, in about the second round, because I’ve seen Lamar [Odom] and I’ve seen Aaron Carter, and it looked bad for Aaron in there."

Game is really hyped for this potential rapper vs. singer showdown -- unlike critics who cringe at the idea of celebrity boxing.

"You know, with this new wave of fighting ... I like it," Game tells us.

"I like that regular people, rappers, like entertainers, YouTubers are getting a chance to like, you know, dive into other sports."

Game added, "A lot of people say, 'oh, we don’t want these people in our sport, like we professional boxers.' But, didn’t Roy Jones try to rap?"

That he did -- Jones, a former heavyweight champ, put out his first rap album back in 2002 -- and Game also points out NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, who released four rap albums in the '90s.

"Let people do and be who they want to be, man, and let’s just enjoy it. It’s all entertainment at the end of the day, man, you know what I’m saying."

Drake is stirring the pot again on his rap beef with Kanye West -- taking a new shot at the guy in a song he just dropped with Trippie Redd ... and it might be the ultimate insult.

The rapper is featured on TR's new track, "Betrayal," and at one point in Drizzy's verse, he brings up Mr. West by name ... acknowledging that they are, indeed, still apparently beefing -- while also going so far as to call Kanye "burnt out" ... and noting it's irrelevant to him.

Here's how the Kanye bar goes ... "All these fools I'm beefin' that I barely know // Forty-five, forty-four (Burned out), let it go // Ye ain't changin' s*** for me, it's set in stone." He adds ... "Rollin' stones, heavy stones (PinkGrillz) // Precious stone, let me make my presence known."

The "Ye" reference could possibly be interpreted as "they" or "you" -- but based on Drake touching Kanye's exact age (44) ... it seems clear he meant the former with some clever word play. The folks over at Genius heard it too ... they wrote out the lyric as "Ye."

Now, for some analysis -- as to why Drake is randomly bringing up Kanye again after years have passed since they beefed, with Pusha T in the mix, is anyone's guess at this point.

However, some people have a theory on these old foes -- there's been speculation of late that Kanye is, perhaps, trying to set up his "Donda" release so that it lines up with Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" album ... which he's on record as saying would be out by the end of summer at the latest. That's just a few weeks away ... and neither project has dropped.

There's no evidence to prove it one way or another ... but the fact that Kanye continues to delay the release date -- with seemingly no end in sight -- is curious in this context. That, coupled with the fact that Drake's going after him anew, is even more eyebrow-raising.

In any case, we're always here for some new beef. And, if it means more music from these two in the process ... we'll take it and then some. Ball's in your court, Ye (we think).

Amerie was jokingly compared to a Kardashian sister -- and despite the obvious playful intent ... the internet is NOT playing when it comes to this side-by-side.

A tweet went viral Saturday, with a user posting Amerie's 2005 music video for her hit single "1 Thing," which was featured on the "Hitch" soundtrack back in the day. His caption is what set all the outrage off, writing ... "Kourtney Kardashian had the block hot with this hit."

Pretty innocent, right??? Eh, apparently not ... folks were jumping down this dude's throat in fierce defense of Amerie, with a lot of people echoing the same sentiment ... namely, don't do her like that. And, by that, they seem to mean ... don't compare her to a Kardashian.

Of course, you can see what the guy was going for -- because, yes, in this specific video (and perhaps more generally) mid-2000s Amerie does, in fact, bear a passing resemblance to Kourt, especially in some of these shots. You might even call them doppelgangers. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Unclear what all the online hostility is toward the juxtaposition ... but a lot of Twitter users seem to have found this "disrespectful." There may be a race element at play -- Amerie is Black/Korean, while Kourtney is white/Armenian. Plus, the Kardashians have a history of being accused of cultural appropriation -- Black culture, specifically -- so that might be a factor.

And yet, in spite of all the people who took this a little too seriously ... some are taking it in stride and running with the joke -- noting the two ladies have some striking similarities (especially when compared to young Kourtney). So, a mixed bag of reactions, it seems.

At any rate, the one thing people appear to agree on is this ... Amerie was a major trendsetter in her day, and apparently hasn't gotten the attention/notoriety many believe she's due.

She's got four studio albums out, and despite reports in the early 2010s that she was working on a 5th, it never seems to have come to fruition -- and Amerie kinda fell off the music scene after that.

That's not to say she's not doing anything productive these days. Amerie has quite a popular book club that she's started -- this after publishing a NYT bestseller herself -- and she's plugging along with that pretty nicely ... plus, dealing with family life and her kids.

Ben Affleck and J Lo took yet another step forward Friday night, as they took their brood to learn about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers ... AKA "Hamilton."

Ben and Jen were out in Hollywood, along with Affleck's daughters, Violet and Seraphina, and J Lo's kids, Max and Emme. Ben's 9-year-old son, Samuel, didn't come along for the ride.

They took a trek to the Pantages Theatre ... giving other theatre-goers a choice ... watch the play or do some rubbernecking in their seats to catch a glimpse of Ben and Jen.

Also along for the ride ... Ben's mom. We know Ben has spent time with J Lo's mom, Guadalupe, when they were in Vegas, so now the circle is complete.

It seems only a matter of time until they seal the deal. They're already looking for houses -- who are we kidding, massive estates -- as they house-hunt all over L.A.

Ben took his 3 kids to the Century City Mall earlier in the day ... so Friday was mingle-with-the-crowds day in L.A.

J Lo is clearly making L.A. home base. She already has a house in Bel Air, and she's been looking at schools for her kids ... including the school that Seraphina attends.

J Lo and Ben have been inseparable since hooking back up a few months back. They sailed the seas of Europe last month to celebrate J Lo's 52nd birthday. This week they reunited after Ben's 49th.

This is undeniably on the fast track.

Britney Spears' dogs fell seriously ill with one close to death, and her housekeeper believed the only way to save the animals was an emergency trip to the vet, which turned into the dogs being kept away from Britney entirely ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... one of Britney's two dogs has serious digestive issues and both dogs were supposed to be fed a special type of food. We're told the housekeeper became alarmed when she saw the dogs regularly being fed table scraps ... causing the pets to become very sick, especially the one with digestive issues.

The housekeeper also said both dogs were dehydrated from a lack of water ... which ultimately caused her to take them to the vet.

Our sources say after examining the dogs, the vet was alarmed, and Britney's dog sitter decided it would be best if she cared for the dogs instead of Britney.

As we reported ... Britney's dogs never came home after the vet visit, and she suspected her dad, Jamie Spears, had something to do with their disappearance. She called the cops August 10 and was prepared to file a theft report over the pooches, but changed her mind.

TMZ broke the story, the dogs' whereabouts triggered a heated argument Monday between Britney and the housekeeper ... during which we're told the housekeeper showed Britney cell phone photos she'd taken of the sick dogs.

Our sources said Britney became enraged, believing the housekeeper was sending the pics to Jamie Spears. She allegedly grabbed for the phone and, according to the housekeeper, struck her arm in the process. The housekeeper filed a police report for battery. We're told Britney denies touching the housekeeper ... and that all she did was grab the phone.

As of Friday afternoon, the dogs were still not back at Britney's home and the police investigation had not wrapped. The police findings will eventually be sent to the district attorney's office to review the matter for possible misdemeanor battery charges.

Kanye West is sending smoke signals that he's zeroing in on his album release, by posting a pic of the house he grew up in.

Ye displayed a photo of his childhood home on the South Side of Chicago. You'll recall, it's the house he bought last year for $225,000.

As for the clue -- well, the album is titled "Donda," an homage to his late mother, so it would seem he's telegraphing the album is, at the very least, top of mind.

The album was supposed to be released last month, but that date was moved to early August but still, no album. Fact is ... that's SOP for Kanye.

For whatever reason, Kanye scrubbed his entire Instagram page ... so all you get is the house photo. It's unclear why he did this ... maybe to really profile the pic and send some sort of message that the album is near.

He's been tinkering with the album ever since the first unveiling at the listening party in Atlanta for friends and fam back in July.

The first listening party broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record with 3.3 million viewers.

Kim has been really supportive ... showing up at both listening parties and wearing the same color outfit as her estranged husband.

They also had lunch together this week, so it seems the divorce is super amicable.

Adam Levine's lost it!!! Well, for a sec anyway 'cause he forgot the lyrics to "She Will Be Loved" ... and everyone got a kick out of it.

So, here's what happened ... "Maroon 5" had a show Thursday in Milwaukee at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Adam was sweet-talking the ladies -- and gents -- before crooning his 2002 banger off his debut album "Songs About Jane."

Adam quickly realized he mistakenly sang the SECOND verse first. He tried ignoring the hiccup but then ... he screwed up AGAIN. 😅

The crowd actually enjoyed the blunder... but Adam stopped the show and confessed ... "I f***ed up!!!" He told the crowd it's the first time he's EVER screwed up the famous track, which btw, celebrates its 20th anniversary next year.

BTW ... before anyone starts throwing stones -- Adam's show followed strict COVID-19 protocols as concertgoers had to either be fully vaccinated or show a negative COVID test.

Kylie Jenner has a bun in the oven, she's expecting her second child with Travis Scott ... TMZ has confirmed.

A source with direct knowledge tells us Kylie is still in the "very early stages" of the pregnancy and does not yet know the sex of the baby ... who will make 3-year-old Stormi, a big sister. We do not yet know when the baby is due.

Kylie's made it clear in recent years she didn't want Stormi to be an only child ... saying she felt pressure to have another child in 2020 but wasn't ready for it just yet.

Kylie famously spent her first pregnancy in hiding, mostly staying cooped up inside her estate, so it will be interesting to see how the billionaire decides to handle her second pregnancy.

Kylie's been sparking pregnancy rumors all summer ... first when she wore baggy clothes in Idaho and again when eagle eyed fans noticed her sushi order didn't include raw fish.

Page Six was first to report Kylie was expecting.

Caitlyn Jenner also seemed to let the cat out of the bag Thursday when she said she just learned one of her kids is expecting. Caitlyn's son, Burt, says he's expecting a third child with his wife, Valerie, but now we know Kylie will be bringing a new kiddo into the world too.

Britney Spears' dogs were taken from her earlier this month -- this after her dog sitter and housekeeper believe the pets were being neglected -- and that's what triggered the confrontation between Britney and her housekeeper that led to a criminal investigation.

Sources directly connected to Britney tell TMZ ... around 2 weeks ago one of her dogs became sick and the housekeeper took that dog and Britney's other dog to the vet. The dogs never came home, and our sources say Britney's dog sitter -- who is also a nurse -- kept and took care of the dogs because she believed they weren't safe at Britney's home.

We're told on August 10 Britney called the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. to report a theft, but when cops arrived at her home she backed off and sent them away -- this was first reported by Page Six. Our sources say she was prepared to file a theft report over the dogs but apparently had a change of heart.

Fast-forward to this past Monday morning. Britney still did not have her dogs and didn't know where they were, but suspected her dad had something to do with their disappearance.

Britney confronted her housekeeper and demanded to know where her dogs were and why they were taken away. Our Britney sources say the housekeeper expressed concern that the dogs had been neglected and showed Britney photos she had taken on her cellphone of one of the dogs that had just thrown up.

Britney believes the housekeeper -- who gets paid by Jamie -- sent Jamie the photos and he then called the dog sitter and told her to take the dogs away. Sources with direct knowledge say Jamie is "totally in the dark on what goes on in her home," adding, "He's been shut out."

In any event, we're told Britney became extremely upset and told the housekeeper she was not allowed to take photos in her house. Then we're told a struggle ensued and Britney knocked the phone out of the housekeeper's hands. Our Britney sources say she merely hit the phone, but law enforcement sources say the housekeeper alleged Britney struck her arm, which then caused her to lose her grip over the phone.

As of Thursday afternoon, Britney still did not get her dogs back, but she was hopeful that was about to happen.

TMZ broke the story ... the housekeeper filed a battery report with the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. and the agency is investigating. A Sheriff's Dept. official tells TMZ when the investigation is complete the file will be sent to the D.A. to review for a possible misdemeanor battery charge.

The Weeknd is the proud, new owner of a massive Bel-Air estate, forking over an incredible $70 MILLION to convince the home's prior owners to give it up ... TMZ has confirmed.

Abel was in the market for a new home in the area, and agents Rayni and Branden Williams of the Beverly Hills Estates scoped out the 33,000-square-foot home before reaching out on the singer's behalf ... according to The Wall Street Journal.

We've confirmed the home's prior owners -- Reinout Oerlemans, a Dutch media mogul, and his wife, Danielle Oerlemans -- hadn't planned on selling, but the $70M was too nice to pass up ... and the deal was done off-market.

As for what $70M will get you in Bel-Air? The mega-mansion comes with 9 bedrooms, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, sports court and a music studio where Abel can keep cranking out hits.

The singer was represented by Angele Salvador in the sale.

In fact the news of the new crib comes just after the singer broke the record for the most consecutive weeks (88) on The Billboard Hot 100 list with his single, "Blinding Lights." "Radio Active" by Imagine Dragons held the previous record.

Azriel Clary -- one of R. Kelly's former girlfriends -- remains steadfast in testifying against him in his federal sex crimes case ... despite what her family describes as attempts to scare her away from going through with it.

Azriel's father, Angelo, tells TMZ ... nobody's forcing his daughter to testify -- it's her decision based on her belief that what Kelly did to her and others is wrong, and she wants to do it for the sake of justice and to show what a monster he truly is.

Problem is, this apparently doesn't sit well with many of the singer's fans. We're told Azriel and her family are the frequent targets of online threats and attacks ... including people posting their contact info and even harassing them at work.

Even scarier ... Azriel's car was set on fire last year, and just months ago a man pled guilty in the case.

For all these reasons and more ... Angelo says his daughter's stress level is high as she prepares for her testimony, but he's adamant Azriel will not back down.

We broke the story ... in early 2020 -- after a falling out with Kelly's other girlfriend at the time, Joycelyn Savage -- Azriel fully removed herself from Kelly's corner and began working with the feds against him.

Now, the time is almost here for her to take the stand, and we're told Azriel's looking forward to showing her strength and telling her truth ... with Kelly watching.

Destiny's Child fans shouldn't lose their breath just yet over rumors the group's getting back together ... because their manager says there's nothing in the works.

Mathew Knowles -- Beyonce's father who's still DC's official manager -- tells TMZ ... as of right now, there are zero plans for the iconic group to reunite, make an album, tour or do anything of the sort.

Knowles says the recent social media updates to Destiny's Child's official accounts that sparked the speculation were just a routine revamping by the record label. If you missed it ... the group's header images were changed, which was enough to get fans going.

We're told Mathew never requested the change -- it was just a random, normal social media-type update.

Adding further fuel to the fire, however, is the fact Beyonce recently said in an interview that new music's coming ... but didn't specify if it would be solo, or with her old groupmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Based on what her Dad tells us it's likely solo, but he adds that the fan response to the Destiny's Child buzz shows there's a huge demand for them to make a comeback ... which he says is "great" and something they will take into account for the future.

Chris Brown's daughter is living the dream -- that's exactly how Royalty's describing the trip she and her mother, Nia Guzman, took to hang at a 'Tiger King' star's wild animal park.

Royalty and Nia hit up the Myrtle Beach Safari Wednesday, and got pretty cozy with the baby animals at Doc Antle's facility during a day and night safari.

Chris' 7-year-old little girl was pretty chill while petting a couple tiger cubs -- she even jumped in a pool with 'em, and was eventually joined by a baby hyena too.

Royalty and Nia both posted a bunch of photos and videos from their adventure, which included encounters with a chimp, some monkeys and an elephant. Royalty captioned one of her videos ... "Living the dream! #SaveTheTigersSaveTheWorld."

The post also gave a shout-out to Doc Antle saying, "We love what you are doing @docantle thank you for these memories!"

Doc, of course, is the same guy who was indicted in Virginia for animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in October 2020. He called the charges bogus. Most recently ... PETA wanted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate Doc for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

This isn't Royalty's first rodeo with exotic pets. We doubt she remembers -- she was only 3 -- but her dad got into hot water back in 2018 after he posted video of Royalty hanging with a baby Capuchin monkey he owned.

Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, says having his name on New York's Sex Offender Registry has caused him a lot of problems, and the worst part is he never got his day in court to challenge it ... according to new legal docs.

Petty's suing the State of New York and its Criminal Justice Services division to have his name removed from the sex offender's registry, because he claims he never got notice of a hearing about it back in October 2004 while he was incarcerated.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the hearing offered an opportunity to challenge the risk level assigned to him -- he was categorized as a level 2 sex offender at the time -- but problem is, Petty claims he never actually got notice of it.

Petty claims the notice of the hearing was sent to an address where he didn't live -- because he was in prison at the time -- and alleges the "Kenny Petty" signature on the bottom is a forgery.

Petty claims whoever did it also answered that he would not be attending the hearing. So, according to the new suit, Petty claims he never got his constitutional right to due process to challenge the risk level assigned to him.

Meek Mill's diving skills need some work. Check that, lots of work.

We're told the "Dreams and Nightmares" rapper took the plunge Wednesday night after he rented out DreamWorks Water Park ... the biggest indoor waterpark in the U.S., located at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ. Meek's clearly not ready to take his talents even to a high school swim meet.

All good though ... 'cause Meek flashed a grin ear to ear after coming up to the surface ... laughing off his attempt at gracefully diving into the massive pool.

Meek rented out the space to celebrate rapper Vory's 24th birthday. He's currently signed to Meek's label DreamChasers and Vory's one of the featured artists on Kanye West's "Donda."

Britney Spears is under investigation for an alleged battery on one of her longtime housekeepers during an argument over Britney's dogs, but Britney and her camp say the housekeeper is making it up and the case will go nowhere ... TMZ has learned.

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies were alerted to the incident Monday at Britney's house. According to our law enforcement sources ... the housekeeper told cops she had taken one of Brit's dogs to the vet, claiming there were issues with the treatment of the pet.

We're told the housekeeper claims Britney confronted her when she got back from the vet, they argued about the dog's wellness -- and then Britney allegedly slapped the housekeeper's phone out of her hands.

The housekeeper initially called deputies to the house, but then went to a Sheriff's station to file a report. Our sources say deputies attempted to get in touch with Britney to get her side of the story, but she would not speak with them ... but that's not unusual. Most lawyers would advise a client not to have such a discussion.

Now, a source connected to Britney denies there was any physical altercation, and claims the Sheriff's Dept. assured Brit's camp the case would go nowhere.