Music

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are all in on being a couple ... because now they're wearing matching clothes ... yes, the dreaded matching clothes!!!

Check out these pics of Ben and J Lo hitting up Westfield Mall in L.A. for a Tuesday afternoon shopping spree ... they're dressed up super nice for a midday adventure, and it looks like they're coordinating outfits.

To be specific ... Ben and Jen are both rocking dark sunglasses, black tops, grey bottoms, ice on their wrists and black shoes. Even J Lo's black bag is matching her boo's look.

Bennifer 2.0 is also walking in lockstep, holding hands ... almost like they've done this whole couple thing before.

Kanye West is no more -- that is, if he gets his way, and a judge grants him an official name change ... to something much more to the point.

KW just filed legal docs in L.A. ... asking a court to give him a new moniker in the books -- going from Kanye Omari West to simply, "Ye." Yes, the nickname he's gone by for years and years now ... dude wants that to be what Uncle Sam knows him by going forward.

Unclear what might go into the review process for this ... but it seems pretty clear. If a judge signs off, then Kanye as you know him is a goner. It'll be all Ye ... all day.  Fact is, in California, unless there's evidence a name change is designed to commit fraud or other shenanigans ... the judge will approve it.  So, this will get a sign off by the judge.

It's interesting -- Kanye also wants to drop the "West" from his persona altogether too ... which is kinda odd, considering he's shown pride in his family heritage -- and has often even called himself (both in person and in song) Mr. West. That too will be nixed if he gets the green light.

Funny enough ... Kim still has "West" in her own surname -- this after the couple filed for divorce.

One of the two women interviewed by Gayle King back in 2019 is now on the witness stand in R. Kelly's criminal case ... and she's claiming he was controlling them right then and there during the interview.

The witness -- who's only being ID'd as Jane Doe right now -- testified Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn as his case gets underway ... telling the jury that Kelly was pulling the strings as Gayle asked both her and another live-in GF questions.

She says Kelly would cough on set that day to keep them on script as the taping went on -- all in an effort, she alleges, to make sure they backed his denials.

The woman also claims Kelly made sure they weren't allowed to watch the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries. She says they had to immediately change the channel anytime it came on TV.

Not just that, but the witness went on to testify Kelly promised to promote her music career when they first got together but offered nothing in the end. She claims he once punished her by making her have sex with a guy nicknamed "Nephew" as Kelly watched in the room. The woman says Kelly told her "Nephew" had been "groomed" from a young age too.

Megan Thee Stallion claims her own record label is trying like hell to block the release of her newest song ... and she's running to a court for help.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Meg claims her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and its honcho, former MLB star Carl Crawford, are doing everything they can to stop her from putting out a new song with BTS.

In the docs, MTS says she's the featured artist on a remix to the K-pop group's popular "Butter" track ... saying it's supposed to drop Friday, unless her label is able to block it.

Meg believes if released, "Butter" will help to expand her international fanbase, thanks to BTS' massive brand. She claims 1501 told her they don't believe the song would be good for her recording career -- but she says that excuse is just a cover -- and deep down the label is trying to shake her down for 6-figures and force her to pay them to sign off on the song's release.

Megan's been down this road before ... she's pissed about the contract she signed with the label back when she was only 20, and just last year she accused the label of blocking her from releasing new music because she wanted to renegotiate the deal.

She ended up getting an order from the court to prohibit 1501 and Crawford from blocking the release of her new music ... and she says they're violating that order.

In the docs, Megan claims her label is putting up roadblocks to stifle her artistry and hurt her career ... and she wants a judge to step in so she can release the track on time.

Chopmaster J -- co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop group Digital Underground -- was told to stay the hell away from an event honoring the group and its late co-founder Shock G ... and he certainly isn't happy about it.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Chopmaster J was ecstatic when he found out the city of Oakland would be honoring the group and Shock G at a city-wide event last weekend. The day included a Digital Underground Day of Proclamation.

Problem is ... we're told a former band manager reached out to CJ and told him he was NOT welcomed at the event. Making matters worse ... we're told the city of Oakland's Digital Underground Day of Proclamation is only to highlight Shock G, and not CJ.

Digital Underground broke up in 2008 after a fallout between Chopmaster J and Shock G ... but we're told while they didn't speak for years following the breakup, they still considered each other brothers outside the group. Shock G died in April.

Chopmaster J -- along with his son, who goes by SOTU -- formed a new group ... D.U. Next Generation.

We're told Chopmaster J is bummed his contributions to the group's legacy are not even mentioned in the proclamation. The language's exclusive to Shock G's contributions ... even though August 25, 2021, is slated to be Digital Underground Day in Oakland.

Charlie Watts, The Rolling Stones' only drummer for nearly 6 decades, died Tuesday in London ... TMZ has learned.

Charlie was in London's Royal Marsden Hospital when he passed away, and we're told Shirley -- his wife of nearly 57 years -- was by his side. The Stones announced earlier this month that Charlie, their eldest band member, would not be able to play during their upcoming tour because he needed time to recover from a procedure.

A rep for the group tells TMZ, "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts ... Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation."

The band did not reveal what the procedure was. Watts had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2004, but after treatment it went into remission, and he and The Stones immediately launched into a 2-year-long world tour.

In fact, in the band's 58 years, Charlie's never missed a tour ... so it was already a big deal he wouldn't be with his mates -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood -- in September when they kick off their latest U.S. tour. As Charlie joked in a statement, "For once my timing has been a little off."

Charlie -- along with Keith, Mick and Brian Jones -- is a founding member of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. They all met in 1962, while playing London's blues clubs, and first came together as a band in 1963.

He occasionally toured with his own band too, the Charlie Watts Quintet ... which was more of a jazz act. Charlie's first love was jazz, and he learned to play drums while listening to Charlie Parker records.

Over the years, he's also become famous for being the stylish Stone -- he would commonly wear sharp suits onstage and off. Vanity Fair named Charlie to its International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2006.

Of course, he's also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Rolling Stones ... who now have the unenviable task of carrying on without the guy who's been called the soul of the band. Steve Jordan was already sitting in for Charlie, but it's unclear how Watts' death will impact the band's schedule. Their first show is set for Sept. 26 in St. Louis.

Charlie met Shirley before the Stones formed, and they got married the year after that. They have one daughter, Seraphina, and a couple of grandkids.

His passing is the first death for The Stones since Jones drowned in 1969.

Charlie was 80.

Kid Cudi is mourning the loss of his beloved dog ... and it'll make you cry to hear about it.

The rapper wrote a heartbreaking tribute to Freshie ... a dog he got in 2010 after the producers of "How to Make it in America" told him he'd be a weed-selling, dog-walking character on season 2. He got the dog to prepare for the role.

Cudi and Freshie formed a tight bond ... "I had no previous interactions [with] dogs prior, other than giving one a pet if my friends had one at their place. I was truly nervous around dogs and I wanted to be comfortable onset [with] them so it felt legit."

He added, "I had no idea I would have such a best friend in my life. He's been here for 11 years, and my life has been one hell of a rollercoaster this whole time."

The rapper said Freshie would come up to him and lick his face if he was crying. Kid Cudi called Freshie his guardian angel because there were nights where he held a knife to his stomach but, "I'd see Freshie and I couldn't do it. He would stare at me when I would have a knife to my stomach, eyes glaring at me tellin' me to put the knife down."

Kid Cudi checked into rehab in 2016 for depression and suicidal urges.

Tory Lanez has to fork over more bail money after prosecutors say he violated a court order to stay away from Megan Thee Stallion with his surprise appearance at Rolling Loud ... but at least he won't be behind bars.

Lanez was in an L.A. court Monday to learn his fate and he's gonna have to post a higher bail amount to stay out of jail while his criminal case is pending. The reason -- he violated a protective order requiring him to stay clear of Megan.

The judge also modified his bail conditions to specifically prohibit Tory from attending events where his alleged victim, Megan, will be present. The judge also said if this issue comes up again ... he will be remanded into custody. So, this was clearly his last warning.

Tory's bail was increased from $190k to $250k -- so he'll have to throw down a bit more dough to stay free.

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors filed a motion earlier this month to hold TL in contempt for violating the restraining order. He made a guest appearance during DaBaby's Rolling Loud set, and he got within 100 yards of Megan, who also performed at the event

Kanye West is doing some home cooking for his next "Donda" event ... because it looks like he's recreating his Chicago childhood home on a big stage.

Check out this image from inside Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, where Kanye is getting set to host his 3rd listening party for his upcoming album.

As you can see, construction is in full swing on a structure that looks a lot like the home where Ye grew up on the South Side of Chicago ... and it seems the house is smack in the middle of the football field.

Remember ... the album name is "Donda," an homage to his late mother, so it seems fitting Kanye would represent their old home for his listening party in the city where he was born and raised.

Kanye's also been all about this era of life ... he recently scrubbed his entire Instagram page except for a lone image of the old Chicago crib, which he bought last year for a cool $225,000.

Aerosmith's not going to miss a thing -- at least when it comes to their masters -- because the legendary rock band's new deal with Universal Music Group means they'll soon have ownership of all their master recordings.

If you haven't heard ... UMG just announced it will be the home of Aerosmith's entire recorded catalog ahead of their 50th anniversary, and will house the band's future music projects and help develop other ventures to celebrate their history.

Since the group was founded in the early '70s, it's gone back and forth between the hands of Sony and Universal ... and it's slated to get all of its masters from Sony in 2022.

However, despite the huge news with UMG, there was no deal in place for the band to get their masters back from Universal, for songs recorded during their time with that record label ... tracks such as "Dude Looks Like a Lady," "Crazy," "Amazing," "Crying," "Janie’s Got a Gun" and "Livin’ On The Edge."

That's where Aerosmith's manager, Larry Rudolph, stepped up and made some expert negotiations with UMG to make it happen.

We're told he met with some execs there and worked out a deal where UMG would get the right to distribute the ENTIRE Aerosmith catalog -- including its Sony songs -- and in return ... Aerosmith will gain the rights to their masters from their time with Universal Music.

The upshot -- Aerosmith will make 3 times what they're currently getting for their catalog of hits.

Kanye West appeared to dox Drake as their long-standing feud reignites, but Drake doesn't seem to give an f.

Ye took to Instagram to share the location of Drake's Toronto, Ontario property, but later deleted it. This came shortly after Kanye wiped his IG clean, leaving a lone photo of his childhood home ... but he's now posted a few more pics.

Drake's response was telling ... he laughed it off on his own IG Story ... with a video of him on a joyride.

Of course, all of this weekend drama is the result of Drake's diss at Kanye on a song he just dropped with Trippie Redd ... in which he acknowledges their beef and calls Ye "burned out."

Kanye fired back by posting a group chat -- in which he added another old nemesis, Pusha T, to the mix -- which included an ominous 'Joker' text, along with the message ... "I live for this. I've been f***ed with by nerd ass jock n***** like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you."

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani took their "Just Married" love fest to the wild -- well, wild enough, we suppose ... 'cause they were among exotic animals you don't really see in Cali.

The newlyweds hit up the San Diego Zoo this weekend -- taking in the sights together and what look likes family/friends in tow this Sunday ... where they were all masked up as they checked out some furry friends from behind a barricade in one of the best facilities around.

Looks like they were at the Asian Passage section ... where they keep the Red Pandas, 'cause they were getting an eyeful of this little bastard getting a little R&R in his "habitat."

It doesn't look like they were interacting much with the creature at this point in their journey -- but eyewitnesses tell us Gwen/Blake and co. were seen feeding some other live animals at different junctures ... courtesy of the private tour they seemed to be on with their crew.

And, despite it being super sunny and in the high 70s yesterday down there, the married couple opted for matching wardrobes -- both rocking jeans, while others in their party mostly were wearing shorts.

Hate it or love it, The Game says people gotta respect Anderson .Paak's strong conviction to put the kibosh on any posthumous albums ... so much so he got his dying wish tattooed on his arm. And, Game's game as far as the sentiment goes ... sort of.

We got the "Wouldn't Get Far" rapper leaving Maxfield L.A. on Thursday and wondered if he'd seen .Paak's tat. Not only has Game seen it ... he LOVED it, adding he 100% agrees with .Paak's stance. More on that in a bit.

But, ICYMI ... .Paak posted on his Instagram Story a new tattoo on his forearm that read, "When I'm gone please don't release any posthumous albums or songs with my name attached. Those were just demos and never intended to be heard by the public."

Anderson's rep confirmed the tat's real ... though it's unclear if the text is included in .Paak's will. Either way ... .Paak's crystal clear about how he wants his music treated after he's gone.

The Game says you gotta respect the decision because you have to respect the artistry. Game says he gets it because he too doesn't want his stuff out there when he's gone because, as he put it, "people always f*** the vision up."

It seems Game's wishes are crystal clear ... that is until the rapper caves and spits a list of producers he says he'd be okay with if they wanted to work on one of his posthumous albums.

Jackboy has always insisted he's innocent in his gun possession case, and now prosecutors at least agree he shouldn't be charged ... because they don't have the goods to prove he's guilty.

Jonathan L. Adams, the Monroe County D.A., tells TMZ ... his office decided not to move forward with charges against the rapper "due to our concern regarding being able to prove [Jackboy] had actual knowledge of the location of the firearms."

Adams pointed to the same issue cops identified in their initial report ... that a passenger in the backseat claimed to be responsible for the 2 guns found in the glove box.

Jackboy's attorney, Drew Findling, says, "We told you early this year that Pierre Delince (Jackboy) was innocent of these charges." He added, "We are very much appreciative of them making that important decision."

TMZ broke the story ... Jackboy was busted in March after cops pulled over a vehicle in which he was a passenger, because the driver had trouble staying in his lane.

When cops searched the Lambo SUV they said they found 2 unregistered handguns in the glove box next to Jackboy's seat.

Cops say the rapper told cops he didn't know there were guns in the whip. He was ultimately arrested and booked for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. But, prosecutors now say they don't have evidence Jackboy knew the guns were there.

Webbie had to be carried out of a club this weekend after he stumbled off stage following what appears to be a medical emergency ... and the scary moment is on video.

The Louisiana rapper was performing Friday night at 213 Lux Lounge in Roanoke, VA -- and at some point during his concert (or perhaps shortly thereafter) he was caught on camera looking ill and being led out of the building by his team ... staggering along the way.

Right before that, he seemed fine ... playing to a packed crowd and having level footing with seemingly no issues.

That makes this clip all the more alarming ... you see Webbie struggling to stay on his feet as he starts to exit the stage and reaching out for assistance -- but before he can clear the doorway, the guy collapses on the floor.

His guys surround him and they appear to start calling for help and for someone to dial 911. Before long, though, they hoist Webbie up themselves and carry him out of the building ... this as people looked on in fear, and while someone else was on stage rapping.

It's unclear what exactly happened to him here -- some are speculating it may have been a seizure of some sort, but we haven't confirmed that. It's unclear where he was taken after this ... presumably, his team rushed him to the hospital -- because this looked serious.

We got calls in to his camp for more details ... so far, no word back.

Don Everly, the last remaining member of The Everly Brothers -- the duo that had a profound influence on numerous groups including The Beatles -- has died.

Don passed away Saturday at his home in Nashville. The cause of death is not yet known.

The Everly Brothers had a string of huge hits, beginning with "Bye Bye Love" in 1957, and then "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "When Will I Be Loved," "Wake Up Little Susie," "Cathy's Clown," and more.

Don and Phil had flawless harmony, and it not only resonated with consumers, it became a template for numerous bands and groups, including The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas,  Simon and Garfunkel, the Hollies, and more.

Phil died in 2014 of pulmonary disease.

The Everly Bros. toured with the likes of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and many other early rockers who cemented the genre.

The duo was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 1986 ... well deserved.

His family said, "Don lived by what he felt in his heart. Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams … with his soulmate and wife, Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother."

Don is survived by his wife, his mother and his 4 children.

He was 84.