Music

Justin Bieber used his VMA acceptance speech to give a huge shoutout to his buddy, Conor McGregor ... saying the UFC superstar will be back better than ever after his devastating leg injury.

33-year-old Conor was at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards to present the "Artist of the Year" award Sunday night ... rocking a bright, pink suit, his walking cane and a massive smile.

While McGregor got into an intense scuffle with Machine Gun Kelly before his appearance, he was all calmed down once it was time for him to announce the category's big winner.

"New York is back and so is the Mac," Conor said. "2022 will be our greatest year yet."

And when it was time to reveal the winner ... McGregor couldn't be happier.

Of course, Conor and Bieber have gotten pretty close recently -- from catching rays poolside to being guests at each other's concerts and fights -- so it was only right The Notorious was able to share the awesome moment with the "Peaches" singer.

Bieber name-dropped his wife, Hailey, and rapper Travis Scott after grabbing the Moonperson ... and then guaranteed Conor will make a big comeback after snapping his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

"Conor, we're gonna get 'em next time, my boy," Bieber said. "Let's go."

Blueface allegedly attacked a club bouncer with the help of his 2 pals, leaving the dude in stitches ... and now, cops are on the case.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Blueface tried rolling up to Skinny's Lounge late Sunday night in the San Fernando Valley, but got stopped at the door by a security guard who asked to see his ID.

We're told Blueface noted he didn't have one, and asked the guard if he knew who he was ... apparently, whipping out his phone to Google himself and show he was famous. The guard didn't care though, we're told, and wouldn't let him in without proper identification.

That's when things allegedly turned physical ... our sources tell us Blue, and a couple buddies with him jumped the bouncer and then left. The guy had to be transported to a hospital by ambulance -- where we're told he was treated for bruises and scratches that required sutures.

We also got a hold of photos showing the alleged injuries, and they look pretty gnarly. You can see the bouncer was left bloodied.

If an awards show isn't followed up by a slew of celebs hitting up afterparties all over town ... is it even an awards show at all???

Attendees at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards made the night official by celebrating around NYC afterward ... with events hosted by the likes of Travis Scott, Dave Chappelle and Doja Cat.

Other celebs spotted toasting to success included Justin and Hailey Bieber, Madonna, Pete Davidson and the night's big winner -- Lil Nas X, who won Video of the Year for "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)."

There was also a couple's dinner sighting, as MGK and Megan Fox shared a "future baby daddies" meal at Cipriani with Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian ... before MGK and company made it over to Chappelle's party at Lure.

As you'd expect, Dave's event had major star appeal with Colin Jost, Dave Grohl and Jon Hamm joining the festivities.

Chris Brown's home got another visit from cops ... but this time, he wasn't the one causing the problems.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police were called to CB's San Fernando Valley home around 10 PM this week for an alleged battery involving his security team.

We're told a man came riding up to the property on a motorbike, and Chris' hired muscle lit the guy up with a flashlight to figure out whether he was a guest or just a dude cruising the neighborhood. They stopped him and asked why he rode up to the house.

The man apparently didn't like being questioned ... we're told he spit in the guard's face and rode off into the night.

Our sources tell us LAPD took a battery report, but so far no arrests have been made.

It's at least the 3rd time in 5 months cops have been called to Chris' home. As we reported, LAPD broke up his massive birthday party in May and in June they responded to another battery call at the home after a woman claimed Breezy smacked her weave off.

Ja Rule's clapping back after Fat Joe said he's going to drag him for their "Verzuz" battle ... essentially saying Joey Crack's threat is music to his ears.

The "Put It On Me" rapper tells us he's practically salivating at the idea Fat Joe's been talking (friendly?) smack ahead of their highly-anticipated "Verzuz" battle on Tuesday at the Hulu Theater inside Madison Square Garden.

Ja's not running scared. Far from it -- he's like a fighter in the ring ready for the bell to ring ... this after Joey Crack called Ja saying, "Everybody know you got all the hits, but I'mma have to drag you. I'm about to bring you into the projects, Trinity Ave."

He added this shot ... "You my brother. I love you, but I'mma have to get you up out that cardigan sweater." You know it's on when you diss a man's sweater. Real street s***.

But, Ja told us he's got no problem taking it to the streets. We really set him off, though, when we brought up the rumor 50 Cent might make a surprise appearance during the "Verzuz" battle.

He warned it would be the dumbest thing Fiddy -- with whom he's had beef for decades -- ever did, IF he shows up at MSG Tuesday night.

Either way, Ja insists he's ready to take down Joe AND 50 Cent, if necessary. #DingDing.

Britney Spears' boyfriend was, indeed, ring shopping to pop the question -- at least that's what she's saying ... because Brit is announcing to the world THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED!

BS just broke the news on Instagram, posting a video of her showing off the huge rock on THAT finger, with Sam Asghari by her side. Her caption says it all ... "I can't f***ing believe it 💍💍💍💍💍💍❣️!!!!!!"

In the video, Sam's asking if she likes it ... and Britney approves, screaming "YES!!!" and giving him a peck on the cheek. It's strange though ... the ring jumps from the left ring finger to the right in the same mash-up she threw together -- maybe it's just a weird camera thing.

In any case ... all the jewelry perusing we've seen Sam doing lately was obviously for this moment -- and even though he claimed his IG had been hacked when the supposed diamond popped up on his Story ... it seems there was some truth to it after all.

Sam posted a shot of his own to seemingly prove that, yes, they are indeed planning to get hitched -- and Britney had a little message of her own for his IG announcement.

This is something the longtime couple has said they've wanted for a good while now -- but Britney alleged the constraints of the conservatorship hasn't allowed her to marry her BF of several years ... just one of many reasons she's asked for it to be dissolved.

Unclear if this is just ceremonial in nature or the real deal -- she still hasn't been released from the conservatorship, despite Jamie formally asking it get the kibosh, so time will tell what this actually means.

Still, congratulations are in order. To the happy couple!!!

Josh Homme's two younger children struck out getting restraining orders against their dad, but their older sister didn't -- and now, he's gotta steer clear of her until a hearing can be held.

15-year-old Camille Homme filed for a TRO this past week in Santa Monica -- which a judge signed off on ... but only as it pertains to herself. Camille asked for the court-ordered forcefield to be applied to her younger siblings, Wolf and Orrin, but got denied there.

Still ... she's got protection against her father, for now, which means he has to stay at least 100 yards away from her, and avoid contact until they can hash this out officially later this month.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Camille reasserts what her brothers claimed in their own bids for TROs on Thursday -- namely, that Josh allegedly abuses them physically and emotionally with flicks to the ear, put-downs, threats against their mother/her BF and groping of the boys' privates ... all of which he's denied.

Even on this latest development -- his attorney, Susan E. Wiesner, suggests it's just the doing of Josh's ex-wife, Brody Dalle, telling TMZ ... "We believe that this DV, which was prepared by Brody, in her handwriting on the forms, was filed in retaliation for Josh obtaining a TRO against Brody for her physical abuse of Josh, among other things involving the children."

As we reported ... Orrin and Wolf's TRO requests were shot down both in SM and DTLA.

Lana Del Rey is hanging it up -- online, that is ... announcing that she's unplugging from everything social media, which might be for the best considering her rocky history.

The folk singer announced Sunday that she's deactivating all of her social media platforms starting Monday -- and her reasoning is that she's starting up some new stuff in her life that apparently require the utmost privacy and transparency. Unclear what that even means.

Anyway, check it out ... LDR explains she's still going to be cranking out music, writing poetry and all the other creative products she puts out in the world -- she just won't have a Twitter/IG handle anymore to supplement it. Or to respond to her seemingly endless critics.

As she puts it ... "For right now, I think I'm going to just keep my circle a little bit closer and continue to develop some other skills and interests."

People who've followed her trajectory might be letting out a sigh of relief right now after hearing this -- because they know Lana's been embroiled in one too many controversies since splashing onto the scene in the 2010s ... many of which didn't fare well for her.

From accusations of cultural appropriation accusations and glamorizing rape/sexual assault ... to wrongly speaking up on behalf of Black people/their culture, LDR has been through it all. And, just as often, she's defended herself in ways many considered hostile and tone-deaf.

Even during the pandemic, she was getting ripped -- some might recall her wearing that mesh mask at the height of COVID last year, which she rocked while interacting with fans. It was a bad look -- one of many she owned over the years, sometimes unapologetically.

Of course, not all of the criticism hurled at her was warranted -- but Lana still had to bat off the haters ... and it seems, now, she's throwing in the towel on bird app sparring matches.

Scooter Braun is moving on with his life after filing for divorce ... he just snagged a ridiculous mansion for which he paid a king's ransom.

Scooter, who manages Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Carly Rae Jepsen and David Guetta to name a few, just closed on a $65 estate in Brentwood CA.

TMZ broke the story ... Scooter filed for divorce from Yael Cohen. They were married for 7 years and have 3 kids.

The mansion is 19,000 square feet with 6 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a gym, theatre and more ... with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and the lights of L.A.

The house sits on 4 acres, which is massive for Brentwood. It's new construction ... completed this year. It was listed for $70 mil in June, so the seller got fairly close to asking.

Musician Stephen Rezza -- who was dating Christina Grimmie when "The Voice" star was shot and killed in 2016 -- had his car smashed up ... and it looks like it was all captured on surveillance video.

We're told Rezza was inside a music studio he rents in L.A. when his car was vandalized in the parking lot outside the building.

As you see ... the vehicle's windshield got smashed, and video footage -- obtained by TMZ -- appears to show someone using a large rock to do damage to the car 3 separate times.

Law enforcement sources confirm a vandalism report was taken and they're investigating. Rezza told cops he believes it was his ex-girlfriend who damaged his car.

Rezza's had a rough go lately -- he recently had a brain tumor removed, but has been suffering from seizures, saying his health is at an all-time low.

He was Grimmie's boyfriend when she was murdered in 2016 at an Orlando concert by a man who was an obsessed fan. The man killed himself after fatally shooting her.

Benny The Butcher's "Bills Mafia Anthem" song is getting a bit of a remix ... 'cause the rapper tells TMZ Sports he's droppin' a new music video -- featuring Buffalo players!!!

Buffalo's own Benny -- who signed a management deal with ROC Nation -- put out the first music video in January, right before the Bills' AFC Championship run.

Check out some of the lyrics:

"You know who the beasts in the AFC East
We gon' grind this thing out for seventeen weeks, yeah
You hatin' on them Bills, then you way off
Talk is cheap, meet us in the playoffs"

The Mafia and the team LOVE it -- so much that Benny tells us he's putting out another music video of the song this season.

"I got the video coming out Week 5," Benny says, "We shot it at the stadium. We was in the Bills players' locker room. I had my own locker in there, it was crazy!"

And, Benny -- who was on La Brea following a photoshoot with LRG -- says it features THREE Bills players -- "My boy Tremaine Edmunds, my boy Dion Dawkins, of course, and Cody Ford!"

Sorry, no Josh Allen ... but Benny says he's working on that.

"We need Josh Allen in one the Benny The Butcher videos," Benny says.

"Josh Allen, man, come to the east side of Buffalo. We know the rest of Buffalo love you, come to the east side of Buffalo!"

We also talked football with Benny -- the loyal fan tells us Josh is taking home TWO titles this season ... MVP and Super Bowl champ!

If Allen gets the Bills to the SB, he'd be the first QB to do so since Jim Kelly, who appeared in four (1990-1994) ... but of course, Buffalo came up short each time.

Ashanti's timeless beauty is not for the foolish.

Here's a 22-year-old version of the singer sporting a time-appropriate velour tracksuit and fresh face at the World Music Awards in Monaco back in 2002 (left). This is the same year she released her self-titled debut album that featured the smash hits "Foolish," "Happy" and "Baby."

And, nearly two decades later ... the artist -- who also dabbles in acting and fashion -- was photographed at her long-time friend Fat Joe's birthday party with a stylish top knot and floral gown in NYC last month (right).

We keep on running back to her.

The question is ...

Pop Smoke's gravesite was found utterly destroyed this weekend -- this after apparent vandals smashed his crypt ... and apparently tried dragging his casket out.

TMZ has obtained photos of what an eyewitness says they stumbled upon Saturday morning at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY -- where the rapper was buried and laid to rest last year following his murder in early 2020. As you can see ... it's a complete mess.

We're told Pop Smoke's spot on the outer wall of a mausoleum within the grounds seemed to be singled out and horribly vandalized ... with his marble plaque cracked and broken through, almost completely. You can see his full name displayed ... Bashar Barakah Jackson

There was other debris left scattered on the ground ... including what we're told looked like burned and discarded joints, as well as flowers.

The worst part is that there seems to be drag marks left on the ground ... and another shot of what we're told was right across from the mausoleum appears to indicate the perps might've actually gotten into Pop Smoke's tomb ... either pulling something out, or trying to.

The eyewitness tells us this door-looking thing seemed to be a concrete slab that would presumably sit over PS's casket, separating his body from another right above him. The black rectangular object, we're told, also looked to be part of Pop Smoke's wall enclosure.

It's unclear if the casket was still inside or intact ... but we're told the person who found this notified security, who were supposedly unaware of any such vandalism until being told. The eyewitness also tells us that when they returned to the site some hours later ... Pop Smoke's plaque had been replaced with a blank slab, and there was caution tape around the area. Some of the debris had also been cleaned up -- but it was still quite apparent something terrible had happened.

No word on whether PS's plaque will be replaced, and if so ... who exactly pays for it.

We've got calls in to the cemetery, Pop Smoke's family/reps ... as well as cops to see if this has been reported.

Jennifer Lopez knows how to travel in style ... even when she precariously boards a tiny boat!

J Lo was decked out in D&G head to toe as she jumped on a gondola in Venice, Italy, during the Venice International Film Festival. It's part of a fashion shoot that took about an hour and a half.

Jen and Ben have been pretty much inseparable during the trip ... gotta say, both looking amazing as they took in the festival and some sightseeing.

After the shoot, J Lo went back to their hotel, after which she and Ben headed for the airport.

Ben and Jen have been on a world tour, during which they have displayed PDA on multiple continents.

Ben will be heading to Austin soon, to shoot a movie. TMZ broke the story, he rented a luxury condo for the movie shoot and even though it's temporary, he's upgrading the pad. We're told J Lo will be spending a fair amount of time with BF during production.

Ben has also been front and center during at least one of J Lo's projects ... even interacting with the crew during the shoot, so they're not only seriously dating ... they're already involved in each other's business.

Thousands of folks, including 3 presidents, observed a moment of silence at Ground Zero to mark the exact moment when an American Airlines Jet slammed into one of the World Trade Center Twin Towers 20 years ago.

President Joe Biden, along with former Presidents Obama and Clinton, observed a moment of silence as people remembered the life-changing event 2 decades ago.

Nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the terrorist attack ... an assault on America that triggered the war on Afghanistan -- a war that many say went on way too long.

Various family members read the names of those who perished during the attack.

Bruce Springsteen took the podium and sang "I'll See You in My Dreams" as the crowd took it all in.

President Biden will leave New York City and visit the other 2 sites where the other 2 planes went down -- the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

President Obama has said in the lead-up to the anniversary, "One thing that became clear on 9/11 - and has been clear ever since - is that America has always been home to heroes who run towards danger in order to do what is right."

2 Chainz has made a statement about the fentanyl epidemic that has ripped through Hollywood and the nation, by throwing a "no fent" birthday party for himself.

Chainz is turning 44 Sunday, and he marked the occasion a few days early with his party Friday night.

The party, which went down in Atlanta at the Members Only Lounge, was not exactly drug-free. He posted a vid of bags that appear to be psilocybin mushrooms.

The bash had a theme -- Hippie's in the '70s -- which sounds kinda awesome.

Chainz and his wife, Kesha Ward, posted pics of them in their party getups.

As for the "no fent" theme ... there have been a rash of fentanyl-related deaths recently. TMZ broke the story, comedians Fuquan Johnson, Rico Angeli and Natalie Williamson all died of a suspected accidental fentanyl OD last week in Venice, California.

And, 16-year-old Logan Williams, who starred in "The Flash," died last year from an accidental fentanyl OD.

Michael K. Williams was found dead last Monday in his Brooklyn apartment, and authorities found drug paraphernalia at the scene. Authorities believe the death was heroin-related and toxicology tests are being run to determine, among other things, if fentanyl was involved.

Tiffany Haddish got emotional with us talking about her friends she lost to fentanyl-related OD's.

"Intervention" host Ken Seeley told us on "TMZ Live" this week how fentanyl hooks people who use drugs and how it takes many of their lives because of its extreme toxicity.