Music

Drake's birthday comes just before Halloween, so he combined the 2 Saturday night for a big costumed-themed bash that was all about the cartel!!!

The party went down on a gigantic sound stage at Goya Studios, and all sorts of folks showed up in costume. Now 35-year-old Drake dressed up as a cowboy/kingpin ... complete with a leather fringe jacket and the obligatory hat.

As for who showed up ... Offset, Jack Harlow, Larsa Pippen, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Sabbat, Future, 24kGoldn and many more of his famous pals.

Oh, and of course ... Drake's dad, Dennis Graham.

Drake was joyful as his friends and fam belted out "Happy Birthday" at the Chico Amante-themed bash. FYI ... the translation of Chico Amante is lover boy. A nod to his latest album, "Certified Lover Boy."

Jay Black, who fronted the '60s hit group Jay and the Americans, has died.

Jay sang some big hits for the group ... the biggest of which was "This Magic Moment."

The band posted the death notice on its Facebook page ... “Today, we mourn the passing of David Blatt a/k/a Jay Black and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him both as a partner and as a lead singer,” a spokesperson wrote. “We shared both wonderful and very contentious times, and much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”

The group was big when England took over American music ... in case you didn't catch it, Jay and the Americans are Americans.

They were big enough to open for The Beatles in 1964 at their Washington D.C. concert.

Among the other hits ... "Come a Little Bit Closer," "Blockbusters," "Cara Mia," and "Walkin' in the Rain."

The Facebook reference to "The Voice" is his nickname coined by his bandmates.

Jay and the Americans was at the height of its output in the 1960s, officially disbanding in 1973.

Jay continued to perform long after the band broke up ... all the way up 'till 2017.

He is survived by 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Jay was 82.

Metallica front man James Hetfield just cashed out on some land he owned down in Arizona ... and he's pocketing six figures from the transaction.

According to new legal docs ... James sold the 20 acres of vacant land he owned in Pima County for $1.2 million.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, say James struck a deal with the Rosemont Copper Company ... and the corporation is paying the rocker in straight cash. Cha-ching!!!

James first bought the sprawling plot of land, which is near the United States border with Mexico, in 1998.

James has been an involved member in the community ... the Metallica Scholars Initiative recently donated $100k to Pima Community College.

We reached out to reps for James ... so far, no word back.

Lil Nas X jokingly said he had a new song coming out with Boosie Badazz -- but the latter didn't think it was funny ... and hurled every homophobic slur he could at the guy.

The Louisiana rapper unloaded on LNX Saturday with an expletive-laden diatribe that's shocking -- calling Nas X the f-slur, among other things ... while also telling the 'Montero' artist that he should kill himself.

Boosie writes, "STOP TROLLING ME F***** LOL 📷U A WHOLE BITCH PLAYING WITH A GANGSTA SMH U CAN KEEP SUCKING D*** N GETTIN F***** N YOUR ASS."

As if the horrendous homophobia wasn't enough, he continued ranting and telling Nas X to kill himself, claiming he'd be doing the world a favor if he did so.

Yeah, we know ... it's wild, and about as unhinged as we've ever seen Boosie on this topic.

The hate speech comes on the heels of an IG video Nas X made, where he claimed he had a new collab coming out with Boosie ... obviously, a troll comment, as everyone knows Boosie would likely never agree to something like that ... based on his well-documented history.

Lil Nas X doesn't appear to have responded to Boosie's rant just yet -- but something tells us he'll have something to say. This one just goes way too far not to address.

Travis Tritt took a hard-line stance on performing at places requiring anything to help stop the spread of COVID-19 -- and in return, he's singing at a playoff MLB game.

The country star is set to belt out the National Anthem Saturday at Truist Park, where the Braves are hosting the Dodgers for Game 6 of the NLCS. It's a game that'll be aired on TBS, and which will obviously get mainstream coverage.

Tritt made the surprise announcement that he'd been tapped late Friday night, writing ... "FYI - I will be singing our National Anthem for Game 6 of the NLCS in Atlanta tonight between the @Braves and the @Dodgers," adding an American flag emoji at the end.

There's been no explanation for this choice on the part of the Braves -- but it's telling considering Tritt has been in the news of late for publicly stating he would not play shows at venues that had any COVID mandates whatsoever -- including vaccine mandates, negative test mandates or even mask mandates ... and canceling shows to that end.

He recently went on Fox News and said he found COVID protocols discriminatory and unnecessary in many cases ... which is why he was putting his foot down, a la Eric Clapton and other musicians who've taken similar positions.

BTW, Truist Park doesn't have any mandates in place besides for those stepping on the field -- and, apparently, Travis will be performing from somewhere behind home plate.

There is a full-on battle royale over DMX's estate, because another woman has reportedly come forward claiming she's one of X's kids, and wants in on the estate.

Raven Barmer-Simmons has contacted some of the kids of the late rapper, saying she is among them ... this according to Page Six, which broke the story.

If she is indeed on of DMX's kids, she could be #15. A battle is shaping up over who gets what as assets get divvied up.

A judge appointed 3 of X's sons, Xavier, Tacoma and Sean as temporary administrators, but that's clearly not sitting well with everyone.

X's fiancee, Desiree Lindstrom, has been trying to get an acknowledgment she was his common-law wife, but the judge rejected her claim. She wants to become the administrator of his estate, but now that seems like an uphill climb.

There will almost certainly be DNA tests to determine who's entitled to the estimated $1 million estate. Remember, though, there are also future earnings from his music that can replenish the estate.

There will also be lots of discussions over where all the money went. X sold more than 70 million albums and not only had a career in music but movies as well ... so on the surface the remaining assets seem out of whack.

Blueface's mom and stepdad say they were attacked in a violent home invasion at a place her son owns ... and it sounds like the alleged attackers were there to go after the rapper.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Blueface's mom, Karlissa Saffold, and her husband got into a physical altercation with 4 men who broke into the Santa Clarita home where they stay.

We're told the men shattered a back window around midnight, but were scared away for some reason, and Blueface's mom and stepdad called the cops, who took a report.

It's pretty scary ... we're told the suspects returned a few hours later and somehow got inside the house, and Blueface's stepdad heard something downstairs and went to investigate.

We're told the stepdad bumped into one of the suspects and they started fighting. Our sources say another intruder joined the altercation, pointing an object at the stepdad before striking him in the head with it.

We're told the stepdad suffered a concussion and injuries requiring 10 stitches near his left eye ... and his face was a bloody mess.

Our sources say the 4 suspects fled and Blueface's family called the police, who brought the stepdad to the hospital for treatment. He's since been released.

A second police report was filed and we're told the Santa Clarita County Sheriff's Office is investigating ... but there have been no arrests so far and nothing appears to have been taken from the home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one working theory is Blueface was the intended target ... but he wasn't home at the time, and doesn't live there.

Sisqo is giving Drake some sage advice on how to deal with doppelgängers ... he says it's best not to drag them to court.

We got the "Thong Song" singer in New York City this week and asked him what Champagne Papi should do about his imposter down in Miami who is going clubbing all over South Beach.

Sisqo's a bit of an expert in this particular area ... remember, he infamously dealt with a lookalike back in 2017, when the imposter was able to score all sorts of perks at New York Fashion Week.

The Drake impostor recently cropped up in Miami, and he's been getting tons of attention.

Sisqo says whenever Drake finds the guy's true identity, it doesn't do a lot of good to sue him ... a departure from Sisqo's original reaction to his own impostor.

Despite threatening legal action back in the day, Sisqo says he never followed through with a lawsuit ... after finding some common ground with the fake Sisqo.

NBA YoungBoy is about to get out of jail as he awaits trial in his federal weapons case ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper's attorneys, Drew Findling and Andre Belanger, tell us bail has finally been set for YoungBoy, but he has not yet been released. The judge gave him two options -- put up $1.5 million worth of property or $500k cash.

TMZ broke the story ... YoungBoy was busted in Los Angeles back in March on a federal warrant, with the FBI taking him into custody using a K-9 unit after he allegedly attempted to evade a traffic stop.

After the L.A. arrest, YoungBoy was transported to Louisiana and booked into a jail in St. Martin Parish, where he's remained behind bars.

NBA YoungBoy was previously indicted by a grand jury on charges of possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing a firearm not registered to him. The indictment came 12 days before he was busted in Cali.

Elton John says his childhood traumas can still control him today and, in addition to shaping his parenting style ... they can make him erupt in anger without warning.

Sir Elton had already revealed in his 2019 memoir that his parents had beat him as punishment for things as simple as taking off his school blazer the wrong way, and he's now revealing that influences his and his husband David Furnish's parenting choices.

The icon told The Guardian, "We never hit them or lose our temper with them. When they’re bad, they lose their pocket money, or their electronic stuff for a week – but they don’t get punished physically or mentally."

He added, "I was always afraid of my parents, and I didn’t want my children to ever be afraid of me." Elton and David have 2 sons ... 10-year-old Zachary, and 8-year-old Elijah.

Of course, Elton famously had a short fuse, especially in the heyday of his legendary career. He says David's support and 30 years of sobriety help him control it now, but he also admits, "My behavior was so erratic and so unpredictable. And it’s still in me, to explode at any moment."

Swedish House Mafia is back in the house ... they're going out on tour for the first time in nearly a decade, and they've got a new single featuring The Weeknd!!!

The supergroup just announced plans for their first arena tour since 2012, and they just dropped their new track with Abel ... "Moth to a Flame."

Yes, Swedish House Mafia is back in a very BIG way ... the song with The Weeknd is their first new single since announcing their reunion, and it's going to be on their upcoming album, "Paradise Again."

The EDM hitmakers will kick off their rare tour next July down in Miami, the first of 44 stops around the United States and Europe.

But, before they go back on tour, SHM will make its grand return to live performing in April at Coachella -- which was already gonna be insane after the 2-year pandemic hiatus.

Tommy DeBarge -- a member of the R&B/funk band Switch -- and part of the music industry's famed DeBarge family has died.

A family member tells us Tommy has suffered from liver and kidney failure over the years, but recently took a turn for the worse. We're told he was hospitalized a couple weeks ago, and died in the hospital Thursday.

DeBarge rose to fame in Switch in the mid to late '70s -- the group recorded hits like "There'll Never Be," "I Call Your Name" and "Love Over & Over Again."

Tommy and his brother, Bobby, were founding members of the group, which had a huge influence on future bands in the genre, including DeBarge ... the group composed of their siblings.

Bobby and Tommy left Switch to mentor their younger brothers and sister in DeBarge, but Bobby died of AIDS-related complications in 1995.

Tommy was 64.

RIP

Paris Hilton is bringing her crusade against abuse at troubled teen camps to Capitol Hill and she says she's proud to be fighting on behalf of alleged victims like herself.

We got Paris heading into the Capitol and asked her about the feedback she's getting from her campaign to get laws on the books banning mistreatment at youth facilities.

Paris says the response has been amazing and she's honored to be the poster child for change in this area. She's also confident better days are ahead.

Paris, who recently helped get a law passed protecting teens in Utah, sat down with federal lawmakers Thursday, including Sen. Mitt Romney.

Seems Paris is making some inroads ... Romney says he's grateful to see Paris advocating on the federal level after getting things done back in Utah.

As we reported ... Paris says she endured years of abuse when she was a teen attending boarding school in Utah, and she got emotional earlier this year while laying out her case for reforms.

Drake's got enemies, got a lot of enemies, but Montrezl Harrell is NOT one of them ... so says the hooper, who claims their heated exchange that led to a technical foul was nothing more than friendly banter.

After the Raptors spent 2020-21 playing home games in Tampa, Drizzy was finally back courtside in the 6ix for the season opener on Wednesday ... and it went from 0 to 100 real quick in the 2nd quarter when the rapper appeared to get in a verbal spat with Harrell.

The Wizards forward was T'd up as a result ... and gave refs a piece of his mind as the Raps' Fred VanVleet nailed the tech free-throw.

Despite what it looked like, Harrell says there's no bad blood with Drake ... clearing the air in a postgame interview.

"Me and Drake was laughing," Harrell said. "There was no problem. Me and Drake cool. We even talked after the game."

Harrell claims he was having a chat with Drake when a Raptors coach got involved in the exchange ... and when the 27-year-old clapped back, he was hit with the tech.

Harrell will be fined $2,000 for the alleged worst behavior ... but he wants the penalty thrown out after explaining his side of the story.

"I need me money back," Harrell added.

"That definitely shouldn't of been no tech. If so, you gotta give it to me and the coach."

At the end of the day, Drake's antics didn't work -- the Raptors lost, 98-83.

Snoop Dogg celebrating old school music and style is nothing new, but Snoop doing that for his 50th birthday is -- and everything about his party was true to the game ... including his badass surprise gift.

Snoop, decked out in a tuxedo, top hat and fur coat -- led the fashion parade for the bash at his Inglewood compound. Guests like Jamie Foxx, Usher, Nelly and T.I. were rocking their own styles that screamed old school playas ball.

The man himself was over the moon about the gift his family delivered to the party -- a fully restored 1955 Chevy Impala.

Snoop was grinning from ear-to-ear when he slid behind the wheel of the new copper whip with matching interior.

Inside the party, with more than 300 of his closest friends, Snoop got on the mic for a little bit ... but mostly got to enjoy comedic and musical performances from other people.

Not all of Snoop's pals could make it to the party -- Martha Stewart posted a 50th birthday message for her partner in pot culture ... and it was fully lit. Complete with a shoutout to Bic lighters. Naturally.

BTW, even before last night's event -- which kept rockin' to the early morn -- Snoop had treated himself to another sweet ride.

Lil Nas X is getting his own special day in Atlanta ... the city just declared a day in honor of the "Industry Baby" rapper.

The Atlanta City Council is behind the move to proclaim Oct. 20 as "Lil Nas X Day" ... and they just surprised Nas with a plaque commemorating the special honor.

ATL says LNX is shaping the city and the world with his "artistic influence and transformative influence" ... mostly through his super-popular songs.

Lil Nas X got the plaque Wednesday night at a special dinner at The Gathering Spot ATL ... and it was presented by city councilman and mayoral candidate Antonio Brown, the city's first Black LQBTQ+ council member.

Nas has deep connections to the city ... he was born and raised in the Atlanta area.

Kandi Burruss, Todd Tucker and Miss Lawrence were among the celebs on hand to see Lil Nas get the special honor.