Music

Britney Spears has more to get off her chest as it relates to her family -- whom she says have caused irreparable harm ... which she's not going to be quiet about anymore.

The singer took to IG Monday with a not-so-cryptic message ... one that was aimed directly at her blood relatives, it seems. She explains how every person she's ever opened to immediately abandons her in a time of need -- which she finds screwed up and is over with.

She adds, "This message is to my family ... for hurting me deeper than you'll ever know !!! I know the conservatorship is about to be over but I still want justice !!! I'm only 5'4" and I've played the bigger person my entire life ... do you know how hard that is ???"

Unclear who exactly this might be about, per se, but it seems to perhaps be for her younger sister, Jamie Lynn, who's been making headlines of late ... and not for great reasons.

As we've reported ... JLS is taking major heat for releasing a book right on the heels of her older sibling's conservatorship drama, which many find to be exploitative. Britney, too, appears to agree with that -- and has issued a broader warning shot at her brood ... saying they better pray she doesn't do any interviews, where she might really spill the beans.

And, of course, Britney has already expressed anger toward her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, so her reference to "family" seems all-inclusive.

Kodak Black's failed drug tests came back positive for pot and ecstasy ... and yet he's now asking a judge for permission to hit up a big concert where drug use might be rampant.

As we first told you, the rapper violated the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case by failing drug tests earlier this year. According to new legal docs, he tested positive for marijuana in February and then MDMA in August.

The judge ordered Kodak to complete a 90-day treatment program ... and he recently got permission to spend 30 of those days outside of Florida, after claiming it would give him a better chance at success.

Now, Kodak has his eye on a multiday music festival in New York.

According to the docs, KB asked the court to let him attend the Rolling Loud NYC music fest this weekend, and says it's strictly for business.

The judge signed off on it and gave him permission to perform at the festival -- he'll be on stage Friday in Queens -- as long as he keeps in touch with his Supervised Release Officer.

Cardi B has at least one bright idea about what she can give Offset for his 30th birthday -- and she's confident it will top his present to her ... assuming he's into good lovin'.

We ran into the rapper at LAX, where she was incognito and COVID-safe ... she still stood out like a sore thumb, though, on account of her unique nails. Anyway, we got to talking birthdays, because her husbands is coming up in a couple months -- and he just hooked her up with a new house in the Dominican Republic for her born day.

The natural question: Whatcha gonna get him in December that beats that???

Cardi's a little stumped on the question, but after some quick brainstorming -- she comes up with a possibility that literally made us laugh out loud. We'll say this ... Offset will NOT be disappointed. No Dad sweaters for him.

BTW, our camera guy noted something important ... Cardi might not have to get Offset a house or anything material at all, because she DID just deliver their son, who hit the big 5-0 himself on Sunday.

50 days, that is -- and still no pics of the little guy on Cardi's socials or anything -- ditto for his name. We ask Cardi about that too, and she admits we almost got her to spill the beans!!!

Waka Flocka's wife, Tammy Rivera, is fuming over a CVS employee who she believes racially profiled and harassed her -- but she's also making an appeal to save the woman's job.

ICYMI, Tammy went off Sunday with a couple of video posts ... one of them from inside the CVS in DeKalb County, GA as the alleged profiling was going down. Tammy said she frequents this CVS and knows all the employees, but the woman she encountered this time was new.

Tammy claims the staffer eyeballed her constantly, up and down every aisle, and yelled at Tammy for opening a hair accessory she intended to buy. The whole scene escalated when the clerk tried to kick TR out of the store, and police were called.

She eventually left the store to avoid trespassing charges, but Monday morning Tammy called her CVS to file a complaint, and she got a quick response from the general manager ... who called back to apologize.

A rep for CVS tells TMZ ... it has a "firm non-discrimination policy" and it's committed to ensuring that all customers are "treated with respect and are offered courteous customer service." The rep added they've launched an investigation.

Tammy tells us she's told CVS she doesn't want the woman to get fired, but instead, would like to see her get more education and training. As Tammy put it ... if it happened to me, it's probably happened to other Black or Latina customers.

Young Thug is about that big spender lifestyle -- especially when it comes to his pal 21 Savage ... who just hit 29, and YT went all out for his very pricey gift ... some very expensive wheels.

21's birthday was on Friday, and he celebrated with a major Freaknik-themed bash in the ATL. You might've seen the awesome fire red pickup truck Thug gifted to his homey -- but what you didn't know, until now, is the whip cost $150k!!!

The price gets up there quick when it's a completely customized ride.

Roadshow International -- a luxury car dealership in Atlanta -- tells TMZ ... the truck itself is a Dodge Hellcat TRX, new models of which can range anywhere from $60k to $72k right off the lot. But, watch this video showing all the truck's features and you'll see why Thug paid way more than that.

The truck is plastered with dagger logos ... which lines up with Sav's signature face tat, which is an ode to his younger brother who was slain years ago. It also has a "21" emblazoned across the door.

Not just that, but the interior bears 21 Savage's face too ... a rendering of himself is stitched right into the upholstery of some of the seats -- so there's no question whose ride this is.

E-40's giving new meaning to his classic track "Yay Area" ... which now could refer to the gourmet meats and burritos he's serving up as he enters the food biz.

That's right, E's got a new handle now -- the Goon With the Spoon -- to go along with his new line of work ... and the rap icon tells us he's not just putting his name on the product, he's taking a totally hands-on approach.

He says he was inspired by attending lots of gourmet food events -- including some Bay Area tailgating at sporting events -- and decided it was time to expand. As you probably know, E-40 jumped into the liquor biz last year with his own tequila and sparkling wines.

He's kicking off his meat game with several different sausages -- mild beef, spicy beef, chicken teriyaki pineapple and chicken Philly cheesesteak.

Megan Thee Stallion's entourage might need to learn the rules of the road track when it comes to media etiquette at a Formula 1 event -- at least according to this driver-turned-reporter.

Check out this interaction between Sky News' Martin Brundle (an ex-racer himself) and Meg, whom he bum-rushed while she and her posse were striking their way across the grid at the U.S. Grand Prix Sunday ... where all the cars and pit crews were hanging out on the ground-level, and where camera crews were rolling ... with journos on the hunt for interviews.

In the middle of their live coverage -- which was getting broadcast on ESPN -- Brundle noticed MTS making her way through the commotion, and tried getting an impromptu one-on-one chat with her ... which he sorta successfully did, if only for a short while.

He asks her if she has any "rap for us today on Formula One" ... and she laughs, saying no -- she didn't have anything for him. Brundle pressed further, asking who she was rooting for.

Before Megan even got a chance to respond, some dude in her crew swooped in from behind and pushed Brundle back ... apparently telling him he "couldn't do that."

Well, old Martin had a helluva comeback to that ... saying that not only can he do that, but he just did. OHHHHHHH!!!! The irritated look-back from the blond assistant is classic too. 😆

There are different reactions to this ... some say MB shouldn't have gotten in her space like that. However, others say she (and her team) shoulda known it's fair game in the F1 world ... especially from Martin, who's a vet in the biz and well-known figure -- not a random pap.

J Balvin is issuing a mea culpa for a music video of his that portrayed Black people -- especially women -- as animals ... namely, dogs ... who were literally on all fours.

The Colombian reggaetón star took to IG to apologize for the controversial visual offering of his track "Perra" with Dominican rapper, Tokischa, who's of African descent herself. The track's all about how she (Tokischa) is a dog in heat ... and looking for a male to bang.

Naturally, the video would be provocative ... but it seems Balvin and co. went all in on the canine theme -- getting a lot of their dancers/background actors in animal-style makeup, in which many of these folks of color were made to look like actual pooches.

Not just that, but some of the Black people are in cages at certain points, Tokischa is depicted in a dog house throughout the video and eating from a bowl ... and the most striking image is when J Balvin himself is walking a couple of Black ladies on leashes.

The project was slammed by several critics, but the biggest may have been Colombia's very own Vice President and Chancellor Marta Lucia Ramirez ... who deemed it sexist, misogynistic and flat-out racist. After all the backlash -- it was taken down by Balvin.

In his video, Balvin says he's sorry to anyone who was offended ... especially women, and especially Black women. He says he didn't mean for it to be interpreted as degrading -- noting he was simply trying to help give some shine to an up-and-coming artist in the Dominican Republic.

Balvin says his work has always been about tolerance, love and inclusivity -- and after hearing how it affected people ... he felt the need to come on and address it on camera.

The guy even apologizes to his own mother at one point ... so you can tell he's taking it seriously. While the video was removed from YouTube ... the official audio is still up.

Ed Sheeran is hitting the pause button, because he says he's tested positive for COVID-19 ... which disrupts a few things in his immediate future.

The singer made the announcement Sunday on Instagram, writing ... "Hey guys. Quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines."

He adds, "It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house. Apologies to anyone I’ve let down. Be safe everyone x"

It sounds like the guy will be well enough to carry on with some scheduled responsibilities -- of which we're sure there's quite a few, seeing how Ed's new album is due out next week.

Speaking of one of those commitments, 'SNL' just announced yesterday that Ed would be the musical guest alongside host Kieran Culkin for Nov. 6's episode -- but it's unclear if he'll be able to make that or not ... it's 13 days away, and he could presumably be well by then.

Ed is also supposed to be appearing on "The Voice" this week as a musical mentor -- but they seem to have taped his segment well before this diagnosis. No word if he was planning on making an in-person visit as well -- but if so, that's almost certainly off now.

Kane Brown hurt himself while performing live in Tennessee, but he carried on anyway and finished his show like a trooper ... because, hey, sometimes it be like that, right?

The country star was in Memphis Saturday night, belting out songs at the FedEx Forum -- when, at some point, he hopped down to the lower front stage area ... and appears to have twisted his ankle pretty badly, to the point that he had to hop down completely.

You can see he's in serious pain as security attends to him ... this while the band continued playing for a solid 30 seconds or so. Eventually, they stopped -- as it was clear Kane wasn't coming back on stage anytime soon.

The guy had to be helped up and escorted around -- but he didn't pull the plug on the concert ... quite the opposite, KB got himself together and went back up there anew.

It sounds like the rest of his set was a little choppy at times -- some folks claim the guy was stumbling a bit up there after deciding to push forward, and was even tearing up at one point ... so say some eyewitnesses. Still, despite that, Kane did indeed tough it out to the end.

The ankle injury was about as bad as it sounded and looked to spectators, because Kane took to IG afterward and filmed his foot ... which was swollen like a balloon.

There's another tour stop that he's supposed to be at tonight, and some fans were wondering if the event was canceled over this -- which is reasonable ... the dude's legit crippled, it seems.

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.