Music

Fetty Wap made a trip to the airport that ended with handcuffs after police allegedly got an alert about his ankle monitor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Fetty was at Newark Liberty airport Friday, when for whatever reason, cops got an alert about his ankle monitor. We're told after officers spoke to FW and ran his info, they discovered he had a warrant out for his arrest.

Details about the warrant aren't exactly clear, but we know it was for public nuisance out of North Bergen, NJ.

We're told Fetty was arrested and booked for the warrant, but will be able to make bail and get released.

It's not the first run-in Fetty's had with the law lately, he was taken in by the FBI back in October. The feds claimed Fetty and his associates helped to distribute over 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey.

Agents say the investigation yielded $1.5 million in cash, 16 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl pills, pistols, handguns and a rifle.

Fetty was able to come up with his $500,000 bail for that arrest, so it's possible that's why he had the ankle monitor.

Adele and Rich Paul couldn't keep their hands off each other at the Chargers vs. Chiefs game on Thursday ... cuddling up in a suite and hanging with Jay-Z and Maverick Carter.

The Grammy-winning crooner and sports mega-agent were spotted on cam during the second quarter of Thursday Night Football ... and the couple was in full PDA mode as Hov and LeBron James' business partner sat right next to them.

Speaking of Bron, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar seemed to have some serious FOMO as his two closest friends hung out with the big musicians -- posting a playful response to a pic of the suitemates on Twitter.

"Who the heck are Jay-Z and Adele’s +1s????" King James tweeted.

It's gotta be a bummer James had to miss out on the fun -- he's always been a HUGE Hov fan and loves to catch a football game from time to time.

But, with the Lakers facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, it makes sense why he had to sit this one out.

Adele and Rich have been inseparable since going public earlier this year -- hitting up parties, sporting events and everything else together.

Remember, Hov helps put together the Super Bowl halftime show ... so maybe Adele is up next for SB57 in Arizona??

Federal agents investigating Young Dolph's murder are hoping their informants can help them crack the case ... but so far, the information provided hasn't led to any suspects or arrests.

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell TMZ ... federal agents recently interviewed informants about Dolph's shooting death in Memphis, resulting in a few new leads.

While we're told there are no solid suspects yet, the feds are hoping the information gleaned from their informants will lead them in the right direction to eventually make a probable cause arrest.

Meanwhile, investigators from the Memphis Police Department are also probing the case and talking to their sources on the street.

Memphis PD Sgt. Louis Brownlee tells TMZ ... cops have received quite a few tips on Young Dolph's murder, and while investigators have followed up on that info, there hasn't been anything to lead to an arrest.

Morgan Wallen's gotta be feeling like all is forgiven -- Lil Durk invited him to feature on a new song ... less than a year removed from the country singer's controversial use of the n-word.

The song, "Broadway Girls," was a surprise release Thursday night, and it's way more hip-hop flavored than country. Essentially, Morgan sings the hook and Durk handles the rapping ... although there are a few lines that sound like MW's dipping his toe, and attempting a little rap.

The collab is the latest sign the country superstar is fully bouncing back from the industry "canceling" him. As you know, back in February ... TMZ got video, shot by one of Morgan's neighbors, showing him using the n-word after a drunken night out with friends.

Radio stations stopped playing Morgan's songs, and he was banned from multiple award shows all year. However, his double album, "Dangerous" continued to top the charts and set sales records.

Morgan says he had no clue about the history or pain attached to the n-word, and told Michael Strahan he's learned from the controversy. Since then, he's popped up onstage at other artist's shows -- including Eric Church -- and gotten tons of applause. He's also announced a tour next year.

Bruce Springsteen's the Boss alright ... of the IRS, because the rock legend is gonna end up saving millions in taxes every year, courtesy of his record-setting sale of his music catalog ... according to Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star gave us some insight into why Springsteen and several other huge music stars are unloading their master recordings and publishing rights to corporations -- and turns out taxes are one major motivation.

Even before Sony bucked up big time for Bruce's songs we've seen Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Shakira, Imagine Dragons and others sell their tunes in 9-digit deals ... although, only Dylan's at $300 mil comes close to Springsteen's half a BILLION.

As Daymond explains on Friday's "TMZ Live" ... obviously these celebs are already in the highest tax bracket, which means they'd be paying around 40% in federal taxes on their income from annual royalties.

Now those royalties go to whoever buys the catalog, and that's the true brilliance of these deals. You've gotta see Daymond's explanation, but basically, Bruce is about to cut his tax rate in half!!!

There are other motivators too -- such as worldwide pandemics shutting down concerts and traditional revenue streams -- but at the end of the day, Daymond says the name of the game, for Bruce and others, is securing steady income for generations to come.

Famed DJ Deadmau5 doesn't sound like he's buried the hatchet with old nemesis Marshmello ... because he just reignited their beef!!!

Here's the deal ... Deadmau5 was streaming on Twitch Wednesday when someone asked him if he still had problems with Marshmello, and he said he would if Marshmello "was still f****** relevant."

Translation ... their beef, which traces back to a 2016 Twitter war, is alive and well.

Deadmau5 got in a few more shots ... saying he hasn't heard of Marshmello in a "hot f****** minute" and dissing his fellow DJ for getting out of the DJ game after making a bunch of money.

It's interesting ... Marshmello claimed back in May he had no ill will towards Deadmau5 and it seemed like their beef was a thing of the past ... but it seems Deadmau5 doesn't see things the same way.

The 10 people killed at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival all suffocated to death in a crowd surge that crushed their lungs, according to the medical examiner.

The info, released more than a month after the Houston tragedy lists each of the ten victims' cause of death as "compression asphyxia." The report states each victim was pronounced dead at local hospitals. Only one of the ten had a "contributory cause" to his death of the combined toxic effects of cocaine, methamphetamine and ethanol.

Of course, the investigation of what failures led to those deaths continues. As we reported, the Astroworld stage started to be torn down Wednesday, 40 days after the concert ended.

As you know, Travis, Live Nation and other promoters are facing billions of dollars in litigation for negligence and wrongful death.

TMZ broke the story, Travis has teamed up with government officials over the last few weeks to organize a safety report for city officials across the country to use moving forward when planning large-scale music events.

Families of the victims from the show have mostly positioned their anger toward Travis, refusing his help even after he and his team had offered to help pay for funeral costs.

Todrick Hall came sooo close to winning "The Masked Singer" title, but he's not walking away empty-handed -- in fact, he's pulled off a super rare accomplishment in the singing competition.

So, if you missed Wednesday night's season finale ... Bull, aka Todrick, lost to Queen of Hearts, aka Jewel, in the closest vote in the show's history. The unmasking was pretty awesome, shocking almost all of the judges ... with the exception of Nicole Scherzinger.

Todrick and Nicole have worked together, and he told us on Thursday's "TMZ Live" ... they've actually become good friends. Still, it wasn't just his voice that gave him away. Todrick admits it was total bull scent!!!

Yes, his cologne was the giveaway, and TH gave us lowdown on which one he was rocking under that costume. Speaking of which, 'Masked' contestants always griped about producers not letting them keep the costumes -- but Todrick's clearly different.

Gwen Stefani rocked the mic for Spotify's huge end of the year bash -- singing hits from her solo career and time with No Doubt ... and TMZ has the video.

The Spotify celebration, dubbed "A Totally Normal Party for 2021," went down Tuesday at an event space in Los Angeles ... with Gwen stealing the show.

Gwen performed for 45 minutes and her set featured some of her most famous songs ... including "Just a Girl," "Hey Baby," "The Sweet Escape," "Spiderwebs," "Hollaback Girl," "Don't Speak," "It's My Life" and "Rich Girl."

The first act on stage was the USC Trojans marching band ... but Gwen was the big draw here.

Spotify's year-end party comes on the heels of their 2021 Wrapped unveiling ... you've definitely seen people share their top Spotify songs and artists on social media ... and at one point, Gwen joked about hearing she was a top Spotify artist.

"The Boss" just proved why he's carried the nickname for so many years, negotiating one of the biggest deals in music history ... $500 million for his masters and publishing rights.

Bruce Springsteen and Sony just reached an agreement on the Springsteen catalog -- over 300 songs, 20 studio albums and other items for the half-a-billion price tag ... including albums like the 15-times platinum "Born in the U.S.A." and 5x platinum "The River."

For his entire career, the NJ singer released his music through Sony, but in the late 80s and 90s, he was given ownership of his records as an incentive to re-sign with the label.

According to Billboard, Springsteen had been in negotiations with Sony last month to make the album catalog purchase ... the deal comes a year after Universal Music Publishing brought Bob Dylan's publishing catalog for more than $300 mil.

Travis Scott is getting to work to ensure an event like the Astroworld tragedy never happens again, joining leaders from government and music in a first of its kind initiative ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Travis has spent the last few weeks meeting with leaders from The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) -- a group that represents the interests of more than 1,400 cities across the country.

We're told the goal is to form a committee made up of members of government, public safety, emergency response, health care event management, music and technology -- and create a safety report for future shows to follow and ensure safety and security.

We've obtained an outline of the group's goals, which also states it will "aggressively focus on new technologies and innovations that offer ways to address these challenges."

Outside of Travis, the report will be led by the Chair of the Conference's Tourism, Art, Parks, Entertainment and Sports Committee and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve.

You'll remember, it was during Travis' first interview since Astroworld last week when he told Charlamagne Tha God he felt it was his responsibility to fix things moving forward and to be sure something like the Houston tragedy never happened again.

Of course, the interview was not met well by some of the families of the 10 victims who lost their lives at the festival. Valerie Cortinas Fisher, the attorney for the family of 23-year-old Rudy Peña said despite what Travis thought, the interview didn't heal anyone -- telling us anyone can act sorry on camera -- but it's the action after that counts.

Megan Thee Stallion completing her college education is much more than a feather in her cap -- it's actually encouraging lots of other folks to go back for degrees ... specifically, at her now-alma mater.

Dr. Monica Rasmus, program director for Texas Southern University's Health Administration program, tells TMZ there's been an influx of one-time dropouts -- who used to study in her wing of the school -- steadily finding their way back and getting re-enrolled.

She says this is a direct result of Meg, in many cases, as she tells us former TSU students started reaching out to discuss returning after Meg went public in 2020 about completing her studies there.

She didn't have hard numbers, but Dr. Rasmus says there's certainly been a trend of interest -- and that intrigue goes beyond just former pupils, she says current students came flocking too. Rasmus says TSU undergrads and grad students started to hit up her department out of curiosity, and in many cases ... a genuine desire to pursue a degree in HA.

Perhaps the biggest way Meg has helped ... the $25k donation she made via Fashion Nova, which Dr. Rasmus says went a long way to helping students who need the dough. The feeling of appreciation is mutual, BTW -- MTS has shouted out Dr. Rasmus in recent interviews.

As we reported ... Megan walked the stage last weekend as she finally received her diploma, completing a long educational journey she'd been pursuing since 2013.

Killer Mike says the solutions for fixing the recent crime wave in Los Angeles are simple at face value ... but it might take some time and serious effort to actually implement.

We got the Atlanta rapper and activist Wednesday at LAX and asked him why crime is on the rise in Hollywood -- Mike says the issues are a result of failings in education, opportunities and housing.

Killer Mike says we're dealing with the brunt of 25 years of people growing up without trade skills for decent jobs and affordable places to live, and the pandemic is making things worse.

As we've reported, there's an alarming trend of home invasions, burglaries and armed robberies in affluent neighborhoods in L.A. ... with celeb victims including Dorit Kemsley, Terrence J and Clarence Avant and his wife, Jackie, who was shot and killed inside their Beverly Hills home.

Killer Mike says the tide can turn if America starts investing in these areas ... but it's going to take at least 5 years to see the results.

In the meantime, Killer Mike says people worried about home invasions and robbers should embrace the 2nd Amendment ... and he (jokingly) tells us which 5 guns he thinks every American should own.

Young Dolph was just honored in Memphis with a street naming, a ceremony that featured some touching words from his longtime partner, who hopes violence in the community slows.

Mia Jaye was on hand Wednesday for the unveiling of Adolph "Young Dolph" Thornton Jr. Avenue -- the new road in town that'll now honor his memory. With her two children by her side, MJ eulogized the late rapper ... singing his praises and the impact he left on her kids.

Mia said Dolph served as a good role model and father figure for the couple's son, while also treating his little girl like a queen ... and she says she hopes that's the legacy that he's remembered for, one of family and community.

Another point Mia made was Dolph behind the scenes of his rap career was a kind and gentle person.

Mia wants Dolph's death to serve as a reminder that Black men deserve to live, grow old and care for their families. Mia says the street sign should serve as a symbol for that message.

Councilwoman Martavius Jones and Councilman JB Smiley Jr., were among the group of local politicians at the ceremony.

Dolph was shot and killed last month in broad daylight. His murder investigation is currently underway ... but no suspects have been apprehended yet. He was 36.

Travis Scott's Astroworld stage is finally being broken down and hauled away after the tragedy in Houston.

Crews were hard at work Wednesday, dismantling the stage that continued to stand tall for 40 days after the deadly concert. There's a ton of crew members removing everything from lighting to the video screens and structure of the Houston event.

As for why it stayed up so long, law enforcement likely needed everything in place while they continued their investigation into what happened and what went wrong with the show's logistics and apparent lack of a safety plan.

As you know, the death toll from the Astroworld festival reached 10, and there's massive lawsuits pending against Travis and the concert promoters.

Another interesting piece from yesterday's hearing, Holley tells us, "On cross-examination, Detective Stogner admitted that the bullet fragments allegedly removed from Ms. Pete’s ankles cannot be located."

Of course, if available, the fragments would be hard evidence to prove it was a bullet, and not glass in Meg's foot. If they're missing, it leaves the door open for other possibilities.

Megan's got big issues with what the independent witness told police about her arguing with Kelsey ... and she makes a good point.

Megan just tweeted, "I've been shot and the focus of some these headlines are dismissing that I was attacked with a weapon while I was unarmed and trying to paint it as a cat fight between friends."

Fact is ... even if there was a dispute with Kelsey inside the SUV, we know Megan was shot while she was standing outside the vehicle. Megan's openly said she got out of the car because she didn't want to argue anymore ... which makes the dispute almost irrelevant to the moment the trigger was pulled.

An independent witness told cops they saw Megan Thee Stallion and her female friend, Kelsey, fighting just moments before Meg was shot in the foot ... a piece of evidence Tory Lanez's team feels cast serious doubt on what Meg said about him being the shooter.

During Tuesday's preliminary hearing a detective testified this independent witness -- who allegedly saw the shooting happen -- claimed the gun's muzzle flash went off closer to Kelsey than Tory.

Tory's attorney, Shawn Holley, says that muzzle flash detail is "corroborated by the gunshot residue found on the other female's hands." She also tells us, "It was further established that Megan gave several inconsistent accounts of what happened that night and that she omitted key information to the police."

Holley is almost certainly referring to what Meg first told responding officers, she had glass, and not a bullet, in her foot. Meg later claimed she only said it was glass because she was afraid if she told cops there was a Black man in the car with a gun, Tory could get shot.

Remember, this was the month after George Floyd was murdered.

Still, Holley adds, "We look forward to the opportunity to cross examine her at trial about the numerous inconsistencies in her story.”