Music

Gary Richards -- the legendary promoter behind Electric Daisy Carnival and HARD -- is telling TMZ he actually knows how to throw a destination festival … unlike, well, Billy McFarland.

Hot on the heels of Billy’s doomed Fyre Festival 2.0, Gary tells TMZ he’s giving away 10 cabins for his upcoming FriendShip 2026 cruise to folks with the wildest Fyre Fest stories -- past or present.

Gary tells us watching the Fyre Festival docs seriously fired him up ... telling us that as a festival producer, all your fans have is your word -- and your track record -- so seeing all the chaos at their expense is straight-up unacceptable.

Jennifer Lopez's ex-lover Casper Smart got smoked by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office ... 'cause he was just charged with operating an illegal marijuana grow operation at his home ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the City Attorney filed 2 misdemeanor charges against Smart -- one count of participating in unlicensed commercial cannabis activity and and one count of engaging in commercial cannabis activity without a temporary application license.

The charges stem from a December 2024 raid, when police executed a search warrant at Casper's L.A. home, where cops say they found evidence of a small-to-medium-size grow operation.

FYRE Festival's on the auction block ... and, a man who already owns the IP for the broadcast and streaming rights might try to purchase the whole dang thing.

We spoke with Shawn Rech -- the man who cofounded TruBlu, a true-crime streaming service with "To Catch a Predator" star Chris Hansen -- and, he says he's considering buying the rights from the festival from Billy McFarland, who announced yesterday he's selling.

Rech explains he purchased the IP, which allows him to use the FYRE name to create a streaming service unrelated to the overall event ... admitting he secured it for a pretty reasonable price.

4/25 -- 8:27 AM PT -- As promised, Trey Songz has released his new "Gimme a Chance" record ... which is more of a booty call request than an apology for past transgressions.

On the track, Trey's asking for a "sexy freaky lil' b****, suck it with a lotta spit ... And that p***y got a grip on it."

Trey Songz can clearly see what folks are saying about him on Instagram -- but wants fans to know his career has plenty of life -- and love to give!!!

Sources close to Trey tell TMZ Hip Hop he's releasing his new single, "Gimme a Chance," for New Music Friday tomorrow ... a track that will shed light on everything that has happened to the R&B superstar in the public eye

The song will touch on topics of redemption and reconciliation -- not just romantically, but in the broader sense -- think someone who knows they've messed up, but is owning it somewhat and asking for another shot. One thing missing from the song is an apology to anyone he might have wronged.

A horror film starring 50 Cent set for release in July to launch the new GenTV platform may not make it to any screens ... because the megastar rapper says he never inked a final deal with producers, and he's now suing over its release!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained legal docs filed by 50 on Thursday, making good on the social media warnings he's been sending to GenTV's owner, Ryan Kavanaugh, about taking legal action to try to block the rollout.

According to the documents, 50 says he looked past Kavanaugh's controversial past and provided his acting talents for the movie after they sketched out the basic terms of a deal ... with the expectation they would reach a final agreement and sign a contract.

Jillian Lauren's leaning on her husband, Scott Shriner, during this difficult time -- quite literally -- in her first sighting since being arrested for the attempted murder of a cop, using her husband to help her traverse their driveway.

The Weezer bassist's wife was seen leaving their home in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon ... holding tightly to his wrist with one hand while carrying a red leather travel bag on her right arm. No injuries are visible, but she may be needing the extra support due to a gunshot wound to her shoulder following her police encounter earlier this month.

The two are packing up the car ... unclear where they're going -- but, we doubt it's far given the charges facing Lauren.

Kendrick Lamar recently became the first musician ever to appear in a Gatorade commercial while using his own song "Peekaboo" as the soundtrack ... a fairly easy payday for AZ Chike, the song's costar!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the red-hot Los Angeles rapper out in West Hollywood this week and chopped it up about Kendrick's new “Lose More. Win More." campaign ... AZ Chike says dealing with Gatorade pays great -- and all he had to do was hit 'em with that, "Bing-bop-boom-boom-boom-bop-bam!!!"

AZ Chike's been rapping for several years but saw his career go into warp overdrive in November when Kendrick's "GNX" was released ... no worries, he had his paperwork straight and prepared!!!

Kanye West and Bianca Censori are shopping till they drop over in Spain ... picking out her new outfits from an erotic store!!!

Check out this new footage of Kanye going in and out of a sex shop in Palma, Mallorca ... he's trying to be low-key with a black hoodie, but he couldn't evade the paparazzi.

Folks who work in the store say Kanye came in first, left, and then returned with Bianca ... and then they spent about an hour browsing around.

Justin Bieber's waxing poetic about religion ... telling fans the Bible and church alone aren't enough to save a person -- but, he says truly receiving God's forgiveness can.

The singer-songwriter shared multiple photos to his Instagram Story detailing his religious philosophy ... kicking it off by acknowledging he's flawed, but says God chooses to work through him every day regardless.

It's a long message -- definitely worth reading all the way through ... but, a few of Justin's lines will certainly perk up fans' ears, including one part where Justin talks about how guilt can only be assuaged by forging a relationship with the Lord Almighty, not by going through the motions of reading the Bible and going to church.

Katy Perry's "Lifetimes" tour has officially blasted off, and it’s nothing short of intergalactic -- 'cause she was straight back at it in Mexico City after her controversial all-female trip to space.

The singer was clearly orbiting the cosmic theme as she shut down Arena CDMX on Wednesday, even getting up close and personal with sky-high, ahem, *die-hard* fans who showed up in full NASA gear to back their girl.

Katy's stage was straight outta the future -- complete with space-age vibes and plenty of air time, thanks to those harnesses that had her literally floating through her set.

Singer Kehlani is puttin' her 20s behind her and officially entering her 30s era! In celebration of her big day, we've got a fresh new gallery showcasing her killer bod and hot shots!

Since breaking into the limelight on "America's Got Talent" back in 2011, Kehlani continues to throw her tatted physique and bikini pics right in your laps ...

Flexin' hard on 'em ... She's no stranger to a shredded gym selfie ... Check out this mirror pic, revealing her toned frame!

You know the drill ... All Kehlani's hot shots are in the steamy photo gallery above!

Before this buttoned-up kiddo was headlining Stagecoach Festival, he was just sportin' his spiffy tuxedo and purple bowtie, growing up in Nashville, Tennessee and admiring the music of Three 6 Mafia, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

He started his music career by selling mixtapes out of his car. Slowly but surely he transitioned from rap music to country music. In 2024, he rang in the new year with a rockin' performance in New York City's Times Square.

Need one more clue on who this cute kid turned into? He loves Waffle House!

Gene Simmons and KISS might "Lick It Up," but when it comes to his massive mansion Gene's hoping someone will pick it up ... 'cause he just listed his house for a touch less than $14 million.

The legendary guitarist is putting his 7,741-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion on the market for $13.995 million ... selling off the Swiss-designed architectural beauty.

The hillside home features an 1,800-square-foot deck, spacious ceilings and an open floor plan. Scenic views are integrated into the home ... perfect whether enjoying the state-of-the-art kitchen, the upstairs gallery space, or the plush home theater.

The frat bros behind The Chainsmokers' ASU gig -- yeah, the one cops rolled up on this past weekend -- are telling TMZ it was chaos from the jump ... 'cause even getting the bash up and running was a manic last-minute scramble.

The president of ASU's Phi Gamma Delta -- AKA FIJI -- chapter and fellow board members tell TMZ the first house they locked in for the gig straight-up failed, thanks to a plumbing disaster that flooded the yard days before ... so they had to haul all the gear out and pivot fast.

They tell us it was so last-minute, the event wasn’t even officially confirmed until 16 hours out -- and to top it off, cops were already on the scene before the party had even started.

Ari Lennox has opened the latest chapter in her music career -- a chapter that finds the platinum-selling singer going forward without J. Cole and her longtime label Dreamville!!!

TMZ Hip Hop has confirmed that Ari is no longer on the Dreamville roster and will proceed on Interscope, the sole credit for her new song ... but all signs point to a completely amicable split.

This past April, Ari performed her curtain call at Cole's final Dreamville Festival, and thanked him and the label for essentially making her dreams a reality in 2015 when she first signed.

Billy McFarland's giving up the iconic FYRE Festival brand ... announcing he's decided to sell amid all the scrutiny surrounding the second version of the event.

The founder of FYRE Festival released a statement Wednesday ... letting fans know the last two years have been a commitment to finishing what he started and making things right following the absolute debacle that was the first FYRE Festival.

Billy points out FYRE Festival has dominated headlines for years ... grabbing the attention of news agencies, documentarians and many fans around the globe -- and, the event needs a team more experienced than him to get the second event over the finish line.