Music

Joey Bada$$ feels he's both at the top of the rap game and has more to prove, so anyone considering themselves competition --  Top Dawg Entertainment artists, current or former -- will be regarded as food!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Mr. Beast Coast in Burbank on Thursday ... Joey's arming himself with a bold new album title, "Lonely At The Top," which he explains to us outlines being at the "top" of all his success.

Joey tells us he keeps God close to combat loneliness but has been occupying his studio time much of the year, looped in a battle rap between West Coast rappers, mainly Ray Vaughn of TDE ... Joey's ultimate goal is to face off against Kendrick Lamar!!!

New twist in the viral Coldplay concert scandal -- the company behind the CEO busted in an alleged affair says a supposed statement from Andy Byron that's gone viral is totally fake.

Byron’s company, Astronomer tells TMZ the statement floating around on social media -- purportedly written by Andy himself to address the alleged affair -- is “not a real statement.”

The faux statement was posted late Thursday after the now-infamous video went viral, showing CEO Andy hugging Astronomer's HR chief Kristin Cabot during Wednesday night's Coldplay concert in Boston.

The alleged couple ended up on the big screen, and both of them immediately tried to hide when they realized they were on full display.

It sure seems like everyone is talking about the viral Coldplay concert moment when the kiss-cam seemingly exposed a CEO's alleged affair with his staffer -- and now fans can rock hilarious merch ... thanks to Etsy.

The popular online marketplace was flooded with items shortly after Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was allegedly caught canoodling on camera with his human resources chief, Kristin Cabot, at Coldplay's Boston concert Wednesday night.

Spreading through social media like the "Speed of Sound" ... their horrified reaction made national headlines -- so of course, it was just a matter of time before someone cashed in on the moment.

LiAngelo Ball's debut album is here ... and the baller-turned-rapper used the project to clap back at his ex for calling him a "deadbeat daddy."

Gelo's full-length LP, "League of My Own," features 13 tracks, including his hit "Tweaker" ... and in one of the songs, he talks about an unnamed person calling him a bad father.

The lyrics go ... "They kick me when I'm down, so can you pick me up? Say I'm a deadbeat daddy who don't give no f***s. Say I'm an ugly soul who just up and run."

The Coldplay fan behind the viral kiss cam moment that seemingly exposed a CEO's alleged affair with his staffer is defending posting the video with a blunt lesson -- "Play stupid games ... win stupid prizes!"

New Jersey resident Grace Springer is speaking out about her wild video -- which has amassed more than 30 million views -- telling The Sun she never expected her footage to become so popular but hopes it can be a learning moment for those involved.

She explains ... "A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes."

Troy Ave. ain't out of the woods yet after his "fake" shooting video surfaced online ... 'cause the police are now investigating to see if the incident was actually real.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ they received a copy of the video Wednesday, which depicts Troy and his buddy, Geoff Cole, getting out of a vehicle outside Geoff's home as a gunman sneaks up on them. Troy quickly reacts, pulling out his own pistol and firing several shots at the supposed assailant before the clip cuts off.

Geoff uploaded the video to his Instagram page Tuesday -- and 45,000 people liked it, with many believing that Troy was a real-life hero standing up to an alleged attempted robber.

50 Cent will lend his commanding vocals to narrate Skilla Baby's next album, "The Price Of Fame," TMZ Hip Hop can confirm ... similar to "Get Rich or Die Tryin," the project is aiming to be a magnum opus classic!!!

The Detroit rapper has been bouncing back after being shot in May, and we're hearing he was centered inside two star-studded, top-secret listening sessions on Wednesday in Los Angeles for his upcoming project.

Our sources inform us the first listening was held at the Interscope offices in Santa Monica with 50 and Skilla's Geffen Records label boss, Aaron “Dash” Sherrod, detailing the album.

The brutal murders of Robin Kaye, a music supervisor on "American Idol," and her husband, musician Thomas DeLuca, at their home in Encino earlier this week sent shockwaves through Los Angeles.

We've learned the suspect, Raymond Boodarian, has a troubled background ... the 22-year-old man was arrested this week on suspicion of committing the grisly murders.

We're going to take a look at the disturbing allegations surrounding his past, as well as the events that led up to his arrest.

Boodarian allegedly had a history of substance abuse issues leading up to the murders, frequently associating with other users, according to the New York Post.

The murder suspect reportedly brought other users around his residence in Reseda, a neighborhood in L.A. -- one neighbor claimed the visits left other residents "frightened."

The same individual reportedly said Boodarian's alleged drug usage resulted in "a lot of problems," which other neighbors complained about.

Another of Boodarian's neighbors spoke to Fox News and claimed he was "on and off medication" ... another stated he would "be taken away for a couple of months" before being returned to his residence.

Boodarian's behavior reportedly landed him in trouble with authorities, and he racked up a list of alleged criminal offenses over the years, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Court records show he'd been charged with brandishing a knife, threatening to commit a crime with the intent to terrorize, and battery.

But the charges were eventually dismissed after he went through hearings related to establishing a conservatorship, as well as his mental competency.

Boodarian subsequently underwent a mental health evaluation and was ultimately placed under a conservatorship, according to NBC 4.

The bodies of Kaye and DeLuca were discovered Monday at their tightly secured home after LAPD officers arrived to perform a welfare check.

Police went to the couple's residence the previous Thursday in response to a call about a potential break-in ... and although cops showed up to check out the scene, they left after searching the property.

Our law enforcement sources told us the couple's bodies were found in separate rooms, and they both had been shot in the head.

Boodarian is believed to have entered the house through an unlocked door on Thursday afternoon last week ... Kaye and DeLuca returned to their house shortly afterward and discovered him inside, which allegedly led to a confrontation that resulted in both of them being shot.

Boodarian was arrested at his residence after police found fingerprints at the scene that allegedly match his -- his prints had been entered in the LAPD's database after he was arrested on battery charges in 2024.

Jermaine Dupri thinks it's time rap music gets its groove back ... strippers don't dance no more -- all they do is finger-gun gestures!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video from Wednesday night of the So So Def founder in Hollywood at Grandmaster Recorders, where he hosted an exclusive mixer for DJs and tastemakers to preview his new album inspired by the Magic City documentary.

JD ranted against strippers doing their best Ja Morant impression with the gun dances when they should be dropping it low on the pole!!! He got platinum-selling producer DJ Toomp to agree with him in the crowd.

Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist officially let the pasta out of the bag in Hollywood last night -- their "Alfredo 2" album is real, cooked up and almost ready to serve!!!

The Grammy-nominated duo was hosting the world premiere of "Alfredo: The Movie," their short film shot in Tokyo at Brain Dead Studios ... moderated by our own TMZ Hip Hop's Trent Clark, who got them to fire off the release date of July 25!!!

The film follows the two along in Japan ... with scenes Freddie joked that teeter on elderly abuse -- the dangers when you pull your own stunts!!!

Freddie says just giving fans music without an accompanying art piece would be a disservice at this point in his career ... it's directed by Freddie's longtime music director Nick Walker and spearheaded by his manager Ben Lambert ... nothing broken needs fixing!!!

Freddie told the audience he's in a good space mentally and didn't need tons of guest features on the project to amplify his raps ... something Alchemist wholeheartedly agreed with.

"Alfredo 2" album opener "1995" -- a 10-year jump from "Alfredo 1's" kickoff track "1985" also dropped today, to accompany the film's rollout.

G Herbo wasn't in attendance for rapper Mello Buckzz's Chicago album release party that left four people dead, but as a guest feature on the project and close friend of hers, Swerve says he's feeling the PTSD!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Herbo in NYC on Wednesday ... a bittersweet trip considering the 4th of July Weekend shooting is still fresh in his mind.

Herbo's song "Went Legit" has been crazy this summer and just got a boost from Druski clowning around ... and he's also featured on Rob49's viral "WTHELLY (Remix)."

Justin Bieber will not pay his multimillion-dollar debt to Scooter Braun's former company immediately ... he will not have to ante up until money from the sale of his wife's Rhode beauty company hits their bank account, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us, the settlement between Scooter and Justin has one key provision -- Justin doesn't square his $31-million-plus debt until the Rhode deal is closed and fully funded.

TMZ broke the story ... an independent audit showed Justin owed Scooter's company, Hybe, $26 million after Hybe paid AEG that amount to bail Justin out for cancelling his "Justice" tour. Justin also owed Scooter $11 million in back commissions. There was another $8 million debt Justin owed Scooter for other commissions, but Scooter waived that amount.

Destroy Lonely is being blamed for nearly killing a kid after allegedly forcing him to jump off a stage at a Romanian festival -- and now the organizers are changing the rules!!!

The incident happened last weekend at Romania's annual Beach Please hip hop festival ... a 15-year-old fan named Nicholas says he'll be on the mend for weeks with a pulmonary contusion and lesions on his liver and kidneys!!!

The footage is pretty wild ... Destroy Lonely can be seen amping the kid up multiple times until he decides to jump -- the back angle shows the Opium label rapper physically urging his rager to take the daredevil dive off the stage.

Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson's romance tour continues -- this time, the new couple turned heads at a fancy event ... and the "Mamushi" rapper gushed about how special her hooper boyfriend is to her.

The pair was spotted all dolled up at the inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala in New York City on Wednesday ... a bash for Megan's nonprofit organization that provides resources for women, children and the elderly in underserved communities.

It's the second time the lovebirds have been spotted showing PDA in public since their Instagram hard launch ... and the shindig was a perfect opportunity to open up a bit about their hot love story.

Logan Paul found out the hard way not to call Jelly Roll a "greasy, redneck prison rat" ... 'cause the WWE Superstar ended up chokeslammed through a freakin' desk as a result -- right on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

The 40-year-old singer was tapped to guest host the late-night show during Kimmel's yearly summer vacation ... and it was only right to interview his upcoming tag team partner, Randy Orton, ahead of "SummerSlam" in New Jersey next month -- where the two will face off against Paul and Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre apparently couldn't wait until the showdown at MetLife Stadium, 'cause he actually ended up crashing the Q&A ... and after directing some trash talk toward JR, Orton and the Scottish Warrior got into a scrap that wound up backstage.

Bianca Censori knows how to grab your attention --- and, in her latest batch of photos, she keeps everyone's eyes glued to her backside!

The Australian model posted another series of sexy Instagram pics shot by her rapper husband Kanye West in October but released Wednesday. And Bianca looks drop-dead gorgeous, especially when she turns around for the camera.

Check out her 3 lingerie snaps ... starting with the butt shot, which speaks for itself. All we can say is enjoy the view, people.