Music

Pooh Shiesty and Gucci Mane were definitely involved in a "situation" the day Gucci was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint ... but the story told in the federal complaint could be a tall tale -- at least according to attorneys representing two of the defendants.

One of the lawyers, Arthur Horne, III -- who represents rapper Big 30 -- tells us his client will be pleading not guilty to the charges, and denies all allegations against him in the charging documents.

Prosecutors charged Big 30 (real name Rodney Wright), Pooh, and 7 other defendants for allegedly kidnapping Gucci and several other people during a gunpoint robbery at a music studio in Dallas, Texas, on January 10, 2026.

Big brands are cutting ties with Kanye West left and right -- Anheuser-Busch InBev is the latest sponsor to back out of the London festival Ye's headlining this summer ... according to Wall Street Journal.

Budweiser and BeatBox -- both owned by Anheuser-Busch -- were previously listed as sponsors of the Wireless Festival. But AB InBev told WSJ on Monday that's no longer the case.

And they're just one of several brands to drop out of the festival since Kanye was announced as the headliner.

DJ Diesel -- aka Shaq -- has played in the biggest games on the planet -- but even he got the jitters stepping onto the stage at Sphere.

The Big Aristotle pulled up as a guest for Friday night’s show during Illenium’s “Odyssey” finale weekend … and afterward, the 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer admitted the moment hit different.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life and it’s hard for me to get nervous,” O’Neal wrote on Instagram, “but this is one of the few times I got on stage and was actually nervous.”

Justin Bieber is gearing up for his Coachella comeback ... he played an intimate set at the Troubadour in West Hollywood Saturday night.

This is JB's second L.A. gig recently -- he also put on a secret show at the Roxy on March 29 -- ahead of his headlining set at the Indio, CA music festival.

According to Setlist FM, Biebs has been skipping the hits and playing songs from "SWAG" and "SWAG II" ... leading fans to believe his Coachella sets on April 11 and April 18 will be more of the same.

Britney Spears isn’t taking any chances ... firmly in passenger princess mode as she was chauffeured around on Easter Sunday.

Photos show Britney fully in chill mode, nowhere near the driver’s seat, and for good reason -- she was booked for DUI last month, with California Highway Patrol confirming to us she was arrested last month for driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Since then, she’s kept things low-key, laying low at home in the days after the arrest and focusing on reconnecting with her kids. But she’s not doing it alone ...

Kanye West’s Stateside comeback may be pulling in crowds, but across the pond it’s a different story -- and the backlash is stacking up fast!

PayPal is the latest to distance itself, with London's Wireless Festival organizers confirming the brand won’t appear on any event branding while Ye is headlining -- or going forward, according to ITV News.

It’s not a headline sponsor, but PayPal still plays a key role as the payments partner for Live Nation UK Festivals, offering early ticket access -- so yeah, this one stings.

Kanye West hit all the right notes during his two shows in Los Angeles over the weekend, raking in a whopping $33 million as he wages a major comeback after his career was sidelined by his passion for Nazis, according to a new report.    

Bloomberg says Ye snagged more than $18 million in ticket sales during his Friday concert alone, making it one of the highest-grossing single shows in the history of live music.

The news outlet also pointed out Ye still has die-hard fans rushing to buy his new record, "Bully," which is on track to become one of the best-selling albums in its opening week.

But Bloomberg cautioned Ye's two sold-out L.A. gigs could just be an aberration considering all of his issues involving antisemitism dating back to 2022.   

"Ye" it ain't so! Another major sponsor is following in Pepsi's footsteps, bailing on London's Wireless Festival after Ye -- formerly known as Kanye West -- was named as the headliner.

Alcoholic beverage giant Diageo has pulled out of the event, and despite never naming Ye as a reason for their exit, the timing is raising eyebrows.

As we reported ... a rep for Pepsi confirmed over the weekend their company had "decided to withdraw its sponsorship" after Ye's booking stirred backlash across the U.K.

Pepsi is tapping out of a major music fest and Kanye West appears to be the reason why.

The soda giant has reportedly pulled its sponsorship from London's Wireless Festival after Ye was booked to headline all three nights of the event this summer.

A rep for Pepsi confirmed the move, saying the company has "decided to withdraw its sponsorship" -- though they stopped short of directly naming Ye as the cause.

Rapper OJ da Juiceman isn't skipping a beat after spending a few weeks in lockup ... in fact, TMZ has learned he will be releasing a few!

The trap rapper -- who cops have accused of pointing a gun at a Georgia State Patrol officer -- got out of the clink early this morning ... and, his manager Rueben Wood says his time away hasn't slowed him down at all.

Wood tells TMZ ... OJ was working on some new music prior to his March arrest -- and fans will get to hear it all very soon.

Kanye West's second comeback Los Angeles show was packed with special guests ... bringing rappers Lauryn Hill and Travis Scott to the stage, along with CeeLo Green and Ye's oldest, North West!

Check it out -- the crowd erupted in cheer when Lauryn made her way to the stage through a cloud of smoke and jumped into an electrifying performance of "All Falls Down." Kanye sampled Lauryn's 2002 live track "Mystery of Iniquity" on "All Falls Down."

Lauryn stayed on stage for several numbers ... singing a rendition of "Doo Wop (That Thing)," which transitioned into Ye’s "Believe What I Say." Kanye's 2021 song samples Lauryn's 'Doo Wop' as well. She wasn't done there, BTW ...

"The Jews said Hazel finna fall today" ... that's what Hazel-E told our photog when she tripped on her way out of a Kanye West concert.

We got the 'Love & Hip Hop' star on her way out of Kanye's show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, and she was giving Kanye a full-throated defense when she suddenly tripped in her heels.

Hazel caught herself and then cracked a joke about "the Jews" ... which came as she was smack in the middle of hyping Kanye up for bouncing back from multiple antisemitic controversies.

Pooh Shiesty and his crew have been federally charged with the robbery and kidnapping of Gucci Mane ... and the suspects were allegedly captured on surveillance.

Here's the deal ... the DOJ says Shiesty and his alleged co-conspirators "executed an armed takeover" ... during which they say Shiesty forced Gucci at gunpoint to sign a release letting Shiesty out of his recording contract.

Along with the indictment ... the feds included several snapshots of surveillance from the building Gucci's studio is in, which appear to show the group of suspects entering the building -- and one of them leaving to retrieve a duffel bag.

Shiloh Jolie surprised fans when she showed up in a teaser for a new K-pop music video.

On Thursday, Starship Entertainment dropped a clip from the upcoming visual for Dayoung's single "What's a Girl to Do" ... and it features Shiloh looking like a spitting image of mom Angelina Jolie.

One shot shows Brad Pitt and Angelina's daughter lounging in a lacy tank top, sporting hoop earrings and a lip ring.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has done his time, and he's back on the streets -- and he's leaving federal prison with a can't-miss souvenir.

The rapper shared a clip from the moment authorities let him back out on the streets Friday morning -- Tekashi's attorney Lance Lazzaro and the BOP both confirmed with TMZ the rapper was let out today.

In the clip, Tekashi seems in high spirits after 90 days in MDC Brooklyn -- coming out the gate hot and dapping up a pal.

Don't expect to get a Spice Girls documentary anytime soon ... at least not according to Mel B!

This year will mark the 30th anniversary of the girl group's debut -- their first single and album both dropped in 1996 -- but Mel is shutting down rumors that she'll reunite with Victoria Beckham, Melanie C, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton for a doc.

She told Hello it's not that they haven't been asked or weren't considering it, but she's not sure it would get done "in the right way," saying ... "It has to be honest -- and not everybody wants to be honest."