Music

July 8, 2 PM PT -- Sony Music tells TMZ ... "This matter concerns a royalty accounting dispute the parties were actively engaged in attempting to resolve. We are disappointed that So-So Def elected to pursue litigation rather than continue that dialogue."

Jermaine Dupri wants Sony to face the music ... filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over royalties he says never made it into his record label's pockets.

According to a newly filed lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jermaine and his record label So So Def Recordings claim Sony underpaid and withheld royalties tied to a long list of hit albums -- including projects involving Mariah Carey, Usher, Kris Kross, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, and more.

Jermaine claims the issues didn't come to light until 2023 ... when he says Sony began issuing new and amended royalty statements. The suit says a 2025 audit uncovered years of alleged accounting errors, missing royalties, and previously unreported earnings ... prompting So So Def to demand roughly $18 million.

Lauren Bennett -- a singer best known for her feature on the hit LMFAO song "Party Rock Anthem" -- has died.

Her former band GRL, released a statement Monday saying ... "It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren."

They go on to say their "hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how much she meant to us. We will forever cherish the love, laughter, and countless memories she gave us. Her beautiful spirit touched so many lives, and she will be deeply missed and forever loved."

Bennett kicked off her professional music career when she was just 18 years old ... forming the Paradiso Girls along with several other ladies in 2007. They dropped their debut single "Patron Tequila" in 2009.

Watching Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss try to play nice during a photo op may be one of the funniest things you see all day.

They were lined up on stage alongside greats like Brandy, Monica, and Missy Elliott -- who was awarded the Essence Icon Award -- for Essence Fest's Black Women in Music ceremony on Sunday ... and had an awkward little moment before cameras started flashing.

You can see in the clip, Tamar reaches across Monica to grab Kandi's hand to say hi ... but Kandi clearly wasn't here for it.

Fireworks lit up the night sky next to Taylor Swift's Rhode Island home on Independence Day ... and it appears someone was there to see them!

Check it out -- TMZ obtained video taken on the Fourth of July that shows the sky blooming with colorful fireworks over the posh seaside town of Watch Hill ... and, most of the lights are on in Tay's house!

An eyewitness tells us there was certainly movement at the stunning estate ... but it's unclear who it could have been.

Lil Wayne pissed off another contingent of his loyal fans after bailing on a show earlier this week ... because he apparently showed up in New Hampshire Friday -- but it took him 'A Milli' years to get there.

Here's the deal ... Lil Wayne was scheduled to play a show at the BankNH Pavilion in Gilford, NH last night which fans say was supposed to begin at around 9 PM ET.

Well, Lil Wayne wasn't there at 9 ... or even 10 PM. According to angry Weezy fans, the rapper didn't show up until 11 PM, played just 1 hour and then bailed.

Break a leg, Freedom 250 performers ... but keep an eye on the sky, too -- because it seems the stage is already coming apart.

Video is now circulating online that shows a dance troupe spinning around the stage while singers belt out a jazzy tune from back in the day ... and then a piece of the stage comes crashing down from above.

The falling panel nearly lands on top of a couple of dancers, who only barely move out of the way in the nick time.

Chris Brown was leaving very little to the imagination during his live show in Minneapolis ... he called a girl on stage and started simulating very steamy sex with her ... and it's all on video.

CB was thrusting, humping and grinding on the fan while she was on all fours on a mattress on stage, for an arousing rousing rendition of "Take You Down."

She seemed to be enjoying herself, because she was backing it up and twerking on him ... and Chris couldn't help but cop a feel.

Justin Bieber may be headed to one of the biggest stages in sports ... 'cause TMZ has learned he's in talks to perform at halftime of the FIFA World Cup final.

FIFA World Cup sources tell TMZ ... FIFA officials are discussing bringing Justin aboard an already stacked lineup featuring Madonna, Shakira and BTS for the July 19 spectacle at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Bringing the Biebs into the fold would make sense for FIFA.

Justin and Hailey Bieber were front and center at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Inglewood, CA just a few weeks ago ... and Justin even surprised VIP guests with an intimate backstage performance of "Yukon."

Lil Wayne went MIA for his concert in Maine, and now we may know why ... he decided he wanted to party instead of perform.

The rapper was seen present at Michael Rubin's annual Fourth of July White Party in the Hamptons Wednesday night ... alongside other A-listers like DJ Khaled, Alicia Keys, Jake Paul, Kevin Durant and many, many more.

It looks like Weezy didn't flake on Michael's party ... but, clearly, that wasn't the case the night before when he dipped out of his own concert in Maine without even touching the stage.

Madonna laid it all out in her new album "Confessions II" ... and it sounds like she's taking savage, surprising shots at her ex-husband Sean Penn.

In the song "Bizarre," the pop icon sounds like she's throwing several jabs at Sean -- they were married for 3 years in the '80s -- seemingly saying the Oscar-winner was "threatened by her" level of fame and that he couldn't handle sharing the spotlight with with her ... among other insults about resentment.

To be clear ... Madonna doesn't use Sean's name ... but the lyrics "movie star, deep blue eyes," along with other obvious hints, sure make it sounds like she is singing about Spicoli.

Sorry, not sorry ... but today's just packed with celebrity birthdays and we can't help ourselves ... so flashing you Tate McRae's sexiest shots to honor her 23rd birthday is the least we can do.

It's always golden hour when Tate's on the screen, and if you've seen this girl in action, you know she's quite the dancing queen!

Lil Wayne was a no-show for his concert in Maine last night ... and fans are obviously pissed he pulled this stunt again.

Weezy was supposed to play the Bangor waterfront with special guest 2 Chainz ... and was scheduled to take the stage at 10:45 PM -- but minutes after the scheduled start time, the crowd was told he wasn't coming out, per a local report.

No explanation was offered ... and fans lit Weezy up on social media for being rude and disrespectful to his fans -- noting this isn't the first time he bailed on a show.

Victor Willis -- the legendary singer for the ultra-popular 1970's disco band "Village People" -- has died.

A social media post on his Facebook, posted by his wife Karen, says Willis passed away Monday after "a short but aggressive illness." His exact cause of death was not revealed.

Willis was the theatrical front man for The Village People ... and he who cowrote the band's most famous songs, such as "Y.M.C.A.," "Macho Man," "Go West" and "In The Navy."

Jermaine Jackson looks like he no longer has to cough up millions of dollars to his rape accuser ... a judge voided the $6.5 million default judgment against him because the woman did not use his legal name while trying to serve him the lawsuit ... TMZ has learned.

We told you all about it ... plaintiff Rita Butler Barrett sued Michael Jackson's older brother in December 2023, claiming he "violently" raped her. She said Jermaine unexpectedly showed up at her Encino, California home in the spring of 1988 and raped her for several minutes until he abruptly stopped, leaving her traumatized.

According to the filings, she and her attorney tried tracking Jermaine down to serve him the lawsuit -- even publishing a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times in August and September 2025.

Lionel Richie is back where he belongs -- onstage -- making his first performance since the health scare that landed him in the hospital!

The music legend resumed his "Sing a Song All Night Long" tour with Earth, Wind & Fire Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ... and looked right back in his groove.

It was a welcome return after Friday's show in Chicago and Saturday's concert in Columbus were postponed following the medical scare.

Fans of the late Oliver Tree came together Monday evening to celebrate his heavenly birthday ... gathering in Venice Beach just two weeks after his tragic death.

Check out the video ... the turnout is massive, with fans showing up to honor the musician as Oliver's music blasts on speakers that could be heard throughout Venice Skate Park.

Fans even got decked out in Oliver's signature black-haired bowl cut and red-rimmed glasses.

These loyal aficionados were looking to make waves wherever they could ... because in the flyer they sent out, they even encouraged people who were not in Los Angeles to host their own meet-ups to pay tribute to Oliver on his birthday.