Music

Drake didn't hesitate to voice his frustrations towards his friend-turned-foe Kanye West on his new project -- and voice them he did with charged-up aggression.

As you know ... Drizzy dropped yet another album Friday -- and on his new song "Red Button," Drake roasts Ye for constantly backsliding on their friendship over the years ... most recently being the 2021 Larry Hoover Benefit concert that did little to end their beef.

"Every time you need me for a boost, I never hesitated/Every time that Yeezy called a truce, he had my head inflated/Thinkin’ we gon’ finally peace it up and get to levitatin’/Realize that everything premeditated!!!"

If you recall, J. Prince organized the event and told TMZ he convinced Drake and Ye they were doing their part in helping criminal justice reform ... as well as mending their beef, which it clearly did not!!!

Drake later stated his only competition in the music game is Taylor Swift ... she can make him move a release date but not the rest of you bums!!!

He goes on to praise her success on the charts -- "Taylor Swift the only n**** that I ever rated/ Only one could make me drop the album just a little later/ Rest of y’all I treat you like you never made it/ Leave your label devastated/ Even when your pad the stats, period, I never hated."

George "Funky" Brown -- the key drummer and one of the founding members of Kool & The Gang -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the legendary musician died from cancer at his home in Los Angeles Thursday night, ending his amazing 59-year career as a songwriter and drummer for the legendary funk band. He'd been battling stage-4 cancer.

A rep for the group tells TMZ, "George Brown died November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. Brown has co-written many of the band's iconic songs, including "Ladies Night," "Too Hot," "Jungle Boogie," "Celebration," and "Cherish." When asked to describe his music, Brown always replied, 'The sound of happiness.'"

GB had been diagnosed with lung cancer, and actually recovered for a while before hitting the road again to tour and perform -- but he suffered another setback this year when the cancer returned. George chronicled his health struggles last month with KCAL News.

George and the rest of the group came together in 1964 to create the supergroup in Jersey City, NJ. The other founding members included brothers Robert Bell (bass) and Ronald Bell (keyboards), Dennis Thomas (saxophone), Robert Mickens (Trumpet), Ricky West (keyboards) and Charles Smith (guitarist).

The band landed their first recording deal with De-Lite Records, cranking out their debut album titled, "Kool & The Gang," in 1969.

But they didn't reach stardom until 1973 when they released their fourth record called "Wild And Peaceful," featuring some of their biggest songs like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging."

They followed up with a string of super successful records named "Ladies Night" (1979), "Celebrate!" (1980) and "Emergency" (1984), which sold a whopping 2 million albums in the U.S. alone. All three records produced a slew of very popular tunes, including "Celebration," which rocketed to number one on the charts.

Over the years, Kool & The Gang has been widely recognized in the music industry, snagging 2 Grammy Awards, 7 American Music Awards, a Music Business Association Chairman's Award and a Soul Train Legend Award. They were also given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Robert "Kool" Bell is the only surviving original member of the band.

A spokesperson says donations can be made in his honor to the Lung Cancer Society of America.

Brown is survived by his wife, Hanh Brown and his 5 children.

George "Funky" Brown, el baterista y uno de los miembros fundadores de Kool And The Gang, ha fallecido, según ha indagado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que el legendario músico murió de cáncer en su casa de Los Ángeles el jueves por la noche, poniendo fin a su increíble carrera de 59 años como compositor y baterista de la legendaria banda de funk. El músico había estado luchando contra un cáncer en fase 4.

Un representante del grupo le dice a TMZ: "George Brown murió el 16 de noviembre de 2023 en Los Ángeles después de una batalla contra el cáncer. Brown coescribió muchas de las canciones icónicas de la banda, incluyendo "Ladies Night", "Too Hot", "Jungle Boogie", "Celebration" y "Cherish". Cuando le pedían que describiera su música, Brown siempre respondía: 'El sonido de la felicidad'".

A George Brown había sido diagnosticado con un cáncer de pulmón, y de hecho se recuperó durante un tiempo antes de salir de nuevo al ruedo para hacer giras y actuaciones, pero este año sufrió otro revés cuando su cáncer reapareció. George hizo una crónica de sus problemas de salud el mes pasado con KCAL News.

George y el resto de la banda se reunieron en 1964 en Jersey City, donde crearon el supergrupo. Entre los otros miembros fundadores estaban los hermanos Robert Bell (bajo) y Ronald Bell (teclados), Dennis Thomas (saxofón), Robert Mickens (trompeta), Ricky West (teclados) y Charles Smith (guitarrista).

El grupo consiguió su primer contrato discográfico con De-Lite Records y en 1969 publicó su álbum debut, titulado "Kool And The Gang".

Pero no alcanzaron el estrellato, sino hasta 1973, cuando publicaron su cuarto disco "Wild And Peaceful", con algunas de sus canciones más importantes: "Jungle Boogie" y "Hollywood Swinging".

Siguieron con una serie de discos de super éxitos, como "Ladies Night" (1979), "Celebrate!" (1980) y "Emergency" (1984). Vendieron dos millones de álbumes solo en Estados Unidos. Los tres discos produjeron un montón de canciones muy populares, entre ellas "Celebration", que se disparó hasta el número uno de las listas de éxitos.

A lo largo de los años, Kool And The Gang ha sido ampliamente reconocida en la industria musical, con dos premios Grammy, siete American Music Awards, un Music Business Association Chairman's Award y un Soul Train Legend Award. También recibieron una estrella en el Paseo de la Fama de Hollywood.

Robert 'Kool' Bell es el único miembro de la banda que sigue vivo.

De acuerdo a un portavoz, se pueden hacer donaciones en su honor a la organización Lung Cancer Society of America.

A Brown le sobreviven su esposa, Hanh Brown y sus cinco hijos.

Aubrey O'Day is taking a victory lap over her thorny Diddy stance after Cassie accused him of multiple crimes ... something AOD backs 100%.

The former Danity Kane singer -- who used to be signed to Bad Boy and worked extensively with Diddy in the 2000s -- shouted out Cassie on social media after her bombshell lawsuit against her ex went public, writing ... "Been Trynna Tell Y'all For Years."

She also told Page Six she's in "complete support" of Cassie ... and that what Cassie describes in her complaint probably echoes some of what Aubrey herself has said about Diddy.

If you're unaware, Aubrey's been doing multiple interviews over the past year or so ... in which she made allegations of her own against Puff -- but not quite to the level Cassie did. AOD's concerns mostly stemmed from what she claimed were shady biz practices ... and unwanted sexual advances from Diddy that she claims she had to rebuff over the years.

Aubrey also recently slammed Diddy finally signing off on his former artists getting their publishing rights back ... claiming that he had them sign NDAs as part of the deal.

She says she was offered her own publishing rights back as well, but refused to sign the alleged NDA she says came attached to it -- something else Aubrey's feeling vindication over.

¡Chrisean Rock le cuenta a TMZ Hip Hop que ha estado prosperando en la maternidad y que las cosas van bien a pesar de las mentiras que andan diciendo por ahí!

¡Nos pusimos al día con Chrisean y Chrisean Jr. en LAX el jueves y la asediada estrella de reality nos dice que ha estado recibiendo un montón de amor y dinero en estos últimos meses!

Mostró a nuestras cámaras el chupete de su recién nacido con diamantes incrustados en el que supuestamente gastó $40K para hacernos saber que ¡no está hablando por hablar!

Mucho alboroto se hizo sobre las habilidades de crianza de Chrisean cuando nació el bebé, Blueface la acusó de descuidar la necesidad del hijo de ser operado de una hernia y también fue filmada tratando al niño de una manera algo brusca dentro de un Walmart.

Chrisean no parecía tener ningún problema con Jr. mientras hablaba con nosotros y dijo con orgullo que la cirugía fue un éxito y que su pequeño soldado se curaba rápido.

Le encanta derrochar en él su nuevo dinero ganado gracias al rap. Chrisean, de hecho, es ahora una artista exitosa, su colaboración con Lil Mabu, "Mr. Take Your B*tch", debutó en el Billboard 100 en el Nº 96.

Chrisean Rock says don't believe everything you read about her -- she tells TMZ Hip Hop she's thriving in motherhood, her son with Blueface is doing much better and the little guy even has some celebratory bling!!!

We caught up with Chrisean and Chrisean Jr. Thursday at LAX, and the embattled reality star tells us she's been getting a lot of love from supporters, and earning lots of money these past few months.

She has a pretty flashy receipt to illustrate that point -- her baby boy's diamond-encrusted pacifier, which she reportedly dropped $40K to get.

Chrisean says she wanted to celebrate 3 months of motherhood, and added, "I fell in love with my son so bad, I can't help it."

Much fuss was made about Chrisean's untapped parenting skills when the baby was born ... Blueface accused her of neglecting Jr.'s need for hernia surgery, and she was also recorded nearly dangling the child inside a Walmart.

Chrisean didn't seem to have any issues handling her son while speaking with us and said his hernia surgery was successful.

Motherhood aside, Chrisean is, in fact, now a hitmaking artist -- her collab with Lil Mabu, "Mr. Take Ya B*tch," debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. Ok, it was only at No. 96, but hey, it's a start.

Before this young kiddo sittin' at her piano turned into a singer and Internet personality, she was growing up on a farm in the Philippines before her family uprooted to the U.S. and settled down in Texas.

Most known for her TikTok vids, she went viral in 2020 ... and lip-syncing to Millie B's "Soph Aspin Send" became TikTok's most liked video. She later launched her YouTube channel and has amassed nearly 7 million subscribers. Perhaps her most popular song is "Build A Bitch."

Need one more clue ... She served in the U.S. Navy for 3 years.

Diddy está siendo acusado de violación y una plétora de otros delitos por su exnovia, Cassie, en una explosiva demanda que detalla perturbadoras afirmaciones que, según ella, se prolongaron durante años.

La cantante nombró a la cabeza de Bad Boy en una demanda federal que presentó el jueves afuera de Nueva York. En ella, hace una serie de acusaciones contra Diddy, incluyendo afirmaciones de trata de personas y una impactante declaración de que este irrumpió en su casa en 2018 y la forzó a tener relaciones sexuales con ella.

La supuesta violación se habría producido hacia el final de su relación en 2018, cuando ella ya había decidido dejar a Diddy para siempre. En su demanda, dice que fueron a comer y ella pensó que podría ser una buena oportunidad para discutir sobre cómo seguir adelante.

Después dice que fueron a su casa, pero que Diddy la obligó a entrar a su departamento, a pesar de sus protestas. Cassie afirma que luego la besó a la fuerza y empezó a quitarle la ropa, instante en que alega que la violó mientras le decía "no".

A raíz de este presunto incidente, dice que trató de separarse por completo de Diddy, alejarse y cortar todos los lazos con Bad Boy, mientras estaba bajo mucho estrés.

Si bien esta afirmación es, sin duda, la más impactante es solo la punta del iceberg de su demanda. Esta incluye años de abusos físicos y emocionales a manos de Diddy, como golpes y pisotones que ella alega le infligía con regularidad en el transcurso de su relación, que Cassie dice que comenzó en 2005.

Mientras estuvieron juntos, Cassie dice que Diddy le suministraba regularmente drogas y alcohol, la obligaba a llevar armas de fuego en el bolso cuando salía en público. Lo que es peor, alega que la obligó a mantener relaciones sexuales con varios prostitutos a lo largo de los años, en múltiples jurisdicciones diferentes.

Cassie afirma que Diddy grababa estas relaciones coordinadas con ella y las prostitutas (que, según ella, habrían sido contratadas por Diddy) y se daba placer a sí mismo mientras las observaba.

Otra asombrosa afirmación es que Diddy una vez dijo que iba a volar el carro de Kid Cudi mientras estaba en casa. Esto, después de que se enterara de una breve relación que este tuvo con Cassie alrededor de 2011, y pasa a afirmar que en 2012 el carro de Kid Cudi, de hecho, explotó en su entrada. Ella no dice explícitamente que Diddy lo orquestó, pero sí que el hecho de que haya ocurrido, la hizo temer por su seguridad.

No hace falta decir que estas acusaciones son absolutamente asombrosas, pero Cassie insiste en que ocurrieron: "Después de años de silencio y oscuridad, por fin estoy preparada para contar mi historia y hablar en mi nombre y en el de otras mujeres que sufren violencia y abusos en sus relaciones". Cassie dice que sufrió mucho por todo lo que soportó de Diddy y que todavía está lidiando con las repercusiones de ello.

Diddy, por su parte, ha salido con una defensa acérrima, llamando las afirmaciones de Cassie como un chantaje financiero directamente, a través de su abogado: "El Sr. Combs niega vehementemente estas ofensivas y escandalosas acusaciones. Durante los últimos seis meses, el Sr. Combs ha estado sometido a la persistente demanda de la Sra. Ventura de 30 millones de dólares, bajo la amenaza de escribir un libro perjudicial sobre su relación, que fue rechazada inequívocamente como un chantaje flagrante. A pesar de retirar su amenaza inicial, la Sra. Ventura ha recurrido ahora a presentar una demanda plagada de mentiras infundadas y escandalosas, con el objetivo de manchar la reputación del Sr. Combs y buscar un pago".

Diddy has been accused of rape and a plethora of other crimes by his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, in a bombshell lawsuit that details the disturbing claims.

The singer named the Bad Boy honcho in a federal suit she filed Thursday in New York -- in which she makes a number of allegations against Diddy ... including claims of human trafficking -- and a shocking claim that he broke into her home in 2018 and forced sex on her.

The alleged rape, Cassie says, came toward the end of their relationship in 2018 ... when she'd decided to leave Diddy for good. In her suit, she says they went to dinner one night that year, which Cassie thought would be a discussion on how they could each move on.

Afterward, she says they went to her place ... but claims Diddy forced himself into her apartment, despite Cassie's protests. Cassie claims Diddy then forcibly kissed her and began ripping off her clothes ... at which point she alleges he raped her, all while she said "no."

In the aftermath of this alleged incident, Cassie says she tried separating herself completely from Diddy ... moving away, and cutting all ties with Bad Boy -- while under a lot of stress.

While this claim is, for sure, the most shocking ... it's just the tip of the iceberg of what else is alleged in her lawsuit -- including years of what Cassie claims were physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Diddy, such as beatings and stompings she alleges he dished out regularly over the course of their long relationship -- which Cassie says started in '05.

Through their time together, Cassie claims Diddy would regularly ply her with drugs and alcohol, make her carry firearms around in her purse while out in public ... and worse yet, she alleges he forced her to have sex with several different male prostitutes over the years, across multiple different jurisdictions.

Cassie claims Diddy would film these coordinated liaisons with her and the prostitutes (whom she claims were hired by Diddy) ... and pleasure himself while watching the intercourse.

One other stunner of a claim here ... Cassie alleges that Diddy once said he was going to blow up Kid Cudi's car while he was home -- this after learning of a brief relationship he and Cassie shared around 2011 or so -- and goes on to claim that in 2012 ... Kid Cudi's car did, in fact, blow up in his driveway. She doesn't say, explicitly, that Diddy orchestrated it ... but she does say that the fact it happened like he threatened terrified her and made her fear for her safety.

It goes without saying ... these accusations are absolutely jaw-dropping, but Cassie is insistent they happened -- saying, "After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships." Cassie claims to have suffered greatly from what she allegedly endured with Diddy ... and says she still deals with repercussions today.

Diddy, meanwhile, has come out with a staunch defense ... calling Cassie's claims a straight-up financial shakedown through his attorney, "Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past 6 months, Mr. Combs, has been subjected to Ms. Ventura's persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail. Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs' reputation and seeking a pay day."

Jada Pinkett Smith volvió a negar las acusaciones de que Will Smith se enganchó con Duane Martin, pero esta vez fue un poco más lejos. Dijo que no ha habido ningún tipo de enredo similar a este con ningún hombre.

La actriz se puso firme una vez más sobre el chisme en Nueva York el miércoles. Esto, no mucho después de que nos dijera que ella y su marido planean tomar acciones legales. En respuesta a la pregunta de si los rumores entre Will y Duane son una tontería, ella simplemente dijo: "Por supuesto".

Sin embargo, cuando el fotógrafo le pregunta si ella ha visto a Will con cualquier otro hombre (obviamente, en el ámbito sexual), Jada también lo rechazó rotundamente.

Echa un vistazo a lo que dijo, suena como que nunca ha visto nada de eso con sus propios ojos y podemos decir que lo dice en serio por la insistencia.

Por supuesto, su firmeza se hace eco de lo que nos dijo el miércoles, a saber, que los Smith tomarían acciones legales contra Brother Bilaal, y posiblemente otros, quienes iniciaron esta historia sin fundamento que alude explícitamente al sexo gay.

Por cierto, Jada abordó todas estas cuestiones en "The Breakfast Club" el miércoles, apuntando a la posibilidad de que su próximo paso sea el aterrizaje en la corte.

Como recordarán, Brother Bilaal, un hombre que dice que es ex asistente y amigo de Will dijo a principios de esta semana que una vez vio a Will en el camerino de Duane, inclinado sobre un sofá y teniendo sexo anal con Duane.

Jada Pinkett Smith is doubling down on denying Will Smith hooked up with Duane Martin -- but going a bit further now ... saying there hasn't been a whiff of this with any dude.

The actress put her foot down yet again on the gossip in NYC on Wednesday -- not long after she told us she and her hubby planned on suing. In response to being asked if the Will and Duane chatter was baloney ... she simply said, "Absolutely" ... reiterating her initial denial.

However, when the photog here asks a follow-up -- namely, whether she's seen Will with any man (obviously meaning in a sexual nature) ... JPS emphatically shoots that down as well.

Check out what she has to say ... sounds like she's never seen anything like that with her own two eyes -- and you can tell she means it by the repetition here.

Of course, her being firm echoes what she told us Wednesday as well ... namely, that the Smiths would be taking legal action against Brother Bilaal -- and possibly others -- for floating the unsubstantiated story that explicitly mentioned gay sex.

BTW, Jada elaborated on all this on "The Breakfast Club" Wednesday -- further pointing to the possibility of this landing in court as her family's next step.

You'll recall, Brother Bilaal -- a man who says he's Will's former assistant/friend -- said earlier this week he once walked in on Will bent over a couch in Duane's dressing room, with the 2 having anal sex.

A rep for Will told us, "This story is completely fabricated and the claim is unequivocally false" ... and sources told us Duane had no plans to publicly respond to Bilaal's claim -- 'cause the allegations are so ridiculous.

DaBaby thinks he got the best of Jay-Z when they popped up the same track -- and isn't shy about singing his own praises ... even at the expense of one of the rap G.O.A.T.s.

Shannon Sharpe recently had the "Bop" rapper on his "Club Shay Shay" podcast and his take on Lil Yachty's opinion that DaBaby had a better verse than Jay on Kanye West's "Jail" track from his 2021 "Donda" album.

DaBaby got added to the track last minute along with Marilyn Manson and wholeheartedly agreed with Lil Yachty that his verse was superior to Jay's.

He noted that they didn't record at the same time so it wasn't a direct competition and they had no knowledge of each other's verses, but when the final results came in ... DaBaby Did!!!

Snoop Dogg dice que está dejando el humo para siempre, una actividad que ha sido sinónimo de su carrera desde el primer día. Francamente, es difícil saber si esto es legítimo o no.

El Doggfather sorprendió a sus seguidores de Instagram el jueves: "Después de mucha consideración y conversación con mi familia, he decidido dejar de fumar. Por favor, respeten mi privacidad en este momento". La verdad es que parece decirlo muy en serio.

Los aficionados hicieron miles de comentarios y lanzaron sus propias teorías: "Snoop sin la chronic es como el ying sin el yang" y muchos pensaron que simplemente estaba cambiando a comestibles para mantener sus pulmones limpios.

Snoop ya había dejado de fumar en el pasado, en torno al lanzamiento de "Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$" en 2002, pero el año sabático duró poco, ya que unos años más tarde entró en la era de Snoop Lion. Lo explicó en una entrevista por aquel entonce, diciendo que simplemente no podía dejar la ganja.

Irónicamente, su amigo Wiz Khalifa anunció recientemente todo lo contrario, el aumento de su consumo de yerba en pro de abandonar el alcohol por completo.

Puede ser una batalla cuesta arriba, Snoop acaba de publicar una foto de su cenicero muy lleno hace menos de una semana... tal vez solo se estaba preparando para la desintoxicación.

André 3000 is coming clean about his decision to walk away from OutKast at the peak of their success ... saying he simply lost his drive to rap.

In a video interview with GQ to promote his upcoming instrumental album, André not only admitted his creative juices for the group had dried up but said he hasn't been harboring a boatload of unreleased raps like everyone accuses him of.

At 48 years old, 3 Stacks says sometimes rapping even feels "inauthentic" for him ... and he feels like he'd have to make more age-appropriate music -- in his case, dropping bars about having a colonoscopy and trips to the eye doctor.

OutKast's 2004 album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" was certified 13x Platinum this year -- making it the biggest-selling rap album of all-time ... but as Sleepy Brown hinted to us in the summer, André was embarking on another journey ... one without words.

The new project "New Blue Sun" is mainly composed of his flute recordings ... the opening track is titled "I Really Wanted To Make A 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time" --- and there's even a warning label informing fans there are no bars to be found!!!

André tells GQ that his chemistry with Big Boi changed over time and while he didn't want to be thrust into the limelight again, he needed the press run to promote the music he believes in so much.

Snoop Dogg says he's giving up the smoke for good ... an activity that's been synonymous with his career since day one -- but, frankly, it's hard to tell if this is legit or not.

The Doggfather shocked his IG followers on Thursday with the PSA ... "After much consideration & conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time." On its face, it's a serious announcement ... it ain't 4/1 today.

Fans struggled to wrap their hands around the announcement in the comments -- Snoop without the chronic is like the ying without the yang ... and many figured he was just switching to edibles to keep his lungs clear.

Snoop's quit smoking before -- circa the release of his 2002 "Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$" -- but the sabbatical was short-lived as he entered his Snoop Lion era a few years later. He explained this in a sit-down around that time ... saying he simply couldn't quit the ganja.

Ironically his 'Mac & Devin' pal Wiz Khalifa recently announced the complete opposite -- increasing his smoke intake in favor of ditching alcohol altogether.

It may be an uphill battle -- Snoop just recently flicked a pic of his heavily stuffed ashtray less than a week ago ... but maybe he was just preparing for the detox.

Cardi B is coming to Will Smith's defense amid a rumor that he had sex with Duane Martin -- one he denies, BTW -- and she's also dragging the blogger who aired this laundry.

The rapper hopped on IG Live Wednesday night to talk about the story. She doesn't really weigh in on the veracity of the claim -- or what she makes of the allegation itself -- but simply says Will's unproblematic ... and that he doesn't deserve this treatment.

Cardi brings up his horoscope (Libra) and says she believes Libras are constantly being tested by others --speaking as one herself -- until they eventually snap ... seemingly referencing WS's infamous Oscars slap.

Basically, she sees it as unfair when people are pushed to their limits and when they act out -- the public gives them side-eye. She also thinks it's wild folks can get on a big platform and just say anything about anyone ... and that it picks up major traction, even if it's BS.

This is where she lays into Tasha K -- who, BTW, is the same woman CB successfully sued for defamation. Remember, Tasha technically owes Cardi about $3.4 million in a judgment.

It was just a few weeks ago that Cardi signaled an apparent softening on trying to enforce that payout -- but here, CB seems to be reversing course ... saying some people never change.

She lays into Tasha for allowing the supposed ex-friend/assistant of Will to get on her podcast and make such an outlandish allegation ... and says that has to stop STAT.

FWIW, Tasha keeps landing in trouble ... mind you, she just got sued by R. Kelly. Now, after Jada said a lawsuit's coming -- she could possibly see herself named as a defendant again.