Music

Trae Tha Truth's decision to launch his first feature film on Tubi is paying off -- he's already plotting a sequel after earning the praise of some high-level peers!!!

TMZ Hip Hop sat down with the Houston rapper fresh off the movie, "Sole" dropping on the free streaming service -- it's a modern hood comedy set in his hometown he says is getting compared to Ice Cube's cult classic chuckler, "Friday."

Trae's real-life friends and fam fill out the cast, and he stars as "Eddie" ... a local sneaker boutique owner who gets involved with neighborhood thugs over some money they assume he stole -- and, as they say, hilarity ensues!

Trae tells us he knew Tubi's known to make low-budget films, but says it's also home to legit cinematic art ... and he wanted to contribute to that quality.

He says the streamer's execs were floored by the reception "Sole" is already getting -- and Martin Lawrence even gave him a ringing endorsement after seeing the film!!!

Such a glowing cosign would make anyone dive headfirst into acting and Trae's already 2 steps ahead -- next up is a full-length film of his animated ABN series, and a flick called "Space Trap" ... both are heading straight to Tubi.

Bad Bunny's sexual energy is bubbling over ... as in, he's sharing nude thirst traps from his bubble bath ... with a (soapy) crotch shot!!!

The Latin rapper/pop star just posted a series of tasteful nudes on his Instagram ... and he's kinda showing off the goods, although there's bubbles blocking what's between his legs.

Bad Bunny snuck a crotch shot into his IG post ... it's a few slides into the carousel, but you can see his bare and tattooed legs sticking out of the water, with bubbles the only thing between his penis and the camera.

The "MONACO" singer's not being the least bit shy here ... so take a gander. It's not all about his junk ... he's also sharing shirtless snaps from the tub.

Bad Bunny's no stranger to nude thirst traps ... back in August, he kinda did the same thing with some vacation photos ... including one where he showed off his extremely bushy pubic hair. No shame to his game, it seems ... dude just lets it all hang out.

Looks like Bad Bunny's still letting the hedges run wild ... his pubes are peeking out from the edge of the bubbles, BTW ... but that's about all we're seeing in terms of his manhood.

Folks in the comments are thirsty for more ... daring him to whip it out.

It's interesting that he's posting this in light of his recent apparent rekindling with Kendall Jenner. Bad Bunny was dating her the last time he posted nudes ... but they've since broken up, and this certainly feels more like an "I'm single" post.

La energía sexual de Bad Bunny está burbujeando, pues acaba de compartir unas sugerentes fotos desde su bañera, sumergido en un montón de burbujas.

La estrella del trap y el pop latino publicó una serie de fotos desnudo desde su cuenta de Instagram, donde aparece casi mostrando su mercancía, aunque hay unas cuantas burbujas que bloquean lo que hay entre sus piernas.

Ahora, el pícaro de Bad Bunny igual coló una foto de su entrepierna en el post de IG, donde se ven sus piernas desnudas y tatuadas sobresaliendo del agua.

El cantante de "MONACO" no es nada tímido, así que echa un vistazo porque no es todo. También compartió fotos sin camisa desde la bañera.

Bad Bunny no es nuevo en este tipo de juegos. En agosto, hizo algo parecido con unas fotos de sus vacaciones, incluyendo una imagen en el que mostró parte de tupido vello púbico. Ninguna vergüenza, el rapero solo deja que todo fluya.

Parece que Bad Bunny sigue dejando que sus vellos crezcan salvajemente, algo deja entrever al borde de las burbujas, por cierto ... Pero eso es todo.

Ahora, la gente en los comentarios está sedienta de más.

Es interesante que Bad Bunny esté publicando esto a la luz de su reciente reencuentro con Kendall Jenner. El cantante estaba saliendo con ella la última vez que publicó unas fotos desnudo, pero desde entonces se han distanciado y esto sin duda se siente más como un post de "estoy soltero".

Universal Music Group wiping their songs from TikTok is going to hurt the label's smaller artists the most ... so says a musician who saw the app elevate his own artistic brand.

Mareux had his 2015 cover of The Cure's "The Perfect Girl" go viral in 2021 and it vaulted him to a Coachella performance ... an astronomical leap he feels will go away amid the UMG/TikTok dispute.

Mareux tells TMZ ... UMG saying they're pulling songs from TikTok to help artists financially is shady ... he says if UMG really cared about their artists they would beef up their contracts, not destroy their limitless opportunities on TikTok.

The way Mareux sees it ... artists getting their music integrated into TikTok posts is a great marketing tool. He says the exposure generated on TikTok can literally change an artist's career, like it did for him.

Mareux says UMG is just being plain greedy here ... and he feels bad for the lesser-known artists who were relying on TikTok to market their music ... telling us they've got to be feeling super stressed.

UMG has a huge roster ... Taylor Swift, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Ice Spice, Rosalía ... and Mareux explains how the established acts are going to be impacted too.

Mareux's a great example of what TikTok can do for a relatively unknown musician ... his 'Perfect Girl' cover was kinda floating in the abyss for 6 years until it went viral on TikTok ... and he says he wouldn't have a career now without the app.

Don Lemon says Taylor Swift could put Donald Trump through a very cruel summer ... 'cause, if she wants to, he thinks she could swing the election in President Biden's favor.

We caught up with the former CNN anchor Friday at LAX where he warned MAGA supporters to keep an eye on just how involved the singer-songwriter opts to be during this presidential campaign.

Lemon says TS wields a ton of power and influence, and while she's not exactly his generation ... he gives her all the props for fighting for her catalog and becoming a self-made billionaire.

As we reported ... members of Trump's inner circle are reportedly ready to go to "holy war" with Taylor if she decides to endorse President Biden -- as she did in 2020 -- but Don thinks it will take more than one-liners to combat her impact on the election.

Translation: underestimating her could sink DT's White House dreams.

This all falls in line with what FOX11 political reporter/anchor Elex Michaelson said on "TMZ Live" earlier this week ... warning Trump's going toe-to-toe with Swift, and Swifties, is a risky strategy.

Although, he does see a scenario where Swift ends up helping both candidates -- basically, Trump could use a Taylor endorsement for Biden to blast Hollywood elitism, and mobilize his supporters to get out and vote.

There has been a vocal minority hating on T-Swift ... even celebs like Plies, who are getting tired of seeing her all over their TVs when they're watching a football game -- so it's not far-fetched to imagine that hate motivating Trump backers.

Olivia Newton-John was apparently a Swiftie -- at least that's what her rep says, telling us the late singer would've gotten a kick out of these Taylor Swift's 'Grease' throwback photos.

Michael Caprio, Olivia's publicist of 25 years and counting, tells TMZ ... Olivia "would be tickled" to see all the childhood pics of young Taylor playing Olivia's famous character in a school production of the hit musical ... which just surfaced earlier this week.

Olivia's publicist adds ... she "had the greatest respect for Taylor as an artist and she was a fan of her talent." So, the fact Taylor was paying homage to her in her youth is kismet.

As we reported ... some old photographs of Taylor in character as Sandy is making the rounds ... it's from June 2000, long before Taylor was the biggest star in music.

Funny enough, Olivia and Taylor actually crossed paths when ONJ was still alive ... Michael says Olivia took a group of girlfriends to see a Taylor concert in Miami in 2010, with Olivia raving about Taylor's performance.

Michael recalls Olivia telling him she thought "Taylor was such a sweet, talented and smart girl."

Sounds like the feelings are mutual ... Michael says Taylor's got a vintage concert t-shirt from Olivia's 1982 Physical Tour in her wardrobe. On its face, they were big fans of the other.

Demi Lovato sang a song of hers that certainly might've seemed inappropriate at an event all about heart health -- but as it turns out ... that's not how it was received in the room.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Demi singing her track "Heart Attack" earlier this week at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection concert might be getting roasted online ... but it was the exact opposite from folks there in the moment.

We're told the AHA fully backed Demi's decision to belt out this tune -- in fact, they encouraged her to sing the song -- which you can see in the clip making the rounds.

As for why our Demi sources feel like it wasn't offensive or out of touch -- as many on X have suggested -- we're told it's because Demi has reclaimed this song and its meaning ... especially in light of her own health scare following an overdose in 2018.

In the wake of that, Demi has sung this song with new significance behind it ... and it's that same sentiment that was carried over in her performance Wednesday -- one that our sources tell us got rave reviews in the moment from those in the room.

We're told Demi also acknowledged her connection to the song ahead of the performance ... telling the audience: "[T]his song has many parallels for me, my journey and a reminder for all of us in the room just how strong the mind-heart-body connection truly is."

Anyhoo, this should hopefully clarify any confusion from those who were scratching their head about the song choice ... not only was it the right song, but her heart was in the right place.

Demi Lovato cantó una canción suya que sin duda podría haber parecido inapropiado en un evento sobre la salud del corazón, pero no fue recibido de esa forma en la sala.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que Demi cantando su canción "Heart Attack" a principios de esta semana en el concierto Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection de la American Heart Association, puede estar recibiendo críticas en línea, pero no fue lo que pasó en ese momento.

Nos dicen que AHA apoyó plenamente la decisión de Demi de cantar esa canción, de hecho, la animó a cantarla, lo que se puede ver en el clip que está circulando.

En cuanto a por qué la apoyaron, nuestras fuentes dicen que no sentían que la canción fuera ofensiva, como muchos han sugerido en X. Demi ha reclamado esta canción y su significado, especialmente a la luz de su propio susto de salud tras una sobredosis en 2018.

A raíz de eso, Demi ha cantado esta canción con un nuevo significado y es ese mismo sentimiento el que se trasladó a su actuación el miércoles, la que recibió críticas muy favorables de parte de los presentes, de acuerdo a nuestras fuentes.

Nos dicen que Demi también reconoció su conexión con la canción antes de la actuación, diciéndole a la audiencia: "[T] esta canción tiene muchos paralelismos para mí, mi viaje y un recordatorio para todos nosotros de lo fuerte que es la conexión entre la mente-corazón-cuerpo".

De todos modos, esto debería aclarar cualquier confusión para aquellos que estaban rascándose la cabeza sobre la elección de esta canción. No solo era la canción correcta, sino que su corazón estaba en el lugar correcto también.

2:09 PM PT -- Ayo Edebiri stood shoulder to shoulder with Jennifer Lopez for a new 'SNL' promo that just dropped -- and it's hard to say if there's any sour feelings between them after this pod news dropped.

Check out the three promos that were just uploaded on the 'SNL' page ... it's Ayo standing in the middle with Jen to her right and Heidi Gardner (a cast member) to her left. They rattle off some lines, and the first take seems to show Jen and Ayo expressing their mutual fandom.

Like we said, there's no true way to tell if Jen's mad -- the body language is pretty neutral. It's possible they shot these before the news dropped ... so we'll see how Saturday goes!

Well, this is awkward ... Ayo Edebiri eviscerated Jennifer Lopez's talents 4 years ago -- well before she was super famous -- and now ... the 2 of them are doing 'SNL' together.

The 'Bear' star is this weekend's host, and Jenny is the musical guest -- so you gotta imagine her resurfaced comments could make it a little bit awkward during rehearsals ahead of the big show tomorrow night.

Ayo was featured on a podcast in 2020 with a woman named Laci Mosley who hosts "Scam Goddess" -- which is dedicated to uncovering "scams" in the public eye and gossiping about them. In this particular episode, she had Ayo (who, again, was not a big-time TV star yet).

Right from the get-go, they start to discuss one "scam" they perceive ... and that would be the "career" of J Lo -- their words, not ours. Ayo then trashes Jen in very harsh terms.

You can listen to her remarks for yourself -- but essentially ... Ayo and Laci are yukking it about the notion Jennifer just isn't that great of a singer, at least in their eyes -- and they believe she's fooled the masses into thinking she's this fantastic vocalist.

Ayo herself even leans into this long-standing (and unfounded) rumor that J Lo has allegedly used ghost singers in her career ... something AE runs with as fact, and just further evidence (from her POV) that Jen has fleeced the industry. Like we said, this is rough.

There are more mean comments that Ayo and Laci make, which we won't include here.

Anyway, the bigger point is ... Ayo and Jen are literally in the same building right now, and they will most certainly see each other over the next 24 hours, so it'll for sure come up.

The question, of course, is ... will they be able to play nice and get through the show?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... this incident with Ayo was long ago, and that she is most certainly a fan of Jenny right now -- we're told she's excited to work with her and be in her presence. As for Jen ... our sources tell us she doesn't usually let these sorts of things bother her -- and that her mantra is about moving on and moving forward.

We're told J Lo is looking forward to working with Ayo this weekend.

CeeLo Green wants to see TikTok and Universal Music Group work things out after a nasty split earlier this week ... but thinks if artists are getting screwed over, then the divorce should stay in place!!!

We got the Goodie Mob rapper's thoughts on the explosive TikTok/UMG divorce at LAX on Friday ... CeeLo's been partnered with UMG for years and tells us he's totally a team player, but wants to see artists on ALL labels get their just due.

UMG's roster spirals across multi-subsidiaries ... music from Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Ice Spice, Olivia Rodrigo, and of course, CeeLo have been pulled from the social media tycoon ... and fans are having a field day poking fun at the void it's left on the app.

CG didn't have much advice for the signed artists whose music is still on TikTok ... sounds like that territory is up for the taking.

He's advocating for a fair deal for all parties ... a wish still un-granted going into 2024 Grammy weekend.

Universal accused TikTok of skating around the current market share for royalties -- which TikTok claimed was elaborate language for being greedy.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari could be on the verge of settling their divorce, 'cause Sam just filed some information that usually signals ... the end is near.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Sam's legal team turned over his financials to Britney's attorneys, including the declaration of income and expenses among the required paperwork, as well as a list of assets and separate and community properties.

It looks like he's just ready to say goodbye to this chapter once and for all -- 6 months after filing for divorce from the singer in August. Filing financial disclosures is often the last step taken in a divorce that suggests all parties are coming to an agreement.

As we reported, Sam cited "irreconcilable differences" for their split -- 14 months after tying the knot at her Thousand Oaks home. They'd been together as a couple for much longer than that, of course.

On her end, Brit reflected on the failed marriage on IG in December ... saying they'd endured many ups and downs and that it was strange being single again.

But, it doesn't seem like Sam's on Brit's mind too much recently ... she's been having a bit of a back-and-forth spat with her ex, Justin Timberlake. She hasn't uttered Sam's name in a while.

Britney Spears y Sam Asghari podrían estar a punto de resolver su divorcio, pues Sam acaba de presentar una información que suele indicar que el final está cerca.

Según los documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, el equipo legal de Sam entregó sus finanzas a los abogados de Britney, incluyendo la declaración de ingresos y los gastos, así como una lista de activos y propiedades separadas y comunitarias.

Parece que está listo para despedirse de este capítulo de una vez por todas, a seis meses de solicitar el divorcio de la cantante, en agosto del año pasado. La presentación de las declaraciones financieras es a menudo el último paso en un proceso de divorcio y sugiere que ambas partes están llegando a un acuerdo.

Como ya informamos, Sam alegó "diferencias irreconciliables" como motivo de su separación, 14 meses después de casarse en su casa de Thousand Oaks. Habían estado juntos como pareja durante mucho más tiempo que eso, por supuesto.

Por su parte, Brit reflexionó sobre su fallido matrimonio en Instagram en diciembre, diciendo que habían soportado muchos altibajos y que era extraño estar soltera de nuevo.

Pero no parece que Sam esté en la mente de Brit últimamente. Ella ha estado en medio de unos dimes y diretes con su ex Justin Timberlake y no se ha pronunciado sobre Sam en un tiempo.

Nicki Minaj's "Big Foot" song left a bad taste in many fans' mouths, but not Trinidad James ... Nicki and Megan Thee Stallion's acidic disses represent the spirit of hip hop competition in his book.

TMZ Hip Hop got Trinidad at LAX and got his take on rap's biggest beef at the moment ... fans of Nicki told her the track left much to desired, but TJ isn't validating those reactions.

Trinidad says Nicki's the Queen of Rap and wearing the crown opens her up to more scrutiny than any other rapper ... it just comes with the territory.

Fans think Nicki crossed the line by teasing Megan about her deceased mother -- a direct response to Megan ribbing Nicki on her "Hiss" single about her husband Kenneth Petty being a convicted sex offender.

Trinidad is a student of the art form and says all is fair in war and hip hop -- even if family members catch stray shots. He notes Jay-Z and Nas' historic battle had its share of mud-slinging and fans never gave them half the crap Nicki's getting for her sharp tongue.

He says Nicki can't afford to have her creativity stifled to appease a few hurt feelings.

Darius Rucker allegedly had multiple substances when cops say they busted him for drug possession in Tennessee ... TMZ has learned.

As it turns out that stop happened almost a year ago, but Darius just turned himself in to cops on Thursday.

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ ... Franklin police officers say they pulled the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman over -- on Feb. 19, 2023 -- because they noticed the tags on his cars appeared to be expired, a fact they say they confirmed with their in-car computer.

Officers claim they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, then asked Rucker about whether he'd smoked that evening to which they say he promptly replied "no" -- though he allegedly said he may have smoked in it the day prior.

The cops searched the car and say they discovered what they suspected was a THC pen along with 14 unmarked purple pills -- items police allege Rucker said were given to him by his GF, Summer.

One of the officers then says he informed DR he'd pat him down ... and Darius then allegedly handed him a small marijuana blunt from his pocket before the search got underway.

The police claim they later tested the 14 pills and identified them as psilocin ... a schedule I controlled substance similar to psilocybin or magic mushrooms.

Officers released him from the scene without charges, pending identification of those pills. According to the docs, a warrant was issued for his arrest in December 2023.

We broke the story ... Darius was arrested Thursday on 3 misdemeanor charges -- 2 for possession and one for driving with an expired registration. The whole booking took about an hour, and Darius was released after paying $10,000 bail.

Bueno, esto es incómodo ... Ayo Edebiri destripó el talento de Jennifer López hace 4 años, mucho antes de que fuera súper famosa, y ahora las dos estarán juntas en "SNL".

La estrella de "The Bear" es la anfitriona estrella este fin de semana y Jenny es el invitado musical, así que tienen que imaginarse que han estado cruzándose bien seguido durante los ensayos de esta semana. Por eso, sus comentarios podrían poner las cosas tensas.

En 2020, Ayo estuvo en un podcast junto a una mujer llamada Laci Mosley quien presenta el show "Scam Goddess", dedicado a descubrir "estafas" en el ojo público y cotillear sobre ellas. En este episodio en particular, Ayo era la invitada (cuando, de nuevo, aún no era tan famosa como ahora).

Desde el primer momento, empezaron a hablar de la "estafa" que percibían sería la "carrera" de J Lo. Son sus palabras, no las nuestras. Ayo, luego, destroza Jen en términos muy duros.

Pueden escuchar sus comentarios por sí mismos, pero en esencia, Ayo y Laci se ríen del hecho que Jennifer simplemente no es tan buena cantante, al menos desde su perspectiva, y creen que ha engañado a las masas con la idea de que es una vocalista fantástica.

La propia Ayo incluso se apoya en este viejo (e infundado) rumor de que J Lo supuestamente ha utilizado cantantes fantasmas durante su carrera, algo que ella considera un hecho y una prueba más (desde su punto de vista) de que Jen ha desplumado a la industria. Como hemos dicho, esto es duro.

Hay más comentarios mezquinos de parte de Ayo y Laci que no vamos a incluir aquí.

De todos modos, el punto más grande es que ahora Ayo y Jen están literalmente en el mismo edificio y lo más seguro es que se sigan topando durante las próximas 24 horas.

La pregunta es ¿serán capaces de jugar limpio y seguir con el espectáculo?

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que este incidente con Ayo fue hace mucho tiempo y sin duda es fan de Jenny en este momento. Incluso nos dicen que está emocionada de trabajar con ella. En cuanto a Jen, nuestras fuentes dicen que no suele dejar que este tipo de cosas la molesten y que su mantra es seguir adelante y adelante.

Nos dicen que J Lo está ansiosa por trabajar con Ayo este fin de semana.

Taylor Swift has had performing in her blood for a long, long time -- evident in the fact that she once played Sandy in a kid-version of "Grease" ... and the photos are adorable.

Actor/comedian Tobin Mitnick threw up some photos he has in his possession that show him acting alongside Tay Tay in a children's version of the famed musical/film -- and TM seems to be playing Danny Zuko, whereas Taylor is playing Olivia Newton John's character.

There's 3 pics total, and it looks like Tobin/Tay were good pals during this production way back in the day -- it also seems like they were giving their all, in rehearsal or otherwise.

Tobin writes, "Thank you mom for digging these pics of @taylorswift and I harmonizing like buttah on summer nights twenty five years ago out of storage. Also trav the note is an f-sharp if youre interested. June 2000."

Of course, everyone saw these and is losing their minds over the fact that Taylor as a child is cute as hell -- not to mention the fact that this low-key telegraphed her future ... obviously, she went on to become one of the biggest pop stars ever.

Funny enough, Tobin seems to have alluded to this play last year -- and he says it didn't get nearly as much attention at the time. Welp, if he didn't have pics back then, that's probably why.

Anyway, it's cool stuff -- but the obvious question with this is ... who has the video???

Seeing how this "Grease" play went down in the early aughts, ya gotta figure one of the parents from back then had their giant camcorder out and was rolling from inside an auditorium somewhere.

Taylor has actually addressed the fact she was in "Grease" as a kiddo -- not to mention other musicals/plays -- and now ... here's the proof! Based on what we can see, she was a natural and then some.

The late ONJ probably would've been proud to see the great Taylor Swift doing her best Sandy. Lots of good songs for her to belt out, and we're sure she absolutely crushed.