Music

Public distancing from Diddy is in full swing in the hip hop community as artists watch the brutal footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura ... and some are calling for his head.

50 Cent didn't react with his usual jokes this time around, but tossed a sarcastic jab at Diddy's legal counsel for their inevitable defense of their client ... quipping the entire saga gave him "Maury vibes."

The G-Unit rapper previously announced he's putting together his own Diddy documentary ... so, he's not only watching this from his usual vantage point -- as social media troll supreme -- but also as a producer.

Roddy Ricch and his ex-girlfriend Alexandra Kiser have reached a custody agreement for their 3-year-old son ... finally putting an end to their parental tug-o-war.

"The Box" rapper will have joint legal custody and is getting physical custody of the kid for a couple days each week from Tuesdays to Thursdays.

He also has to pay Alexandra $8K a month in child support ... on top of their son's private school tuition, medical bills, any special-needs therapy, and additional extracurricular activities.

An ex-federal prosecutor is weighing in on Diddy's assault video -- and she says while this isn't necessarily a smoking gun in the investigation he's facing, it certainly doesn't help him.

We talked to Katie Cherkasky -- who's had years of experience with these sorts of legal matters -- on "TMZ Live" Friday ... where she declared that the now-viral video, in which Diddy can be seen beating Cassie -- should make him and his camp worried.

Katie says the tape gives credibility to Cassie on multiple fronts -- both in the public eye, but also with the feds who are drilling down into major allegations against Diddy right now.

Melissa Joan Hart feels a lot of regret over introducing a then-underage Britney Spears to her first clubbing experience in the nineties ... something she says she wishes she didn't do.

BS and MJH's friendship began in 1999 when the 'Sabrina' actress appeared in Spears' "(You Drive Me) Crazy" music video, and Britney guested on Melissa's ABC show.

Being 6 years older, Melissa says she felt a sibling-like bond with Britney ... hence why she feels she should've known better than to take her to a nightclub at 17.

Lil Yachty doesn't think Drake is permanently scarred by his battle with Kendrick Lamar -- although, almost everyone agrees he lost ... Champagne Papi's still king in Yachty's book!!!

The Boatster broke his silence about the Drake-Kendrick beef on his "A Safe Space" podcast after lyrically getting looped into the mix.

Kendrick poked at Yachty's friendship with Drake on "Euphoria" when he growled, "Yachty can't give you no swag neither, I don't give a f**k who ya hang with" -- an incredible strategy Yachty says, but not enough to ruin the OVO legacy.

Jessica Biel's been hitched to Justin Timberlake for 12 years now -- but even now, they still hit bumps in the road, including when they're apart ... something she says they work on.

The actress appeared on Thursday's episode of "The View" ... telling the panel that navigating distance and their busy schedules was a work in progress, and a balancing act they're always fine-tuning in their marriage.

Jessica gave a shoutout to Zoom and FaceTime for helping her and her sons, Silas and Phineas, stay connected with JT while he's on the move ... or vice versa, herself as well.

1:13 PM PT -- A rep for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts tells TMZ ... "This hotel is no longer under IHG management, and we do not have any access to prior incident records or footage."

10:56 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there is no record cops can track down as it pertains to this 2016 incident at the InterContinental, so it doesn't appear to have been mentioned to cops in a police report, or otherwise reported to the authorities.

In terms of cops opening a case on this now, LAPD tells TMZ ... For cases before January 2020, it's a 3 year statute of limitations -- and after January 2020, it's 5 years. In other words, there's no chance cops will dive into this specific incident for potential criminal charges at this point, at least as far as the LAPD is concerned.

Diddy brutally beat up his ex-girlfriend Cassie at a hotel in L.A. 8 years ago -- something she detailed in her lawsuit ... and which we're now seeing for the first time on camera.

Zac Brown wants a judge to force his estranged wife to take down an Instagram post that he says is incredibly damaging to him ... and he went to court to make it happen.

The country singer filed documents Friday against Kelly Yazdi -- whom he married in August ... only to split up with her four months later through a joint statement, amounting to a complete 180 on their relationship.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Zac claims that an Instagram post Kelly has up on her feed is in violation of confidentiality agreements she has signed with him.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce didn't let some bad weather derail their romantic getaway in Lake Como ... flaunting some serious PDA on a boat, where it was just the 2 of them.

Check out these awesome pics ... the singer and the NFL star share a sweet kiss while enjoying a boat ride in the scenic Italian resort town. Taylor, dressed in a black dress and tan overcoat, cuddles up to Travis ... who stayed warm by wearing a black and white sweater.

There's no question Taylor and Travis enjoyed their outing ... as they happily posed for several pics for a photog who was snapping away, both on the boat and the lake's dock.

John Oates is showing love for his longtime partner turned legal adversary Daryl Hall ... calling him one of the all-time greats, despite the dispute that's blown up the Rock Hall of Fame duo.

The legendary singer-songwriter opened up about their early days recording together, telling the New York Post -- he ended up taking more of a backup singing role to Daryl because he quickly learned what an amazing voice he has.

John actually called his ex-partner one of the greatest singers ever -- extremely kind words, especially considering DH filed a lawsuit against John late last year.

Cardi B isn't shying away from her parenting duties even as a multi-millionaire --- in fact, it sounds like she wants little to no help ... including from her own parents.

In her recent Rolling Stone interview, Cardi revealed she isn't too keen on relying on her folks for assistance in helping bring up her 2-year-old and 5-year-old, Wave and Kulture ... whom she shares with her husband Offset.

Cardi says, "I had them kids. They came out of my p***y, not my mom's. They mine."

Taylor Swift seems to be sending a big F-U to Billie Eilish on the day BE dropped her new album -- 'cause Tay released new versions of her own (eco-friendly) project simultaneously.

Billie put out her latest album "Hit Me Hard and Soft" Friday -- which had been scheduled for a good while now ... and while all her fans were stoked over it, Taylor swooped in out of nowhere Thursday to announce 3 fresh digital releases of "The Tortured Poets Department."

Taylor is basically releasing the same album but with three separate bonus tracks ... and that means 3 separate downloads for fans -- which will undoubtedly affect streaming numbers.

King Charles is already topping his late mother, the beloved Queen Elizabeth II, in one major way ... thanks to some superior financial planning.

The Sunday Times dropped their 2024 Rich List Friday ... which highlighted the wealthiest people in the UK, and unsurprisingly His Royal Highness made the list, but the standout fact is his net worth is worth far exceeds the former Windsor monarch's.

According to the list, the King is worth $770 million -- which shockingly only makes him the 258th richest person in the country. His fortune jumped significantly in the last year ... as his 2023 wealth was notably $12 million less.

Taylor Swift is thousands of miles away living it up with Travis Kelce in Italy, but her presence was still felt with the Mahomeses on Thursday night -- with Patrick and Brittany jamming out to one of her hits at a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit party!!

TMZ Sports has obtained exclusive footage from the 60th-anniversary issue launch event at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York on Thursday ... and the bash was packed with stars like John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Logan Paul and his pregnant fiancée, Nina Agdal.

The Mahomeses were quite popular among the celebs ... including first-time cover model and legendary journalist Gayle King.

Reba McEntire and Post Malone stole the show at the 2024 ACM Awards ... coming together for a surprise performance of a country classic.

After Post impressed with a solo performance of his songs, "I Had Some Help" and "Never Love You Again," Reba joined PM onstage at the Ford Center in Frisco, TX ... asking him to indulge her with a surprise collab.

Specifically, Reba invited Posty to join her for a performance of the Allman Brothers Band's 1973 hit, "Ramblin' Man" ... in honor of the late Dickey Betts.

Elle King's finally addressing her flubbed Dolly Parton performance in full ... chalking up the alcohol-infused moment to dealing with difficult issues in her life -- and, praising DP's grace.

The singer hopped on Chelsea Handler's podcast "Dear Chelsea" when she ruminated on the disastrous January performance ... calling the incident a huge mistake and diving into the lead-up to the show.

EK says she'd been going through something major at the time ... and the day of the performance was significant in whatever this major trauma was. She didn't get into detail about what exactly was troubling her ... but whatever it was caused her PTSD, she says.