Music

"As much as I love Michael Jordan, like, dawg, man, LeBron James is the one, dawg. He the one, man."

Did Allen Iverson just pick LeBron James over Michael Jordan in the great G.O.A.T. debate? Sure seems that way.

But, it's not exactly crystal clear -- we'll explain.

A.I. was on Fat Joe's podcast this week ... when Joe asked Iverson about what music got him hyped before games -- and that's when the former Sixers superstar went on a tangent.

Allen talked about all his favorite musicians ... before eventually saying, "I love what's the best, man. You dig what I'm saying? ... I'm not going to fight what's the best. I'm not going to fight."

"As much as I love Michael Jordan, like, dawg, man, LeBron James is the one, dawg. He the one, man."

"That mother f***er is the one, man," A.I. said of Bron.

So, he's picking Bron over MJ, right?! Maybe ... but maybe not.

But, he then also showed some serious love to Kevin Durant, calling the Brooklyn Nets superstar "the one" as well.

Unclear if that meant A.I. was also putting Durant ahead of Jordan in the great NBA debate ... but Allen did say, "Kevin Durant is the one, man, The one."

Detroit rapper 42 Dugg's wearing a new accessory, but there's no celeb jeweler involved this time -- instead, it's cops who've put a GPS monitor on him after he allegedly tried to evade police.

The rapper was busted Monday in Oakland County, Michigan nearly 2 months after cops say he fled from officers in a Detroit suburb ... according to Oakland County's chief assistant prosecutor Paul Walton.

Walton tells us cops tried to pull over a 2020 Chevy Tahoe that ran a stop sign back on June 5. We're told the Tahoe initially pulled over but took off when the cop approached the car, and actually managed to make a clean getaway.

Well, not all that clean. We're told the cop ran the plates and discovered it was a Hertz rental ... that was under a local promoter's name. A detective did some digging and found out Dugg is one of the promoter's clients.

Walton tells us the detective ultimately reviewed surveillance video in the area and identified 42 Dugg as the driver. The 25-year-old rapper was finally tracked down and booked for fleeing a police officer -- a third-degree felony.

Dugg eventually posted $20k bond but got a GPS ankle monitor as part of his conditional release. If convicted, the rapper faces up to 5 years in prison, a $1,000 fine and suspension of his license for 1 year. He's due back in court next week.

Dugg is best known for his collabs with Lil Baby ... including "Grace" and "We Paid," which have more than 106 million YouTube views. We've reached out to Dugg, so far, no word back.

Paris Jackson is living quarantine life in the single lane now ... she's broken up with her BF, singer Gabriel Glenn.

Sources close to Paris tell TMZ ... she decided it was time for her to go solo. The breakup, we're told, was amicable as neither holds any anger or ill will. Our sources say the relationship just ran its course and it was something that just needed to happen.

As for what Paris will focus her attention on now ... our sources say she's been really invested in her music. She's been so invested, she's been at the studio practically every day. We last saw her out and about last week ... looking happy, mind you.

Paris, as you may know by now, had also been working on a Facebook Watch docuseries dubbed "Unfiltered: Paris Jackson & Gabriel Glenn." The 6-part docu-series debuted on June 30 and its final episode airs tonight. Paris and Gabriel have been dating since November 2018.

Over that time, they were usually out together ... often at L.A. music joints for Gabriel's gigs.

As we reported, she played best roadie GF for his gig at the Viper Room. And, remember ... Gabriel also stood by Paris' side during one of the most turbulent moments in her life.

Kanye West's uphill battle to become President is getting steeper every day, but he IS ahead of Joe Biden in one way ... he's officially listed Michelle Tidball as his running mate.

Kanye 2020 is having an up-and-down Monday, so far, because his campaign submitted petitions to get on the Arkansas ballot for prez -- but then missed the deadline in nearby Kansas.

The big news, though, is Tidball is named in the Arkansas filing as his Vice President ... more documented proof of their partnership. He also put her name down on his Missouri ballot filing last week. As we reported, she's yet to confirm it herself.

As for the campaign's progress ... a spokesperson for the Arkansas Secretary of State tells TMZ Ye also turned in the required 1,000 signatures to become an independent candidate, with just 15 mins to spare before the noon deadline.

If you've been keeping track, this has pretty much been Kanye's M.O. We're told the state will now go through the process of verifying all the signatures are legit. This has already been an issue in his home state of Illinois.

Although he checked Arkansas off his list Monday, Kanye missed Kansas ... and we're told there's no way he will be listed on the ballot now.

According to a spokesperson for Kansas Secretary of State's office ... he needed 5,000 signatures by noon and didn't turn in anything. We're told the deadline is very strict, so the only way Kanye can get presidential votes in the state now is as a write-in candidate.

For the record, both Arkansas and Kansas are worth 6 electoral votes.

As we reported ... the rapper's been working with a company called Let the Voters Decide to amass enough signatures to get on the ballots in several states, including swing-state Ohio.

Despite this seemingly sporadic focus on getting on state ballots, Kanye claims he's committed to winning the White House ... recently tweeting he could beat Biden.

It's relevant that people close to Kanye, including Kim Kardashian, say he's been coping with a bipolar episode.

Dr. Dre's wife is not getting divorced without a fight, because she's challenging their prenup and $1 billion is on the line.

Nicole Young just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she claims she was forced to sign the prenup back in 1996.

Nicole says Dre is now worth $1 bil, and says before they tied the knot, "I was extremely reluctant, resistant and afraid to sign the agreement and felt backed into a corner. Given the extraordinary pressure and intimidation by Andre, I was left with no option but to hire a lawyer (of course, with the help of Andre's team of professionals) and unwillingly signed the agreement very shortly before our marriage."

She then says 2 years into the marriage, "Andre acknowledged to me that he felt ashamed he had pressured me into signing a premarital agreement and he tore up multiple copies of the agreement in front of me. Since the day he tore up the agreements, we both understood that there was no premarital agreement, and that it was null and void."

Sources connected to Dre beg to differ, telling TMZ, he never expressed shame over the prenup and he never tore it up or said it was invalid. Our sources also say Nicole had her own lawyer and she had a clear choice on whether to sign or not.

Our sources say Dre has made it clear ... he will pay spousal support and all her expenses, but clearly Nicole wants a big piece of the pie, claiming he amassed most of his fortune during the marriage.

Neil Young just went after President Trump's campaign in court for using his songs at rallies ... and the rocker isn't pulling any punches.

In his lawsuit, Neil claims the President's campaign is still playing his classics "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Devil's Sidewalk" at rallies. According to the docs, Neil says he "in good conscience cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate."

He's made no secret of the fact he's no Trump supporter, but does say in the lawsuit he's not trying to disrespect people who are.

He alleges the campaign did not have a license or permission to play his songs at any of Trump's public events. And, Young says it's not like this is anything new, either.

Neil's been pissed at Trump's campaign, and warned it to stop doing this when he was a candidate back in 2015. Neil's joined a long list of artists who are telling Trump's team to cut the BS. Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones are just some of the other acts who've gone after the campaign.

Legendary singer Tony Bennett's made it another year around the sun, and a couple other famous voices are honoring him ... with some of Tony's own words.

The "I Left My Heart in San Fransisco" crooner turned 94 Monday, and got beautiful birthday shout-outs from Stevie Wonder and Sting ... who took 2 of Tony's other famous tunes and made them their own to pay tribute.

Wonder reminisced about his history with Bennett and how they sang together, but also praised him for his track record of standing up for equality for all and civil rights ... even saying John Lewis is talking Tony up in heaven.

Stevie then put his own special touch on Tony's "The Best is Yet to Come" with the help of a player piano ... it's awesome.

Sting also paid tribute by covering a Bennett classic -- "The Way You Look Tonight" -- and says Tony's an inspiration who gives hope to everyone ... that we can fix the world and make it a better place.

Can't argue with that.

One lucky, and very rich, Elvis Presley fan has the memorabilia world all shook up -- after snapping up one of The King's rare guitars for a record-setting 7-FIGURE price!!!

That's right ... Elvis' 1942 Martin D-18 guitar -- which he owned from 1954 to 1956 -- sold at auction for a whopping $1,320,000. It's a WORLD RECORD for the most expensive Elvis Presley memorabilia ever sold ... via the folks over at Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

As we first reported ... the guitar's got tons of history. Elvis bought it at O.K. Houck's Piano Store in Memphis, trading in his Martin 000-18 model. He then went on to decorate the body of the guitar with adhesive metal letters spelling out "ELVIS." Today, the guitar's missing the "S."

While he owned the guitar, Elvis recorded a slew of his early classics, including "That's Alright (Mama)," "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Good Rockin' Tonight." The new owner is remaining anonymous ... for now.

Some other cool items that sold at the auction include Michael Jordan's game-worn modified Jordan 1 sneakers from the 1985-86 season. The pair sold for $474,696, also a record.

Eddie Van Halen's 2000 custom racing Ferrari sold for $156,250 and The Beatles' 1966 Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens concert poster sold for $68,750. That's also a world record ... for non-U.S. concert posters.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is fully free, having just completed house arrest, and he's already out shooting a music video.

We got this vid of Tekashi out in Brooklyn Sunday, bright and early (7:30 AM) .... alongside some super wild rides.

It's no surprise ... a few security guards were patrolling the area, along with a massive entourage. Security was blocking several streets, stopping drivers from coming through. It's pretty clear they had permits to shoot the video ... otherwise, cops would have shut it down.

The cars are crazy -- 2 colorful Lambos, an orange McLaren, a yellow Dodge Charger and a Benz.

Tekashi, who was released from house arrest Saturday, is on 5 years supervised probation. Most people thought he'd go into witness protection, but he's shunned that, and the music video is evidence ... he's not hiding from anyone.

Kanye West's presidential campaign just got serious, because he's gunning to get on the Ohio ballot, and that state could be a determining factor in who occupies the White House.

Kanye hired a company, Let the Voters Decide, to amass voter signatures in 3 states ... Ohio, West Virginia and Arkansas.

Ye needs 5,000 signatures in Ohio by Wednesday to qualify. We're told more than roughly 90 people are canvassing Ohio, gathering the required number of John Hancocks.

Ohio is one of the 4 swing states that could be a major factor in November. In 2016, Trump won the state by fewer than 500,000 votes. Kanye's not gonna win, but he could be a spoiler. It's unclear who gets hurt more if Ye siphons off votes -- Trump or Biden.

We're told Let the Voters Decide is confident it'll get the necessary 5,000 votes in time to qualify for the ballot.

So, you're confused on how 'rona spreads ... well, we're here to help, take a look at his video from -- you guessed it -- Lake of the Ozarks.

The EDM concert was packed to the gills with partiers stacked like sardines, and like sardines, almost no one was wearing masks.

It's not like Missouri isn't having problems with coronavirus. Oh, wait ... 51,632 people have COVID, and 1,276 have died.

Again, this is not about them risking their own lives. It's about risking the lives of others they come in contact with ... especially since testing is virtually useless in some states because the lag in getting results is sometimes upwards of a week.

This isn't the first time crowds have packed into Lake of the Ozarks. The same thing happened on the 4th of July.

Adele is heaping on the ultimate praise to Beyonce, wearing the same outfit featured in her new smash hit project, 'Black is King' ... and the internet can't deal.

The singer shouted out Bey's new visual album Saturday on Instagram, posting a photo of herself posing in front of her TV with the flick on in the background ... but, more revealing, wearing a very similar-looking bodysuit (if not an exact replica) that Beyonce rocks in 'BIK.'

Adele captioned the post, "Thank you Queen for always making us all feel so loved through your art." Of course, Adele looks great in the photo too -- further showing off her new look.

As for Beyonce's new film ... it's the talk of the town right now. They say it's a companion piece to the rebooted 'Lion King' -- and it features tons of striking images, performances, costumes and songs. It's like the new 'Lemonade' -- but carries way more weight in light of what's been going on lately around the country.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is enjoying his first taste of freedom in about 21 months -- his home confinement and GPS-monitored days are officially ending.

The rapper's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... Tekashi's federal probation officer is going to the rapper's home Saturday to remove his ankle monitor. We're told 6ix9ine will also be provided a schedule for when he needs to check in with his PO during his 5 years of supervised release.

It's a momentous occasion for Tekashi ... remember, the rapper-turned-state's witness (aka snitch) proudly showed off his ankle monitor when he dropped his first music video following his prison stint.

While T69 can now leave his house, he's not exactly free to move about the country, as they say.

Lazzaro says Tekashi will need to get permission from his PO whenever he wants to leave the state or the country, including when he travels for a performance or recording session. No business trip exceptions!

The good news for 69 is as long as he's within NY state borders, we're told he doesn't have to check in with the PO for every little thing he does. So, considering he's been locked up since November 2018 ... this is pretty damn close to his life before prison.

Wisely, we're told he's not going hog wild ... he's got nothing special on the calendar, other than hitting the studio and making music.

J. Cole is currently training his ass off in hopes of getting a shot to make an NBA roster ... so says Master P, who offered the rap star some pretty sound advice.

First, let's talk J. Cole -- the "No Role Models" rapper was a solid hooper back in high school and famously tried out for St. Johns during his stint in college, but ultimately decided to focus on music.

Cole is a regular on the celebrity basketball circuit and is widely known as one of the best non-pro celebrity ballers in the country.

The 35-year-old recently hooked up with Master P for a Puma commercial where it's strongly insinuated that Cole is training for a shot with an NBA team ... which makes sense since P basically did the same thing back in the day.

Master P says he earned an NBA contract with 2 different teams in the '90s -- after he was already a famous rap mogul -- and he knows what it takes to get to the top level.

P -- whose music and hoops careers are documented in BET's "No Limit Chronicles" -- tells TMZ Sports he had a lengthy conversation with J. Cole about his hoop dreams ... and says he's convinced the rapper is dead serious.

"When I talked to J. Cole, he was like 'You know, big dog you did it. What do you think I would have to do to make it happen?'"

"I said to get one of these NBA jerseys, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be a lot of hate, it's gonna be a lot of people not believing in you but you know J. Cole -- he got the right size, he in the gym!"

"But, what I told him ... this a different time we're in. They're going to pick you apart! You're gonna have to be able to hit every shot and if you don't hit every shot, they -- you know in the NBA, they don't hit every shot but they believe in them. So, you're gonna have to go somewhere where the team really believe in you and the players believe in you."

P says Cole won't get a pass just because he's famous -- in fact, he'll have to work even harder than everyone else to prove he's for real.

"They've been putting their whole life into this. So, you're gonna have to prove you're worthy of being on that court."

P adds, "I believe in him and I believe that he's a youngster that has a lot of desire."

Bottom line -- P says if Cole does get an opportunity, he's gonna have to show out.

"Either you're gonna be good enough to play or you're gonna get exposed."

Nicki Minaj's husband really wants to be there for the birth of the couple's first child ... a once-in-a-lifetime moment he might have to miss due to his pending criminal case.

Kenneth Petty just submitted legal docs, obtained by TMZ, begging the judge to modify the terms of his pretrial release conditions so he can travel with Nicki periodically on business as her manager and attend the upcoming birth of their baby.

As you know ... Kenneth recently registered as a sex offender in Cali after getting arrested for allegedly failing to do so when he moved to the state with Nicki. Some of the terms of his pretrial release -- he has a curfew and his travel is restricted to California.

According to the docs, Kenneth wants the judge to tweak his release conditions so he can be by Nicki's side if she gives birth outside his curfew hours.

Kenneth says the U.S. Attorney's Office and pretrial services office don't oppose his request, so now it's up to the judge to sign off.

As we reported ... Nicki announced her pregnancy earlier this month, and it looks like she's at least 6 months along. So the baby could be coming soon.

BTW ... Kenneth's status as a sex offender stems from a 1995 New York conviction for first-degree attempted rape. Petty pled not guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, and a judge recently gave him permission to surf the web.

Now, Kenneth's hoping to go 2-for-2 with the judge.

Tamar Braxton is opening up about her attempt to end her own life, claiming her years in the reality TV business and the "toxic, systemic bondage" that dwells there almost killed her ... but now she's healing and speaking up.

Tamar says the July 16 incident was "my attempt to end my pain and my life," and only by God's grace and mercy did she make it out alive.

As you know ... Tamar was rushed to a hospital July 16 after her boyfriend, David Adefeso, called 911 from their hotel room in downtown L.A. EMTs found her unconscious inside her room when they arrived.

Tamar says her pain has been building for 11 years, and had eaten away her spirit and caused her to suffer mental illness. She says over the past 5 years, in particular, she has been overworked, underpaid, taken advantage of and betrayed by reality TV producers. She flat out accuses them ... claiming they "filmed the damage made, for monetary gain."

She says over 2 months ago, she wrote a letter to WE tv -- the network producing her new series, "Get Ya Life!" -- asking to be freed from her contract and explained the "demise" she was experiencing. She claims her cry for help was ignored.

Instead, she says the network pushed forward with the new series, which she says tainted her spirit and her soul. She adds ... "It was witnessing the death of the woman I knew, that discouraged my will to fight. I felt like I was no longer living, I was existing for the purpose of corporations gain, and that killed me."

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the final straw for Tamar was when she viewed the first episode of "Get Ya Life!" and felt the network and producers did everything they promised they wouldn't ... including portraying her as the "angry black woman" who was choosing a man over her family.

We're also told she was very upset about how her BF, David, was used by the network and came off in the show.

Now, as we first reported, sources connected to the Braxton family told us the family believes it was David who got angry about his portrayal in that first episode, and that's what fueled Tamar's emotions.

First episode aside, Tamar clearly has a bigger issue with reality TV and its treatment of minorities. As she put it, "They promise us opportunity but produce exploitation."