Music

Montana Tucker's dropping a new single that's all about self-confidence, but make no mistake ... she has vivid memories of bullies tearing down her confidence and forcing her into bathroom stalls.

The singer dug into her pain locker to reveal what fueled "Be Myself" ... her new single featuring Todrick Hall. The track aims to inspire self-acceptance and inclusivity ... something Montana says she works hard to convey on social media, and in real life.

On Thursday's "TMZ Live" she told us high school bullies called her MAN-tana because she was "a little bit bigger than the rest of the girls."

The bullying got so out of hand, Montana tells us she was relegated to sitting in the bathroom for lunch every day.

Her official "Be Myself" music vid -- which includes a flash mob routine in Times Square -- drops Friday, and Montana says it will also draw on some of those experiences she and Todrick had in school.

Tyra Myricks believes she has a solution to a notorious L.A. problem -- she's bringing New York-style pizza to the West Coast, and tells us she's making it with the right ingredients.

Tyra -- an entrepreneur and daughter of Jam Master Jay -- has teamed up with T'yanna Wallace, daughter of The Notorious B.I.G., to launch Juicy Pizza ... named after the latter's smash 1994 hit track.

Myricks says she came up with the idea when she was struggling to find good NY-style 'za in L.A. -- a common gripe, especially for transplanted NYers. So, she hit up T'yanna with her plan, because Biggie best represents that Brooklyn vibe she wants for their pizza joint.

Tyra took us through the New York-inspired menu when she was on Thursday's "TMZ Live," and revealed their secret ingredient -- real NY water in their dough. You gotta watch to see how they're getting that agua out west.

If you're still not sold, there's also this -- Juicy's gonna have a members-only cannabis lounge in the back ... to attract celebs and turn the place into a Hollywood hot spot. The fun begins real soon, because Juicy Pizza is opening its doors for dinner Saturday night.

Kid Rock's hatefulness is showing again, and he seems pretty damn proud of it -- while responding to the video of him hurling a homophobic slur, he's choosing to repeat the word and attack his critics.

The singer publicly addressed the video TMZ posted of him using the epithet at a Tennessee bar last weekend by tweeting this ... "If Kid Rock using the word f***** offends you, good chance you are one."

He attempted to put a friendly spin on it by adding, "Either way, I know he has a lot of love for his gay friends and I will have a talk with him. Have a nice day."

Kid credited the comment to Bob Ritchie -- his legal name -- in what seems to be a warped use of the third person to excuse his behavior or dismiss the backlash he's getting.

Either way, it's an incredibly bad look, but he clearly doesn't care much what anyone thinks.

We broke the story ... Kid was on the mic Saturday night at FishLipz Bar & Grill when he dropped the homophobic slur in the middle of a rant about the crowd recording him with smartphones.

Kanye West and Irina Shayk were an item long before their romantic getaway to France ... and the DMX memorial service was an early sign Ye was on the rebound.

Sources connected to the new couple tell TMZ ... Ye and Irina have been together for months, seeing each other as early as March. In fact, one of the new couple's prior hangout sessions happened in New York City in late April, when Kanye was there for DMX's celebration of life.

There were signs then that Yeezy and Irina were an item ... she was spotted wearing a custom DMX memorial shirt before it was even in the hands of the general public.

Remember ... the custom X shirts were designed by Balenciaga and commissioned by the Yeezy brand, and Kanye helped raise over $1 million for DMX's family with the profits.

As we first told you ... Ye and the supermodel were hanging in France on his 44th birthday Tuesday before hopping on a private jet Wednesday and flying back to the States together.

This is the first public dating we've seen Kanye or Kim Kardashian do since she filed for divorce back in February, but he and Irina have a bit of history ... professionally speaking.

Shock G died in a Tampa hotel room from a deadly mix of drugs and alcohol ... according to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner.

A rep for the medical examiner's office tells TMZ ... the Digital Underground rapper died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, ethanol (alcohol) and methamphetamine.

We broke the story ... Shock G was found unresponsive in his hotel room in April, and there were no outward signs of trauma. Shock was last seen the day before he died, by a hotel manager ... who then found him in the room on April 22.

The manager had grown concerned after Shock -- famed performer of the 'Humpty Dance' -- missed check-out time, and immediately called 911.

The Hillsborough County ME says Shock G was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:20 PM ET.

The car that made Justin Bieber cry is now his date night ride ... and it looks like all his tears were worth it.

JB took his wife, Hailey, out for dinner at Matsuhisa in Bev Hills Wednesday night, and he got to show off his futuristic whip -- a custom 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith that was 3 years in the making.

The 2 arrived in style, and ya gotta think the valet driver Justin handed his keys to was pumped to give the RoboCop Rollie a spin. Or maybe he was racked with nerves.

Later, Bieber gave everyone a good look at the car's sick wheel covers and spaceship-looking features as the couple left the restaurant. Note how super careful he was not to bottom out this time!! Live and learn.

As we first told you ... the crew over at West Coast Customs masterminded the Biebs' jaw-dropping ride, and when they first showed him the finished product earlier this year ... he got a little emotional.

Ryan Cabrera and Alexa Bliss agree with Beyonce ... if ya like it, you should put a ring on it -- that goes for men and women, which is why he's already rocking a "man-gagement" ring.

The singer and WWE superstar were at LAX Wednesday when a photog noticed they were both wearing rings as they clutched their iced coffees. He asked the obvious ... did they already get married? But, they explained it's not what it seems.

Ryan says the band is his engagement ring from Alexa, and she says they want to normalize this practice. His reasoning is making sure all the ladies out there know he's taken.

As we reported, Ryan popped the question back in November after a year of dating, and now they're saying the wedding will be next year, and they're planning a huge celebration once the pandemic's a bad memory.

Sounds like the nuptials will be heavy on friends and light on family.

Alexa also seems to be in better spirits after mourning the death of her beloved pet pig, Larry-Steve, who died last month when he suffered a medical emergency ... and Alexa says multiple vets refused to treat him.

Jennifer Lopez made Miami Beach's Española Way, way hotter than usual ... and probably could have gotten away with anything as she had 3 police officers hanging on her every move.

J Lo took the short jorts/baggy shirt/trucker hat look (it's officially a thing now) to another level Tuesday night as she took a pause from shooting a music video with reggaetón star Rauw Alejandro to snap the photo with the cops.

Someones gotta have her back with BF Ben Affleck back on the West Coast.

We're told Lopez and company were shooting the vid for her new Spanish single for several hours at The Goodtime Hotel, and the police were on hand for security.

Miami Beach PD posted the pic with the 3 officers who won the J Lo lottery, saying ... "From her block to ours, @JLO feels at home on Española with #yourMBPD!"

Maybe MBPD hasn't heard the news ... all signs point to Jen shifting her home base to L.A. now that Bennifer's a thing again.

As you know ... the 2 have been crisscrossing the country since hooking up months ago and igniting Bennifer 2.0. He traveled to Miami to be with her, and then last week she was in L.A. to be with him and checked out a fancy private school -- presumably for her kids, Max and Emme, to attend.

Silento's not getting out of jail, at least not for now ... a judge just denied his request to be let out on bond in his murder case.

The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper had a bond hearing Wednesday in DeKalb County, GA where the judge ruled Silento's history of mental health issues -- coupled with a history of not taking his meds -- made him too risky to be let out on bond while his case is pending.

The judge also cited concerns raised by the prosecutor about Silento's history of being in denial of his mental health issues, specifically noting that the rapper once left a mental health facility in California. The judge also mentioned there was no telling what could happen if Silento decides NOT to take his meds ... noting this would put the community at serious risk.

Prosecutors said even his grandparents argued in strong opposition to the bond.

Silento's legal team tried painting a more favorable picture ... calling him a local treasure who was once on the Governor's Blue Ribbon panel urging kids to stay away from drugs and alcohol. His team says Silento's problem stems from his bipolar disorder, and other mental health issues he's battled for years.

But, the judge didn't go for it ... and ordered Silento to remain behind bars.

A group of loyal Morgan Wallen fans believe he's been punished enough since casually dropping the n-word back in January ... so they're deploying a new round of billboards to protest the country music biz shunning him.

The fan-funded billboards went up in Nashville this week, spearheaded by a woman named Darleen Ingram, and the message is pretty simple -- "The Fans Are Speaking / Enough Is Enough."

The timing of the 7 new billboards coincides with the CMT Music Awards, which air Wednesday night. Wallen's been banned from the awards and didn't receive any nominations.

That's apparently not sitting right with his loyal fans, as their billboards add ... "Music Industry, We Want to Be Heard!"

The billboards also reference the Bible verse Mark 11:25, which says ... "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

We broke the story ... someone in Wallen's neighborhood shot video of him using the n-word after a night out partying with his friends, and the fallout was pretty swift. He was dropped by radio stations and his talent agency, suspended by his record label, and banned from several award shows.

However, his popularity still soared and he even managed to win awards at events from which he'd been banned. Morgan apologized and promised to work on bettering himself and stayed out of the public eye for months ... before returning to the stage last month.

Try as she might, Khloe Kardashian just can't help but clap back at people on the Internet who spout off ... especially when it's about her family.

Khloe responded to a fan who criticized her birthday tribute to Kanye West Tuesday -- she'd posted a pic of Kim and Kanye along with Tristan Thompson and herself, and captioned it ... "Happy birthday to my brother for life!!!"

This didn't sit well with one Instagram user, who called the tribute "too petty for me" and suggested that Khloe broke a sister bond. The commenter -- directing her message to Kim -- also wrote ... "Your divorce was so hard on you even the picture is just uncalled for."

Khloe didn't let it slide ... she called out the fan for talking smack when she knows nothing about the subject.

She said ... "You don’t think me and my sisters talk about one another’s feelings? We are with one another everyday. This is MY FAMILY. Not yours! Don’t comment as if you in the know unless you are actually in the know. Weirdo!!!"

Megan Thee Stallion's about to be known as MTE -- Megan Thee Educator -- 'cause she's footing the bill for a full-ride scholarship, and will even serve as a lecturer at Long Island University.

Not that Megan's looking to get tenured, but she's definitely all in for Roc Nation's School of Music, Sports and Entertainment. Jay-Z's management firm -- where Megan is a client -- had already announced its partnership with L.I.U. would begin in Fall 2021, but now Megan is stepping up to cover 4 years of tuition for one lucky student to enroll in the Roc program.

Megan is still taking classes at Texas Southern University. Even after achieving superstardom, the Grammy winner's remained committed to graduating with a degree in healthcare administration and wants others to get a shot at higher education.

Meg says, "If I can use my resources to open doors and create opportunities for at least one student, then it's a victory. It's important that we encourage our students to pursue their passions and put them in positions to become the next game changer in whichever fields they choose."

In addition to hooking up a student, we're told MTS will actually participate as a guest lecturer for L.I.U.'s "Industry Expert Speaker Series." As for what she'll be discussing -- we're told that's TBD, but the success of hits like "Hot Girl Summer," and "W.A.P." has to be a potential topic.

We're sure she'll be wearing more on campus than the wardrobe she recently teased for her soon-to-drop "Thot S**t" music vid. Pretty sure, anyway.

Waka Flocka Flame is getting the next generation ready for their next step by delivering the commencement address at a Chicago high school graduation ceremony.

The "No Hands" rapper will appear virtually at Chicago's Soldier Field when graduates from Innovations High School get their diplomas after a challenging school year that required them to learn virtually while overcoming a pandemic.

Waka Flocka Flame tells TMZ ... he's honored to be speaking to the kids, and plans to let them know how proud folks are of them for graduating despite a rough and very abnormal year.

The charter school's executive director, LaShaun Jackson, tells TMZ ... Waka's the right speaker for this graduating class because he's a success story from the streets, and his life has been all about overcoming adversity.

Remember, Waka got a lifetime achievement award for his charitable efforts before former president Donald Trump left office ... and in October he got his honorary doctorate degree in philanthropy and humanitarianism from the Bible Institutes of America.

Rapper Pooh Shiesty has just been arrested over a shooting that went down at a Miami club ... where cops say a security guard ended up getting shot in a dispute over money.

According to Miami-Dade County Corrections records ... the rapper was taken into custody Tuesday around 2 PM on a warrant for his arrest for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon ... a felony.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Miami-Dade PD was called out to the King of Diamonds nightclub back on May 30 around 4 AM for a reported shooting.

Cops say witnesses told them security staff was escorting Pooh out of the building when, out of nowhere, there was an altercation between Pooh and security staff. Cops say the security manager told them the beef was over money that had apparently fallen out of Pooh's pants.

It's unclear how much, if any, money fell ... but apparently, it was enough to set off Pooh 'cause cops say they were told the Memphis MC took out his gun and fired off a round toward the ground.

Cops say one of the security guards ended up getting hit in the right ankle and was taken to a hospital. By the time cops showed up at the scene, they say Pooh had already bounced.

There were rumors going around social media that someone jacked $40k from Pooh, but the rapper put those rumors to bed, saying on IG ... "false allegations nothing never been took from me."

But, according to cops ... money is at the center of this particular incident, which resulted in one person getting shot.

Pooh Shiesty's best known for his hit track "Back In Blood" ... which has more than 154M views on YouTube. He's signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 Records. We reached out to Pooh and a rep had no comment.

The first offering Kanye West and Gap are putting out to the public is a jacket -- one you can't really bundle up in ... but it'll still cost you a couple Benjamins, plus tax.

The YEEZY Gap Round jacket has officially arrived ... the inaugural article of clothing from Ye's fashion company and the iconic American retailer that's now available for pre-order. Its debut comes on a notable date ... Mr. West's 44th birthday.

As for the structure of it, it's pretty simple. Like we said ... it's a coat -- a puffer with some billowy heft to it, made of recycled nylon material ... and, as you noticed, screams bright blue. Unclear if it'll come in any other colors, or if this is it.

The other feature folks are pointing out ... you can't zip or button the damn thing up, like at all. So, this thing's clearly just for fashion, and is clearly a shift for Gap. Oh, and it retails for $200.

Regardless of what you *thought* YEEZY/Gap gear would cost when they first announced this partnership ... here's an early indication of what may come, so ya better start saving up if you were expecting traditional Gap prices. YEEZY comes at a bit of a premium, folks.

BTW, Ye himself has been rocking this puppy lately ... he was seen wearing the puffy jacket earlier this week, no doubt teasing its forthcoming release. So we gotta ask ... you coppin'???

Lindsey Buckingham's wife of more than 2 decades is -- as he famously sang -- going her own way ... she's filed docs to split up with the iconic guitarist.

Kristen Messner -- who's been married to the Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer for 21 years -- filed legal docs recently in L.A. County to dissolve their marriage. It's unclear at this point if she and Lindsey have discussed any terms yet of the split.

The couple has 3 children together, but 2 are adults, and the third, Stella, is already 17 -- so, depending on how long it takes to sort out ... there might not be any child custody issues.

Kristen and Lindsey got hitched back in 2000 after meeting in the late '90s when she photographed him for the cover of one of his solo albums.