Music

Britney Spears is still seeing her sons, Jayden and Sean, without any pushback from Kevin Federline amid the new wave of concern raised by the #FreeBritney folks.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... if Kevin ever felt any concern about Britney's state of mind, he would try to take legal steps to end -- or at least reduce -- her visitation with their boys, but he doesn't think she poses a risk.

Our sources say Kevin is confident their boys are healthy and safe when they're at their mom's home -- which is about 30 percent of the time -- and he's not the least bit influenced by the persistent buzz from some fans who claim Britney should be freed from her conservatorship. There are always other people at the home when the boys visit ... making Kevin feel that much more comfortable.

As we've reported ... some Britney fans think she's being held against her will, but we've been told there's no truth to this. Our sources say Kevin is not going to weigh in on Britney's state of mind, because he's not an expert and sees no benefit in sharing his opinion.

Bottom line ... Britney's going to keep seeing the boys with no resistance or concern from their father.

Two icons. One photo.

Colin Kaepernick and Dr. Dre struck a pose together to send a message -- taking a knee during a recent get together ... and LeBron James approves!

"Defiant," Dre wrote about their photo posted Sunday night. Unclear when and where the pic was taken. We're working on it.

The pic was praised by stars like LeBron, Caron Butler, Busta Rhymes, Kevin Durant and more.

Colin and Dre have been in business together for years -- Colin had an endorsement deal with Beats by Dre starting way back in 2013.

And, by the way, Beats by Dre recently signed Bubba Wallace -- the only Black driver in NASCAR's top series.

"No one should ever be asked to apologize for standing up for what’s right," the company said after signing Wallace earlier this month.

"We are proud to welcome @bubbawallace to the Beats by Dr. Dre family."

As we previously reported, Colin is still dead serious about trying to get back into the NFL -- and has been training almost every day to stay ready.

A few teams mentioned they're interested in the QB -- but so far, no one has brought him in for a workout.

Post Malone is taking steps to turn his favorite drinking game into big biz ... we've learned the wheels are in motion for a world beer pong league!!!

The "Beerbongs & Bentleys" rapper is looking to lock up the rights to "World Pong League" ... and Post and his legal team have gone so far as to file for a trademark on that name.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Post wants his "World Pong League" to operate official beer pong tournaments, competitions, events and exhibitions.

And, just like the NFL, MLB or NBA ... ya gotta have merch! Post plans to put the league moniker on beverage glassware, drinking glasses, plastic cups, game tables, cup racks, balls and every piece of casual sportswear -- including boxer shorts -- under the sun.

Basically, everything you could possibly associate with sport of (drinking) kings and queens.

As you know ... Post is a huge beer pong fanatic, and he loves to raise the stakes. PM won $50,000 playing pong with Tyla Yaweh.

We're told the "World Pong League" is the brainchild of Post and his manager, Dre London, but the idea is only in its infant stages -- meaning, all you amateurs still have time to practice.

Aim well and drink wisely, friends.

Any Jimi Hendrix collectible is significant, but this rare electric guitar oozes with so much history ... it's no wonder it'll fetch a HUGE sum of money when it goes up for auction.

The folks over at Kruse GWS Auctions are in possession of Buster's early 1960s Japanese Sunburst electric guitar that's expected to snag at LEAST a cool $50,000. That's the minimum bid but GWS expects to fetch a historic amount ... and here's why they just might.

Legend has it the guitar god used this exact axe shortly after he returned home from the U.S. Army in 1962 and moving to Clarksville, Tennessee. While he was there, Jimi played the Chitlin' Circuit with some incredible talent -- like Sam Cooke and Ike and Tina Turner.

Jimi's brother, Leon Hendrix, has said "that was the last time that Jimi sounded happy." Leon recalls, "I remember Jimi calling me from New York saying he so broke he can't even pay attention. He pawned his guitar and his friends got him one."

When Jimi moved to London in 1966, he left this guitar in NYC at the apartment of one of his best friends. Cut to 54 years later and the winner of this bid will also get a letter of provenance from Leon, who will also have a private lunch with the winning bidder.

BTW ... there will be TONS of other cool items up for auction, like Prince's custom purple boots, Elvis Presley's owned and worn Neo-style sunglasses, Tom Hanks "Cast Away" costumes -- and perhaps the greatest ... Muhammad Ali's custom white terrycloth "World Champion" robe!!!

Kanye West's last-ditch effort to make the presidential ballot in his home state worked ... but it cost him a nice chunk of change.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kanye's campaign team hired a third-party vendor called Let The Voters Decide to collect the 2,500 signatures to make the ballot in Illinois.

Thing is ... Kanye did it with only a little more than a day to spare ... before the 5 PM Monday deadline.

We're told the group got to work right away, deploying 45 people who hit the streets in various parts of the state and racked up enough signatures ... all in 24 hours.

Our sources say they were paid handsomely for their efforts ... Kanye dished out $10-12 per signature, and they produced 3,178 signatures. Do the math -- well over $30k.

One of the signature collectors, Kenny Mister, tells us he got hit up Sunday to petition for Kanye. He says he was in Detroit, but dropped everything to get to Springfield, IL by Monday, worked for 3 hours ... and got 56 signatures at 10 bucks a pop.

Kenny says he went door to door, asking folks if they'd support Kanye getting on the ballot, but adding it didn't mean they had to vote for him.

BTW, if you're wondering if $10 per signature is a lot ... it is. Rickey Hendon -- a former Illinois State Senator who now works as a campaign consultant -- tells us the standard rate is closer to $1-3 per signature.

Rickey also says Kanye's team reached out to him a couple days before Let the Voters Decide ... but he declined.

It all might be a moot point ... Kanye missed the deadline to file in other states, and he seems like he's focused on other matters at the moment anyway ... many other matters.

Mick Jagger, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, turns 77 Sunday, and the occasion wasn't lost on his bandmates.

Keith Richards marked the occasion by posting a pic of them, saying, "Mick, Wishing you a Happy Birthday! Love, Keith."

Ronnie Wood piled on ... "Wishing @mickjagger a very happy birthday!"

It's remarkable ... Mick and co. have been together for 6 decades, and they're still a group. There have been a million ups and downs ... feuds between Mick and Keith, tell-all books ... but in the end, they are brothers joined at the hip, and there's a lot of love between them.

The band 86'd its No Filter Tour back in March ... this because of the coronavirus. They did, however, perform a virtual concert for "One World: Together at Home Concert," and it was fabulous.

Mick's had some health issues recently ... last year he underwent heart valve replacement surgery, but it only sidelined him for a short period of time ... he was back on stage doing his thing.

Happy Birthday, Mick!!!

A source connected to Kanye and with direct knowledge tells TMZ, he went to the hospital for anxiety, but there were lots of people inside, he got uncomfortable and left. His people then arranged for an ambulance to come to the ranch. Ye apparently calmed down ... EMTs checked his vitals -- heart rate and blood pressure -- and determined he was not in danger.

Kanye West showed up at a hospital near his Wyoming ranch Saturday, and a short time later an ambulance arrived at his property ... TMZ has learned.

Kanye entered the E.R. door of the hospital in Cody Saturday afternoon, and stayed inside for about 10 minutes. We're told he returned to his ranch and a short time later an ambulance arrived on the property.

This comes just an hour or so after Kanye went public to apologize to Kim for his hurtful comment -- presumably about abortion. She has been desperately trying to convince her husband, who is in the middle of a serious bipolar episode, to get help, but he had shut down her efforts.

We've also learned Kanye had flown from Wyoming to San Francisco. It's unclear why he went, but he returned to Wyoming earlier on Saturday.

It's unclear why Kanye went to the E.R. and why an ambulance showed up. The big question ... did he go for help?

And, we just found out the ambulance left without Kanye. He's currently on the ranch riding his ATV.

Story developing ...

Peter Green, one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac, has died.

The family put out a statement that said ... "It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep."

Green, a blues/rock guitarist, created Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood way back in '67, and the group produced an insane number of hits ... the insanity only surpassed by the drama inside the group.

Among the hits ... "Black Magic Woman" and "Need Your Love So Bad."

The group was originally known as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac featuring Jeremy Spencer. It's a mouthful, and was collapsed to simply Fleetwood Mac several years later.

Peter left the group in 1970, creating a guitarist void in the group that was eventually filled by Lindsey Buckingham. He struggled with mental illness, which was a principal reason he left the group.

There were 9 members of the band during the years -- Mick, Peter, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch and Jeremy Spencer. All but Welch were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Biz Markie has been hospitalized for weeks, TMZ has learned, for a serious illness ... sources connected to the rapper tell TMZ.

Biz's rep tells TMZ the illness is not coronavirus. The rep went on to say the trigger for the hospitalization is that he suffers from Type II Diabetes.

He's currently in a Maryland-area hospital and the status of his condition is unclear, but it appears serious.

The rep told us, "He is receiving the best care from an amazing team of medical professionals and we remain positive about the outcome."

Kanye West got another famous visitor Friday who was not Kim Kardashian -- this time around, it was Justin Bieber.

Justin and wife Hailey have been tooling around the country in an RV, and they made a stop at Kanye's Wyoming ranch.

Kanye posted a photo of the 2 of them, along with Damon Dash, in what looks like some sort of hanger. Kanye said, "DD & JB discussing the new spray foam wall prototypes on the YZY campus."

Bieber has been tight with Ye -- over music and faith -- and we're guessing the visit was more about support than foam.

As you know by now, the family is deeply concerned Kanye is in the middle of a serious, bipolar episode. He has rejected Kim's plea for him to get help and we're told he barely speaks to her.

Kanye West is not letting his bipolar episode and fierce family feud mess with his bottom line -- it's still business as usual as far as Ye is concerned.

Sources close to Kanye tell TMZ ... this drama-filled week has not had a negative impact on his massive deals with Adidas and GAP. We're told through all of his tribulations -- Twitter rants, family wars and the off-the-rails campaign rally -- Ye's still been able to balance several projects at once because the guy is passionate about his businesses.

Kanye's not doing it alone either ... we're told he has a big team helping to keep the trains running -- and GAP and Adidas trust they'll continue operations on schedule.

Our sources say Kanye's hired Mowalola Ogunlesi as his lead designer for his YZY GAP project and this week hasn't stunted anything she's been working on ... and GAP knows that.

Now, it's true Kanye did not drop his new album, "Donda," Friday, as initially planned -- however we still saw him directing a music video that day for the project. And, let's be honest, Ye's never been one to stick to release dates ... it's just not his thing.

Bobby Shmurda's plan for life after prison includes dropping new music and talking to at-risk youths about leading a better life .... but these plans all hinge on how well his parole hearing goes.

The rapper's mother, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... Bobby plans to tell the parole board next month if they release him, he's going to put his nose to the grindstone in the studio and also stay out of trouble.

Leslie tells us Bobby's been doing a lot of writing since he's been behind bars, and he plans to record his work for Epic Records, the label that signed him.

And, get this ... Leslie says Bobby also wants to produce a documentary about his life, which he hopes will also be used as an educational tool for troubled youth. Bobby's plan with at-risk kids includes visiting them and spending time with them and telling his story so they can avoid going down the path he traveled that led him to spend years behind bars.

As we've reported ... the rapper copped a plea deal back in September 2016 ... to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. The other charges -- including conspiracy to commit murder -- were dismissed. He was sentenced to 7 years behind bars and 5 years probation.

Fast forward to now ... Bobby's weeks away from his parole hearing and he's crossing his fingers. Leslie's support never wavered. She'd visit him every 2 weeks but those visits came to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit.

Kanye West's new album didn't drop today, like he said it would, but he's still busy shooting music videos for it instead.

The rapper's directing a small cast on crew Friday on his massive Wyoming ranch in what looks like production for a short vid. The cameras were mostly focused on someone in a yellow coat of some sort -- and it's hard to make out if any of his famous friends are involved in the shoot.

As we reported ... both Dave Chappelle and Damon Dash have visited Kanye this week, as close friends have grown concerned about his mental health.

He seemed at ease during the shoot, and from the looks of it ... you wouldn't even know Ye's wrapping up an erratic week, which started with that surprise campaign rally Sunday in South Carolina where he made controversial comments about how Harriet Tubman didn't free any slaves.

He also got deeply personal at the SC event about abortion, and brought up the topic of getting divorced from Kim Kardashian.

He'd raised that subject again in 2 separate Twitter rants, in which he slammed Kris Jenner, claimed she and Kim were trying to have him involuntarily committed ... and suggested his wife tried to cheat on him with Meek Mill.

All of that appears to be out of sight, out of mind for Kanye and co. ... same goes for the COVID-19 pandemic, since almost everyone on the video set is without a mask.

We broke the story ... Kanye and Kim have not been communicating much since his bizarre behavior began, and he's rejected her offers to come be with him in Wyoming.

Kim also acknowledged her husband is dealing with a bipolar episode, and it's been difficult for everyone involved.

Megan Thee Stallion's injuries to her feet, after Tory Lanez allegedly shot her, were so bad she had to go into the operating room ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... the rapper's hospital records show she was treated for a "gunshot injury" when she was admitted to L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Hospital. That was shortly after police pulled over Tory's chauffeur-driven SUV around 4:30 AM on July 12.

We're told, Megan told doctors she was barefoot when she heard a loud noise and immediately felt pain in both feet, and said she initially thought it was from stepping on glass.

Instead, our sources say Meg underwent a surgical procedure to remove bullets, or bullet fragments, from her feet.

As we've told you ... Megan says the incident has left her "hurt and traumatized," and the LAPD is still investigating Lanez for assault with a deadly weapon, but so far, he has not been charged.

As we reported, video of the ordeal showed cops pulling over the SUV -- with Lanez lying face-down on the street and Megan tip-toeing gingerly ... leaving bloody footprints with each step.

Our sources say Tory allegedly shot Megan in the feet as she exited the SUV, on the heels of an argument that erupted in the SUV. He was arrested and booked for possession of a concealed weapon ... the handgun cops found in the vehicle.

Tekashi 6ix9ine just lined up a serious payday to perform his upcoming album online ... the rapper tells us he just inked a massive deal for a single live stream concert.

The rapper, who's about to regain his freedom, tells TMZ ... he just put pen to paper on a $5 million live-streaming deal with GlobalStreamNow for a virtual performance of his soon-to-be-released record.

Tekashi tells us he'll hit the stage Saturday, Sept. 5 at 8 PM ET for the live-streamed show, which he says will run for about an hour and feature 12 songs from his album. He'll also interact online with fans.

6ix9ine is almost done with home confinement, but is keeping the physical location of his live stream under wraps. Remember, there's still concern about revenge for snitching, so Tekashi says security will be on hand to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

He already has some big ideas for the performance ... and based on what he's telling us, prepare for lots of eye candy, dancers, a live band and colorful displays.

6ix9ine's keeping details about the record under wraps -- he won't divulge song titles or the album name yet -- but he tells us the record is dropping in the near future.

No need to risk your health attending a live concert ... according to Tekashi, who says the only thing his fans need to do to watch his performance is download the GlobalStreamNow app.

We reached out to GlobalStreamNow, but haven't heard back.

Dr. Phil has some ideas about how best to help Kanye West, or anyone coping with bipolar disorder, and says it's all about protecting him from himself ... on several levels.

The good doc joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to discuss a tactic known as "containment." He says it's important for Kim Kardashian and co. to remember they're not dealing with the Kanye they know and love.

Phil says people going through bipolar episodes often engage in destructive behaviors that put themselves at risk -- buying 5 cars in one day would be an example -- and containment is all about blocking them from things, events or people that could have long-term consequences.

Kanye's not gonna go broke, but Phil says he could still get into bad situations that have lasting ramifications on his life. Beyond that, he says Kim's gotta hope to catch him in a moment where he'll agree to go back on his medication.

As we reported, Kanye's made it a struggle for Kim to reach him, ducking calls and turning down her pleas to join him in Wyoming, and claiming the family is trying to have him involuntarily committed.

That's why Phil says containment, even from afar, might be best for now.