Music

YNW Melly has a new problem, on top of his trial for murdering 2 of his friends ... the rapper is now being sued by their estates for tens of millions of dollars.

The estates of Christopher Thomas and Anthony Williams filed the wrongful death lawsuits. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Christopher's estate claims "damages are in the millions or tens of millions of dollars or more."

According to the suit filed by Anthony's estate ... Melly murdered him because of money. The suit says tension began to develop among Melly's friends about how money should be distributed, claiming greed was a factor in the alleged murders because it left fewer people to split up the cash.

YNW Melly's mom, Jamie King, and his manager, Jameson Francois, are also named in both suits. The Williams family claims Melly's manager played a role in the alleged murders, including an allegation Francois transported YNW Melly from the shooting location.

As you know ... Melly's been sitting in a Florida jail for over a year, awaiting his double murder trial for his friends' deaths. When he caught COVID-19, he asked to be let out and placed on house arrest, but the judge said no.

Carl Lentz -- best known as Justin Bieber's former pastor and mentor -- says his church booted him because he cheated on his wife.

A day after the Hillsong East Coast church announced they'd fired Pastor Lentz over "leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures," Carl revealed those failures included infidelity.

Lentz says ... "I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that. This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions."

The pastor says he's deeply sorry, admits he failed to live up to the standard of a church leader and understands a change needed to be made because of his actions.

Lentz says he's now on a journey of rebuilding his relationship and trust with his wife, Laura, and their kids ... and shared a family photo at a formal event.

Lentz is famous, of course, because of his close relationship with Bieber ... there's a Hillsong church in L.A. too. Lentz and JB were inseparable for years and the singer considered him a friend and spiritual mentor ... at least up until mid-2018.

As we reported ... they had a major falling out around then, and it was contentious enough that Carl had trouble spitting out a congratulations to Justin when he got engaged to Hailey Baldwin.

The Biebs has continued to attend Hillsong on the west coast, but he and Carl were clearly no longer buddies as the pastor continued to lead the Hillsong NYC location.

Here's a possible reunion nobody asked for, but some people will welcome with arms wide open -- Creed's having "some dialogue" about possibly making it happen.

Ex-Creed drummer Scott Phillips let the cat out of the bag, saying ... "We tend to check up on each other when it's birthdays and holidays, things like that. So, there has been some chatter, and there's no specific timetable for anything or no specific plans, but it's a possibility down the road."

Millennials rejoice!!???

Scott unexpectedly opened up putting the band together again when he was talking to Audio Ink Radio. They caught him by surprise by pointing out Creed had updated its social media account with a classic photo of the band. He suddenly found himself having to explain.

As true Creed fans know ... the band broke up first in 2004 and reunited for a fourth album in 2009. They kept rocking (debatable?) until 2012, but they've been on a hiatus ever since. Phillips -- along with ex-Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti and bassist Brian Marshall -- have continued performing together as members of the band Alter Bridge.

As for their former frontman ... Scott Stapp pursued a solo career after the band's first breakup and continued to fly solo until joining Art of Anarchy in 2016.

Creed, which sold nearly 30 million records in the U.S. and was the ninth best-selling group of the 2000s ... has been just as famous for its legions of haters as it is for its hit records.

Marshmello's custom truck is making news for all the wrong reasons -- it was stolen from a dealership, and taken on a joyride that turned into a police chase and eventually a crash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the hitmaker's truck was stolen from a local Ford dealer Wednesday while it was getting serviced. We're told the keys were in the truck ... allowing the suspect to hop in and hit the town.

We're told L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies, and later CHP, tried to pull over the truck for reckless driving but the suspect took off ... kicking off a wild police chase through Los Angeles. The driver's ultimate demise? Taco Bell.

After pulling into a Taco Bell parking lot ... it tore out and crashed into a utility pole while trying to make a turn. The suspect was arrested for felony evading and possession of a stolen car.

TMZ broke the story ... Marshmello dropped around $500k back in early 2019 for his pimped out truck that features Rolls-Royce lights. The Ford Super Duty is a whopping 26-feet long with 2 extra wheels for a 6x6 conversion and a freaking TRAIN HORN.

Looks like Marshmello's going to need to find a place to repair the truck's damages. But, maybe find a different dealership.

Love him or hate him, politically ... Lil Pump is having a blast right now, and hung out with some exotic animals to top it off -- which might add to his hate column.

The Trump-loving rapper was fresh off the Trump campaign trail Wednesday when he decided to make a pit stop at the Myrtle Beach Safari run by 'Tiger King' star Doc Antle.

Antle tells TMZ ... Pump and some friends left D.C. and headed to South Carolina after the rapper got in touch with Doc through Tiger Kingdom executive producer Steven Dorn.

Doc says Pump spent the afternoon chilling with tigers and tiger cubs, riding Bubbles the elephant and visiting with Angada the chimpanzee, and as you can see ... he was loving it.

We're told Lil Pump and his pals then had dinner at the park, and all of the fun was filmed for the new docuseries, "Tiger Kingdom: More Than a King."

Gotta say, the pairing of the rapper and the zoo owner's an interesting one ... as both fellas aren't necessarily on the nation's most-popular list. Pump's been getting major flak for endorsing Trump -- but he doesn't really care -- and Antle was recently indicted for wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty.

Doc denied the allegations and said he's looking forward to being able to "clear my good name."

Wanna play Kenny Chesney's guitar? Or slip on George Clooney's watch? How about a designer bag from Jennifer Aniston's closet? You've got a shot and it's all for a good cause.

Here's the deal ... Kenny, Jen and a bunch of other celebs are marking Veterans Day this year by supporting Homes for Our Troops and raising funds with a massive online auction. Other items going to the highest bidder include a dress worn by Mindy Kaling and a chance to hang on set with Jake Gyllenhaal.

The auction opens Tuesday -- the day before Veterans Day -- and it's being spearheaded by George, Mindy, CNN's Jake Tapper and Wynonna Judd. This year's auction looks a little different due to the pandemic, and a bunch of famous folks are offering zoom hangouts in lieu of meet and greets.

George's watch, Jen's Louis Vuitton tote and Kenny's guitar are all autographed ... and there's a bunch of signed sports memorabilia from NFL players like Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield, Chandler Jones and Jimmy Graham.

Get in your bids before the November 17 deadline, and you could win a zoom chat with celebs like Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Dave Matthews, Elizabeth Banks, Jerry Seinfeld and Olivia Wilde.

English artist Dido (real name Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong) was in her 20s when she gained fame after she released her debut album No Angel ... which included the bangers "Here With Me" and "Thank You."

Dido was thrust into the limelight in the United States after the first verse of "Thank You" was sampled on Eminem's emotional rap song "Stan." Eminem went on to collect a handful of award nominations for his song and famously performed it at the 2001 Grammy Awards with Elton John singing Dido's lyrics.

Dido continues to make music and released an album earlier this year with her brother titled "The Last Summer."

Britney Spears says her business manager quit out of the blue, but she claims her bigger issue is that her dad hired a new manager without giving her any notice.

Britney's legal team filed docs requesting Bessemer Trust Company become the sole conservator of her business affairs ... as opposed to just co-conservator with her father, Jamie. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Britney says the move that set things in motion was an October 28 letter telling her that Tristar Sports and Entertainment Group resigned as Britney's business manager without any prior notice.

She says she's got beef with her dad for hiring Michael Kane of Miller Kaplan to come on as the new business manager without giving her notice or a chance to interview Kane, review the terms of his hiring, or consider alternatives.

Britney also says the move brings serious concern because Jamie's goal "is to introduce a new gatekeeper who admittedly has a major working relationship with [Jamie's] legal team."

Britney claims it's all part of Jamie's attempts to "retain full functional control of her assets, books and records."

The guy who helped kidnap Tekashi 6ix9ine -- one of his then-fellow gang members in the Nine Trey Bloods -- just got the book thrown at him for that crime.

Anthony "Harv" Ellison was sentenced Wednesday in a federal court in NYC, where the judge gave him 24 years in prison for the racketeering, kidnapping, and assault charges for which he was convicted last October.

In addition to his time behind bars, Ellison was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. His sentence comes more than a full year after his trial -- where Tekashi infamously snitched ... taking the stand and identifying Ellison as his kidnapper.

The kidnapping was just the tip of the iceberg though -- federal prosecutors successfully nailed Ellison, with Tekashi's help, for various other crimes connected to the Nine Treys.

You'll recall ... Tekashi was initially tight with Ellison, until their relationship soured -- after which, Ellison planned out the kidnapping scheme to get revenge ... according to T69's testimony anyway. Tekashi was abducted, taken for a ride around town, pistol-whipped and extorted for money -- some of which was captured on camera and played for the jury at trial.

Tekashi's then-GF was actually seen on camera handing over a bag of goods in exchange for Tekashi's safe return. That, coupled with Tekashi's snitching, helped seal Ellison's fate.

Offset's got an appetite to help people exercising their Constitutional right ... by hooking them up with free grub.

The Migos rapper hit up 3 polling locations Tuesday in Gwinnett and Fulton counties with some major back-up -- food trucks from The Slutty Vegan and Big Dave's ... a couple of ATL staples famous for their cheesesteaks.

Offset partnered with The Lincoln Project and AXSD Media to feed folks in line waiting to cast their vote ... helping to ensure turnout is maximized for what could be the most consequential election ever.

Offset got on the back of a truck, grabbed a bullhorn and talked about his excitement in voting for the first time ever.

Offset dove headfirst into the election following an informative roundtable discussion last weekend with T.I. and activists Lee Merritt and Bakari Sellers. They discussed, among other things, the importance of Black male voters encouraging each other to turn out the vote.

If ya can feed people who show up to vote ... major bonus!

Lil Pump is blocking out haters who don't like his political views ... he's focusing on what 4 more years of President Trump means for him, and he's loving it!!!

We got the rapper pulling up to Trump's Washington D.C. hotel on Election Day in a red Ferrari, and he's feeling super confident about the Prez winning re-election.

Lil Pump's been catching tons of flak since endorsing Trump, seemingly because of not wanting to pay more in taxes under Joe Biden, but he told us he's ignoring the noise, and couldn't care less what critics have to say.

As you know ... Trump brought Lil Pump up on stage Monday night at his final campaign stop in Grand Rapids, MI, where 45 called the rapper "Little Pimp." Faux pas aside, Pump says he had an "amazing" time on the campaign trail, and even envisions a future in politics.

DaBaby's brother has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound ... according to sources with direct knowledge of the tragedy.

TMZ's learned the rapper's older brother, Glenn Johnson, took his own life Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Glenn had posted a video of himself earlier in the day in a car with a gun, and he was visibly upset and crying.

In the video, DaBaby's brother claimed he had been wronged a lot in the past. Not long afterward, our sources say he shot himself in the head and died.

We're told Johnson is survived by 3 daughters and a son.

Story developing ...

Lil Wayne is single once again -- his GF, model Denise Bidot, is moving on ... and it sounds like his endorsement of President Trump was the last straw.

Denise deleted her IG account Tuesday, but before she went dark, there were a bunch of signs of trouble spotted by Internet sleuths. For starters, folks noticed at some point that Mr. Carter and Ms. Bidot stopped following each other.

Then there was Denise's not-so-cryptic meme post that read, "Sometimes love just isn't enough." However, blogger Love B. Scott is reporting Weezy's love for Trump was the problem -- specifically, last week's meeting/photo-op with DT was the last straw for Denise.

Weirdly, Wayne hasn't scrubbed old pics of Denise from his IG feed just yet -- a go-to move of famous exes.

It's not entirely clear how long they've been an item, but they've only been Instagram official since the summer -- and have been very open with their PDA, sometimes to the chagrin of Wayne's kids.

Kanye West just hit the polls and cast his vote for the candidate he truly trusts ... himself.

The rapper made his vote count Tuesday in Park County, Wyoming, where he wrote-in himself and running-mate, Michelle Tidball, for President and Vice President. Remember, they're running independent, under the Birthday Party ... according to candidate Ye.

Kanye shot video of himself submitting his ballot with the caption, "KEEP BELIEVING KANYE 2020. Thank you Jesus Christ." He tweeted a similar video that also said, "The first vote of my life. We are here to serve. We pray for every servant leader in the world."

Sounds odd, but Kanye -- who is currently running for POTUS -- revealed a couple years ago he'd never voted. Writing yourself in for the top spot on the ballot is one hell of a way to exercise your Constitutional right!

Ye's political journey didn't come without bumps in the road ... from getting tons of shade from celebs and being called a narcissist ... to losing a battle to get on the Wisconsin ballot. He was also widely accused of being in cahoots with the GOP to run a spoiler campaign.

Not long ago ... Kanye appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast and revealed he was open to running for California Gov. if it helped him get his political feet wet. That being said, he insisted the presidency is his ultimate goal, even if it meant having to try again in 2024. He also didn't rule out running as a Democrat.

BTW ... Kim just moments ago also revealed she hit the polls, though she didn't reveal whether or not she voted for Kanye.

President Trump is garnering public support from some black celebrities and hip-hop artists, but Claudia Jordan and Too Short want everyone to know they're not part of that group ... despite a very misleading press release.

Here's the deal -- a press release went out Monday about Trump inviting a "prominent group of African-American actors and entertainers" to the White House in December to discuss issues facing the Black community and the President's proposed Platinum Plan.

According to the announcement, the December meeting would be attended by the stars of an upcoming documentary called "Trump vs. Hollywood" -- including rappers Eric B., Money-B, actor Isaiah Washington and the film's director, Daphne Barak. The documentary seems to be very pro-Trump.

That's where Claudia and Too Short come in, as their names are listed as being part of "Trump vs. Hollywood" alongside names of some well-known Trump supporters ... like Kid Rock, Dean Cain and Scott Baio.

It definitely reads like all of the celebs are endorsing the Prez, but as both the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star and the rapper point out ... that's not the case.

They both say they were asked to do an interview by Barak and agreed to it, but in no way does that mean they support Trump. Claudia says the film director presented it as talking to people on both sides of the political aisle.

Too Short adds that he's about to go vote -- NOT for Trump -- and says in the past few weeks he's also been asked to fly to D.C. to meet with Trump or hop on a phone call with someone on his team.

He says he rejected both offers and, without naming names, throws some serious shade at fellow rappers who have taken the Trump meeting for what he believes is just a photo op.

Too Short's claim echoes what Rich The Kid recently said too -- that Trump tried to send him a private jet to fly him to his Michigan rally to buy his support.

President Trump and Joe Biden brought in some of their famous friends to close out election eve ... but it was Trump who might need some reacquainting with his buddy, Lil Pimp ... AKA, Lil Pump.

The rapper was at DT's final campaign stop Monday night in Grand Rapids, MI -- where the President actually invited him up at one point to say a few words. The problem ... POTUS seemed to forget the guy's name -- that, or he mispronounced it on purpose.

Check it out ... Trump actually introduced him as LIL PIMP!!! And no, we're not kidding. He correctly said his name shortly afterward, as LP made his way up to the podium.

Once there, he awkwardly asked how the crowd was doing -- stopping himself from saying "y'all" and pivoting to "you guys" -- and then thanked Trump because he "brought the troops home" before riling himself and the crowd up by telling them not to vote for "Sleepy Joe."

Trump was loving it, and sorry ... but the juxtaposition of Pump and the Prez is still an odd scene.

Meanwhile, over in Pennsylvania ... the Biden-Harris campaign decided to tap Lady Gaga and John Legend, respectively, as their ultimate fighters/music acts to encourage people to vote. Gaga performed for Biden in Pittsburgh, and John piano'd it up for Kamala in Philly.

John's wife, Chrissy Teigen, was also there ... and made occasional visits to the stage to help stump with her husband. He performed "Glory" with Common, "Wake Up Everybody" and other songs, while Gaga sang "Shallow," "You and I" and more tunes of hers.