Musicians

Patti LaBelle had the honor of singing the national anthem in her hometown before the MLB All-Star Game ... but by the time she hit the final note, social media was already debating her performance.

The 82-year-old "Godmother of Soul" belted out "The Star-Spangled Banner" Tuesday night at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park before the Midsummer Classic. Patti put her own spin on the anthem ... stretching out a few notes and appearing to stumble over a couple of lyrics before powering through to a standing ovation inside the ballpark.

The internet, however, was a whole different crowd. Take a listen ... then you be the judge.

Here's what Lil Wayne looks for in his assistants ... dog lovers with good hygiene who know how to roll a mean blunt.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Weezy's former assistant reveals all the duties he was responsible for when he was working for the rapper ... and it's oddly specific.

Andrew Williams, who worked for Wayne for years, is currently involved in a bitter court battle with his former boss over claims Wayne assaulted him on a private jet in 2022 ... and his job description is being used as evidence in court.

Tory Lanez's prison rollout might've just started early ... because two unreleased tracks that recently hit the internet are the real deal ... TMZ has learned.

The songs have been making the rounds on social media, with fans debating whether they were genuine Tory leaks or A.I.-generated fakes. But sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the tracks are authentic.

The tracks sparked speculation Tory was gearing up to drop new music from behind bars. And turns out, the internet wasn't far off.

Ariana Grande and her former boyfriend, Ricky Alvarez, are officially back together after weeks of rumors that the two were giving it another go ... TMZ has learned. 

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Ariana and Ricky, who first dated in 2015 for about a year, are dating ... but we're told they are taking things slow.

We've seen Ariana and Ricky hanging out in recent weeks ... including a group hang in Texas in June and a Fourth of July celebration with Ariana's family in Florida.

Stefon Diggs' male sexual assault accuser, Chris Griffith, is firing back at Cardi B after she cast doubt on his allegations against her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Cardi went off on Chris in a social media barrage Tuesday … claiming he's changed his story about Stefon multiple times. She alleged his initial story did not include any claim of Stefon taking his penis out in front of him … but that ended up as a claim in his lawsuit. 

She said she hated how she was defending Stefon, who she was currently beefing with. Cardi said she was upset because she didn't believe Chris' claims against her baby daddy ... but Chris told her to "take off the blinders."

50 Cent says his former employee's lawsuit is long on accusations and short on actual evidence ... and now he's asking a judge to throw out the case.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, 50 is asking a federal judge to toss Monique Mayers' lawsuit in its entirety ... calling it a "media stunt" packed with inflammatory and baseless allegations that have no place in court.

Mayers claims 50 fired her when she wouldn't commit crimes to protect him, but the rapper says her entire case hinges on the theory that, because random people called and texted her phone asking for "Curtis," "50," or "Fif," he must have been secretly directing a campaign of intimidation against her.

Bet you never thought an epic soundtrack for a fight would be an Ariana Grande song ... but here we are ... her fans are on video fighting at one of her concerts.

Ya gotta see the footage ... Arianators looked more like Terminators during Ariana's "Eternal Sunshine Tour" stop Thursday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta ... pulling each other's hair and swinging their fists while Ariana performed "Into You."

While a couple folks try to break the cat fight up ... the other concertgoers sort of just hang back awkwardly ... guess they realized Ariana shows aren't the best place for wicked fights.

RaeLynn is pulling the plug on her marriage to husband Joshua Davis … because she’s filed for divorce ... TMZ has learned.

The 'Voice' alum filed for divorce last month after 10 years of marriage ... and in the docs, obtained by TMZ, she goes with the boilerplate irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. 

She says they have been separated since June 8 ... and she's seeking primary custody and child support for their 4-year-old daughter Daisy Rae.

Shania Twain says she wanted to see the culmination of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story in person ... but she'd already committed to T-Swift's ex, Harry Styles.

The country singer says she received an invite to the wedding of the century in an interview with the Canadian TV channel eTalk ... explaining she couldn't make it because she was scheduled to open for Harry at Wembley Stadium the same weekend.

It don't impress Shania much to simply drop out of a pre-planned show ... so she stayed across the pond and performed instead of packing into Madison Square Garden with the A-list crowd for the couple's nuptials.

The jury already hit Kanye West with a hefty tab ... and now a former employee who won a civil case against the rapper earlier this year is now asking a judge to make Kanye cough up $1.2 million in attorney's fees.

According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Anthony Saxon Netelkos says his legal team is entitled to the massive payout after a jury awarded him $140,000 in damages after finding Ye liable under California's Labor Code.

Saxon's team says they logged more than 740 attorney hours over the nearly three-year fight, plus additional litigation staff time, and are asking the court to apply a 1.75 multiplier to the fee total because of what they describe as the case's complexity and risk.

Ariana Grande may have rekindled her romance with her ex-boyfriend, Ricky Alvarez, dropping another major hint ... this time, during her Monday night concert in NYC.

The singer was performing Thank U, Next" on stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn when she switched up the lyrics to the 2018 song.

The original tune includes the lyrics, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh.” But last night, Ariana flipped the script, singing, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back.”

Waffle House better give Rockstar Riley a raise and a lifetime supply of waffles ... because the guy going viral for rapping his Waffle House-themed song says a seven-figure recording contract isn't enough to make him quit his day job.

The viral rapper tells TMZ ... he would still work at Waffle House if a record label came to him with a $1 million deal.

While it may sound crazy, Rockstar Riley says he loves his Waffle House so much, he wouldn't walk away ... telling us the work environment feels like a community.

The dude says he's seen servers and cooks put their families through college and pay off medical expenses, all while working at the famous chain restaurant.

One hour after Jay-Z was supposed to be onstage Sunday night, almost half the Yankee Stadium crowd was still stuck outside the venue ... creating 3 hours of chaos behind the scenes for Jay, his superstar guests, NYPD, and fans.

Sources smack in the middle of the situation tell TMZ ... the first sign of trouble came at 8:55 PM. Mind you, Jay had been hitting the stage around 9 PM for the first two Stadium shows, but when a few hundred people without tickets bum-rushed an entrance -- some actually got in -- security shut down ALL gates, and no one was allowed in or out.

At 10:15 PM, we're told there were still 20,000 fans lined up outside the Stadium ... and even A-listers like A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, and Usher -- who were scheduled to perform -- were locked out. Our sources say NYPD was adamant no one was getting in, and they didn't even bend when members of Jay's team tried to get the VIP guests inside.

Paws what you're doing ... Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's mysterious fur baby has officially landed ... and we're getting the first look at their pooch.

The fluffy white dog Swifties have been obsessing over was spotted Sunday at around 5 PM hopping off Taylor's private jet after it touched down at the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida ... giving fans their clearest look yet at the couple's newest family member.

The adorable pup carefully made its way down the aircraft's stairs with a handler while Travis -- sporting a red cap -- was seen on the tarmac grabbing luggage.

Alesso is officially a married man ... and has been for almost a month now ... TMZ has learned.

The DJ and Erin Michelle Cummins got hitched in Vegas on June 20 ... according to their marriage license obtained by TMZ.

A Vegas wedding would make sense, because Alesso has a residency there with Tao Group.

There's speculation the newlyweds had their wedding ceremony in Italy this past weekend, with EDM outlets reporting that fellow DJs Martin Garrix, Sebastian Ingrosso, Marshmello, and Dillon Francis made the trip to celebrate the couple.

Madonna is celebrating another career milestone, and she's giving all the credit to her fans after "Confessions II" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The Queen of Pop reacted on Instagram Monday after learning the album had become her 10th No. 1 record, tying a mark achieved only by The Beatles. The chart feat also makes Madonna the first female artist to land a No. 1 album in five different decades.

The heartfelt message accompanied photos from her recent Club Confessions pop-up performance in Brooklyn, where fans packed the venue to celebrate the new record with music, dancing, and cocktails inspired by the album.