TMZ Live

The Hip Hop world is currently hovering around Drake's subliminal shots toward Kendrick Lamar and others from his new R&B album, "$ome $exy $ongs 4 U" but let DJ Akademiks spoke to Drake and concludes the project his Drizzy putting the beef in the rearview mirror!!!

Big Ak joined TMZ Live on Friday to give his breakdown of Drake's new joint project with PartyNextDoor and tells us he chatting with Drake ahead of the album's release ... The Boy never planned to make the LP a Kendrick response record.

There are a few digs, Drake mocked the thought of strippers dancing to dictionaries to decipher Kendrick's lyrics on the song "Gimme a Hug" and referenced the diss of the moment on the track "Celibacy" ... "F***, I guess it's up and it's stuck/We'rе not like them, baby, and they're not like us, either one."

Jeffrey Toobin says Joe Biden tarnished his legacy by pardoning his son, and Donald Trump cemented one of the knocks against him with his own slew of presidential pardons.

The lawyer, author and legal analyst joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and he told us how presidents reveal their true colors when it's time to hand out pardons.

Jeffrey wrote a new book on the subject, "The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy," and says pardons are one of the few powers a president has that are free from checks and balances -- and that's why they tell so much about the men giving them out.

The Puppy Bowl is getting closer to the NFL than ever before ... they both have big games Sunday, and now the pups are going through a Scouting Combine too.

Dan Schachner -- the 14-year Puppy Bowl "Rufferee" -- joined us on "TMZ Live" and told us about the big new thing this year for Puppy Bowl XXI.

The Puppy Bowl Kickoff special now features the Puppy Combine, showcasing 10 little pooches showing off their football skills in a series of super cute challenges.

Pop icon Lisa Lisa is opening up about her secret cancer battle in her early career -- revealing she kept it under wraps for years out of fear it would cost her everything.

The legend dropped by "TMZ Live" Monday to chat about her new Lifetime biopic, "Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story" -- telling us she was already concerned over industry folks asking questions about her swelling and fatigue as she battled breast cancer at just 21 years old.

Lisa reminds us it was the '80s -- a totally different time for medical tech, even public perception -- so she feared speaking up would leave her with nothing. In fact, she kept it so under wraps ... even her mom didn’t find out until 16 years later.

Jason Oppenheim is sounding off on federal prosecutors' latest allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs, saying the indictment makes it sound like it's illegal for men to lavish significant others with expensive items.

Check it out ... the "Selling Sunset" boss said his piece on Friday's "TMZ Live" -- which he co-hosted -- and questioned the case against the mogul, specifically the feds' claim Diddy provided 3 women money to cover their living expenses, and gave them career opportunities.

Jason says that sounds like prosecutors are "criminalizing half the relationships in Hollywood" ... because that's just what rich men in showbiz tend to do for GFs. He says it sounds like the prosecutors' case is pretty "thin," if that's all they have.

Darrell Feller, a retired U.S. Army National Guard pilot, is weighing in on the possible causes behind the tragic D.C. aircraft collision ... sharing how a number of factors could've been at play.

We caught up with Darrell on "TMZ Live" in the aftermath of Wednesday night's tragedy, and he explained how it was entirely possible the Army Black Hawk helicopter, which crashed into a regional jet carrying 64 people, didn't even see the aircraft coming.

Darrell says the particular route the chopper took is known for causing "confusion with ground light," due to the light from surrounding structures, buildings and other aircraft.

Sheila E. is just a day removed from her surprise FireAid performance in L.A., and it’s still fresh in her mind -- as she dished to TMZ.

The singer dropped by "TMZ Live" Friday, sharing how the event was a crucial moment for the industry to unite -- especially for those who lost everything in the devastating wildfires.

Catch the clip 'cause Sheila dives into the concert's inclusivity, highlighting how it wasn't just for the stars -- it was also about giving back to regular folks who were hit hardest by the fires.

Al Sharpton says DEI practices are a must for companies and he's got a plan to support those who are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion ... by buying their products.

Reverend Al joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday and we asked him about President Trump cracking down on government DEI initiatives and pressuring private companies to follow suit.

Sharpton says he's going to organize a boycott for companies that do away with DEI -- but in the interim he's organizing "buy-cotts" to show appreciation for businesses that hold firm.

Rick Caruso is calling on President Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom to put aside their petty political beef, and band together to help folks reeling from the Los Angeles wildfires.

The billionaire developer joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked him how Newsom should approach Trump's upcoming visit, seeing as how the two politicians absolutely detest each other.

Rick says Trump and Newsom need to remember they're both public servants, and the crisis in L.A. demands they work together and find common ground to help the thousands of Angelenos who have lost their homes and jobs.

Michael "Harry O" Harris is defending Snoop Dogg for performing for Donald Trump ahead of the inauguration ... he says the gig doesn't mean Snoop betrayed his community.

The Death Row Records co-founder joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him about all the backlash Snoop is getting because of the Trump event.

Michael says Snoop wasn't making a political statement by performing at Trump's pre-inauguration ball ... telling us the Doggfather is supporting the office more than the person.

Of course, he also acknowledges the fact Trump pardoned Michael -- for a drug trafficking conviction -- helped soften Snoop on POTUS.

Luke Hoffman, one of the nearly 1,500 January 6 rioters pardoned by Donald Trump, is feeling "thankful" following the executive order ... and has no plans to apologize for his role in the attempted coup.

We caught up with Luke on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, less than a day after POTUS used his freshly restored executive powers to pardon his supporters who stormed the Capitol 4 years ago.

Luke -- who pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the incident -- says he is "very grateful" to get home to his family, with the hope of returning to his everyday life.

Kevin Powell, an acclaimed writer and activist, is putting Snoop Dogg on blast for performing for Donald Trump ahead of the inauguration ... accusing the rap legend of selling out.

We caught up with Kevin on "TMZ Live" Monday, where he shared his candid opinion about Snoop's decision to perform at Trump's pre-inauguration ball over the weekend ... slamming SD and saying the performance is proof of the A-lister's "lack of values."

Kevin notes Snoop wasn't always this way, pointing out the rap mogul has a long history of being there for his community. Yet, KP says Snoop's decision to perform for Trump spoke volumes ... alleging the "Drop It Like It's Hot" rapper has abandoned his audience "for a bag of money."

Wendy Williams is hitting back at her guardianship attorney's claim about her supposed "good days and bad days" ... saying the statement is actually a bunch of hogwash.

The legendary TV personality tells TMZ ... Roberta Kaplan, who is the attorney representing the guardianship in its lawsuit against the makers of the "Where Is Wendy Williams?" series, has no business commenting on her mental state ... as she's never even met the lawyer.

She adds ... "How would she know that? I’ve never met Roberta Kaplan and I have never talked with her. I’m isolated and locked away in a luxury prison. So much for the Me Too movement."

Bill Maher has a question for California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ... why does it take a massive disaster for the state to cut red tape?!?

Bill joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about the heat Newsom and Bass are catching over the response to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, and what it's going to take for L.A. to rebuild.

The 'Real Time' host says Newsom and Bass absolutely deserve to be held accountable for what Maher feel are a series of blunders that exacerbated the disaster ... and he says now is absolutely the time to have a conversation about their actions, or lack thereof.

The suspicious hiker who gave some bizarre answers to a concerned Topanga resident was questioned and arrested by police ... at least according to the guy who confronted him.

We tracked down the Topanga man who recorded his interaction with the hiker and he joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... telling us the guy stuck out like a sore thumb and raised a ton of red flags.

The resident says his community is pretty tight-knit, so they know everyone ... and this guy was clearly not a local.

Donald Trump’s inauguration is set to double as his disco dream ... 'cause Village People’s Victor Willis tells TMZ an onstage collab is locked in!

We caught up with Victor on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... and he tells us Trump's 100% hopping onstage with them at Sunday's "MAGA Victory" rally in Washington D.C., and at the Liberty Inaugural Ball Monday for a performance of his all-time fave jam, "Y.M.C.A."

Trump’s all about that tune ... regularly busting out his own unique spin on the iconic dance at campaign rallies. But will the Village People try out DT's moves, or stick to their own? Check the clip, 'cause Victor tells us who’s running the dance floor.