TMZ.com

Megan Thee Stallion is now square in the middle of a dispute between her Roc Nation managers and hip-hop mogul J. Prince ... who claims she's been brainwashed by lawyers.

The Rap-a-Lot Records founder also consults with Megan's record label 1501 Certified Entertainment ... the label she's suing over her contract. In her lawsuit, Megan accused J. Prince of bullying and intimidating people in the record biz, and now he's firing back.

Prince lays blame squarely at Roc Nation's feet, insinuating Jay-Z's management company is trying to profit off 1501's hard work building Megan's career. He says, "These record labels and managers don’t want sh*t to do with these artists until the hard work, risk, sacrifices, and resources have been spent by the little guys."

He adds, "This is the same technique of the culture vultures. I didn’t allow this to happen to me when New York and LA record labels attempted to take my artists- so they labeled me as malicious for fighting back. I didn’t allow it then so I damn sure ain’t gonna allow it to happen to 1501 Records or any of the other independent record labels that I’m associated with."

He also says Megan's complaints about the contract she signed when she was 20 years old are unfounded because, "Any artist in the music industry will testify that a 40% profit share is a great deal especially for an unestablished artist that til this day has never delivered an album."

As for Megan's claims about him strong-arming people, he blames Roc Nation attorneys, saying ... "Megan even though she signed an affidavit, talked down, and lied in court documents on me... I understand how lawyers brainwash artist to milk them of funds in lawsuits that they know they can’t win. Megan seems to be a perfect candidate for self destruction."

If this smells like a brewing battle between J. Prince and Jay-Z, Prince is saying he wants peace, and is willing to negotiate Megan's deal.

However, he's clearly pissed at Jay's company, adding ... "I find it very interesting that Roc Nation would allow their employee to sign an affidavit and statement full of slanderous lies on my methods of doing business when we have partnered together on several occasions. I don’t think Jay Z is aware of this but only time will tell."

Journey's leader, Neal Schon, is sending his bassist and drummer on their "Separate Ways" ... for allegedly trying to hijack the group name in a scheme that's landed them all in court.

Lead guitarist Neal, a founding member, and keyboard player Jonathan Cain are suing their long-time bassist Russ Valory and drummer Steve Smith, claiming they tried to take control of the band's corporation called Nightmare Productions, Inc.

According to the lawsuit, Russ and Steve allegedly thought the move would give them access to the "Journey" name, thereby allowing them to make millions for themselves after retiring. Neal and Jonathan say their rhythm section recently decided to hang it up.

Ill-conceived plan though, according to docs, obtained by TMZ. Neal and Jonathan say the band name is already licensed to another corporation called "Elmo" ... which was set up by former lead singer Steve Perry, Neal and Jonathan back in 1985.

Bottom line ... Russ and Steve are out in the cold, as far as making money off the band's name -- and now they've got this lawsuit on their hands too, for breach of fiduciary duty. Neal and Johnathan -- who co-wrote most of the band's huge hits with Perry -- also want damages of at least $10 million.

Journey's scheduled to tour this summer with The Pretenders -- so expect to see a new drummer and bass player on stage if you're going.

The Beach Boys singer Mike Love is unloading his breathtaking mansion in Southern California ... and it can be yours for just south of $9 million ... oh, wouldn't that be nice?!?

TMZ has learned Mike just listed his Rancho Santa Fe estate for a cool $8,650,000 ... and the place is absolutely spectacular.

The custom compound just north of San Diego is 17,515 square feet of pure luxury ... it's got a huge swimming pool with an island in the middle and a swim-up bar, plus a saltwater aquarium in the living room and 270-degree panoramic views of the ocean, mountains and surrounding golf course.

Mike's place sits on a tropical landscape perched above the rest of the neighborhood ... and the master suite has a custom-built dressing room, sitting area, fireplace, wet bar, luxurious spa bath and private terrace with more insane views.

The guesthouse is pretty sweet too ... it's got its own direct ocean views from the balcony and outdoor spa. Don't forget the 8 bedroom ensuites with multiple walk-out terraces and balconies.

Oh and that island in the middle of the pool?!? It's decked out with a fire pit and fireside seating opposite a custom spa with foot jets. There's also an outdoor summer kitchen with awnings and courts for tennis and basketball with their own dressing room.

Mike's estate also has a chilled wine cellar and tasting room, meditation room, theater, game room, elevator and a multi-level waterfall styled after the famed fountains of Villa d'Este at Lake Como, Italy.

Linda Sansone of Willis Allen Real Estate holds the listing.

Britney Spears' son, Jayden Federline, went on a rant, calling his grandpa, Jamie Spears, horrible names and also saying his mom may never sing again.

Jayden went on Instagram Live Tuesday and made it pretty clear ... he's spending way more time with his dad, Kevin Federline, than Britney. He said at one point, "I'm gonna visit her in like a couple weeks cause I'm with my dad right now. I'm doing pretty good."

The 13-year-old went on to lambaste Jamie Spears, Britney's conservator for more than 12 years, saying, "He's a pretty big d***. He's pretty f***ing g**. He can go die."

Remember ... Jamie and Jayden's older brother, Sean, got into a physical altercation last August. Jamie temporarily stepped down as Britney's personal conservator but remained the conservator of her estate.

Jayden said he likes Britney's boyfriend, Sam, and loves his dad, saying, "My dad's literally Jesus."

And, he says if he gets 5,000 Instagram followers he'll tell his entire story ... "That stuff will come out in the future when I get pretty popular."

ZaZa, a 5-year-old child rapper, is playing nice with North West ... she wants to collab on new music, even though she says Kim and Kanye's daughter jacked her famous beat!!!

ZaZa tells TMZ ... she wants to get in the studio with 6-year-old North ASAP, and she's already got a song she wants them to do together.

Ya gotta hear ZaZa give us a sneak peek of the potential remix ... it's pretty damn catchy and sounds like a real moneymaker.

Remember ... ZaZa's parents called out Kim and Kanye this week for not giving credit when North performed a nearly identical version of a ZaZa original tune at the Yeezy Season 8 show in Paris.

ZaZa's parents said they weren't mad, and just wanted a shoutout for their daughter's track that dropped from last summer. As ZaZa says, her daddy's a gangster!!!

Kim claimed North's remix was a last-minute addition and total surprise ... and said the famous fam never meant to not give credit where credit was due.

Megan Thee Stallion shoulda known what she was getting into when she signed her first contract with a record label, because she put pen to paper herself ... so says Yung Berg.

We got the "Sexy Can I" rapper at LAX Monday and asked about Meg's beef with her record label -- she claims 1501 won't allow her to drop any new tunes, because she wants to tweak her deal -- and Yung Berg says Meg shouldn't have signed the contract if she didn't like what was in it.

Yung Berg's seeing things from the other side now -- he's rebranded himself as a producer called Hitmaka and is the VP of A&R at Atlantic Records -- and explains why it's super important for young artists to pour over the paperwork before signing the dotted line.

As we reported ... MTS says she was about 20 years old when she signed a contract with 1501 and wasn't aware of a lot of clauses in it until she started getting managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

Megan shouldn't be using youth as an excuse, Yung Berg says, because the music industry is big business, and there's no love lost for anyone.

Of course, Taylor Swift would likely argue differently ... you'll remember, she's in a nasty battle with Scooter Braun after he purchased the rights to her first 6 albums thanks to a deal she signed when she was young.

The good news for MTS and her fans ... YB tells us why she won't stay on ice forever.

North West is going worldwide ... performing in Paris at her dad's Paris fashion show, and while she's still honing her rapping skills, ya can't say the kid ain't cute ... and loud!!!

Kanye managed to score 6-year-old prodigy North for his Yeezy Season 8 show ... part of Paris Fashion Week. While his models stood silently behind him, per usual, he gave North a mic and she did her thing ... busting out a rap that seemed to double as a review of Ye's new line.

Check it out ... sure, ya might not be able to understand every word outta the kid's mouth, but c'mon ... that's true of most rappers. We definitely made out "cool," "cute" and a whole lot of "YEAH!!!!"

Her Paris debut comes about a week after she showed off her skills at school -- where she was a bit more articulate and audible. Just like then, Ye was by his kid's side in full support.

He's definitely been encouraging her creativity ... which we've also seen on display at Sunday Service.

At this rate, we'll likely see North open for Kanye at his next concert. Might be time to remix one of his and Jay-Z's "Watch the Throne" hits!!!

Justin Bieber turned 26 this weekend -- and as much as you might think the guy had every reason to cut loose ... he kinda did the exact opposite when it was time to make a wish.

The Biebs' party went down Saturday night at Delilah in L.A. -- this after a reported 1-on-1 romantic dinner with the missus, Hailey -- where a bunch of their pals came out to help him celebrate the big 2-6. It looked like a sweet shindig -- there was a live band, drinks being passed around and, of course, lots of pastry sweets ... including candle-lit cupcakes.

He had a cake to himself though, and as everybody sang him "Happy Birthday," Justin looked a little ... dare we say, somber? Yes, some of that -- but mostly content and chillaxed.

He had Hailey right in front of him, naturally, and it appears he kept his eyes mostly on her the whole time. Clearly, the married couple is head over heels to this day. He was later seen cradling her from behind, and they snuck in some smooches where they could.

Even with a ton of cameras on them, they didn't seem to care. Justin and Hailey just couldn't keep their hands off each other as they hugged, kissed, swayed and canoodled. Young love at its finest, right?

Now, just to be clear ... it wasn't all lovey-dovey and heart eyes all night -- JB DID get down and bust a move at different points in the party. He also got on the mic for a bit, but for the most part ... Bieber seemed to be acting pretty freaking responsible and playing the good hubby all night.

Waka Flocka is bringing self-awareness and self-deprecating humor to a whole new level -- saying he was a wack rapper at the peak of his career ... but honest nonetheless.

The hip-hop star was chopping it up with the team at Everyday Struggle, where he made the startling declaration ... that he was wack, he knows he was wack and probably should've stopped rapping way earlier than he actually did. His words, folks ... not ours.

Check out his explanation for yourself ... WFF says he made a massive amount of money around 2012 -- $30 million, apparently -- and says he'd achieved what he'd set out to do in the rap game ... which is to get rich. He insists he didn't need to keep going.

It's funny ... the Everyday crew tries to convince him otherwise -- that he's not wack and actually contributed a lot to the game -- but he remains firm, explaining his hip-hop idols are hardcore lyricists like Nas, KRS-One and others. He says he's simply not near them.

His one saving grace, according to him, was his ability to keep it real. Waka says people probably respected that more than his rapping ability.

Waka might be a little too hard on himself here -- fact is ... the dude put out tons of songs that landed on the Billboard charts, and while they weren't the most lyrically complex ... they were fun as hell for what they were -- and enjoyed by many.

Pop Smoke's murder is still a mystery, and police are making little progress in finding suspects due to a variety of issues ... but they're still pressing on.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... detectives have hit a road block in the rapper's murder investigation, specifically with regard to witness testimony. We've heard it before -- a lot of people are simply refusing to talk. But also ... a lot of the info they're getting is sketchy.

Our sources say among the potential witnesses cops have spoken with, stories have either changed or are provably untrue. Also, because nobody was outside or nearby Pop's house when the crime occurred ... they have no neutral witnesses.

To make matters worse ... we're told investigators have wasted time looking into videos posted online allegedly connected to the murder, but they've all ended up unrelated to the case.

Likewise, with the case being bi-coastal -- Smoke was killed in L.A. but lived in NYC -- cops have had to spend extra time and effort tracking down people.

Finally, even though the murder appears to be a targeted hit and not a robbery ... our law enforcement sources say they're still having trouble coming up with a motive.

Cops are working all leads and resources possible in the meantime, but it seems they're in desperate need of a break in the case.

Adam Levine's owning his lackluster performance at a huge festival in Chile, saying he acted unprofessionally and struggled on stage ... and apologized to everyone in the crowd.

The Maroon 5 frontman and the band were widely criticized for their set during the country's Viña del Mar Festival Thursday, which was broadcast live on TV. Adam was singled out ... ripped for looking disinterested and cold, and was caught on video afterward complaining ... "That was a TV show ... that was not a concert."

Levine's now offering up an explanation, saying he was held back "sonically" -- his sound just wasn't right -- and it got in his head. He says the crappy performance wasn't a dig at the group's Chilean fans ... adding he loves performing in South America.

Unclear if the apology will be enough for the folks in Chile -- they were pretty pissed, -- but Adam promises it won't happen again.

Justin Bieber had all eyes on him on the set of his new music video ... and busted out some solo dance moves that look like prime GIF material.

The Biebs was down in Miami Thursday shooting the vid for his upcoming single with J Balvin -- titled "La Bomba" -- and packed several hip thrusts, toe taps and pirouettes into a very short take.

The JBs were shooting all day, and it looks like their music video will include a lot of classic cars driving around and colorful outfit changes ... and it's already being anticipated as a potential "Song of the Summer."

If it is ... ya better start working on these Bieber dance moves.

Prince Harry's wrapping up his time as a full-time royal, but he's going out with a bang ... by teaming up with rock 'n' roll royalty for a project in support of Harry's Invictus Games.

The Duke of Sussex met up with Bon Jovi Friday at London's famed Abbey Road Studios, where the rocker's re-recording his single, "Unbroken," with the Invictus Games Choir ... and it looks like we might get to hear Harry's pipes, as well.

The Invictus Games were founded by Harry in 2014 as a Paralympic-style competition for wounded veterans. Bon Jovi's song is about veterans living with PTSD and is meant to honor their service ... so this collab is a perfect match.

Even though this is one of Harry's last gigs as a senior royal, Buckingham Palace is still showing full support for his endeavors ... the Scots Guard cranked out some Bon Jovi Friday morn.

His new "Unbroken" track will be released in March and proceeds will support the Invictus Games Foundation. The original version without the choir will be will featured on Bon Jovi's upcoming album.

Of course, the timing will coincide with Harry and Meghan Markle officially transitioning out of their senior roles in the Royal Family ... which many folks consider a shot through the heart that gives them a bad name.

Britney Spears is giving pop music a whole new meaning ... it's the very loud sound her foot makes after breaking it following this electric dance routine.

You'll recall Britney's boyfriend, Sam Asghari, revealed last week Britney broke her metatarsal bone on her left foot that required a trip to the hospital. Well, fast-forward to Wednesday and Britney posted a video of the dance routine that broke her foot.

You won't see anything crazy but it's the loud pop you hear that'll make ya wanna schedule a foot rub. Britney captioned her video saying, "I haven't danced in six months so I was full throttle at this spot. And yes .... I know I'm barefoot .... don't laugh but I grip the floor better that way!!!! PS you can hear where I broke my foot here. Sorry it's kind of loud!!!!"

Some people think Usher's new "Confessions" track has a line about him copping to herpes -- but his pal Jermaine Dupri says they need to listen closely ... cause they got it all wrong.

Jermaine cleared the air Wednesday about speculation surrounding "Confessions Part III," which Usher teased during a live gig this week. One particular line in the song has been widely interpreted to be a confirmation about the STD ... which has been the subject of multiple lawsuits against the singer.

On the new track, Usher sings, "You said bae let me take you to the ER, I said, ‘Nah, Imma be alright / Well the next day I found out from f*cking around that the sickness I had was life."

Don't let that sickness lyric fool you, according to JD -- who has teamed up with the singer again to produce a new sequel album to his 2004 smash hit project. Jermaine says, "I see y’all trippin... CONFESSIONS PART 3 is from a females perspective."

JD adds, "The song is about a girl cheatin’ on him and gettin’ pregnant by another man. She is then being stuck with the decision to keep or abort it. Now that he knows, Should he stay or Leave ???"

Get it? "The sickness I had was life" refers to a baby ... not to being sick FOR life.

In any case, the good news out of all this is ... more 'Confessions,' baby.