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The Kid LAROI revealed he's been locked in a room for 7 days because he has COVID ... only to scrub that announcement from his social media a short time later.

The teenage singer revealed the news in a now-edited Instagram caption Monday in which he was celebrating his #1 hit with Justin Bieber, "Stay," and thanking all of his fans for their support.

LAROI, who hails from Australia, wrote that all he ever wanted was to "make it big" in America and show everyone what folks Down Under have to offer.

He then said he hasn't been home in awhile because of COVID, adding ... "which I currently have rn and have been locked in a room for the past 7 days."

The singer quickly deleted that line in his IG caption, but if it's true -- it means he could have performed at the huge July 29 concert at Lollapalooza in Chicago with Miley Cyrus while infected -- or contracted it while at the festival.

We've reached out to LAROI's rep for some clarification ... so far, no word back.

Tank is ecstatic that his early tunes are finally seeing the light of day, officially, alongside Aaliyah's catalog ... this in spite of the drama behind the scenes.

The R&B crooner broke down what this moment means for him Saturday morning when we ran into him at LAX, and he said it quite succinctly ... not only is this a re-introduction to fans (new and old) but it's also an opportunity to make up for lost time ... financially.

Check out his response ... Tank makes no bones about the fact that he's missed out on a lot of dough over the years considering his first 3 albums weren't streaming or on digital platforms. He's not sour over it, but notes a wrong is finally being righted ... and he's glad.

As for Aaliyah's music, and her family's apparent opposition to it being released without their blessing ... Tank says he understands, but that it's perhaps a blessing in disguise -- as he notes, as so many others have, that a whole new generation will get to know her anew.

That acrimony aside, Tank's just happy people will finally get schooled on late '90s/early 2000s R&B ... a chapter from which he DID exist pre-2010 -- and cranked out great music.

Dennis "D.T." Thomas -- Kool & The Gang's longtime saxophone player -- has died.

The band announced the news Saturday, saying he passed away peacefully at his home in New Jersey. No cause of death was revealed.

They had kind words for their dear friend, though, writing ... "An original member of Kool & The Gang, Dennis was known as the quintessential cool cat in the group, loved for his hip clothes and hats, and his laid-back demeanor."

K&TG added this ... "A huge personality while also an extremely private person, Dennis was the alto saxophone player, flutist, percussionist as well as master of ceremonies at the band’s shows." They went on to discuss some of his greatest moments with Kool and co., including his prologue solo on their '71 hit "Who's Gonna Take the Weight."

Another fun fact -- the dude was actually their stylist, so says the band. Apparently, he crunched numbers for them too -- they say, "In the band’s early days, Dennis also served as the 'budget hawk,' carrying the group’s earnings in a paper bag in the bell of his horn."

Like they mentioned, Dennis was a founding member ... having helped form the band in the '60s, and staying with them ever since. He's been along for the ride through five decades plus.

D.T. was one of three founding members still alive before today -- now, there are only 2. He was 70.

Shock G is being honored with a celebration of life in Oakland ... there's a day-long tribute coming up full of good deeds and good tunes.

Shock G's longtime manager, Atron Gregory, tells TMZ ... Oakland is celebrating the Digital Underground star with a city-wide event August 21, and the day kicks off with the late rapper's family and friends feeding about 2,000 unhoused community members.

We're told the late Shock had a passion for supporting those who have a hard time supporting themselves, and organizers wanted to honor his legacy by giving back.

From there, we're told there will be a motorcade traveling through Oakland en route to City Hall, which will play host to a Shock G tribute featuring live music, performances and speakers.

The celebration will wrap up with an afterparty at The New Parish in Oakland, with several DJs spinning tunes.

TMZ broke the story ... Shock G was found dead in a Tampa hotel room back in April from an accidental overdose.

Since his death, we're told surviving members of Digital Underground -- which was founded in Oakland -- and other musicians close to the group banded together to organize a celebration for Shock in Oakland ... working with Oakland City Council members and non-profits in the city to make it happen.

Renowned record producer Sean Garrett isn't resting on his laurels -- he's still out there looking to discover new talent ... with a modernized "Star Search"-type strategy.

Garrett and music executive Max Gousse co-founded a new record label called Hey Young World, and Sean joined "TMZ Live" to explain how he's not looking for new artists -- instead, he's "Looking for Legends."

He's teaming up with iHeart Radio to find a diverse crop of fresh talent in 5 different categories -- pop, R&B, hip-hop, Latin and country -- and applying is as easy as submitting a video.

From there, the contest will enter a top 30 phase in which the finalists will perform live in front of Sean and some other judges ... with 5 record deals at stake.

And if you aren't familiar ... Garrett's resume includes writing and producing hits for Ciara, Mario, Nicki Minaj, Pussycat Dolls and most famously -- Usher's "Yeah!"

Sean told us he's confident he can find new artists to follow in those huge footsteps, but you gotta submit your video before Aug. 22.

A Kanye West fan tried to join the show during the rapper's second "Donda" listening event ... but got taken down by security before he got too close.

About midway through Ye's performance Thursday night at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- his second in as many weeks -- a man dressed in orange breached security in the stands and made a break for the stage.

As the guy made his way through the large crowd of backup dancers, that's when a security guard came out of nowhere with the big tackle. Unfortunately, it looks like he may have been injured in the collision.

While we hope the guard's okay, the fan was apprehended by several other guards after the take-down and hauled away. However, it seems police were not involved because we're told they have no record of the incident.

As we told you ... Kim Kardashian and all their kids attended the "Donda" listening party 2.0, which was supposed to lead up to the public release of Kanye's 10th studio album after already being delayed.

Turns out, the second time around yielded the same result, as of Friday 7:30 AM PT ... "Donda" is still not out.

Kim Kardashian and all of her children are showing just how much they love and support Daddy ... they're back in Atlanta for Kanye West's encore "Donda" album release.

Kim and their kids -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm -- are on the East Coast yet again to attend Ye's second event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2 weeks in anticipation of the release of his 10th studio album ... scheduled for Friday.

Kim and the kids are dressed head to toe in Balenciaga, which sorta makes sense ... the creative director behind the event is the head of Balenciaga.

We're told some family friends are also with Kim -- including KKW's Chief Marketing Officer Tracy Romulus and her kids -- to celebrate the rapper's momentous occasion.

Worth noting -- our sources say this is not some sign that Kim and Kanye are getting back together ... the divorce is still happening, but the family support remains strong.

As we first told you ... Kim and the family were also in attendance on July 22 when Kanye first debuted "Donda" ahead of its initial July 23 release date. It never came out, though ... thus his need for round 2.

Our sources say the plan is for Kayne to put a new twist on the second album release event ... which looks like it may involve transforming into a supervillain.

Then again, as Khloe recently told us ... only Kanye truly knows what's in store.

The Offspring are telling people their drummer, Pete Parada, was NOT kicked out of the band due to being unvaccinated ... but as a practical matter, it may be the case.

Jason "Blackball" McLean -- famous for singing "You gotta keep 'em separated" on The Offspring's 1994 hit, "Come Out And Play" -- tells TMZ ... Pete was never given the boot by his bandmates and a mutual agreement was reached ... but frankly, a return is sounding more and more like a pipedream.

We're told there have been several discussions between Pete and the other band members for months about getting back on the road, traveling and touring again ... which would require getting vaccinated.

More and more venues, cities and countries are requiring proof of vaccination to perform ... and we're told the band needs a drummer who's all-in on getting the shot.

Pete says he can't get vaccinated due to a medical issue that's gotten worse since childhood, so he's out ... and there doesn't appear to be a pathway for a return in the foreseeable future.

Drummer Josh Freese will be filling in for The Offspring's upcoming shows -- but the band is telling folks it's not permanent and as soon as things get better and Pete's not required to be vaxxed to be in a venue, there's an open invitation to return.

Thing is ... vaccine mandates don't appear to be going away anytime soon, nor does COVID, and with herd immunity seeming further and further away, it's increasingly hard to imagine Pete getting behind a drum set with The Offspring.

BTW ... though Jason's not an official member of the band, he will be appearing at some of their upcoming shows to perform his iconic lyrics, just like he did on a recent ep. of their "Cockpit Karaoke."

Dua Lipa's dress screams "IDGAF" ... as in, who cares if you can see her black g-string.

The singer and BF Anwar Hadid got real comfy with each other during a lunch date in Ibiza. They were there with a group of friends, and even though this looked pretty caszh, that didn't stop Dua from dressing to the nines with a beige dress, long earrings and heels ... on the beach, mind you.

And, as you can see, Dua's dress is pretty revealing on the sides ... not that it restricted her mood in any way. She looked to be having a blast at the beachside joint.

Dua snapped a few selfies while laughing it up, and when Anwar rejoined the group after a smoke break ... she couldn't help but throw her arms around him.

Looks like they hung out at their lunch spot until late into the night.

Aaliyah fans who've been waiting years to be able to listen to her music on digital streaming platforms, are about to get it.

According to Blackground Records -- which owns the late singer's masters and is rebranding as Blackground Records 2.0 -- it's partnering with the independent label EMPIRE to bring her songs to streaming services worldwide ... along with catalog material from Timbaland & Magoo, Tank, Toni Braxton and JoJo.

The catalog will be released in near chronological order, starting with Aaliyah's "One in a Million" album on August 20 ... though physical vinyl and CD pre-orders, as well as digital pre-orders and pre-saves, are available now on Blackground's site.

In September, the late singer's self-titled album will be released to streaming, followed by "I Care 4 U" and the "Ultimate Aaliyah" compilation albums in October.

If you didn't know ... her songs have notoriously never been available to download or stream, except for her 1994 album "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number." But, now -- 20 years after Aaliyah tragically died in a plane crash -- her music finally will be available for fans to enjoy.

The big news isn't welcome from everyone, though. As you may know, the reason for the hold-out is a long-standing rift between Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson -- founder of Blackground Records who owns her masters -- and her mother, Diane Haughton, who controls the rest of her estate.

That contention is still there, as it seems Blackground Music is behind the digital streaming release of Aaliyah's music.

This resulted in the Estate of Aaliyah issuing this response -- "For 20 years we have battled behind the scenes, enduring shadowy tactics of deception with unauthorized projects targeted to tarnish." The Estate also calls the streaming deal an "unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate."

Lil Yachty's posted up with Kanye West inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and from the look of things, Yachty's vibing on "Donda" ... while Ye's morphing into a supervillain.

The "Hit Bout It" rapper paid Kanye a visit at his makeshift ATL home ahead of the second "Donda" listening party set to go down Thursday evening -- and Kanye was wearing his usual full head cover, plus a jacket covered in giant spikes!

Seriously, looks like something from the "Suicide Squad" wardrobe.

Yachty's the latest rapper to visit him inside his quarters at the home of the Atlanta Falcons. Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa have also popped in to see Kanye.

Apple's launched a stream for viewers to "Watch Kanye finishing Donda in Atlanta," but it's intentionally muted the entire time ... which is why you can't hear any sound coming from the video Yachty posted.

As we reported ... Kanye and co. had been trying to figure out how to make this experience different from the first, which as we first reported, broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record with 3.3 million viewers.

Fetty Wap's daughter died as a result of a health issue she'd carried with her since birth ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper and his ex Lisa Pembroke's 4-year-old, Lauren, died from a fatal cardiac arrhythmia due to complications of congenital cardiac anomalies ... this according to the death certificate. Essentially, that means she'd had this heart problem since birth, and the resulting irregular heartbeat killed her.

According to the document, obtained by TMZ, Lauren passed on June 24, 2021 ... at her home in Riverdale, Georgia.

Both Fetty and Lisa have posted touching tributes to their daughter during the last week ... which was the first time they'd definitively shared the heartbreaking news with the public.

Fetty seemed to imply Lauren had passed away a couple weeks ago -- during his set at Rolling Loud, he dedicated the performance to her.

The Rolling Stones can't always get what they want -- they'll be touring without their original drummer for the first time in their nearly 6 decades as he recovers from an unspecified medical procedure.

Charlie Watts is 80 -- the oldest of the Stones -- and has been with the band since its inception in 1962, but he says he's going to have to sit out their upcoming U.S. tour "on the advice of the experts that this will take a while."

The good news ... Watts' medical procedure is said to have been a complete success, but time just isn't on his side to make a recovery before the band is set to resume their No Filter tour with a stadium show in St. Louis on Sept. 26.

They've also sold out many other big shows for the fall tour, and Watts will be replaced by his friend, Steve Jordan ... a veteran musician who's played with Keith Richards for years.

Still, the Stones say this is all "very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming."

Khloe Kardashian isn't letting on if she has the inside scoop on whether Kanye West will actually release "Donda" this week ... but she still has his back no matter what.

Khloe was at The Grove in L.A. Wednesday with her daughter, True, and mom, Kris Jenner -- along with nieces and nephews Chi, Psalm, Dream and Stormi -- for what led to a rather large ice cream order.

We asked Khloe if Kanye's upcoming 10th studio album's finally coming out Friday -- after already being pushed a couple weeks -- and her answer's pretty telling.

Still sounds like it could go either way, as far as she knows, but she tells us he's family ... so she'll be supporting him no matter what.

Ye's holding a second "Donda" listening event Thursday night in Atlanta in anticipation of the updated August 6 release date, with plans to make it different from the first.

As you may recall ... the initial release date was scheduled for July 23 and he packed ATL's Mercedes-Benz Stadium the night before to debut the album, but it was never made available to the public.

Justin Bieber is apologizing for plugging Morgan Wallen's album -- saying he didn't know about Morgan's n-word scandal, but now that he does ... he admits it's bringing back bad memories for him.

The controversy started Wednesday morning when Justin posted an Instagram story saying he loved Morgan's "Dangerous" album, a post that was quickly deleted ... presumably after he got some backlash, and some knowledge about Morgan's incident.

Justin's been explaining himself ever since ... claiming he had no clue about Wallen's n-word scandal, saying he doesn't support or tolerate racism or discrimination and apologizing to anyone he may have offended by initially supporting Morgan's record.

As you know by now, Morgan was caught on video saying the n-word back in January after a night out in Nashville with friends.

Once Justin heard about that, it immediately reminded him of his own infamous, on camera, use of the n-word when he was 14. He substituted the epithet in one of his early hits, singing ... "There'll be one less lonely n***er."

Da Brat says it's "way better now" being an openly gay rapper, and even though DaBaby's recent homophobic rant makes it seem otherwise -- she's "living out loud" with her ride or die fiancee Judy Dupart.

The extremely happy couple joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and insisted DaBaby wasn't speaking for all of hip-hop when he dropped that homophobic rant at Rolling Loud. Da Brat says there's a different vibe these days when someone comes out as gay versus back when she was coming up in the industry ... when artists could lose everything just for coming out.

Da Brat says there's an easy case in point with Ellen ... whose ABC sitcom was subsequently 86'd after she came out in a 1997 episode. The rapper says that undoubtedly made artists feel like they needed to continue hiding their sexual orientation -- or face the consequences.

Brat herself came out just last summer, saying she was finally free to share her truth because she's established her career after 2 decades. But, mainly, because of Judy ... a successful woman in her own right as CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products.

Da Brat says Judy gave her the courage to be herself, and that supersedes the garbage that came out of DaBaby's mouth. He has since apologized for his "hurtful" and "triggering" comments ... but only after a handful of major music festivals, including Lollapalooza, dropped him from their lineups.

As for how Judy and Da Brat's engaged life is going -- fans can see 'em in action when their new show "Brat Loves Judy" premieres Thursday night on WeTV.