TMZ.com

Adele's new single's already getting some of the best possible pub -- and so is she -- thanks to one of her besties ... this dude Drake.

As you may know ... this is the singer's first new music after a 6-year absence, and after dropping her single "Easy on Me" Thursday, Drake gave it a shout-out ... along with some surprising insight about their relationship.

Champagne Papi posted a photo of Adele on his IG story and wrote, "One of my best friends in the world just dropped a single" ... while adding a smile emoji, hearts and "WOIIIIIII" to show his awe for it.

Now, we've known Adele and Drake are friends for awhile now -- you'll recall she attended his birthday party in 2019 after her divorce -- but it's a bit of a surprise they are in the BFF zone.

But, perhaps we should have known, because back then Drake also shared a photo of himself with Adele along with a caption about "unbreakable bonds I have in my life from incredible people."

Anyway, Adele's new song is the first release from her upcoming fourth studio album, "30." As we reported ... she gave her fans a sneak peek of the song last weekend during her first-ever Instagram Live, and yes -- she's still got it.

Jay-Z must have been feeling it after showing off his new movie, because he hopped on the mic and threw down ... on a classic track he did with Kanye.

The hip-hop mogul put on an apparently impromptu show Wednesday night at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium following a screening of "The Harder They Fall" ... a Western with a mostly Black cast that he produced.

Jay held a celebration event after the film, and gave a rare live performance with the band ... spitting some lyrics from "Gotta Have It," from his 2011 collab album "Watch the Throne" with Ye.

It's just another sign things are cool again between the legendary rappers ... on the heels of Jay surprisingly featuring on "Jail" from West's "Donda" album.

"The Harder They Fall" party only kept elevating, as Seal also joined the band and showed off his pipes ... and everyone appeared to be loving it.

Some of the other celebs in attendance included Regina King -- who stars in the movie -- Tiffany Haddish and Swizz Beatz.

Ray J is no longer battling pneumonia from a Miami hospital bed ... he's been discharged and is continuing to recover at home.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Ray was released from the hospital over the weekend and he's also stopped using an inhaler and isn't on oxygen anymore.

As we told you ... Ray J was admitted earlier this month, where doctors discovered he had pneumonia and assumed he had COVID too. Ray tested negative for the virus and was eventually moved out of the COVID wing, but was super scared.

Our sources say Ray thinks his busy schedule and constant travel were to blame for his illness, and now he's realized he needs to take care of his health.

At one point in his bout with pneumonia, we're told Ray thought he was going to die, and now he's just thankful to have made it out.

TMZ broke the story ... Ray filed to divorce Princess Love while he was hospitalized, the third time the couple's walked down the divorce aisle.

The Rolling Stones have lost their appetite for "Brown Sugar" ... or at least their appetite for dealing with woke blowback -- they're retiring their classic tune due to its slavery depictions.

The Stones are 5 shows into their "No Filter" tour but a journalist noticed the band has not played the track at all in that span. That's huge ... considering "Brown Sugar" is reportedly the Stones' second-most performed song over the last 50 years ... at 1,136 times.

The issue is the 1971 track is all about the slave trade -- specifically, slavers raping enslaved Black women -- and shockingly, that's something many fans of the song don't even realize.

The opening verse is, "Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields. Sold in the market down in New Orleans. Scarred old slaver knows he's doin' all right. Hear him whip the women just around midnight."

And, of course, the famous chorus goes ...  "Brown Sugar, how come you taste so good. Brown Sugar, just like a young girl should."

But, Keith Richards told the L.A. Times the song isn't glorifying slavery. The guitarist said, "I'm trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is. Didn't they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But, they're trying to bury it. At the moment I don't want to get into conflicts with all of this s***."

While the Stones might legitimately be trying to document the horrors of slavery, it sure doesn't come across that way when Mick Jagger and stadiums full of fans jump, clap and sing-along with those lyrics.

Anyway, it's not totally dead. Mick added, "Sometimes you think, 'We'll take that one out for now and see how it goes.' We might put it back in."

Translation: If, by some miracle, Mick and Keith outlive woke culture they'll play "Brown Sugar" again.

Meek Mill's album art plastered on the side of a bus is triggering the hell out of a man on Hollywood Blvd. ... and ya gotta see his epic rant, which is all on video!!!

The guy dives right in, shouting and pointing at the bus wrapped with an advertisement for Meek's album, "Expensive Pain" -- which features artistic depictions of naked Black women. Some of them bending over, and it's all too much for this guy to take.

The meltdown seems to center on the imagery being plastered on a bus that's driving through his neighborhood. He also thinks it's disrespectful to Black women, and laments the fact tons of eyeballs are gonna see the ad.

The epic rant continues as the guy walks all around the outside of the bus, pointing out all the things he doesn't like about the artwork ... and then he tries to tie it in with vaccines and face masks.

This video is peak Hollywood Blvd, an infamous spot for bizarre rants -- but we gotta ask?

Coachella is making a U-turn ... ditching its plan to enforce a mandatory vaccination policy for ticketholders, and instead settling for testing negative right before the event.

The announcement came down Tuesday via an update on Coachella's official IG page -- which is run by AEG Presents -- saying, "After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our other festivals this past month, we feel confident we can update our health policy."

The change ... allowing folks to come to Coachella (and other AEG Presents events, it seems) without having to prove they're vaxxed. Instead, you can just show a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the day you're attending.

This is a serious about-face from what AEG honchos said just a couple months ago -- when they announced they'd be requiring proof of vaccines, adding they felt they'd be on the right side of history, and that it was in the best interest of everyone.

The explanation is sure to thrill any anti-vaxx, or anti-mandate, folks on the fence about attending Coachella -- but something feels weird about the change of heart.

Frankly, if ya wanted to be cynical ... you could argue AEG's making a business decision -- especially in light of the massive pushback we're seeing around the country in relation to vaccine mandate.

Smash Mouth's lead singer is calling it quits after his shot at one final show went off the rails ... because he says health challenges have become too much for him.

Steve Harwell tells TMZ he's retiring, saying ... "Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream. To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with."

His decision comes after video of the band's performance this weekend in upstate New York went viral due to Steve's behavior on stage ... in which he slurred his words, yelled at the audience and at times seemed completely disassociated with the event.

A source close to the band tells us ... Steve knew it was time to hang it up after the show, because it's impossible for him to keep performing as his health continues to deteriorate.

We're told he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy 8 years ago, which has led to other medical setbacks like heart failure and Wernicke's encephalopathy ... a condition that impacts his motor functions, including speech and memory. He's also battled substance abuse over the years, which is further contributing to his health crisis.

Our sources say Steve was going through an episode during the live show, and it greatly impacted how he felt, at times not even understanding his surroundings.

Steve says ... "To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you. I’ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues, and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn't able to."

He adds that he's incredibly grateful to everyone who's contributed to Smash Mouth's success over the years, and to "those who have kept 'All Star' relevant as one of the top memes on the internet today."

Steve concludes, "I cannot wait to see what Smash Mouth accomplishes next and am looking forward to counting myself as one of the band’s newest fans."

Tim McGraw's sending a pretty menacing message to his fans -- boo me, and I'm gonna get in your face, which is exactly what he did to a couple ... bringing his concert to a grinding halt.

TMZ's obtained video of the tense confrontation that went down at Tim's show Saturday night at the Nugget Event Center in Reno, Nevada. We're told he was performing "Just to See You Smile" when fans noticed something was amiss.

Some folks in the crowd thought his voice sounded off, but also ... he forgot some of the lyrics. You can see at first Tim waves off the criticism, but then he seemed triggered ... as he stood up, stuck out his chest and stared down the hecklers.

The country star asked the hecklers why they were mocking him, and essentially told them, if ya don't like it, just leave -- but that wasn't enough. Tim jumped off the stage, and got in the couple's face. It's unclear what was said, but it is 100% clear Tim wasn't happy.

Some people in the audience were pissed too, because they wanted Tim to continue the show.

He ultimately addressed this head-on, telling the crowd he'd been shooting the "Yellowstone" prequel, "1883" for 48 hours straight. His point being ... forgive me if I forget a word or two.

Adele has to be the first person to ever say this -- she's grateful for the outrageous home prices in Los Angeles, saying London is impossibly expensive ... even for her!!!

The singer told British Vogue the cost of London real estate is the reason why she moved across the pond to the U.S. -- which sounds outlandish to us here in the Thirty Mile Zone, because L.A. has some of the most high-priced homes in America.

But, Adele says she can't afford anything in London that's similar to what she has stateside. She told the mag she's already invested more than $30 million on 3 properties in the Hidden Valley section of Beverly Hills.

If you're doing the math, that's $30 mil for more than 18,000 square feet of living space -- or an average of more than $1,600/sq. foot!!!

As we reported ... Adele's first home purchase was a $9.5 million pad in 2016, and in 2019 she bought the place next door for $10.65 million -- then completed the trifecta this year with a $10 mil purchase adjacent to her other 2 cribs.

The 15-time Grammy winner hails from London, but in addition to the difference in real estate prices, Adele says she wanted to live somewhere with "fresh air and somewhere I could see the sky."

Kanye West seems to be saying goodbye to Wyoming -- or at least a big part of it -- because he's listed his monster-sized Monster Lake Ranch ... and it has folks wondering if he's coming home to Kim Kardashian.

The rapper's property -- a huge chunk of land outside the city of Cody -- is back on the market for $11 million ... which is surprisingly $3 mil less than the asking price when Ye scooped it up in September 2019.

As we reported ... it wasn't clear if Kanye paid the full $14 mil back then, but whatever he paid bought him 4,500 acres and a lot more than a mule.

The Ranch comes with 8 lodging units and is known for "monster trout" fishing. There are also 2 freshwater lakes, a restaurant, an event center, meeting facilities, and of course ... a whole lotta horse barns and corrals.

You may recall ... not long after Kanye bought Monster Lake, he dropped another $14 mil for another Wyoming property -- Bighorn Mountain Ranch.

While it's not for certain, many believe that his infatuation with Wyoming and spending a lot of time living and working there caused a major rift in his marriage. Kim even broke down crying there during a tense meeting in the summer of 2020.

An old Jorja Smith cover has reignited a fierce debate among music lovers -- namely, whether she can actually sing or not ... but the evidence will make you shake your head.

The English singer-songwriter did her own rendition of TLC's "No Scrubs" in 2018, which for some reason resurfaced on Twitter this weekend ... and got folks chattering (again) about her pipes, or alleged lack thereof.

It's been an ongoing thing with her ... but there's really no question in our minds -- especially when you consider the full breadth of work and live performances, not to mention her background.

First, the claim ... people are taking this specific cover, as well as others she's done over the years, and suggesting her throaty, raspy vocals are a sign that she can't really carry a tune. Some argue this style of singing is one employed by a lot of modern-day singers/pop stars ... and that it's become the standard for what industry types look for. It's a running joke.

The "smoky" turn is something some folks claim Jorja has done a lot of lately ... but many more were quick to surface a plethora of clips that prove definitively -- she's a master of her craft.

Somebody posted a snippet of her performing live with the WDR Funkhausorchester orchestra from last year, and wrote ... "y’all can sit the F*** down and realize that Jorja Smith is and always will be a good singer…"

Others posted even more clips of her singing live, pointing out the range she has ... and the falsettos she can hit with ease. Of course, when you factor in the fact that she's a classically trained vocalist -- having gotten her tutelage at Aldridge and raised and schooled by her dad, who's a singer/musician himself -- it blows all allegations of bad singing out of the water.

One thing she may want to think about ... perhaps switching up her approach, as that's another critique often leveled her against her. Specifically, that even though she obviously CAN sing ... Jorja tends to dabble in the same types of riffs, runs and registers -- at least in some listeners' eyes, to the point where a lot of her crooning sounds repetitive or rehashed.

Paul McCartney is doubling down on what happened to the Beatles -- insisting John Lennon broke up the band ... something history has long roped Paul into over the years.

The iconic rocker felt compelled to set the record straight again -- his version of it, anyway -- in an upcoming episode of BBC Radio4's 'This Cultural Life,' as reported by the Guardian, and he puts the blame squarely in John's corner ... claiming the guy walked in one day and announced he was parting ways with the group, adding JL wanted to break loose.

PMC was emphatic about who was at fault, saying ... "Stop right there. I am not the person who instigated the split. Oh no, no, no. John walked into a room one day and said I am leaving the Beatles. Is that instigating the split, or not?" He adds, "This was my band, this was my job, this was my life, so I wanted it to continue."

He goes on to say the other 3 bandmates -- Ringo Starr, George Harrison and himself -- were left to pick up the pieces ... and were even told to keep quiet about it as legal and business matters played out behind the scenes.

Eventually, McCartney made a public announcement in 1970 that he was leaving the band -- the first member to publicly do so -- and since then, he's been accused of being the the driving force to the dissolution.

Of course, Paul's told this story before -- saying John was responsible, that is -- but never quite like this. More often than not, PMC tends to characterize it as a sad chapter, albeit one of growth -- seeing how John met Yoko. Now, however, he's firmly pointing the finger.

The timing here is also interesting ... Saturday marked what would've been John's 81st birthday, and Paul actually threw something up on IG to honor him. He posted a black and white photo of the two of them on their guitars, writing ... "Happy Birthday thoughts for John - Paul."

Some 24 hours later, word of him kinda bad-mouthing his old pal leaks -- a man who isn't here to defend himself. As you know, John was killed in 1980 by Mark David Chapman.

Morgan Wallen is a bro, so it's no shock he got a wild reception onstage Saturday night in the City of Brotherly Love.

Wallen was a surprise guest during the Eric Church concert. Wallen walked on stage and told the capacity crowd, "What's going on, Philadelphia?!!?"

Church had been singing Wallen's song, "Sand in My Boots," when Wallen walked out to roaring applause and cheering,

The duo then sang more of Wallen's songs, including "Whiskey Glasses," "Somebody's Problem," "Silverado for Sale," and "Quittin' Time."

It's an interesting pairing. Wallen has long called Church his musical hero -- and Chruch even offered words of encouragement after Wallen dropped the n-word after a night of partying.

Church said at the time, "That was indefensible ... I was heartbroken when it happened.  I think Morgan's trying to work on that and on himself. And I hope he does." Wallen dropped out of sight for several months to deal with it.

Wallen is getting ready for 4 shows this fall ... 2 in Alabama, one in Georgia and another in Tennessee.

Adele is returning to the big stage after a 6-year absence from music -- and if you were wondering if she's still got it in the vocals department ... here's confirmation that she does.

The singer previewed a snipped of her new forthcoming single, "Easy On Me," on IG Live this weekend ... playing a good 40 seconds of what seems to be the first verse and almost the hook. She cuts it off before it gets any better ... but the consensus is, so far so good.

The track is laced with a piano melody -- and Adele starts talking about how there's no gold in the river she's been washing her hands, but how she still maintains hope.

The song is also sung in the same soulful, operatic style that Adele has carved out for herself ... as she goes low, high and everything in between. This, of course, comes before she dives into what sounds to be a crescendo that'll probably top what we've heard here.

In other words ... Adele's pipes are still intact after years of no new music. If anything, she sounds as good as ever -- if not better. That's something people often wonder about when artists take long breaks from the scene when it comes to new studio sessions. Rihanna falls into that category ... Bieber recently did too, before coming out with his latest album.

Now, it's unclear if Adele was supposed to play this before the song's out next Friday ... because she (jokingly?) said her phone was blowing up, and that she was gonna get in trouble.

She's probably kidding ... and the snippet is likely part of a bigger marketing campaign to get buzz. Not that she needs it, really -- but hey, there's no such thing as bad pub for Adele. Especially when the product is as top-notch as this almost certainly promises to be.

Adele also took some fan questions ... and weighed in on #FreeBritney, Lana Del Rey and Harry Styles. She supports the first, loves the 2nd and thinks the 3rd is a "very sweet boy."

Kanye West will almost certainly be in the building when Kim Kardashian hosts 'SNL' and we're guessing we'll see his mug and maybe hear his voice during the show, but before the show, Ye had a chitchat over coffee with one Michael Cohen.

Kanye and Cohen were spotted at an Upper East Side coffee shop Friday, according to Page Six.

It's interesting for a couple reasons. First, Cohen -- who was famously Donald Trump's fixer -- has turned on Trump in a big way. Ye's feelings, on the other hand, are not as clear. As you know, Kanye loved sporting his MAGA hat and visited Trump in the Oval back in the day.

The other interesting thing ... Cohen is under house arrest after serving time for tax fraud and lying to Congress. He got in hot water a while back after dining at a fancy French restaurant without getting permission from the Bureau of Prisons, and it's unclear whether this meeting was approved or whether provisions have been made so Cohen can venture out.

As for Kim ... she's been pulling 20 hour days rehearsing for the big show. That sounds nuts, but it's true. She's been getting to the studio at around 5 AM and staying until 3 AM the next day.

As we reported, she's getting tips from huge names in comedy, including Chappelle, DeGeneres, Corden and Schumer (not Chuck).

Dwayne Johnson is flexing in a whole new way -- he's jumping on the mic to try his hand at rapping, and he's actually got some flow!!!

The Rock features on the new Tech N9ne track, "Face Off" -- from the new album, "ASIN9NE" -- dropping a few bars at the end of the song. As the old saying goes, rap about what you know, and DJ does just that ... paying homage to his roots and his passion for extreme workouts.

Just a sample of his rhymes -- "It's about tribe, it's about power. We stay hungry, we devour. Put in the work, put in the hours and take what's ours."

There's another line about being Black and Samoan, and the Rock even drops some profanity! Censored, of course.

This isn't the first time he's showed off his musical talents. He's strummed a guitar in the ring during his WWE days, and was also featured in Wyclef Jean's music video for "It Doesn't Matter." He came close to rapping on that song, but this is the first time we've heard him ball out on the mic.

And, talk about synergy ... 'cause in true entrepreneurial spirit Dwayne's already promoting his Project Rock by Under Armour collection by integrating his featured verse in a video of him doing his thing in the gym.