TMZ.com

Salt-N-Pepa are riding high following their grand induction at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -- and are hinting the party won't stop ... because they'll be touring next year!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Pepa and Spinderella outside Jennifer Hudson Studios in  Burbank this week, and they were beaming in light of their massive accomplishments through hip hop culture.

The group took their lumps internally just like any long-running act, but Spin tells us they've displayed a solid sisterhood to the world to cap off their 40-year history.

Paula Abdul is remembering late "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" band leader Cleto Escobedo III of Cleto and the Cletones ... honoring him with a heartfelt tribute post on social media.

Cleto toured with Paula, as well as Earth, Wind and Fire, and had his own record deal before Jimmy got him on late-night TV ... and Paula says Cleto's "talent and energy were undeniable."

Paula says she first met Cleto back in the day when he was playing saxophone at a small bar inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas ... and from the moment she heard him, she knew she had to hire him for her band.

Tragedy for friends and family ... Jimmy Kimmel just announced his show's longtime band leader and childhood friend, Cleto Escobedo III, died Tuesday morning.

Jimmy paid tribute to him in an IG post Tuesday ... saying he's heartbroken, especially since he and Cleto had been inseparable since Jimmy was 9 years old.

Jimmy writes ... "The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers."

AJ McLean wants to capitalize on a viral mashup of an old Backstreet Boys hit and a new Taylor Swift song ... and he's asking Taylor if she wants to perform with his band in Las Vegas ... telling us such a collab would "break the planet."

We got AJ at LAX on Tuesday and our photog asked him about potentially working with Taylor ... who has indicated she likes the "Elizabeth Taylor" and "Everybody" mix.

AJ posted a video on Instagram with the mashup, showing him lip synching ... and Taylor commented, "OH HI AJ OH MY GOD."

Sabrina Carpenter is going to Wonderland... she's set to star and produce an upcoming movie based on Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" ... and she's going to be singing, too.

The "Please Please Please" singer will be starring in her first major studio movie -- the musical is from Universal Pictures -- and Lorene Scafaria is writing and directing the flick.

Lorene's best known for writing and directing "Hustlers" with Jennifer Lopez ... as well as "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World." She also wrote "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist."

Sabrina's coming off a successful seventh studio album, which earned her six Grammy nominations, and she's been on her "Short n' Sweet" tour. She's got acting experience, including on TV shows like "Girl Meets World" and movies like "The Hate U Give" and "Emergency."

We know the flashiest people in bands are usually center stage, but it's always the drummers who provide the real support ... and since it's National Drummer Day, we've got a gallery of some of the most talented percussionists we could think of.

From rock gods like Dave Grohl and Neil Peart, to jazz cats like Tony Williams and Buddy Rich, check out our appreciation for the musicians who really get us moving and grooving!

Legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley passed away Thursday, Oct. 16, after his family made the difficult decision to turn off his ventilator ... and today his cause of death has been released, TMZ has learned.

TMZ confirms, Ace died as a result of blunt trauma to the head due to a fall.

According to the Morris County, New Jersey Medical Examiner's report ... Ace suffered a fracture to the back of his skull, a subdural hematoma -- a collection of blood formed between the brain's protective outer layer and the brain itself -- and a stroke. His manner of death was ruled an accident.

Oh, celebs ... they're just like us! The Jonas Brothers revealed a secret to maintaining their close relationship that will probably sound familiar to anyone with a sibling ... they pick on each other.

The Jo Bros. were interviewed by Super Bowl LII winner Jason Kelce on "Good Morning America" Monday. Seeing as how Jason works with his own famous brother, Travis Kelce, he was curious how Kevin, Joe, and Nick handle the countless tours they've done together.

According to Joe, "It's just a healthy amount of bullying."

Kelly Clarkson isn’t holding back -- firing off at her ex-manager who once suggested she get a boob job ... and her response back to him definitely hit all the right notes!

The singer was mid-show at her "Studio Sessions" at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Saturday night when her monologue turned to her cleavage ... after joking she was spilling out of her low-cut look, Kelly reflected, "I had a d*ck manager once tell me to get a boob job!"

Kelly was totally floored by the so-called "advice" ... telling him she suggested he get a 'd*ck job" instead.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z did their best James Bond impression in order to sneak into Kris Jenner's 007-themed birthday ... 'cause photogs didn't get a single pic of them!

Multiple sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... the pop star and her rapper husband pulled up to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Beverly Hills mansion to celebrate their friend.

However, our sources say paparazzi couldn't get a money shot of the happy couple because they got prime parking ... pulling onto the estate and hopping out of the ride away from prying eyes.

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are leading the charge at tonight's ceremony ... with OutKast, Cyndi Lauper and more ready to bring the house down!

The ceremony's just kicked off at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles ... and, the night's guests of honor looked ready for their moment in the spotlight on the red carpet -- with Lauper blowing a kiss to photogs while André 3000 and Big Boi threw up peace signs to acknowledge onlookers.

Jack White, Salt-N-Pepa, Bad Company, Chubby Checker and Soundgarden are among the other inductees ... and, while Soundgarden's lead singer Chris Cornell passed away a few years ago, his kids Lillian, Chris and Toni did show up to represent him.

Travis Scott gave a crowd in Tokyo "goosebumps" last night ... bringing out Kanye West and Stormi Webster to rock the stage in front of thousands of screaming fans.

The rapper took over Tokorozawa’s Belluna Dome -- a massive stadium in the Saitama prefecture -- Saturday night in the country ... when Kanye pulled off his mask, revealing his face to the crowd.

A fair few cheers course through the crowd before Travis and Kanye start bouncing around the stage in the video ... bringing the energy to the packed audience.

Taylor Swift's trading Travis Kelce for another celeb dinner companion ... Sabrina Carpenter!!!

Taylor and Sabrina were spotted Friday night in New York City going out for a bite at The Corner Store.

The singers broke bread and shared some laughs during a fun night out on the town ... this after Taylor spent the last two nights going out to fancy places with her NFL star fiancé.

4:40 PM PT -- A spokesperson for DHS tells TMZ ... “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe. We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice.”

It also appears that Olivia's comment has since been deleted from the post -- unclear by whom.

Olivia Rodrigo is an all-American bitch, but not the kind who supports what she sees as "racist, hateful propaganda" from the White House and Department of Homeland Security ... she's blasting the feds for using her music in a deportation video.

Here's the deal ... the official Instagram accounts for the White House and the DHS posted a new video on their IG pages this week, showing people being arrested and deported by ICE. The video also showed folks self deporting as Olivia's "All-American Bitch" plays.

Olivia caught wind that her song was being used in the content and she left a scathing reply on the post, saying ... "don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda."

Kelsea Ballerini hasn't been afraid of letting her fans into her personal life through her music ... and she just dropped a bit of juicy info about her plans for the future in a new track.

The singer-songwriter released her newest song, "I Sit In Parks," on Friday -- just a day after revealing she has an EP, "Mount Pleasant," set to debut later this month -- and the track covers some pretty heavy material ... including her desire to become a mother.

The song deals with Kelsea making observations about a happy family, and she openly wonders if she's missed out on a big opportunity after "chasing things a body clock doesn't wait for" in the song's chorus.

At another point, Kelsea ponders whether the song character wants her freedom "like I wanna be a mother."

Kelsea's had brushes with the potential of motherhood before, and she admitted in a 2023 episode of "Call Her Daddy" the breaking point in her marriage with Morgan Evans was when she realized she wasn't ready for kids.

Kelsea said she told Morgan she was open to freezing her eggs once she turned 30 -- she was 29 when they had their conversation about parenthood -- but he apparently didn't want to wait, and they ended up divorcing in 2022.

It's finally here, folks ... the Recording Academy has released its list of nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards!

The nominations for next year's awards ceremony were announced during a star-studded livestream on Friday, and we're already going through all the songs and albums to pick out our personal favorites!

You already know there's plenty of big names on the list -- and we're going to bring you up to speed on some of the biggest ones!

"Abracadabra" -- Lady Gaga

"Manchild" -- Sabrina Carpenter

"Anxiety" -- Doechii

"Luther" -- Kendrick Lamar with SZA

"Wildflower" -- Billie Eilish

"DTMF" -- Bad Bunny

"Apt." -- Rose and Bruno Mars

"The Subway" -- Chappell Roan

"Abracadabra" -- Lady Gaga

"Manchild" -- Sabrina Carpenter

"Luther" -- Kendrick Lamar with SZA

"Wildflower" -- Billie Eilish

"DTMF" -- Bad Bunny

"Apt." -- Rosé and Bruno Mars

"Golden" -- HUNTR/X

"Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" -- Bad Bunny

"Swag" -- Justin Bieber

"Chromakopia" -- Tyler, The Creator

"Mutt" -- Leon Thomas

"GNX" -- Kendrick Lamar

"Mayhem" -- Lady Gaga

"Let God Sort Em Out" -- Clipse

"Man's Best Friend" -- Sabrina Carpenter

Lola Young

Alex Warren

Leon Thomas

Sombr

The Marias

Addison Rae

Katseye

Olivia Dean

"Swag" -- Justin Bieber

“I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2)” -- Teddy Swims

"Mayhem" -- Lady Gaga

"Something Beautiful" -- Miley Cyrus

"Man's Best Friend" -- Sabrina Carpenter

"Manchild" -- Sabrina Carpenter

"Disease" -- Lady Gaga

"Messy" -- Lola Young

"Daisies" -- Justin Bieber

"The Subway" -- Chappell Roan

"Chromakopia" -- Tyler, The Creator

"GNX" -- Kendrick Lamar

"Glorious" -- GloRilla

"God Does Like Ugly" -- JID

"Let God Sort Em Out" -- Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

"Private Music" -- Deftones

"I Quit" -- Haim

"From Zero" -- Linkin Park

"Never Enough" -- Turnstile

"Idols" -- Yungblud

"Patterns" -- Kelsea Ballerini

"Snipe Hunter" -- Tyler Childers

"Evangeline vs. the Machine" -- Eric Church

"Beautifully Broken" -- Jelly Roll

"Postcards From Texas" -- Miranda Lambert

"Ain't in it for My Health" -- Zach Top

"Hard Headed Woman" -- Margo Price

"Oh What a Beautiful World" -- Willie Nelson

"American Romance" -- Lukas Nelson

"Dollar a Day" -- Charley Crockett

"Mutt" -- Leon Thomas

"Escape Room" -- Teyana Taylor

"The Crown" -- Ledisi

"Why Not More?" -- Coco Jones

"Beloved" -- Giveon

"F*** U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol But Ur Not!! <3" -- Skrillex

"Inhale/Exhale" -- Rufus Du Sol

"Fancy That" -- PinkPanthress

"Ten Days" -- Fred Again..

"Eusexua" -- FKA Twigs

Dan Auerbach

Cirkut

Dijon

Blake Mills

Sounwave

Amy Allen

Tobias Jesso Jr.

Edgar Barrera

Jessie Jo Dillon

Laura Veltz

"Sable, Fable" -- Bon Iver

"Songs of a Lost World" -- The Cure

"Don’t Tap the Glass" -- Tyler, the Creator

"Moisturizer" -- Wet Leg