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Jay-Z was right to use his Grammys moment to advocate for his wife Beyoncé ... so says another music couple who was at the award show.

We got The War and Treaty at LAX and our photog asked the Best New Artist nominees about Jay using his acceptance speech to talk about Beyoncé's 4 losses in the Album of the Year category.

The husband and wife duo say Jay was being a good hubby by standing up for his woman ... also telling us Hov isn't wrong in his views on Beyoncé albums being worthy of the top prize.

The War and Treaty say Bey is more than worthy, and they feel she's right up there with Michael Jackson in terms of music and philanthropy.

MJ, by the way, won AOTY for "Thriller" way back in the day.

Jay told Beyoncé, and any other disappointed nominees, to keep showing up and pushing for accolades they feel they deserve.

Interestingly, The War and Treaty offered Beyoncé some advice, too -- they think a country record might be the way to go ... though, they're a little bit biased.

Taylor Swift's loyal supporters think they've got a new theory about her all figured out -- and based on the clues, they might be on to something ... namely, a possible Coachella drop-in.

Here's the deal ... with Tay Tay announcing her new album last night during the Grammys -- "The Tortured Poets Department" -- Swifties have been kicked into high gear with speculation that her release date, April 19, is no coincidence ... especially considering who she came onstage with later in the evening during her Album of the Year win.

Of course, we're talking about Lana Del Rey ... who was among a small group of people who joined T-Swift at the end of the show when she accepted her big award.

Taylor insisted on dragging her up there ... not to mention pouring on a ton of praise -- calling Lana an absolute legend and giving her her flowers and then some in her speech.

It's because of this strong friendship that people are thinking Taylor might hop onstage during Lana's headlining set at Coachella in April -- it's well-known at this point, the moody crooner is going to handle Friday night duties, including a big Weekend 2 set on Fri. April 19.

What a coinkidink ... that also just happens to be the day Taylor's dropping her project!

Some are suggesting Taylor's gonna take the opportunity to make a big splash to get people to listen -- which she could most certainly do without Coachella ... but something like that would absolutely break the Internet, and that's exactly what many believe will happen.

If Taylor does hit the main stage at Coachella ... it'll be her first time there, as she's never headlined before -- and she hasn't made a guest appearance either in all these years.

Lop on the fact that this year's lineup is getting crapped on left and right for being underwhelming ... and you can see why a Taylor cameo is just what Goldenvoice needs.

Oh, and did we mention that she has this April window open??? Yeah, she'll be on a break from her international "Eras" tour between March and May ... just in time for something like this. We're not saying we've heard one way or another, but fans sure seemed convinced.

If this does come to pass as many suspect it will ... it might be one of the biggest Taylor Swift moments in a long time, and that's saying something considering the years she's had.

Jay-Z says the Recording Academy is at fault for Beyoncé never winning the top prize at the Grammys ... but Bey's pops says her own record label is also contributing to the snub.

Mathew Knowles joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday, and we asked him about Jay's spicy speech at the Grammys, and what's holding Beyoncé back from winning Album of the Year.

While HOV pointed the finger at the voters, Mathew claims Beyonce's record label, Columbia Records, isn't doing its part behind the scenes ... suggesting it's not going to bat for her when it comes to the voting process or the lobbying involved for award shows.

As Mathew explains, record labels can only support one artist per category, which becomes an issue when artists from the same label are nominated for the same award ... as has been the case with Beyoncé at least twice.

Mathew says this exact scenario played out back in 2017 ... when Beyoncé and Adele, who is also signed to Columbia, were both nominated for AOTY. Bey's dad claims Columbia Records threw its support behind Adele, and she ended up trumping Bey for the Grammy.

Harry Styles is also on Columbia, BTW ... and last year, he beat out Beyoncé for AOTY.

Mathew says there are all sorts of reasons a record label would support one artist over another -- he broke down a few for us, while also pointing out it's not always about the music itself.

Jay-Z admitted in his speech this whole process is subjective, and Mathew's not denying that ... but he says money is a big motivator here too.

Beyoncé may very well win AOTY somewhere down the line ... but at the moment, her father seems to be implying the powers that be just aren't in her corner for the top prize.

Of course, Jay's solution was to "keep showing up," to the point where she can no longer be denied ... but Mathew's saying Beyonce's label has to show up for her.

Steve Harwell and C-Knight's omissions from the Grammys' "In Memoriam" segment Sunday was rude and disrespectful ... according to their nearest and dearest.

Robert Hayes, a rep for Smash Mouth's late lead singer, is hurt over the snub ... though he tells TMZ it didn't surprise him because the Recording Academy never acknowledged Steve when he was alive ... so why would they honor him when he passed?

Smash Mouth was nominated for a Grammy once, in 2000, but didn't win.

His remarks were cutting ... asking who even bothered to watch the Grammys anymore -- and expressing his belief the award ceremony hadn't been good in more than 20 years.

Steve left a lasting influence in the music industry before he passed away in Sept 2023 ... and only 2 months later, fellow artist C-Knight also died, having been taken off life support following complications from diabetes.

C-Knight's brother George Lee Blount echoed similar feelings of hurt and outrage over the "In Memoriam" exclusion.

George tells TMZ ... while C-Knight and his band The Dove Shack never scooped a Grammy, their impact on G-funk and hip hop is undeniable -- adding he was a hip hop legend, and the least they could've done was give him a mention.

George is hoping the same mistake doesn't happen again, urging the Grammys to do more research into artists to understand the hard work and sacrifice they put into their music careers.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

Rapper Killer Mike was arrested outside Crypto.com Arena following the Grammy Awards after he was accused of battery to a security officer. Mike took home wins in all three categories he was nominated for including Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song.

Taylor Swift's success continues as she won Album Of The Year for 'Midnights' ... but folks online called her out over an awkward interaction after appearing to ignore Celine Dion, who presented the award onstage.

Jay-Z defended Beyonce in his acceptance speech, questioning why she has been constantly snubbed for Album Of The Year despite holding the most Grammy awards in history.

Plus, retired porn star Lisa Ann was detained by NYPD at Matt Rife's Radio City comedy show for allegedly "using her phone."

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Usher is hopping aboard Kim Kardashian's undergarment train -- he's just the most recent star to partner up with her and promote her SKIMS line ... and yeah, he's shirtless for it.

Kim and co. were able to get Usher to agree to be the newest face for their SKIMS Men's campaign -- and they got him to rock their underwear line for fellas ... including their SKIMS Stretch collection as well as their SKIMS Cotton collection.

As part of this new drop featuring Usher ... they're also releasing 4 new colorways.

It goes without saying -- the fact KK signed Usher to SKIMS is a huge deal ... especially since he's a well-known sex symbol, even these days. That's sorta alluded to in this photo shoot here -- where Mr. Raymond is baring his torso, with his chiseled abs on display.

BTW, there was a video filmed for this team-up as well ... and in it, Usher talks about why he signed on, but more importantly -- how it relates to this new album of his, "Coming Home."

Based on what he says here, you could argue this is a full circle moment for him -- Usher seems to be leaning into his R&B roots ... including what made him uber popular to begin with, like his killer looks. There's a limited edition digital version of his album that's dropping as part of the partnership ... it's releasing on Feb. 8 at 9 PM PT/Feb. 9 at midnight ET.

As for these new SKIMS products themselves ... the undies are gonna be up for grabs starting Feb. 12 at 9 AM PT -- you can obviously get 'em on the SKIMS Men Shop website.

Usher's addition to the lineup comes on the heels of Kim snagging other hunks in the industry to advertise her company -- remember, she already got Neymar Jr., Nick Bosa and other hot dudes to rock the gear ... and now, Usher is in the mix as well.

SKIMS is low-key taking over the fashion world -- everyone seems willing to strip down and pimp the product ... making ya wonder, how the hell do these things feel in person.

Tate McRae seems to have a new flame in The Kid LAROI -- that is, if their hand-hold over the weekend is any indication ... and it most certainly seems to be.

The singer was spotted getting cozy with the Aussie entertainer ... as they were photographed hand in hand while exiting dinner with Justin and Hailey Bieber Saturday -- this on the heels of her headlining the NHL All-Star game in dramatic fashion.

From the PDA alone, most everyone is assuming the obvious ... they're dating.

Tate's and TKL's body language definitely seemed to be telegraphing a new relationship status between them ... and the Kid was happy to play gentleman, leading TMR to their car through a massive pap crush.

This has been a long time coming if you've been following along -- the pair kicked off dating rumors just last month ... they appeared to vacation in Mexico together, and were later spotted enjoying some alone time at L.A.'s upscale Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi.

Tate was previously dating ice hockey star Cole Sillinger ... who supposedly inspired her 2023 mega-hit "Greedy" ... which she tellingly filmed at an ice hockey rink.

Her performance this past weekend was a bit ironic in that sense -- but now, she's got a new boo.

As for Kid, he was dating influencer Katarina Deme for 3 years ... before scrubbing all traces of her from her IG in August 2023. On the face of it, they're all in on each other.

Miley Cyrus' big night at the Grammys -- scooping up 2 trophies -- is raising eyebrows because she totally excluded her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, from her acceptance speeches.

Miley first bagged the Best Pop Solo Performance Award for her hit song "Flowers" before the song later cinched the Record of the Year trophy -- and while she thanked several key people in her life onstage, she notably omitted mention of the iconic country musician.

The former Disney star went through the laundry list of people she wanted to thank -- her team, everyone onstage with her, her BF Maxx Morando, as well as her mom, Tish Cyrus, and sister, Brandi Cyrus -- but Billy didn't get a coveted shout-out.

The snub was even more pronounced as Miley made a concerted effort to ensure she didn't overlook anyone ... turning to her team behind her, asking: "Anyone else? Your wife, your fiancée, all the people that we love. Thank you all so much."

Even her undergarments got a playful shout-out, as she joked: "I don't think I forgot anyone. But, I might have forgotten underwear. Bye!" ... but as for a mention of Billy? Nada!

The omission may be a wholly innocent slip of the mind or may allude to an extension of reports from 2022 that Miley's relationship with Billy was strained following his divorce from Tish ... who attended the Grammys with her daughter.

Remember, Miley once shared a special bond with Billy who played a pivotal role in launching her career through "Hannah Montana" -- they shared the screen on all 4 seasons of the TV show, and the subsequent film.

If there is family tension, Miley didn't show it though -- she was glowing during the rest of her acceptance speech, saying: "This award is amazing, but I really hope it doesn't change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday."

Miley added, "Not everyone will get a Grammy, but everyone in this world is spectacular, so please don't think this is important, even though it's very important."

Taylor Swift was a sucker for Olivia Rodrigo's performance of "Vampire" ... debunking any beef rumors between them at the Grammys Sunday evening.

Olivia gave a bloody good rendition of the fiery tune ... with Tay Tay singing and dancing along -- something that didn't go unnoticed on Olivia's end as she blew her a kiss at the end ... signaling a mutual respect between the two.

The "Guts" singer Olivia returned the supportive favor ... standing up to clap for Taylor as she scooped the Best Pop Vocal Album. Yeah, you wouldn't be doing all that for your arch-nemesis, now would you?

The duo's fandom first speculated they were feuding when Olivia retroactively credited Swift and producer Jack Antonoff on her single "Deja Vu" -- though she's denied any clash between them since.

"I don't beef with anyone," Olivia clarified to Rolling Stone in Sept 2023  ... noting that falling out with someone was unlike her cause she's a chill person who keeps to herself.

She concluded on the matter: "There's nothing to say. There's so many Twitter conspiracy theories. I only look at alien-conspiracy theories." Underlying point, fandoms need to chill.

So, there you have it, folks ... things between O&T are good and had never soured in the first place.

Taylor Swift won Album of the Year (again) at the Grammys, but weirdly ignored the musical icon presenting in Celine Dion -- even though ... she paid her respects backstage, it seems.

Rare misstep for Tay Tay, who's usually on point ... but on Sunday night, she kinda screwed up -- at least in Twitter's eyes, anyway -- when she paid little to no attention to CD who announced her as the winner for AOTY ... which was a big deal for a lot of reasons.

It was the final award for the night -- and the largest prize at the Grammys, period -- which is why it was such a remarkable moment to see Celine come out to present it in person.

Of course, she's very publicly battling Stiff-Person Syndrome -- and has stepped away from the spotlight of late -- so for her to do this was notable and moving, especially since she appeared to look relatively healthy here ... something the audience met with a standing O.

Fast-forward to Taylor being named the winner, when she ran onstage with her collaborators -- plus Lana Del Rey -- and looked so overcome with emotion that she totally downplayed Celine's presence ... simply taking the statuette from her without so much as a nod.

Indeed, it came off as quite rude -- you could tell Celine found it odd as well -- and the Internet unloaded on Taylor for what they perceived as a major lack of respect/reverence.

It would appear Taylor and/or team caught wind of this backlash quickly -- 'cause not too long after ... a photo of the two posing together (and looking cozy) backstage surfaced, which a ton of outlets then posted without much description or captions. Coincidence much?

The Grammys have come and gone -- but all the stars who were at the show were still down to boogie once the final awards had been given out ... and that's exactly what they did.

Celebs hit the town in L.A. Sunday night -- and yes, they braved the crappy weather ... seemingly determined to party regardless of the rain and wind that was plaguing the city well into the evening. No matter ... 'cause these folks showed up and showed out in force!

One of the big get-togethers came courtesy of SZA's label -- TDE -- which hosted a slew of A-listers who rolled through to celebrate the singer's big night ... she won 3 statuettes herself.

She was in good company to ring in her wins -- stars like French Montana, Chris Brown, Keke Palmer, Big Boy, Andra Day, Storm Reid, AJ McLean, Alabama Barker and more were in attendance.

Elsewhere in L.A., the Universal Music Group party was going down -- and while there was a smattering of well-known faces who rolled through ... it was mostly smaller artists, which is ironic considering this whole TikTok feud that's unfolding.

As far as the recognizable stars -- Paris Jackson, G Flip, Adrien Brody ... and that's about it. There were a ton of other more low-key musicians/acts that popped in -- ones that are no doubt being affected by UMG yanking their music from the popular social media app.

In any case ... they looked stoked to be there and to celebrate the Grammy vibes -- whether anyone knew who they were or not!

Anyhoo ... the bashes here capped off what was most certainly a memorable night in music. There were lots of standout moments, not to mention incredible performances all around.

There were the usual artists who did their thing -- but a handful of musicians who rarely hit the stage stepped into the spotlight for historic showings ... like Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel and Tracy Chapman.

While the broadcast was full of memorable happenings, there were a few strange ones.

Phoebe Bridgers had a strong message for the guy who used to run the Grammys -- even though he ain't dead yet ... she wished an awful farewell in the afterlife once his day comes.

The singer shared her harsh words Sunday night while talking to the press backstage after her group boygenius' big win ... taking a moment to single out Neil Portnow -- the former CEO of the Recording Academy -- and his infamous sentiment from a few years ago.

Check out what Phoebe had to say about NP's note to women in the music industry 5 years ago -- when he told them they should "step up" if they wanted to be nominated more. She said she hopes he "rots in piss" once he dies ... a twisted take on RIP, obviously.

Safe to say ... PB hasn't forgotten that, not to mention the fact that he's embroiled in a lawsuit that alleges he sexually assaulted a woman -- something he's adamantly denied.

Nevertheless, Phoebe unloaded on him ... highlighting her win, and the fact the Academy seems to have turned the page from Portnow, and that there's more female artists being nominated than perhaps ever before.

Portnow hasn't addressed her comments ... and he's been out of the spotlight for a while now, having exited his role as top dog at the Grammys in 2018 with Harvey Mason Jr. replacing him.

Jay-Z kept it real at the Grammys -- during his acceptance speech, he defended Beyoncé ... suggesting she oughta have more wins herself, including the long-elusive top prize.

The Roc Nation honcho was given an honorary statuette Sunday night dubbed the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award -- and Hov went up there to accept with his daughter, Blue Ivy, by his side ... and with Bey looking on from the audience.

Jay-Z went on to address his history with the Grammys -- including feelings he's experienced over the years where he thought it'd be worth boycotting, for one reason or another.

That led him to basically get to the point that he and his contemporaries just want the Grammys to get it right ... even if it's not perfect, the Recording Academy can at least strive toward being better -- and he suggested the award show had gotten better in recent years.

Then came some tension ... Jay singled out Beyonce and said some things the Grammy voters do doesn't make sense -- including giving her the most Grammy awards ever (Bey holds the record at 32 total) ... but not giving her the crème de la crème, Album of the Year.

Jay harped on this point a little longer ... saying one thing doesn't track with the other.

It was a little awkward, no doubt -- because he basically articulated a gripe Beyoncé fans have long aired out about her continuously being snubbed at the Grammys ... including as recently as last year, when Harry Styles took ATOY over 'Renaissance.'

Her loyal base has been outraged before, but now ... it's obvious that it bothers Jay -- and, presumably, Bey herself as well. Jigga wasn't done airing his grievances just yet though.

Jay went on to say that some people there in the building will go home feelin robbed -- and in some cases, he said they may be right ... but in others, not so much. In fact, Jay said some of the artists that were nominated didn't even deserve to be in the category.

That spurred a chorus of oohs/ahhhs, but he didn't name any names. It was spicy, though.

Anyway, Jay spoke his piece and made it known -- he thinks Bey should be more celebrated than she already is ... and his advice to her (and others) was to just to keep showing up.

Taylor Swift just won her latest Grammy (#13 to be specific) -- but the bigger news came in what she said during her acceptance speech ... namely, announcing a brand new album.

The singer was announced as the winner for Best Pop Vocal Album for "Midnights" Sunday night -- and Tay Tay went up there to accept her hardware ... like we said, this marks her 13th Grammy statuette, something she made a note of right from the get-go at the mic.

Taylor then started teasing some major news -- which got the crowd whipped up into a frenzy. Eventually, she let the cat out of the bag ... T-Swift has a new project coming soon.

She says the forthcoming album -- one she says she's been working on in secret for the past two years, unbeknownst to her fans -- is called 'The Tortured Poets Department,' and it's dropping on April 19.

Shortly after winning her award/making her big announcement ... Taylor went backstage and uploaded a tweet that showed off what seems to be the album cover, as well as some apparent lyrics. They're interesting ... they certainly read like a traditional poem, super deep.

As you can imagine, the Swifties are absolutely losing their minds right now -- 'cause this truly did come out of nowhere. Up until now, people figured she was busy re-recording her old albums and was focusing on just that for the time being.

She released two "Taylor's Version" albums last year ... and seemed to have her hands full on that front. Plus, she's been knee-deep in performing for the "Eras" tour -- not to mention being in a whirlwind romance with Travis Kelce. As it turns out, she was laying down tracks for a whole new project in the wings ... and now, we're going to hear fresh material.

If you thought Taylor was already on top of the world -- and she most certainly is -- that mountain top is only going to get higher at this point. 2023 was Taylor's year ... ditto for '24.

Trevor Noah's backing up Taylor Swift ... saying the Grammys wouldn't focus lenses on her like the NFL -- they'd go after a former player.

The comedian just took to the Grammys stage to perform his opening monologue -- during which he stayed real positive and complimentary -- before mentioning the world's biggest pop star and chastising NFL fans for blaming Taylor for the amount football broadcasts cut to her.

Noah said she doesn't control the cameras, so people need to chill out ... before insisting that every time someone mentioned Swift, he'd make sure the cameras cut to an ex-NFL player.

The camera then jumped ... to actor and "America's Got Talent" host Terry Crews, who looked totally surprised by the attention.

If you don't know, TC wasn't always an actor -- he played 32 NFL games for three teams between 1991 and 1995 ... the perfect person for TN to use in his revenge plan.

Terry cracked up ... with Noah continuing to yel; funny/harassing things at the absolutely ripped 55-year-old.

It's all in good fun and an especially topical joke ... 'cause Taylor's probably heading to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next week -- so NFL fans can expect more Swift on their screen soon enough

BTW ... Taylor looked stunning in a flowing white dress on the red carpet -- which she was left to walk alone because of her man Travis Kelce's practice schedule.

Clive Davis is reliable for sure ... it's Grammy night Sunday, and he threw his annual Pre-Grammy gala as promised Saturday night, and the stars showed up.

Megan Thee Stallion, Janelle Monáe, Paris Hilton, and Lana Del Rey were there for starters. Serena Williams, Ice Spice, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Julia Garner and Green Day were all present. But wait, there's more ... Jay-Z, Beyonce, Scottie Pippen, Martina Navratilova, and Nancy Pelosi all made their entrances.

It's been an annual tradition since 1976, and it's been one big celebration ... except in 2012, when hours before the event, Whitney Houston died at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

BTW ... we're not finished with the guest list ... Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Andra Day, Keke Palmer, Kylie Minogue, Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, Bebe Rexha, Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Victoria Monét, Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Coco Jones, Joan Collins, Katharine McPhee, David Foster, Selena Gomez's boyfriend Benny Blanco, Machine Gun Kelly, Gladys Knight, Diplo, Lenny Kravitz, Tim Malone, Don Lemon, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Jessica Betts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Mark Ronson, Babyface, Troye Sivan, Maluma and Meryl Streep.