TMZ.com Home

DJ Kay Slay has died after a 4-month battle with COVID ... this according to his family and peers.

The NY-based legendary hip-hop ambassador passed away Sunday, first confirmed by Wack 100, and then others, as tributes started to pour in from across the industry. His family writes, "Our hearts are broken by the passing of Keith Grayson, professionally known as DJ Kay Slay."

They add, "A dominant figure in Hip Hop culture with millions of fans worldwide, DJ Kay Slay will be remembered for his passion and excellence with a legacy that will transcend generations."

Kay Slay, AKA Dez, started out as a graffiti artist in the '70s and '80s -- and later branched out into music ... making his big splash in the early 2000s through the local radio and music scene with his big personality and unique beat selection ... not to mention his wicked flow.

He's most famous for his mixtapes -- cranking out more than a dozen dating back to 2003 -- plus other solo and compilation artists, which often featured huge names in the game ... including Nas, Swizz Beatz, N.O.R.E., Raekwon, Lloyd Banks and Foxy Brown.

His "Streetsweeper" series is one of his major claims to fame, as was his recurring radio spot on Hot 97 -- which was dubbed the Drama Hour ... another nickname he bore. DJ Kay Slay was also known for his disses in his tracks, and was once called "Hip-Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insults" by the New York Times.

Dez contracted coronavirus in December and was hospitalized for a while. While he showed signs of recovering thereafter, it became clear over time he was struggling to get back to 100%.

DJ Kay Slay was 55.

Colin Kaepernick just wants to play football in the NFL ... even if it means signing on as a backup quarterback, saying "I just need that opportunity to walk through the door."

The 34-year-old QB sat down for a rare interview with former NFL stars Chad Johnson, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Brandon Marshall for an episode of "I AM ATHLETE" -- after a recent workout near the House of Athlete facility in Weston, FL -- where Colin discussed his desire to return to the NFL.

Marshall asked Kaepernick if he'd be willing to take a role similar to Carmelo Anthony in the NBA ... where the Future Hall of Famer signed for the veteran's minimum (about $2.6 million) to play a minimized role with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Colin's answer ... yes, as long as he starts when he proves he's the best person for the job.

"I know I have to find my way back in. So, if I have to come in as a backup, that's fine," Kaepernick told the guys.

"But that's not where I'm staying. And when I prove that I'm a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door."

Of course, Colin hasn't played in the NFL since 2016 ... where he started 11 games for the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaepernick has long accused the league of blackballing him for his kneeling protest, filing a lawsuit alleging the owners colluded against him ... in an effort to keep him out of the NFL.

In February 2019, Colin settled his lawsuit with the NFL.

The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia wrapped up Coachella weekend 1 with an epic set on night 3, giving the massive crowd a night to remember.

SHM played solo for the first hour, with classics like "Don't You Worry Child" and "Save The World" -- easy to say the crowd was hyped.

The Weeknd joined the group onstage for remixes of songs like "Moth To A Flame" and "Sacrifice" off his latest album, Dawn FM. After their collab performance, the solo artist stuck around for the final hour to do some of his own chart-breaking hits like "Blinding Lights" and "The Hills."

The Weeknd headlined the Indio festival back in 2018, as well as held performances in 2015, and again in 2012 -- the same year SHM headlined.

A Russian warship that underwent a Ukrainian missile strike can now be seen on video going down -- and it seems clear ... way more passengers died than the Kremlin's letting on.

The flagship, dubbed Moskva, sank last week somewhere in the Black Sea off the coast of Odesa -- but it was somewhat unclear how exactly the massive vessel ended up going down ... at least if you were listening to how Putin and co. were explaining it.

According to Russian forces, there was an ammunition fire that broke out onboard -- and that, they say, is what led to the ship heading underwater ... but Ukraine has said differently from the beginning, and now these images seem to confirm their account.

Ukrainian officials had said they blew the damn thing up with a couple of their missiles -- this as the Russian army started to encroach from the sea in their latest effort to bombard their neighboring country.

It would appear their efforts failed miserably ... because the Moskva -- which was Russia's largest warship to be deployed against Ukraine to date -- clearly lost a good handful of the 500 or so crew members that are reported to have been manning it at the time.

Doja Cat had her first solo performance at Coachella, and she brought Tyga to the stage to perform one of their hits.

The recent Grammy winner got her own lineup spot Sunday, and the crowd was loving every minute ... along with her hits, she performed a new song, "Vegas," which is in Baz Luhrmann's new Elvis movie.

At one point, she started her song, "Juicy," but couldn't do it alone ... bringing fellow artist Tyga to the stage to collab. She also brought up Rico Nasty for their song, "Tia Tamera."

Doja joined Rico at the festival back in 2019, but this is the first year she's been given her own slot -- fitting to bring Rico back on the stage after she did the same for her years ago.

As you know, Doja claimed to be quitting music at the end of March after tweeting about her poor performance at Lollapalooza in Brazil ... her fans in Paraguay got upset that she never tweeted about missing their recent festival -- one that was canceled due to a deadly storm, so not really her fault.

A war broke out online between her and fans, even journalists, in Paraguay ... going off about leaving the music game, changing her handle to "I quit" and saying "This s*** ain't for me so I'm out. Y'all take care."

That's a wrap on the first weekend of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival ... and the celebs squeezed every last drop of day 3 with some wild shows, crazy looks and plenty of chill time by the pool.

Super model Shanina Shaik, rapper Quavo, Chloe Bailey and a bunch more stars soaked in the last day in Indio while musicians like Run The Jewels, Jamie XX, Doja Cat and The Weeknd with Swedish House Mafia closed out the Easter Sunday night.

A few stars took it slow on the last day by resting poolside and easing into the closing night ... Olivia Jade got a little R&R in a tiny black bikini and super model Allesandra Ambrosio floated into the day on butterfly pool floatie.

The investigation into DaBaby's bowling alley fight has hit a snag ... and we're told, oddly enough, the alleged victim is the reason.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the investigation into DaBaby's bowling alley brawl with DaniLeigh's brother, Brandon Bills, has hit an unexpected roadblock because the alleged victim is no longer cooperating with police.

We're told, even though much of the fight was caught on camera, it's very difficult to move forward without a victim.

As we showed you, DaBaby and his crew got into a massive fight with Brandon at a CA bowling alley, back in February. Cops were on the case, after video footage seemingly showed the "Suge" rapper throwing the first punch ... before his crew gets involved.

After reviewing the footage, police reportedly opened an investigation into the rapper.

ICYMI, beef between DaBaby and Brandon escalated ... after Brandon's sister, DaniLeigh -- DaBaby's baby mama -- publicly aired some issues. At one point, DaBaby and DaniLeigh got into a blowout fight and DaniLeigh was arrested for assault.

We're told the bowling alley investigation remains active but isn't going anywhere at the moment ... because Bills isn't working with police.

No word on why Bills isn't cooperating ... but of course, he could change his mind.

Last week, DaBaby shot a trespasser on his North Carolina property. In the 911 audio following the shooting, DaBaby talked back to the dispatcher and told them he'd refuse to put his gun down when cops arrived.

There's a famous piece of horror movie history going up for sale ... the axe from the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece "The Shining" ... but you're gonna need some crazy deep pockets.

The axe is remembered for the scenes towards the end of the film, including the one where Jack Nicholson's character uses it to break through a wooden door ... leading up to his famous line, "Here's Johnny!!!"

The Kubrick film, based on the Stephen King novel, also features Nicholson's character, Jack Torrance, carrying the axe with him into the maze at the end of the film as he trudges through the snow to find his son, Danny.

Oh and don't forget the moment where Jack uses the axe to kill Scatman Crothers' character, Dick Hallorann, striking him in the chest in the bowels of the haunted hotel.

The axe is going up for sale through Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction house ... and we're told the prop is expected to fetch at least $100,000.

The auction house says the axe prop is still in very good condition and it's displayed in a shadow box frame, along with some photos of it in action in the movie.

If Jake and Logan Paul make the switch from boxing to MMA, they could go up against some of the biggest talent in the game -- so says Bellator CEO Scott Coker, who tells us they could fight some Top 10 guys in his promotion!!

Of course, Coker has previously said he's had ongoing dialogue with the internet superstars ... and when we spoke with him at a Bellator event at the Grammy Museum last week, he gave us an update on their status.

"We've had convos with [Logan] and Jake about, 'What does MMA mean to you guys,' and 'What do you guys wanna do?'" Coker told us. "There's ongoing dialogue, but if they wanna really get down and get serious, we'll bring them in. Sure, why not."

Coker says Jake and Logan are great athletes who are still learning and getting better ... adding he warned people of their potential.

"When they started boxing two years ago," Coker said, "I told people don't underestimate these guys, because they're gonna get better and better and better."

He continued ... "It's just a matter of them training and practicing. If they get into a gym like [American Kickboxing Academy] with Javier Mendez ... talk to me in a year, man."

Jake and Logan still have their fair share of haters as they continue to transition from social media stars to real fighters ... but Coker applauds the brothers' work ethic.

"I'm impressed with how much they've grown over the last two years, and if they have their mind made up, I think they can come get into it."

The Bellator boss says he wouldn't put the Paul bros. against a current champion or an experienced MMA fighter just yet ... but with enough training and hard work, he believes they could fight someone ranked in the top 10.

As for his message to the Paul Bros??

Actor Wyatt Russell has just sealed the deal and unloaded his Studio City home.

Wyatt, the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, sold his Spanish home for just under $2.9M ... making quite a big profit since snagging it, back in 2019.

The hockey player turned actor and his actress wife, Meredith Hagner, purchased the pad for just under $1.7M ... 6 months before they got hitched.

The 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom pad is full of color and charm. It has cool features ... including a pink arched gate, beamed ceilings and 3 fireplaces.

And, of course, an abundance of light!

If you step outdoors, there's a pool and spa, veggie garden and covered outdoor dining ... so, lots for the next resident to enjoy.

The Hollywood couple won't be too far away, either. They reportedly scooped up a slightly bigger home in Santa Monica for $5.4 million earlier this year ... after welcoming their first child last March.

Before this little musician was selling out concert venues with his dynamic voice and elite guitar-playing skills, he was just a simple kid growing up in Australia.

This tank-top tot has definitely made his imprint in the music industry and has been relevant since the late '90s ... and has four Grammy awards to back it up! Although he particularly sticks to one genre, he has stepped out of his box and collaborated with musicians such as Pink and Jason Derulo.

Still not too sure who this platinum blonde boy could be? You can catch him still rockin' the same hairdo.

Their kids might've been in search of plastic colored eggs this AM, but Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are on a different hunt ... pounding the pavement for their new home.

The couple -- who are newly engaged (again) -- was checking out different properties all throughout Easter weekend ... including on Sunday itself, when they popped up in Bel Air on what appears to be a site that was very much so under construction.

We can't see any actual house here -- it might be getting built as we speak -- but Ben and Jen were out and about taking a look around before heading back to their SUV.

On Saturday, it was more of the same ... only that time, they were in Brentwood looking at a mansion -- and seemed to be taking in the views from up on an elevated portion of the home, where they didn't really seem all that impressed -- at least outwardly.

These are just the latest stops Bennifer's made in their real estate search -- which has been kickstarted again after their deal for the coveted Bel Air estate fell through last week.

Since then, they've perused the Holmby Hills area as well as Bev Hills proper ... peeping massive compounds -- one owned by the ex-wife of Mr. Chow and another designed by Mohammed Hadid -- but it seems they haven't been able to make up their minds yet.

This, of course, comes after they walked away from the would-be $55 million purchase -- which they apparently felt wasn't right for them after entering escrow.

While these fancy abodes are sitting around for the picking among the rich and famous in L.A. -- there's probably a lot that's going into their decision beyond the crib ... especially with their kids in the picture still. So, they wanna make sure they choose correctly here.

Then again, they are set to get married ... so maybe there's a little urgency on the table. Don't wanna drag this out too long -- the engagement or the house-hunt, that is.

It's Easter again, and New Yorkers were itching to get out and be festive after a couple years of pandemic fatigue -- an occasion for which they did not disappoint at all.

Scores of people poured into the streets of NYC Sunday to celebrate the holiday as part of the annual Easter Parade/Bonnet Festival ... extra emphasis on that last part. The hats worn were big and wild ... as were a lot of their getups, which reflected the Spring season.

One lady was rockin' a huge teacup bonnet, and another had one on that cradled a bird nest up top with some colored eggs. Others wore masks -- both bird and bunny themed -- and there wasn't left to the imagination in costumes and designs.

Even the pets were getting in on the fun ... with dogs dressed from ear to tail in Easter wear.

BTW, normie NYC dwellers weren't the only ones in the spirit to celebrate Easter -- Hollywood's rich and famous were also in the mood to get decked out on Sunday.

Some of the stars who were in their Easter Sunday best included ... Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Downey Jr., Kris Jenner, John Travolta, Ashley Tisdale -- just to name a few.

Easter's usually seen as something you really get into for the kids -- among the non-religious, that is --  but even the adults can have fun ... as we clearly see in New York and beyond.

Viola Davis' turn as Michelle Obama for a new show is getting some early looks, and in the same breath ... some early ridicule too over an apparent character choice she's made.

The Showtime series "The First Lady" debuts Sunday, and it would appear some folks on Twitter have already gotten some initial glimpses of Viola playing Michelle ... and some are questioning why the actress seems to constantly purse her lips on camera.

One scene in particular has drawn a lot of eyeballs, and people are having a field day with memes and jokes over Viola appearing to constantly put on an exaggerated duck face while she talks to TV Barack Obama.

There's another scene that's popped up, which shows Viola-as-Michelle posing for a photo shoot, and there too she seems to be rocking the kissy pose with dedication.

While it's unclear if Viola maintains this facial expression throughout the show -- to our knowledge, these are the only two scenes that are making the rounds right now -- it does appear she invokes the lip move later in the series as well ... evidenced in stills that Viola herself has posted on social media over the past few weeks.

Michelle does, indeed, purse her lips at times ... but it seems Viola may have thought that's central to her being, 'cause so far -- it sounds like she does it quite a bit for 'TFL.'

As for how the critics feel about it ... it's not good on that front either. "The First Lady" has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40%, made up of 20 different pros who've weighed in thus far. These reviews aren't always reflective of the quality of any given movie or show, but it seems the industry isn't too thrilled with what they've done here to tell Michelle's story.

Like we said, the show began streaming today -- so feel free to peep it for yourself. There'll be 10 episodes of this performance, so maybe it gets ... better? Time will tell.

FWIW, Viola was taking this role seriously -- despite what people online might say/think now that it's out -- and she even said she was nervous and wanted to make MO look good.

Jack in the Box is getting ready for 4/20 with a little help from a strain of weed that Seth Rogen made famous -- but they don't seem to have run it by him ... 'cause he's pissed.

Seth fired away Sunday after JITB published an ad earlier in the week promoting a new milkshake they're rolling out ahead of Wednesday's herb-filled holiday ... in which they explicitly dub their beverage as Pineapple Express shakes.

The ad also touts their love of "trees" ... and their pricing's at $4.20. So yeah, they're all in on the toke joke -- something the fast food chain has leaned into hard in recent years.

Anyway, Seth responded to their digital commercial, writing ... "This has nothing to do with the movie Pineapple Express. We had nothing to do with this and weren’t asked if we wanted our film associated with this."

He adds, "And obviously if we did a tie in, it would have to be to promote those bizarre f***ing diarrhea inducing taco things they sell."

Of course, Seth is referring to his 2008 cult comedy classic of the same name -- which (fun fact) actually spurred the real-life weed strain ... at least according to Seth and co. Apparently, it didn't exist before they came along with their made-up bud ... so they do seem to have a claim to it, at least colloquially.

On the legal end, it's unclear if Seth has "Pineapple Express" trademarked or copyrighted. The fact he isn't demanding they yank the ad is kinda telling -- ya gotta figure if he really didn't want the name associated with Jack in the Box, he'd invoke different verbiage.

Isaiah Rashad broke his silence this weekend about a sex tape that appears to out him as LGBT friendly -- and he's taking all the love and support he's received in stride.

The TDE artist -- who's had a solid and loyal fanbase for years, dating back to the 2010s -- performed Saturday at Coachella ... the first time he's taken the stage publicly since a private tape of his leaked back in February, showing him engaged in a sex act with two men.

The clip went viral, conjuring lots of reaction from the hip-hop community, including shock. Fact is, Isaiah had only ever indicated he was into girls ... at least in his music, anyway.

While there were some who chimed in with homophobic jokes and insults, there were just as many who spoke up having Isaiah's back -- including some prominent figures in the industry, like The Game, who said people's private lives were no one else's business but their own.

Isaiah was clearly keeping tabs on all the chatter that surfaced, as he compiled a lot of it into an intro video that he played before coming out to rock his set.

IR performed with tons of energy and didn't explicitly say anything about the sex tape until later on when he was nearing the end ... giving thanks to his fans for the solidarity, even indicating they may have saved his life with their messages of positivity and embrace.

It also appears the guy was getting emotional during one of his songs -- eagle-eyed viewers watching the live stream from home spotted what look to be tears coming down his face.

Tons of people are giving Isaiah props for tackling this issue head on at Coachella, the most public of spaces. Also ... him getting embraced like this is indicative of where we are as a culture ... namely, it ain't that big a deal if a rapper is anything but straight these days.