Fights & Feuds

Snoop Dogg is rallying the hip hop troops this year ... the Boss Dogg is embracing his role as Def Jam's executive consultant to unite rappers on the East and West Coasts.

On Friday, Snoop helped Benny The Butcher usher in his new "Everybody Can't Go" album with their "Back Again" collab and dropped gems on his posse of The Game, Hit-Boy, Big Hit and Death Row Records co-owner Harry O at the opening of the ThirdEyeRaz-directed music video.

Snoop offers the group one of his trusted catchphrases -- you can't spell the West without "the ES," -- a nod to the East and West Coast unity.

He's also urging the hip hop community not to wait for something tragedies -- like Nipsey Hussle or Pop Smoke's murders -- for them to connect and work together ... a synergy this group has employed for years.

Benny's not waiting ... he recruited Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, and several more for his new record.

Ditto for Game and Big Hit, who just released their "Paisley Dreams" collab album and Hit-Boy produced it all, including Benny's "Back Again" track.

Snoop's fellow legend and one of Def Jam's architects, LL Cool J, told us not too long ago that unity is much needed in hip hop ... but beef is still to be expected all the same.

Mary J. Blige shocked Lovers and Friends festival fans just by announcing yesterday she would NOT be performing, and her name was put on the flyer by accident -- but lo and behold, she's back!

On Friday, MJB was re-added to the lineup, and it appears the "error" was really about where she'd been placed on the promotional flyer -- because she's been bumped up several slots to reflect her headliner status ... and she's now happily posting about the event.

Shortly after the changes, Mary posted a smirking emoji and money bag on her IG -- so, basically, she's chuckling all the way to the bank.

Lovers and Friends had originally squashed MJB's name in between the likes of Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Ashanti and several other recognizable music legends.

The updated artwork moves her billing up to the top of the third column, now dwarfing Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, Ciara and more.

Essentially, on the day Lovers and Friends tickets went on sale, the event's promoter had to bow to the Queen of Hip Hop Soul.

Soooo .... let's get crunk, 'cause Mary's back!!!

9:56 AM PT -- Yasiel Puig y su agente están abordando la pelea e insisten en que estaba tratando de pacificar las cosas y que solo se defendió cuando fue golpeado en la cara.

La ex estrella de la MLB Yasiel Puig se encontró en medio de una pelea en la banca durante un partido de béisbol profesional en Venezuela, lanzando puñetazos y recibiendo golpes de vuelta mientras ambas partes se enfrentaban.

El caos estalló durante el Juego 2 del campeonato de la Liga Profesional de Béisbol Venezolana en la Universidad de Caracas el miércoles, cuando el compañero de equipo de Puig en Tiburones de La Guaira, Maikel García, anotó un jonrón de dos carreras en la parte inferior de la octava entrada para poner a su equipo 10-8 sobre los Cardenales de Lara.

Mientras García daba vuelta a las bases, apareció de frente a la banca del equipo contrario y se puso a hablar de más hasta que llegó lentamente a su sector de la cancha.

Naturalmente, los jugadores de los Cardenales se molestaron con la ostentación y un jugador comenzó a aplaudir a García.

La odiosa confrontación llevó a ambos equipos a dejar sus banquillos y ponerse a pelear.

Puig, que jugó en la MLB para los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, los Rojos de Cincinnati y los Cleveland de 2013 a 19, terminó justo en medio del violento altercado, lanzando puñetes y recibiendo golpes en el proceso.

Después de unos minutos, la acción se calmó y ambos equipos regresaron a sus lugares.

Sorprendentemente, nadie fue expulsado por la improvisada pelea y el equipo de Puig se aferró a ganar el partido, 12-10.

Dato curioso, se suponía que otra estrella de la MLB iba a estar en el campo, Ronald Acuña Jr., quien estaba jugando para La Guaira antes del torneo, pero ha estado parado recientemente para prepararse para la temporada 2024.

9:56 AM PT -- Yasiel Puig and his agent are addressing the brawl ... insisting he was trying to play peacemaker in the scuffle, and only defended himself when he was hit in the face.

Ex-MLB star Yasiel Puig found himself in the middle of a bench-clearing brawl during a professional baseball game in Venezuela this week ... throwing punches and getting hit as both sides duked it out.

The chaos broke out during Game 2 of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League's championship series at University of Caracas Stadium on Wednesday ... when Puig's Tiburones de La Guaira teammate Maikel Garcia knocked a two-run dinger in the bottom of the 8th inning to put their team up 10-8 over Cardenales de Lara.

As Garcia rounded the bases, he appeared to hot dog in front of the opposing team's bench ... running his mouth and slowly trotting before reaching home.

Naturally, the Cardenales players took issue with the showboating ... and one player started clapping back at Garcia.

The heated confrontation led both squads to leave their dugouts ... and a scrap broke out.

Puig -- who played in the MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland from 2013-19 -- ended up right in the middle of the violent altercation ... throwing hands and getting hit in the process.

After a few minutes, the action died down ... and both teams made it back to their dugouts.

Surprisingly, no one was ejected for the impromptu fight ... and Puig's team held on to win the contest, 12-10.

Fun fact -- another MLB star was supposed to be on the field ... as Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was playing for La Guaira prior to the tournament, but has been sitting out recently to prepare for the 2024 season.

Hasan Minhaj almost ended "The Daily Show" producers' search for a permanent host months ago ... only for his embellishing scandal to blow the deal -- according to reports.

Here's the deal ... The Hollywood Reporter gave fans of 'TDS' an inside look at how Jon Stewart's return to Comedy Central's flagship satirical news show came to fruition -- and Minhaj got name-dropped in the piece.

Basically, THR says the deal was right at the finish line, just needing to cross the t's and dot the i's over the summer to bring HM on as Trevor Noah's replacement ... until the New Yorker published their exposé on Hasan embellishing stories in his stand-up special.

Remember, the magazine alleged Hasan hammed up stories for the shock value ... including one about taking his daughter to the hospital because of an anthrax scare and another where he said he was turned down by a girl he asked out because of his race -- something the woman in question flat-out denied BTW.

Minhaj -- who appeared as a guest host in the year-plus since Noah went off the air -- has defended himself, denying some of the New Yorker's assertions ... but THR says the scandal was "suddenly seen as a liability" so higher-ups backed off hiring him.

The backlash to Hasan's scandal was swift ... with some comedians frustrated over Minhaj saying they all embellish with their stand-ups. Bill Maher straight-up called the guy a liar on an episode of his show back in October.

As we previously reported ... producers recently announced a tried and true part-time option -- bringing back Jon Stewart to host the show on Mondays through election season and executive produce the show through at least 2025. Hosting duties from Tuesday to Thursday will be handled by correspondents on a rotating basis.

Jillian Michaels gave Dr. Terry Dubrow a taste of his own medicine ... this after he implored people to ignore her anti-Ozempic stance cause she was merely a personal trainer.

We got JM on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... who says, contrary to what Dubrow believes, she's actually the foremost expert when it comes to helping people lose weight -- and says he shared her same views on the drug not too long ago ... pulling out receipts for evidence.

Jillian cites a July 2023 NY Post interview with the "Botched" star ... where, sure enough, he urged the weight loss community to raise awareness of the dangers of Ozempic ... saying it could cost people their lives.

The article also claims that 3 of TD's patients were hospitalized at the time ... over intestinal problems and pancreatitis linked with Ozempic use.

So, yeah ... Jillian doubles down here on her OG assertion that Ozempic isn't the silver bullet solution for weight loss ... adding if it were the easy way out, she too would be using it.

In fact, she tells us if she believed the drug could healthily cure obesity... she'd also sell it through her weight loss platform/app -- profiting from it both personally and professionally.

The bottom line is she's merely trying to educate people on the side effects of Ozempic -- and clearly thinks Dubrow's attack on her was unwarranted.

Que Common y Mos Def estén juntos en el Lyricist Lounge no significa que tengan la misma opinión sobre el lugar de Drake en la cultura, ¡¡¡pues Common está de su lado!!!

Ebro, Laura Stylez y Peter Rosenberg de Hot 97 discutieron el comentario ahora viral de Yasiin Bey de que la música de Drake está hecha para los grandes almacenes y centros comerciales, una opinión que el rapero de Chicago no comparte.

Common señaló que este atacó la comercialización del rap con su clásico de 1994 "I Used to Love H.E.R.", pero él no ve que la popularidad de Drake sea algo necesariamente malo y piensa que la longevidad de Champagne Papi dice mucho de su talento.

El punto de Common, ¡¡¡Drake no puede ser tan malo si siempre está en la cima!!!

Common pasó a destacar cómo el rap ha expandido sus límites y los aficionados pueden absorber lo que les gusta y deshacerse del resto.

Common and Mos Def coming up together in the Lyricist Lounge doesn't mean they have the same take on Drake's place in the culture -- 'cause Common's got his back!!!

Hot 97's Ebro, Laura Stylez and Peter Rosenberg discussed Yasiin Bey's now-viral commentary that Drake's radio-friendly music was tailor-made for department stores and shopping malls ... an opinion the Chicago rap staple doesn't actually vibe with.

Common noted he attacked rap's commercialization with his 1994 classic cut "I Used to Love H.E.R.," but didn't necessarily see Drake's popularity as a bad thing, and he thinks Champagne Papi's longevity speaks volumes for his talent.

Common's point -- Drake can't be that bad if he's always on top!!!

Common went on to highlight how rap has expanded on many boundaries and fans can soak up what they like and ditch the rest.

Ezekiel Elliott estaba en un bar de Texas el fin de semana cuando una violenta pelea estalló y ahora, los policías le dicen TMZ Sports que están investigando si los miembros de la tripulación de la estrella de la NFL estuvieron involucrados.

De acuerdo con documentos del Departamento de Policía de Frisco que obtuvimos, el disturbio ocurrió alrededor de la 1 AM en Concrete Cowboy, un club nocturno situado a pocos metros de las instalaciones de práctica de los Dallas Cowboys en Frisco.

El video grabado por un cliente del establecimiento muestra como Elliott estaba hablando con una mujer mientras varias personas se vieron envueltas en una pelea a pocos metros.

Se puede ver en las imágenes a un hombre que parece lanzar un puñetazo que aterriza de lleno en la espalda de otro hombre.

Los oficiales escribieron en un informe que el incidente que "un hombre y una mujer fueron agredidos físicamente por un gran grupo de hombres" en la pelea. Un portavoz del FPD añadió en un comunicado que los testigos alegaron que "miembros del grupo de Elliott pueden haber estado involucrados".

La Policía, sin embargo, dijo que una investigación sobre las denuncias sigue en curso y los detectives están "todavía trabajando para confirmar los detalles del incidente".

Elliott está, por supuesto, muy familiarizado con el área de Frisco. Jugó para los Cowboys durante las primeras siete temporadas de su carrera, antes de unirse a los New England Patriots en 2023.

Ezekiel Elliott was at a Texas bar over the weekend when a violent fight broke out ... and now, cops tell TMZ Sports they're investigating if members of the NFL star's crew were involved.

According to Frisco Police Dept. documents we obtained, the disturbance happened at around 1 AM at Concrete Cowboy -- a nightclub located a few yards from the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco.

Video shot by a patron at the establishment shows as Elliott was talking with a woman, several people got into a brawl just feet away.

You can see in the footage, at one point during the squabble, a man appears to throw a punch that lands squarely on another man's back.

Officers wrote in an incident report that "a male and a female were physically assaulted by a large group of males" in the fracas. An FPD spokesperson added in a statement that witnesses alleged "members of Elliott's group may have been involved."

Cops, however, said a probe into the allegations is still ongoing ... and detectives are "still working to confirm the details of the incident."

Elliott is, of course, very familiar with the Frisco area ... he played for the Cowboys for the first seven seasons of his career, before he joined the New England Patriots in 2023.

Cher's son Elijah Blue Allman is doubling down against the conservatorship his famous mom is seeking to control his estate ... he says he's cleaning up his act.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Elijah and his wife, Marieangela King, lay out the reasons why he doesn't need his mom to step in as conservator of his estate ... and he’s taking shots at Cher and leveling some pretty serious accusations in the process.

Elijah claims he's now sober, paying his bills and is committed to managing the quarterly payments he gets from the trust set up by his late father, legendary musician Greg Allman.

As we reported ... Cher claims she's concerned her son has substance abuse and mental health problems and can't manage the money he gets from the trust ... but here he says that's just not true.

Elijah's wife goes a step further in the docs ... alleging Cher essentially orchestrated a kidnapping of Elijah and had him held at a Mexican rehab facility against his will.

In the docs, Marieangela claims Elijah was brought to Mexico in October and told by a doctor Cher hired that he would be doing holistic alternative therapy ... but she claims it was actually a "makeshift prison-type facility known as the 'Baja Rehab' where he was being held against his will."

Marieangela claims she traveled daily from L.A. County to Rosarito "to rescue Elijah from the captivity his mother arranged." She says Elijah "was held captive" there for 2 months until Mexican federal agents escorted him out and dropped him off at the border.

For her part, Cher has vehemently denied the kidnapping allegations.

Elijah's wife also takes some shots at Cher in the docs ... she says she's known Cher for 11 years and says the singer is "categorically unfit to serve" as Elijah's conservator.

Marieangela claims Cher doesn't drive, doesn't make her own food or dress herself, and has told Marieangela she's "manic depressive."

While Elijah's giving his reasons why he doesn't need a conservatorship, there's a court hearing set for March 6 to determine whether Cher will be appointed conservator anyway.

Kim Delaney está siendo llevada a tribunales en dos frentes diferentes sobre un accidente que se alega que ha causado hace casi dos años... y está acusada de huir TMZ ha indagado.

La actriz de "NYPD Blue" está siendo demandada por un hombre llamado Dzhamal Badalov, quien acaba de presentar documentos legales -obtenidos por TMZ- alegando que Kim chocó contra su motocicleta mientras estaba parado en un semáforo en rojo en noviembre de 2022, esto después de que él dijera que ella estaba conduciendo erráticamente por Venice Boulevard en Los Ángeles.

Badalov afirma que los testigos vieron a Kim desviarse dentro y fuera de los carriles y manejando de forma errática antes de chocar contra él, lo cual terminó sacándolo de la carretera. Afirma que Kim trató de conducir lejos después del accidente, pero fue detenida por los transeúntes.

Finalmente, Badalov afirma que Kim salió del carro y llamó a alguien con su teléfono. Él alega que ella parecía completamente desorientada, lo que sugiere que estaba intoxicada. Badalov alega que la persona con la que ella estaba hablando al otro lado intentó pagarle para que lo dejara las cosas así y no llamara a la policía... pero Badalov dice que se negó a hacerlo.

En la demanda, se pasa a alegar Kim fue instruida por la persona en el teléfono para huir. Ahora, él la está demandando por el accidente y quiere daños y perjuicios.

Hicimos algunas investigaciones por nuestra cuenta y encontramos un caso criminal en Los Ángeles, de hecho, se ha abierto contra Kim y ella ha sido acusada de atropello y fuga. Las reclamaciones formuladas contra Kim en un informe de la policía de esa noche -obtenido por TMZ- esencialmente se hacen eco de lo que se alega en la demanda. Ella debe presentarse en la corte la próxima semana.

Kim Delaney is being taken to court on two different fronts over an accident she's alleged to have caused almost two years ago -- one she's being accused of fleeing ... TMZ has learned.

The 'NYPD Blue' actress is being sued by a man named Dzhamal Badalov, who just filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- alleging Kim rammed into his motorcycle while he was stopped at a red light back in Nov. 2022 ... this after he says she was driving erratically down Venice Boulevard in L.A.

Badalov claims witnesses saw Kim swerving in and out and lanes and driving erratically before she crashed into him -- which he alleges sent him flying into the road. He claims Kim tried driving away after the accident, but was initially stopped by bystanders.

Eventually, Badalov claims Kim got out of the car and called someone on her phone. He alleges she appeared completely out of and disoriented -- suggesting she was intoxicated. Badalov alleges that the person she was talking to on the other end attempted to pay him off to just let it go and not call the cops ... but Badalov says he refused to do so.

In the suit, he goes on to allege Kim was then instructed by the person on the phone to flee -- which he claims she then did. Now, he's suing her over the accident ... and wants damages.

Here's the other element to this ... we did some digging and found that a criminal case in L.A. has, in fact, been opened against Kim -- and she's been charged with hit and run. The claims made against Kim in a police report from that night -- obtained by TMZ -- essentially echo what's alleged in the lawsuit. She's due in court next week.

Chris Brown and Quavo have been at odds for years over their mutual connection to Karrueche Tran ... which is why Chris is so pissed about an awkward moment at Paris Fashion Week.

Here's the deal ... CB and Quavo were plopped right next to one another Sunday at the Rhude Menswear Fall/Winter '24 showcase -- and yes, they were definitely uncomfortable with the situation, evidenced by their body language.

The clip of them sitting there and squirming went viral, but then Chris chimed in as everyone cracked jokes about it -- he commented, "Can't pick who u sit by. F*** all that growth s***."

He added, "N**** not finna fumble my bag for little n*****." In other words, he wasn't gonna make a big stink, or start a fight, over getting placed -- seemingly by coincidence -- next to Quavo.

As he notes, there are bigger issues to worry about -- y'know, like getting paid!

In case you're unfamiliar, Quavo dated Karrueche in 2017 -- not long after CB broke things off with her, following a tumultuous relationship -- and Chris certainly didn't like it back then.

In fact, we'd been told at the time that he was fuming over this ... and felt like the Migos rapper had outright betrayed him. They've traded jabs back and forth since then -- almost coming to blows after the 2017 BET Awards.

Anyway, Chris is making a couple things clear -- yes, he still doesn't like Quavo, but also ... he's a grown-up who's able to control his emotions.

Ron DeSantis está oficialmente fuera de la carrera presidencial, pero no lo va a hacerlo así nada más.

El gobernador de Florida publicó un video de cuatro minutos en X diciéndole a sus seguidores que está suspendiendo su campaña, esto a solo dos días de las primarias de New Hampshire, y en última instancia, le está brindando su apoyo al expresidente Donald Trump.

Ron comenzó su clip repitiendo muchas posturas conservadoras sobre temas de seguridad fronteriza, decadencia social en las ciudades y adoctrinamiento de los niños por la ideología "progre".

DeSantis dijo que su equipo rezó después de la derrota en Iowa -donde Trump lo aplastó en las cabinas de votación, con más del doble de votos que Ron- y su equipo finalmente se dio cuenta de que no hay nada que incline la carrera a su favor.

En cuanto a la aprobación, reconoció que ha estado en desacuerdo con Tump en el pasado, pero se está poniendo de su lado por el bien del partido, básicamente diciendo que cuatro años más de Joe Biden en la Casa Blanca no es aceptable.

Engancharse al carro del favorito no es nada nuevo en política, forma parte del juego. Y Ron se ha mantenido alejado de Trump durante el período previo a las primarias, a diferencia de Nikki Haley, la última gran oposición a la Donald.

Hablando de Nikki, no es de extrañar que ella no esté recibiendo el apoyo de Ron, no solo terminó tercera en Iowa, muy por detrás de Trump en las encuestas, además se enfrentaron en el último debate republicano y se puso intenso.

Ron dijo que Nikki solo está en esto por lo que sus patrocinadores financieros quieren. Nikki directamente llamó a Ron un mentiroso. Sí, se puso bastante intenso.

Ron DeSantis is officially out of the presidential race ... and he's not exactly going out on a limb with his endorsement.

The Florida governor posted a four-minute vid to X telling his supporters he's suspending his campaign -- this, just two days before the New Hampshire primary -- and ultimately he's putting his support behind former President Donald Trump.

RD started his clip by repeating many conservative stances on issues -- more border security, social decay in cities, indoctrination of children by woke ideology ... basically the boilerplate message.

DeSantis said his team prayed after the loss in Iowa -- where Trump crushed him at the voting booths, with more than double Ron's vote count -- and his team ultimately realized there's nothing that'll swing the race in their favor.

As for the endorsement ... the 45-year-old acknowledged he's disagreed with DT on policy in the past, but he's putting that aside for the good of the party -- basically saying four more years of Joe Biden in the White House isn't acceptable.

Hitching your wagon to the frontrunner ain't anything new in politics -- it's all part of the game. And RD's stayed away from roasting Trump during the run-up to the primaries ... unlike Nikki Haley, the last major opposition to the Donald.

Speaking of NH, it's not surprising she's not getting Ron's support ... not only did she finish third in Iowa and fall way behind Trump in the polls, but they faced off at the last Republican debate -- and it got a little nasty.

Ron said Nikki's only in it for what her financial backers want ... Nikki straight up called Ron a liar -- yeah, it got pretty intense.