Grammy Awards

11:15 AM -- Travis expressed his disappointment over not being able to jet to L.A. for the awards show ... saying on "The Pat McAfee Show" he wishes he could go and "watch her win every single award that she's nominated for" -- but his day job simply won't allow it.

Just like we reported, Travis explained he will be traveling to Sin City on Sunday -- the same day of the Grammys -- and while he'll be supporting in spirit, he'll have to be with the team as they focus on bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City.

Taylor Swift's been showing up to her boo Travis Kelce's games to cheer him on ... but he won't be returning the favor during her big night at the Grammys -- but for good reason.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Kansas City Chiefs tight end will actually be arriving in Vegas the same weekend as music's biggest night ... where he and the team will be on a strict schedule ahead of squaring up to the 49ers for the Super Bowl.

This kills any hope from Swifties that TK would show up as Taylor's plus-one at the Grammys -- as they all realized his spot in the SB meant he'd no longer play in the Pro Bowl the same day ... and would therefore technically be free to hit up the Grammys with Tay Tay.

Alas, it ain't gonna happen -- our sources say there's no chance Travis shows up in L.A. this weekend. So, it looks like Taylor's gotta find company elsewhere or even ride solo for the glam evening this weekend. ... where she's up for 6 awards.

Of course, the conflict in their schedule doesn't signal any trouble in paradise between the pair ... remember, he just dropped the L-bomb after the Chiefs earned their way to the Super Bowl following a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. AKA, they're doing just fine.

While TK's been soaking up Taylor's PDA-packed show of support lately, many NFL'ers haven't ... blasting the singer for making the games about her -- even though she has no control over the stadium cameras ... something both he and she have made abundantly clear.

For his part, Travis is totally aware of the venom directed at his woman ... telling off-field reporters days ahead of the AFC Championship Game they frequently discuss blocking out all of the "outside noise."

Fortunately for him, he won't have to hear any of it on a huge showbiz stage -- his mind's strictly focused on football right now ... and his GF's more than capable of handling her business in the spotlight.

Future, Drake and Tems' Grammy-winning smash is now centered in a bit of controversy -- the song's producer ATL Jacob is now being accused of lying about the song's origins.

Tems' manager Donawon has a huge issue with Jacob's recent interview with the Baller Alert podcast, where he alleged Tems had a case of the grumps, and refused to clear their 2022 collab "Wait For U" to be released.

Jacob says he had to alert Drake, who then pressured Tems to get off her caboose and push the song out -- but Donawon claims that's pure fairytale, because none of it's true.

The manager laid into Jacob and advised any of his closest peeps to get the producer's head checked ... because he thinks Jacob might be a pathological liar.

"Wait For U" shot straight to the top of the charts when it dropped, and has since been certified triple platinum.

John Legend puede ser un ganador del EGOT, pero ¿puedes igualarlo y descubrir los cambios menores en estas dos fotos? Ven a dar un paseo con John en el parque ... Quizá quieras ponerte la chaqueta, ¡hace frío aquí fuera!

A principios de semana, el cantante se abrigó en Nueva York y demostró sus habilidades futbolísticas. Puede que te esté tomando el pelo con los discretos cambios, pero, ¿te alegras de ver a John con el balón bien agarrado?

John Legend may be an EGOT winner, but can you win over the minor switch-ups in these two shots? Come take a stroll with John in the park ... you may wanna throw on your jacket ... it's cold out here!

Heading into the New Year in style, the singer bundled up in NYC earlier this week and showed off his footballin' skills! He may be stringin' you along with the discreet changes, but .... orange you glad to see John with a firm grip on his ball?

Drake is patting himself on the back for a year well done, admitting he couldn't do it without the love of his supporters -- and the bad intentions of his haters.

Drake took to IG Sunday to deliver a PSA to celebrate his 2023 ... he released his thirteenth No. 1 album "For All The Dogs" and closed the year as the top-streamed artist on Spotify.

Drake acknowledged he couldn't have done it without fans driving his numbers up and constantly supporting him.

Drake also lashed out at the "nonbelievers, the underachievers and the tweet-and-deleters" -- and fans instantly remembered Metro Boomin subliminally shading Drake on X a couple of weeks ago.

Metro was upset that Drake and 21 Savage's "Her Loss" was receiving more award show attention than his "Heroes & Villains" project ... although it's not totally clear why.

Both albums are nominated for Best Rap Album at next year's Grammys ... but Drake says guys like that make his stomach turn and dared anyone of them to step to his face.

Drake se da palmaditas en la espalda por un año bien hecho, admitiendo que no podría hacerlo sin el amor de sus seguidores y las malas intenciones de sus haters.

Drake habló por IG el domingo para celebrar su 2023, lanzó su decimotercer álbum No. 1 "For All The Dogs" y cerró el año como el artista más visto en Spotify.

Drake reconoció que no podría haberlo hecho sin los fans que impulsan sus números y lo  apoyan constantemente.

Drake también arremetió contra los "no creyentes y los haters de tuiter" y los fans recordaron al instante a Metro Boomin, quien habló mal de Drake de manera sutil por medio de X.

Metro estaba molesto porque "Her Loss" de Drake y 21 Savage estaba recibiendo más atención en los premios días que su proyecto "Heroes & Villains", aunque no está del todo claro por qué.

Ambos álbumes están nominados a Mejor Álbum de Rap en los Grammy del próximo año, pero Drake dice que tipos como ese le revuelven el estómago y retó a cualquiera de ellos a que le pisara la cara.

KRS-One is the latest hip hop legend to emerge as a HipHop50 celebration defector, and his reasons are crystal clear -- the Grammys aren't worthy of his presence!!!

The T'Cha was noticeably absent from the latest 50-year celebration that highlighted old and new stars such as Will Smith, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross and Nelly ... and tells Harold St.Louis it was all because he turned down the invitation from LL Cool J.

KRS has no ill will toward LL ... he says his beef is with the Grammys over "ignoring" the hip hop scene for 49 years and attempting to change its tune during the final hour.

At 58 years old, KRS admits he's a "hip hop extremist" but says without emceeing, deejaying, graffiti or breaking, the Grammys are just cosplaying the culture and wasting his time!!!

LL might be bummed over KRS' comments -- which is exactly how Questlove felt when MC Hammer rejected his invite for the same event.

A rare piece of Beatles' history is hitting the auction block ... a Grammy given to John Lennon is expected to bring in a fortune -- so, something tells us if you wanna come together with this trophy, ya better be a multimillionaire.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll, the music memorabilia-based auction house, has a unique Grammy Trustee award given to John as one of its many new lots, and this golden trophy is estimated to make up to $500,000 when it closes next week.

John, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney were each given one of the pieces of golden glory in 1972 ... and the one up for auction initially went to John.

The Trustee Award is given to those who made significant contributions to the field of recording during their careers as musicians.

Obviously, The Beatles were more than deserving, but according to the auction house John didn't see it that way -- when he was awarded the Grammy over 50 years ago, John told the president of the Grammys, "I'm not a Beatle anymore, you can keep it."

Since then, the golden gramophone has been in possession of one of John's close friends, who was also a former head of Apple Records, but now a lucky, wealthy fan can secure it for their Beatles collection.

Una rara pieza de la historia de los Beatles ha salido a subasta. Se trata de un Grammy que le dieron a John Lennon, que se espera que haga una fortuna, por lo que algo nos dice que si quieres quedarte con este trofeo, más vale que seas un multimillonario.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll, la casa de subastas dedicada a recuerdos de la música, tiene un único Grammy Trustee Award que le dieron a John, entre sus muchos nuevos lotes, y se estima que podría llegar a costar hasta $800.000 cuando se cierre la próxima semana.

John, Ringo Starr, George Harrison y Paul McCartney recibieron cada uno de ellos este trofeo en 1972 ... y el primero en salir a subasta fue el de John.

El Premio Trustee se otorga a aquellos que hicieron contribuciones significativas al campo de la grabación durante su trayectoria como músicos.

Obviamente, los Beatles eran más que merecedores de este premio, pero según la casa de subastas, John no lo veía así: cuando le concedieron el Grammy hace más de 50 años, John le dijo al presidente de la organización: "Ya no soy un Beatles, puedes quedártelo".

Desde entonces, el gramófono de oro ha estado en posesión de un amigo cercano a John Lennon, que también fue un ex jefe de Apple Records, pero ahora un afortunado fan podría asegurarlo para su propia colección.

André 3000 and Outkast's absence from the dozens of hip hop 50th anniversary celebrations this year was all intentional ... 'cause reelin' in the years isn't André's thing at all!!!

In a new interview with CBS to promote his rap-less, flute-driven album "New Blue Sun," 3 Stacks explained he wasn't wired to go through the motions, even to celebrate his own lifetime achievements -- like, for example, their 6 Grammy Awards.

He notes that he and Big Boi started the group as kids just for their love of rapping, and his interests have now shifted to playing his flute. He owns around 30 of them now, so yeah ... he's deadly serious.

The retired rap legend dropped his instrumental album in November and already cut his teeth in the jazz genre.

The opening track "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time" runs over 12 minutes long and is now the lengthiest Billboard hit ever -- and sinister statisticians note fans would rather stream his vibes than some of the hottest rappers in the game!!!

Even without Outkast's participation, several rappers of all generations delivered tributes that celebrated the culture's highlights and the party even reached the White House.

Robert Glasper is all pumped up to face Chris Brown at the Grammy Awards once again .. and tells us he's open to challenging his R&B category competitor to a dance-off!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Robert this week, where the reigning "Best R&B Album" winner laughed off his past tensions with CB and praised his artistry.

The 2024 Grammy noms went live a few weeks ago where it was revealed that Rob and Breezy going head to head for the 2nd consecutive year, this time in the "Best R&B Performance" category

Rob doesn't rule out the chances of conspiracy pitting him and Chris up against one another, especially after last year's drama.

Losing the award brought out Chris' gangsta side and questioned Robert's entire existence, before cooling off and doing his research and apologizing after seeing RG was a legit contender.

Robert thinks the best well to settle their differences is to hop in the ring and sweat it out in a dance battle ... which could be the highlight of both their Grammy nights.

Fat Joe believes rappers have a right to use their imagination and lyrics any way they see fit ... and those words shouldn't be used in criminal cases.

The Bronx-bred rap legend spoke to TMZ Hip Hop Friday in NYC as he supported the United Justice Coalition at the Jacob Javitz Center ... he really wants justice for Young Thug after feeling prosecutors in his ongoing RICO trial are trying to jam him up by highlighting generic lyrics.

Joe explains he never goes into writing a song to lie ... he says hip hop is the ultimate storytelling vehicle and compares it to fictional books and movies.

If he had a bad day, Joe says he may record an aggressive track like "Take A Look At My Life," a good mood could birth a Grammy Award nominee in "All The Way Up" ... emotions have always been his guide to lyrical content.

Joe was recently on CNN where he made the 95% estimate during a convo about Young Thug's ongoing RICO trial where his lyrics are being used as evidence by the prosecution in attempts to prove murders and corruption.

He tells us freedom of speech shouldn't come with prison sentences -- or censorship of art.

Joe says he would hate to see Martin Scorsese abandon mafia movies and notes he recently watched three Netflix movies involving killers ... and nobody is going to trial for depicting the fake murders.

Hit-Boy's facing steep competition, but likes his chances to snag "Producer of the Year" at the upcoming Grammy Awards, because he says he's put in enough work to bring it home, baby!!!

We caught up with the newly nominated HB out in West Hollywood to chat about his potentially big moment, and his competition. Jack Antonoff, Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II, Daniel Nigro and Metro Boomin -- who Hit called out early this year -- are his fellow nominees.

HB tells us he thinks his recent spree of accolades should secure him the win, but also won't be totally crushed if he doesn't win. This isn't his first rodeo; he's earned more than a dozen noms with just 3 wins, so he knows how the game is played.

If it is his name in the envelope this year, Hit-Boy says his entire speech will be freestyled, and he's advising anyone he forgets to just catch him on IG!!!

The Surf Club captain did have quite the productive year -- he and Nas banged out 3 albums (their "King's Disease III," which technically came out in 2022, is up for Best Rap Album) and he even helped his dad release his debut project right after he was sprung from a lengthy prison bid.

Davido's one of the league leaders when it comes to Afrobeats music, and his efforts are paying off -- he recently nabbed 3 Grammy noms, including an historic one for the Academy's inaugural Best African Performance award.

The "Unavailable" crooner made time to break bread with TMZ Hip Hop Monday in NYC, and told us he has zero reservations about the Grammys botching his homegrown category.

He's nominated alongside several musicians he respects -- Asake, Arya Starr, Burna Boy and Tyla -- and considers them all hardworking, just like himself. Fact is, he's had to hop some serious hurdles just to be in Grammy contention.

Davido suffered a tragic loss in October 2022 when his 3-year-old son Ifeanyi drowned in their home swimming pool.

He grieved privately, and bounced back this past March by dropping his album "Timeless," which also earned a pair of Grammy noms to bring his tally to 3 ... Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance!!!

He and his wife Chioma welcomed twins last month, a boy and a girl, and he tells us their hands have been full taking care of the new blessings!!!

We also got Davido's take on the definition of Afrobeats ... the genre's popularity has exploded in the last few years with some people like Michael Blackson predicting it to be rap music's successor ... while others have dismissed it as watered-down R&B.

La cantante de gospel Bobbi Storm aparentemente no sabe cómo sentarse, relajarse y disfrutar de un vuelo y decidió que los pasajeros a su alrededor necesitaban escuchar su último single, a pesar de algunas serias advertencias del personal de la aerolínea.

Bobbi publicó un video siendo regañada por una azafata de Delta Airlines luego de intentar cantar una canción en el vuelo lleno de pasajeros antes del despegue, algo con lo que la tripulación no estaba de acuerdo.

Bobbi deja que toda la cabina sepa que fue nominada recientemente para un par de Grammys, e incluso recibió algunos aplausos de sus compañeros pasajeros, que probablemente solo estaban deseando que esta situación terminara para que pudieran despegar... aunque no había terminado para Bobbi.

Bobbi termina cantando, aunque en un volumen bajo, su canción, "We Can't Forget Him", mientras que en su asiento y la sección de comentarios en su propio puesto no tiene gente en su esquina.

La gente ha estado comentando su clip desde su publicación durante el fin de semana, uno dijo: "Estabas completamente equivocada", y otro añadió: "¿Crees que porque estás nominada a los Grammy las reglas no se aplican a ti y el avión es tu escenario? Trabaja en ese ego hermanita".

Gospel singer Bobbi Storm apparently doesn't know how to sit back, relax and enjoy a flight ... deciding the passengers around her needed to hear her latest single, despite some serious warnings from airline staff.

Bobbi posted video getting scolded by a Delta Airlines flight attendant after she wanted to sing a tune on the flight full of passengers before takeoff -- something the crew wasn't cool with.

Bobbi lets the whole cabin know that she was recently nominated for a couple of Grammys, and even got some applause from her fellow passengers -- who likely were just wanting this situation to close up so they could take off ... but it certainly wasn't over for Bobbi.

Bobbi ends up singing -- albeit at a quiet volume -- her track, "We Can't Forget Him," while in her seat ... and the comment section on her own post does not have folks in her corner.

People have been chiming in on her clip since posting over the weekend ... one said, "You were completely in the wrong," and another added, "You think because you’re Grammy nominated that rules don’t apply to you and the plane is your stage? Work on that ego sis."

Amid the backlash, Bobbi said in the comments she's performed on over 50 flights with no issue ... but it sounds like she tried to express her Grammy excitement on the wrong plane.