Music

Kendrick Lamar dropping "Not Like Us" at the height of his battle with Drake sealed the deal for his victory ... and the numbers speak to his big win!!!

On Monday, Billboard unveiled the new Hot 100, with "Not Like Us" leading the charge and his other Drake disses, "Euphoria" and "Like That" (with Future and Metro Boomin), ranked at #3 and #6, respectively.

Taylor Swift is officially laying claim to a nickname for a new part of her "Eras" tour -- and while it remains to be seen if it'll amount to anything ... she's at least locking down the rights.

The singer filed a trademark application last week -- and it touches on something she shouted out this weekend during her Paris stint ... namely, 'Female Rage: The Musical.'

In documents obtained by TMZ ... TAS Rights Management -- a company owned by Taylor -- filed paperwork to trademark the phrase ... which, as the singer explained on social media Sunday, was the theme of her newly added "Tortured Poets Department" set.

Hip Hop's birthplace, New York, is staging a different kind of battle involving rap lyrics -- while some prosecutors want to pin crimes on artists through their lyrics, but rappers and lawmakers are taking immediate action.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with MCs Papoose and Torae following their impassioned appearance at the state Capitol in Albany, where they met with the Lieutenant Governor and other officials to campaign for Bill AB127.

The bill is intended to stop artists from having their lyrics used against them in court and Pap, Torae, Kevin Liles and other members of the Recording Academy all joined forces to raise the awareness.

They're both BK-bred from the true school of hip hop culture, and defenders of the nuanced and explicit detailing of crime-laden minority neighborhoods often heard in rap lyrics.

To be clear, they're advocating for MCs who rap about crimes ... not for people who are actually committing crimes. The bill aims to prevent prosecutors from using artists' lyrics against them in court.

We also got their take on the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, which from numbers alone, is hip hop's biggest battle to date.

Unlike some alarmed reactions to the lyrical battle ... Pap and Torae both feel you can't make an omelet without smashing eggs. In other words: rap is, and always will be, about competition, and the clash was, overall, good for hip hop.

Now that things have cooled off between K.Dot and the Canadian, Pap and Torae believe AB127 should be a priority for all MCs.

Marshawn Lynch is staying busy off the football field ... the former NFL running back was just spotted in the visuals for rapper Ian's new single!!

The music video for the "Figure It Out" track was released on Monday ... and Lynch -- who played 12 seasons in the NFL before hanging up his cleats -- was shown within the first 30 seconds.

Throughout the project, the 38-year-old drives a red pickup around a junkyard in Canada ... while Ian sits in the bed of the truck.

21 Savage is learning firsthand no good deed goes unpunished -- he's gone from trying to cool off the narrative between Drake and Metro Boomin, to being on the brink of joining the 2024 Rap Wars versus Soulja Boy!!!

The Atlanta rap star released chart-topping collaborative albums with both Drake and Metro, and explained to fans he believes both artists will move past this current beef, which has led to cyber hijinks on both sides.

Meanwhile, fans had dug up old Metro Boomin tweets, and found a Soulja Boy put-down from 2012 ... which infuriated the "Crank That" rapper.

Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé just got hooked up with new gigs they're already familiar with ... as permanent coaches for "The Voice" Season 26!!!

Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani are returning to the long-running series this fall -- that's country, pop, hip hop and jazz royalty all in one huddle!!!

Snoop Dogg served as a "mega mentor" in 2021 for Season 20 and Mike's "Voice" lineage dates back even further, having been an advisor to Blake Shelton during Season 3 in 2012.

It seems there's still some love between Noah Cyrus and her mother, Tish -- as the singer paid tribute to Mama Bear on Mother's Day ... this amid a reported love triangle.

Miley Cyrus' little sister made a subtle tribute to her estranged mom Sunday ... posting on her Instagram story a throwback photo of herself as a baby being held in Tish's arms. Noah left the upload without a caption ... choosing not to offer up a "Happy Mother's Day" wish.

Still, the upload was telling -- and on its face, it would seem to indicate she's still got a soft spot for Tish somewhere. Of course, the backdrop here ... the fact mother and daughter have been at odds over Tish's hubby, Dominic Purcell.

Bad Bunny looked stressed as hell while being swarmed by eager fans taking pics of him after his Nashville gig Saturday ... and he definitely wasn't jumping at the chance to pose.

His face says it all in this clip ... the rapper clearly wanted some chill time after rocking Tennessee's Bridgestone Arena for his "Most Wanted" tour stop ... but instead found himself in a sea of people with their phones out, making this stroll a full-blown obstacle course.

You can see at one point that BB throws in the towel on trying to dodge snaps, letting fans take their pics and film him -- but he wasn't exactly flashing smiles along the way.

David Sanborn, the saxophone great who helped bring jazz to the masses, is dead after battling cancer.

His family and management announced the sad news Monday morning on his X account, revealing David died on Sunday from prostate cancer, and complications related to the cancer.

Sanborn played the alto saxophone, and throughout his career, he bridged the worlds of jazz, rock, blues and R&B. For instance, he got his break in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1967 and played with the group at Woodstock.

Diddy's son Christian AKA King Combs is now knee-deep in the 2024 Rap Wars -- dropping a diss track tackling rumors about the federal raids, and taking aim at his father's biggest rival ... 50 Cent!!!

Akademiks got ahold of the unreleased track Sunday, and played it on his livestream feed where it featured KC addressing all the disrespect on his family's name, and you gotta imagine it met his father's approval.

King established himself as a legitimate rapper and opens the track with aggressive bars, "I dare one of you n****s to scream out ‘No Diddy’ ... f**k that n****a up!!!" -- and then answers the constant question about Diddy's whereabouts, "Asking where my pops at?/He on a G6 getting a lineup."

Pearl Jam's guitarist fell hard off a stage while the band was performing in the Great White North -- and the worst part is ... the whole thing was caught on video.

Mike McCready was seen rocking out during his band's recent Vancouver show -- where he was in the middle of a guitar solo for "Porch." He was feeling the music as he made his way confidently towards the crowd ... but it seems he lost track of the stage.

Check it out ... unfortunately, Mike makes a misstep and tumbles off the stage, disappearing from sight. It looks like a brutal landing too -- 'cause the guy was definitely not expecting it.

Madonna is feeling all sorts of emotions about being a mom and about her own later mother -- and she's saluting her with a touching tribute.

She posted a shot of herself standing onstage -- during the "Celebration" tour -- under a giant photo of her namesake mother, Madonna Louise Ciccone ... reflecting on the last time she saw her right before she died from breast cancer in 1963.

Her mother was only 30 -- Madonna was 5 -- when she passed away.

Chilli and Matthew Lawrence might be ready to take the next step in their relationship -- at least she certainly sounds like it as she revealed what makes their romance work.

The Grammy winner stopped by Fox 5 Atlanta's "Portia" show, where she couldn't help but gush about the actor. As Chilli put it ... she and Matthew have zero drama in their relationship -- confessing they've never had an argument since linking about 2 years ago.

It appears Matthew has even changed Chilli's tune when it comes to marriage -- as she shared she has no fears about marrying the ex-child star.

Lil Meech had a memorable Mother's Day celebration -- 'cause he took his mom and grandma to the strip club ... and the internet is torn on whether it was cool or crude.

The rapper posted footage of the holiday excursion Sunday ...  when he and his sister brought Mama Bear and Grandmama Bear to the Magic City gentleman's club in Atlanta -- where it looked like they were in the VIP section ... with a bunch of dancers around.

Indeed ... the ladies were shaking it up in front of Meech's elders, and while his mom seemed to be enjoying it -- g'ma was a little more stoic, not cracking a smile under shades.

Kourtney Kardashian hit the Mother's Day jackpot 'cause her hubby, Travis Barker, showered with her love on the big day -- her first since welcoming their son Rocky in November.

The Blink-182 drummer pulled out all the stops gifting Kourt an extravagant floral display that lined her foyer ... and let's not forget his heartfelt IG tribute, where he dubbed her his best friend and partner.

Travis shared a bunch of snaps of KK cradling Rocky, and also tossed in a pic of them cuddling together for good measure.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were feeling nostalgic in the Big Apple this weekend for Mother's Day -- hitting the town looking damn good ... and then getting into this oldie-but-goodie.

The couple went out Sunday night in NYC for what looks to have been a parents-only date night ... and aside from the fashion statement they were making while stepping out -- par for the course, really -- they also made a splash with their sweet ride ... an old-school taxi.

Take a look ... RiRi and Rocky boarded a big yellow cab that looks like it's out of the 1970s -- with the checkered bordering and everything. It's like Bob De Niro was picking them up!