Music

"American Idol" alum and Grammy-winning singer Mandisa died earlier this year -- and now, we know how ... as we've obtained her autopsy report.

TMZ obtained a copy of the document which lists Mandisa's official cause of death as "complications of class III obesity," with the medical examiner noting she weighed 488 pounds at the time of her death.

Per the report, the singer's friends found her in a state of decomposition in her residence on April 18. Emergency medical services arrived at the scene, where she was pronounced dead.

Simon Cowell is ready to get back into the boy band game ... and is already on the hunt for his next One Direction-esque success story.

Almost 15 years after making magic by bringing together Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik as a group on "X Factor," the record executive is searching for "future megastars" who are ready to put in the work to achieve international fame.

Simon announced his new project Tuesday, dropping recruitment billboards across London, which read ... "Simon needs you! Future megastars wanted for new boyband. No timewasters."

Kanye West was accused of a lot of wrongdoing by a former Yeezy employee, but he's hitting back -- claiming it's actually her who's in the wrong ... alleging she's trying to extort him.

A legal rep for Ye tells TMZ ... "In response to these baseless allegations, Ye will be filing a lawsuit against Ms. Pisciotta, who actively pursued him sexually to coerce employment and other material benefits, then engaged in blackmail and extortion when her advances were rejected."

The rep also accuses Lauren Pisciotta -- who sued Ye on Monday for sexual harassment and wrongful termination, among other things -- of stealing Kanye's phone in an attempt to destroy evidence that would run counter to her narrative.

Soulja Boy thinks Method Man's simply reacting in the moment by swearing off any future Hot 97 Summer Jam shows -- but Soulja says the boycott does raise an interesting point about hip hop's mecca preserving its history!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Mr. Crank Dat in Bev. Hills while on his way to the studio to finish up his new album, "Swag Season" ... and he's betting Meth was just in his feelings about the young crowd's lack of passion for his set.

The Wu-Tang Clan legend thanked Hot 97 staff but said he would never hit the Summer Jam stage again after he and Redman received a lukewarm reception last weekend -- it was Summer Jam's 30th anniversary and Soulja Boy notes the New York audience is supposed to know icons like Meth and Redman.

Kendrick Lamar may not want Drake to sell him any accents but Toronto-based social media personality Snow4y is happily taking it to the bank for his music debut!!!

Drake recently surfaced singing in Jamaica patois on a track titled "Wah Gwan Delilah" … and to the outside world, not in on the joke, it appeared Drake was floundering in the aftermath of his battle with Kendrick.

Drake packs on the slang heavy and paints a short story of himself hanging out at his fav L.A. spot, Delilah, before his homie ruins all the fun in a ski mask ... real silly stuff.

Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC was totally Pete Rose'd in the middle of a celebrity softball game ... getting leveled at home plate and breaking his hand in the process -- but somehow, the dude kept playing through the injury!!

TMZ is told ... the musician was one of several big names invited to participate in the Rock 'N Jock fundraiser for Folds of Honor in Nashville on Monday -- and at one point in the friendly competition, CK proved just how tough boy bands can be!!

The moment went down in the third inning ... when local radio host Jeremy Loper rounded third base and headed for home.

Alejandro Fernández might be hot s*** with his music -- but after this video ... some seem to think he might not be bringing the heat down below, at least that's the vibe online anyway.

The Latin Grammy-winning singer sparked some unfortunate chatter after rocking a tight pair of leather pants for his performance at the La Onda Music Festival in Napa Valley over the weekend -- and it all has to do with a noticeable imprint around his crotch area.

AF thrusts his hips forward while jamming on stage -- giving fans an unexpected glimpse at the outline of his junk ... and like we said, some don't seem to be that impressed.

Rihanna is expanding her billion-dollar Fenty Beauty empire ... with the addition of a hair care line!!!

On Tuesday, Rihanna rocked a short blonde cropped mullet while starring in a colorful and stylish ad spot to promote the new brand, Fenty Hair, which launches next week on June 13.

The commercial shows off women and men of all races and various hair types -- straight, permed, curled, braided -- and there appear to be several products included in the collection.

Tyrese is looking calm, cool and collected amid a slew of legal woes ... but maybe that's because he just got some great advice from famed lawyer Ben Crump.

The actor/singer was all smiles Monday night at Catch LA, where Tyrese broke bread with the powerhouse civil rights attorney.

Remember, Tyrese is taking on Home Depot ... having filed a $1 million discrimination lawsuit against the corporation -- a case that would seem to be right up Crump's alley. Tyrese claims an HD staffer racially profiled him and 2 Latino men who were working with Tyrese.

The-Dream is facing a number of troubling allegations -- including sexual battery, abuse and trafficking -- in a new lawsuit from a woman who claims she was his former protégé.

The artist -- who is best known for writing music for Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey, not to mention his own music -- is being sued by Chanaaz Mangroe, who claims the producer lured her into a relationship with false promises of launching her singing career but ended up subjecting her to "violent sexual acts and vicious psychological torture."

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, Mangroe -- who says she was raised in the Netherlands -- was thrilled when The-Dream offered to sponsor the extension of her work visa in 2014 ... allowing her to further grow her career in the U.S.

Jennifer Lopez has had a rough time lately with all the negativity in her life ... but she's coming back with a vengeance, scoring big streaming numbers with her new Netflix film.

The singer/actress stars as Atlas Shepherd -- a data analyst distrustful of Artificial Intelligence -- in the Sci-Fi thriller "Atlas" ... and, according to Variety, the movie is beating the competition when it comes to viewership despite terrible reviews.

The trade reports that "Atlas" ran away with the most streams for the six-day period beginning May 24 -- when the movie dropped -- to May 30.

American singer and songwriter Cheyenne Kimball was just 15 years old when she got her big break with her hit song "Hanging On" back in 2006 and starred in her own MTV reality series "Cheyenne."

The catchy song which was part of her debut album, "The Day Has Come," topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was a favorite amongst millennials.

From 2008 to 2011, Kimball was a member of Gloriana -- a country music band that opened for Taylor Swift's Fearless Tour in 2009.

"I'm holding on TODAY! And nothing's gonna stop me anyway!"

Kanye West's ex-executive/personal assistant claims he gave her the boot after sending her vile sexual texts and videos.

Lauren Pisciotta says in her lawsuit, she was an OnlyFans model who posted a bunch of bikini and lingerie pics and was super successful -- making $1 mil a year.

Kanye hired Lauren in July 2021, after meeting her when he was putting together his fashion line. She says she also collaborated with him and worked with him on 3 songs on "Donda."

Brother Marquis -- a longtime member of 2 Live Crew -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper passed away Monday -- this according to the group's official social media accounts ... which noted he "went to the upper room." 2LC's manager confirmed his death to us, but didn't have any further details on the cause or manner.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ however that the death appears to be natural, and there isn't foul play suspected.

Sean Kingston has officially been booked in the Broward County jail ... more than a week after his South Florida home was raided by cops.

The rapper/singer -- as well as his mother -- have been charged with defrauding companies and people of over a million dollars worth of goods and services. The singer was originally arrested on May 23 at Fort Irwin ... but agreed to be extradited to Florida.

His mother Janice was arrested the same day ... getting taken into custody amid the raids on her son's rental home.

Madonna is making moves to get a lawsuit over her late concert start times thrown outta court ... and in the process, she's taking shots at the men who are suing her.

The singer is facing a class action lawsuit accusing her of starting her concerts late, but now she's firing back ... arguing her real fans know she always takes the stage well after the scheduled start time.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Madonna says her stans understand how her concerts work ... namely, she runs late and the time printed on her concert tickets is NOT an indication of when she will actually take the stage.