Music

Tory Lanez is speaking out after his "Prison Tapes" recording equipment was snatched ... he claims he was creating too much social change with his revenue streams!!!

We broke the story ... TL's cell was raided yesterday, effectively ending his weekly releases.

On Tuesday, TL claimed he's witnessed tons of racial injustice since arriving at the California Correctional Institution -- and feels it's become his life's calling to help minorities seek proper representation.

Trippie Redd is gearing up for fall with a fresh new collab with boohooMAN ... aka fresh fits to step out in with his rekindled boo thang Coi Leray!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Trippie in NYC this week at the pop-up launch of his grungy, goth-inspired drip ... and we got the deets on how he and CL got back on the same page.

He and Coi first started dating in 2019, but things fizzled a little over a year later -- and the pair even traded diss songs ... but apparently, that was just for show.

Beyoncé is standing by her decision not to release official music videos for her chart-topping albums "Renaissance" and "Cowboy Carter" ... asserting the music speaks for itself.

The singer addresses her controversial decision in a new cover story for GQ, in which she explains why she chose to forgo the traditional music video release model after launching her latest albums.

She notes ... "I thought it was important that during a time where all we see is visuals, that the world can focus on the voice ... The music is so rich in history and instrumentation. It takes months to digest, research and understand. The music needed space to breathe on its own."

8:02 AM PT -- Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo tells TMZ ... "This man [Cardello-Smith] is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years. His resume now includes committing a fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit. Mr. Combs looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed."

Diddy just took a HUGE L in a sexual assault lawsuit he blew off, because a judge just slapped him with a $100 MILLION default judgment.

Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, currently an inmate, claimed in his lawsuit Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted him at a party in Detroit back in 1997. It's unclear if the statute of limitations has run, but that wasn't addressed by the judge.

According to the lawsuit, the 2 were drinking and smoking weed at the party and got naked with a bunch of women. Cardello-Smith says he was performing oral sex on a woman when he felt a male hand on his left buttock -- he says it was Diddy's hand. A short time later, he says Diddy offered him a drink, which was spiked and he passed out.

Chester Bennington's son Jaime says he's getting death threats from Linkin Park fans after criticizing the band’s controversial lead singer, Emily Armstrong.

Jaime claimed in an IG vid Monday people have been sending him nasty messages, including some telling him to kill himself and questioning whether he truly understands what his dad would want if Chester were alive today.

Jaime highlighted the hypocrisy in their messages, saying if they really understood how his dad died, they’d realize their trolling comments are inappropriate, and way off. Chester died by suicide in 2017.

Beyoncé getting no love from the Country Music Association does not come as a huge shock to her father Mathew Knowles ... and he thinks race is a factor here.

Bey's dad tells TMZ … he's not surprised his daughter received zero CMA nominations for her "Cowboy Carter" country album, given her history with the awards show.

Mathew says Beyoncé didn't have a good experience performing with the Dixie Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards -- her inclusion didn't go over so well -- and he says the CMAs never apologized to Bey.

Big Boy is baffled Kendrick Lamar was chosen to perform the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show over Lil Wayne ... saying there was an obvious decision here that was not made.

We caught up with the radio host on "TMZ Live" Monday, where BB shared his unfiltered opinion on Kendrick scoring the coveted halftime spot for Super Bowl LIX ... set to take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana in February.

According to Big Boy, ahead of Sunday's announcement he would've bet big money that Lil Wayne would be tapped for the huge honor ... since NOLA is his hometown and all.

Linkin Park's drama rages on ... with Chester Bennington’s son, Jaime, calling out band co-founder Mike Shinoda for appointing Emily Armstrong as the group's new lead singer ... making it clear she's not Jaime's pick to replace his dad 7 years after his death.

Jaime criticized Mike for betraying fans’ trust by hiring Emily ... adding in a lengthy IG post Monday he had "quietly erased my father's life and legacy in real time … during international suicide prevention month." Chester died by suicide in 2017.

Jaime didn’t hold back ... diving into Emily’s alleged ties to Scientology and her support for Danny Masterson. This all came to light following The Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala's resurfaced messages Emily had attended a 2020 preliminary hearing in support of Masterson, which hit fans hard ... especially since Chester had openly discussed surviving sexual abuse.

Jack White is following through on his warning to Donald Trump ... by filing a lawsuit over his famous song, and claiming his anthem is being hijacked by the former president.

The White Stripes singer just filed suit against Trump and his campaign for using the tune "Seven Nation Army" in a social media clip of the Republican nominee boarding a plane on the campaign trail.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jack says he did not clear the song for use by the Trump campaign ... and he says Trump and his camp should have known better, because in the past Jack has publicly denounced Trump.

Bruce Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, has opened up about her blood cancer battle ... which she has been fighting since 2018.

Patti talked about her health in the new documentary "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," which dropped at the Toronto International Film Festival ... explaining doctors diagnosed her with multiple myeloma during her husband's "Springsteen on Broadway" concert residency 6 years earlier.

Multiple myeloma is rare type of cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell, according to the Mayo Clinic. Life expectancy varies from person to person, taking into account factors including kidney function, cancer progression and overall health.

Charlamagne Tha God thinks people need to lay off Jay-Z and Roc Nation for selecting Kendrick Lamar over Lil Wayne for the Super Bowl 59 halftime show in New Orleans ... and start congratulating them for keeping Taylor Swift off the stage!!!

The controversy over K. Dot surpassing Wayne in his hometown continued, with that choice frowned upon by the likes of Master P and DJ Akademiks -- but on Monday's 'Breakfast Club' segment, Charlamagne said Taylor's omission was cause to ceeelebrate-good-times-c'mon!!!

Taylor's record sales have been shattering the atmosphere the last few years, but Charlamagne applauded Roc Nation's clear push of Hip Hop/R&B acts as of late ... and the performers just happen to be Black!!!

Nicki Minaj won't have to go at Jay-Z all by her lonesome ... Birdman has entered the Super Bowl LIX chat, and he has some tough talk toward the Roc Nation boss!!!

Much fuss has been made about Kendrick Lamar performing at the upcoming halftime show in New Orleans -- the home base of arguably the biggest rap label ever -- Cash Money Records.

After Nicki took swipes at Jay and Roc Nation in defense of Lil Wayne on Monday, Birdman backed her up and promised revenge ... "These n***** P**** @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB. I’m make these n***** respek us on Gladys," a nod to his deceased mother.

Beyoncé may've had one of the biggest country albums of the year, but it wasn't enough for the megastar to receive a single nomination at the 2024 CMA Awards.

The singer's "Cowboy Carter" album and hit single, "Texas Hold 'Em," were both snubbed by the popular awards show ... with the Grammy winner fully shut out when nominations were announced Monday.

Instead, Morgan Wallen led the charge, earning 7 noms ... including Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year. Chris Stapleton and Cody Johnson fell just behind Morgan, nabbing 5 nominations each.

Nicki Minaj has joined the 20 v 1 against Jay-Z after he awarded the New Orleans-hosted Super Bowl LIX halftime honors to Kendrick Lamar instead of Lil Wayne ... and Queen Barb is spewing all sorts of ether in his direction!!!

According to Nicki's POV, Jay-Z sold out for the NFL when Colin Kaepernick kneeled on the field to protest police brutality ... actions of a house n-word with the "er," and despite his riches and success, is still a "hateful and ugly" person.

Several hip hop pundits -- Master P, DJ Akademiks and just today, Boosie Badazz -- have come to Wayne's defense, accusing Jay of reviving a vendetta against Drake in the twilight of his beef with Kendrick.

Tory Lanez's weekly reign of "Prison Tapes" has come to an end ... the rapper's lawyers tell us prison guards raided his cell block and confiscated all his studio equipment.

The incarcerated hip hop star is currently holed up at the California Correctional Institution, where he's serving time after being convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- but he's been passing the days by keeping his talent sharp.

Bangers such as "Basement" and "Appellate Court" -- all labeled under the "Prison Tapes" umbrella -- have been released in the past few weeks, benefiting his record sales.

Kendrick Lamar headlining next year's Super Bowl in New Orleans is Jay-Z's way of giving the "Not Like Us" rapper leverage over his beef against Drake ... at least, that's what Cam'ron and Mase want the public to believe!!!

On Monday's episode of "It Is What It Is," the hip hop sportscasters claimed Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation imprint has been the NFL’s Live Music Entertainment Strategist since 2019, set the play for Kendrick to embarrass Drake on the big stage ... thus settling his own issues with him.

The Harlem World duo also claimed Jay-Z pulled some strings to have them uninvited at the recent Fanatics Fest that went down ... Cam detailed his cold war with Jay-Z in the past and alludes that their relationship is still kind of icy!!!