Music

Cassie was out and about in NYC, flashing her smile and soaking up the good vibes ... while her ex Diddy is stuck in a whole different reality -- lonely and behind bars in a notoriously grimy Brooklyn prison.

The singer looked at ease as she headed to the trendy hotspot "Left Bank" for an al fresco dinner Wednesday ... where the fun continued as she appeared to excitedly show her pals something on her phone at the dinner table.

While we can't say for sure, it’s a safe bet that Diddy came up in conversation at some point, especially since he was sensationally denied bail on the very same day.

Atlantic Records announced a huge restructuring on Thursday affecting hundreds of jobs ... and Nicki Minaj has some backhanded bars of advice for the laid-off execs at her arch-nemesis Cardi B's label!!!

Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl sent out an email to employees forewarning them of the potential bad news -- fuel for Nicki's ether as she burned them in a post on X.

Nicki invited the newly jobless workers to her label in a taunting post ... "Dear fired executives & A&R’s: Don’t be mad, UPS is hiring. Also, feel free to submit your resumes for a job @ #HeavyOnIt" ... and included a Phaedra Parks GIF to tack on the shade!!!

Zach Bryan's backing off his recent Taylor Swift comments ... apologizing to her legions of fans after he says he did some drunk posting on X the other night.

The singer-songwriter posted a pic of T-Swift's album cover of "The Tortured Poets Department" ... explaining he recently wrote he thinks Kanye makes better music than Swift because he drunkenly tried to compare two albums -- and, it came out all wrong.

ZB says he was speaking strictly musically, and wasn't cosigning any of Ye's other beliefs ... before adding he loves Taylor's music too -- and simply screwed up in his post.

Lady Gaga's going to have to keep her "Poker Face" on during family dinners ... 'cause her dad just endorsed Donald Trump -- despite her past support for Democrats.

Joe Germanotta -- a New York City restaurateur -- went on Fox News just minutes ago to throw his support behind the former president over Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, calling DJT "pure" and "a patriot."

Germanotta says he thinks the whole concept of voting for people is a bit odd ... but, even though he admits he finds DJT abrasive, he rattles off a series of Trump policies that align with his own views.

Former Bad Boy Records rapper and current Belize politician Shyne is raking Diddy across the coals after the mogul's arrest -- and is blaming him for destroying his hopes and dreams!!!

Shyne held a press conference with Belizean media as Diddy was being denied bail on Wednesday ... and did his ex-boss no favors in the background.

According to Shyne’s recollections, he was a fresh-faced 18-year-old with dreams of cracking superstardom and making his mother proud.

Jamie Lynn Spears is going from the small screen to the big diamond -- at least for one day -- 'cause the actress is gearing up to compete in a charity softball game on Saturday.

Britney's little sister is slated to field ground balls and take hacks at the plate at the University of Louisiana Monroe ... in an effort to help the school's softball team raise funds.

It'll all go down at 6:30 PM -- and general admission tickets start at $40 ... but for an extra $20, university officials say you can get an autograph from her following the game.

Shawn Mendes is making his admirers scream "Mercy" ... 'cause the pop star hit the beach down in Miami -- and, his slender body caught a lot of attention.

The singer-songwriter took his talents to South Beach Wednesday ... throwing on a pair of black swimtrunks and diving right into the water.

SM looks fit as always here -- but, perhaps a little more slender than he has in the past ... even stars work on their summer bodies FWIW.

Paul McCartney makes a surprise appearance at a comedy show, Pharrell Williams goes in on celebs who talk politics publicly and Ryan Leaf calls out the Panthers for benching Bryce Young ... keep reading TMZ's TV Hot Takes for more.

On "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down Paul McCartney surprising the crowd at Deon Cole's comedy show.

5:05 PM PT -- We caught up with Marc Agnifilo outside the courthouse after he made his comments ... and, he tells us Diddy's focused on his defense.

He mentions how poor the conditions in MDC Brooklyn are ... and, says he's working to get Diddy moved to another facility.

3:14 PM PT -- Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo is refusing to back down after losing out on their bail appeal hearing, noting to reporters outside the courthouse that their "fight continues."

Per Agnifilo, he's hoping to get Diddy's case to trial sooner rather than later to "minimize" the amount of time he'll have to spend behind bars.

He also called out the rapper's prison conditions as "inhumane" ... though, the lawyer said Diddy is "ready" and "focused" ahead of the trial.

Diddy's fight to get out of jail has stopped in its tracks ... 'cause after arriving at court today to appeal a judge's ruling he shouldn't be released on bail, he's headed back to the detention center.

The rap mogul arrived at a federal courthouse in New York City Wednesday ... where his sons, Christian and Justin, came out to support their dad -- though ultimately, the judge in the case decided not to grant Diddy bail.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter -- after hearing arguments from the lawyers -- said he was turning down the request because "the government has proven the defendant is a danger. The bail package is insufficient even on risk of flight."

Diddy's got a small reason to smile despite being behind bars in federal custody ... a judge just set aside the $100 million default judgment in his Michigan sexual assault lawsuit.

The embattled rapper scored the legal win during a motion hearing Wednesday ... where one of his attorneys, David Fink, convinced the judge to set aside the massive judgment because inmate Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith -- who claims Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted him at a 1997 Detroit party -- failed to prove he effectively served the lawsuit in accordance with Michigan law.

Judge Anna Marie Anzalone also scrapped the temporary restraining order stopping Diddy from selling off any assets to cover damages ... noting Diddy has a likelihood of winning the case on statute of limitations grounds because Cardello-Smith's claims date back to an alleged incident in 1997.

Prior to his arrest Monday night, Diddy hit the NYC streets and interacted with fans ... days before ending up in federal custody.

Check it out ... Diddy smokes alongside a fan, named Chris Dayes (Christian Daigle), while listening to a song off a cellphone. Diddy, dressed in sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a Prince sweatshirt, looks totally at peace ... even though a grand jury indictment loomed over his head at the time.

The tipster tells TMZ ... the fan encounter occurred on the evening of September 9, when Chris approached the music mogul to pitch himself as a potential new artist.

Kid Cudi and J. Cole's careers both rose through hip hop's Blog Era but their interactions have been relatively light -- and it's all Cole's fault, according to Cudi!!!

On Wednesday, Cudi was giving his fans quality time with a Q&A session on X to celebrate his newly released track "Don't Worry," when someone requested that he and Cole collaborate on a song.

Cudi immediately revealed he's tried to work with Cole in the past and came off rather annoyed.

12:16 PM PT -- Federal prosecutors have fired back, responding in court documents that claim Diddy is just too dangerous to be out walking the streets -- no matter what the rap mogul's lawyers say or do.

As the prosecutors point out ... Diddy repeatedly obstructed justice during the investigation -- not to mention, is still an alleged flight risk. They claim Diddy is capable of coercing witnesses to comply with his demands.

They also voiced concerns that Diddy could consume drugs or throw his so-called "freak parties" if out on bail ... despite the rapper's promise he wouldn't have any female visitors.

Diddy is taking another swing at getting out on bail, and he's upping his offer to the court -- declaring he will forgo contact with almost all women while he's out.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's legal team says if he's released on bail, the security company that keeps a log of all visitors to his Miami Beach home, will hand over those logs to the government nightly in order to be fully transparent about who Diddy is contacting. They also say Diddy will limit all visitors to family, property caretakers and friends who are not co-conspirators in the federal indictment.

Specifically, they say Diddy will restrict female visitors ... with the only exceptions being family members or mothers of his children.

Boosie Badazz has come to Diddy's defense after the Bad Boy mogul was denied bail ... an expected outburst for him at this point -- but his reasoning may still surprise you!!!

Diddy was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and kidnapping, and pled not guilty -- but the way Boosie sees it, those "Freak Offs" have been twisted to demonize common celebrity behavior.

For what it's worth he also appears to frown upon the surveillance footage of Cassie's assault ... suggesting Diddy needs professional help.

EDM fans in Boston got a special surprise at Kygo's concert on Tuesday ... when local legends Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek took the stage to belt out a song in front of thousands of fans!!

The Norwegian hitmaker welcomed the longtime couple up on the platform at the TD Garden ... and when it was time for his big track, "Stargazing" feat. Justin Jesso -- he had them put their pipes to the test.

Gronk and Camille rehearsed for the moment backstage ... and given the former Patriots cheerleader's assessment of her boo's music abilities, she wasn't expecting him to give a Grammy-worthy performance.

Paul McCartney gave Deon Cole a little "Help!" Tuesday night when he joined the comedian on stage for a surprise appearance in Hollywood ... cracking a couple jokes of his own.

Watch the video ... Deon is performing and working on new material at the Hollywood Improv, a famed comedy club in Los Angeles, when he pulls The Beatles legend up on stage with him towards the end of his set.

Deon introduces Paul as his "friend" to the crowd and shares a laugh with the singer ... telling the crowd he and PM smoked a little weed before the performance.