Music

50 Cent is downplaying his social media onslaught on Jay-Z as simple rapper competition ... after all, he spent his own hard-earned money to make sure Ja Rule had a lousy concert!!!

The G-Unit rap star came clean during his recent trip to Big Boy's Neighborhood ... back in 2018, 50 announced he intentionally bought all the front row area seats for Ja's show in Arlington, TX -- a prank he says was easy because the tickets were cheap AF!!!

50's diabolical teasing of Ja's concert woes continued this year when he clowned his longtime nemesis for having his UK tour canceled over VISA issues.

Jay-Z's staying on the offensive against attorney Tony Buzbee ... informing a judge there's reason to believe Buzbee is pressuring potential clients to make false allegations in lawsuits.

Jay's attorney Alex Spiro says a woman reached out to his firm, Quinn Emanuel, on Monday night to share her experience with Buzbee's firm. According to a declaration filed Tuesday morning in federal court, one of Spiro's associates says she got a phone call from the woman, who said she'd previously contacted Buzbee's firm seeking representation over allegations of sex trafficking and abuse.

The woman said she reached out to Buzbee because she'd seen his solicitation for anyone who may have been a potential victim of Sean "Diddy" Combs -- but she'd made it clear her allegations were not related to Diddy.

Sabrina Carpenter may be her own No. 1 fan ... admitting her own songs made their way onto her Spotify Wrapped for 2024.

The pop star made the confession in Vogue Arabia, in which she shared she was a bit embarrassed at first to see her own tracks make it onto her personalized end-of-year roundup.

In fact, she felt like she couldn't share her Spotify Wrapped results along with her fellow pop stars ... as she initially thought the outcome was "a bit conceited."

Jay-Z's rape accuser might take the music mogul's advice and file a criminal complaint against him after slapping him with a civil suit alleging sexual assault, according to her attorney Tony Buzbee.

In a statement emailed to TMZ, Buzbee said he's not ruling out filing rape charges against Jay with New York authorities, saying ... "What happens next is up to my client. It’s her case and what she decides to do you will find out in due course."

Per New York state law, there is no statute of limitations for alleged victims to file a first-degree felony rape complaint.

Jay-Z is getting no mercy from 50 Cent, who pounced on the RocNation honcho for stepping out in Hollywood amid the lawsuit claiming he raped a 13-year-old girl.

50 wasted no time trolling ... moments after he saw Jay not only show up at Monday night's premiere for 'Mufasa,' but he happily posed for photos alongside Beyoncé and Blue Ivy, who are both in the 'Lion King' prequel.

In a post he's since deleted, 50 Cent captioned an image of the Carters at the premiere with ... "Jay said they said I rapped [sic] a kid, everybody get dressed we going to see Mufasa LOL.”

There was already a "Countdown" to Beyoncé and Blue Ivy's appearance at the "Mufasa" premiere before Jay-Z was hit with a sexual assault allegation ... so, all eyes were on the red carpet to see if the mother-daughter duo actually showed up Monday night. Not only did they show up but Jay-Z accompanied them.

All three family members were in attendance at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where "The Lion King" prequel film had its highly anticipated premiere.

Their appearance spoke volumes in the wake of the troubling allegations against the Carter patriarch.

Kendrick Lamar and Drake's beef has officially spilled over to their producers, now that Mustard is exposing Boi-1da's Instagram DMs as being the ultimate "Not Like Us" poster child!!!

That was the sentiment on Monday when Mustard reposted Boi-1da flat out telling him "West Coast Rap is ass" ... as in the kind that shoots out poopity scoop!!!

Boi-1da rejected Mustard's rebuttal that you had to experience the WC tunes in an active environment, doubling down that Los Angeles was the only place the sound was welcomed.

Tina Knowles is making it clear she hasn't weighed in on son-in-law Jay-Z's current legal woes ... posting a pointed response after her social media activity was called out.

Beyoncé's mother posted to Instagram on Monday after reports began pointing out that the Knowles matriarch "liked" a post detailing the rape allegation made against Jay-Z and Diddy in a recent lawsuit.

However, as Tina claimed in a note shared to Instagram, she was not the person who liked the news post ... as she said she was "hacked" prior to the social media activity.

Rachel Lindsay was seen spending a lot of time this weekend with what may be a new male companion who has ties to a major A-list artist ... TMZ has learned.

Witnesses tell us the former "Bachelorette" star and Willie Jones, who collaborated on Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album, were spotted together on Friday at iHeart’s Jingle Ball in Los Angeles.

We're told the two enjoyed each other's company in the Patrón Lounge suite, where they sat closely, chatting, and laughing throughout the night. Our witnesses say when T-Pain hit the stage, the pair got up to dance.

The two continued to spend time together over the weekend. On Sunday, they were spotted shopping at the Melrose Trading Post, where a store called Blk Rchvs posted a photo of them on social media. In the snap, Willie is seen with his arm around Rachel, fueling even more questions about their status.

Jay-Z says the woman who's suing him, along with Diddy, for allegedly raping her should be forced to reveal her identity, instead of pursuing the case anonymously ... TMZ has learned.

Jay-Z's attorney Alex Spiro filed docs Monday morning, asking the judge to make the plaintiff reveal herself. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Spiro says "Fair is fair. It is not consistent with justice, fairness, or the rules governing federal proceedings for the Plaintiff and her counsel to smear [Jay-Z]'s good name."

Further, the docs state Jay-Z's built an "impeccable reputation" and has never been accused of, or engaged in, any sexual misconduct.

Jay-Z is vowing to fight allegations he and Diddy sexually assaulted a minor to the very end ... and several big-name rap stars are reacting over the brewing legal battle!!!

As Jay and attorney Tony Buzbee fire words back and forth, 50 Cent questioned Jay's status as the producer for the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show next year ... valid points in today's "cancel culture."

Soulja Boy called big 🧢 on the accusations and argued that celebrities -- especially African Americans -- are being targeted because of their wealth and success.

Selena Gomez has come a long way from her Disney Channel days -- just like Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and Nickelodeon alum Ariana Grande, with all four former child stars getting nods for the 2025 Golden Globes.

The noms dropped Monday morning, and Selena snagged TWO -- She’s up for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy) for "Only Murders in the Building" and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Netflix’s "Emilia Pérez."

Selena hit up her IG Stories to share her shock over her "Emilia Pérez" nom -- her reaction coming straight from bed as she processed the early morning news. For everyone else, though, no surprise there! "Emilia Pérez" was a critical darling, sweeping up 10 nominations -- the most at this year’s awards.

The commonly used phrase "all good things come to an end" applies not only to us mere mortals, but also to Taylor Swift!

After almost 2 years, 149 shows spanning 5 continents and record-smashing ticket sales, the pop superstar has finally come to the end of her "Eras" tour. Turns out, it was the most profitable concert tour ever -- grossing $2 billion -- and was virtually sold out from start to finish with her "Swifties" relishing every moment of it.

On Sunday, Taylor performed her last gig at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada, where she dazzled the packed crowd with her typical 46-song set over 3.5 hours.

5:08 PM PT -- Tony Buzbee, who filed the suit on behalf of Jane Doe, tells TMZ ... "Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. He even filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him. Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation. Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve."

5:00 PM PT -- Diddy's lawyers tell TMZ … "This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.  As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.  In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor."

Jay-Z has been sued for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in a lawsuit tied to disgraced rapper, Diddy ... which the music mogul is calling "a blackmail attempt."

In the documents obtained by TMZ ... Jay-Z is named by an anonymous accuser, who says the rapper and Diddy drugged and raped her back in 2000.

The plaintiff, who is suing as Jane Doe, says the alleged assault occurred at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards.

Katy Perry turned the Jingle Bell Ball 2024 into her own winter wonderland, electrifying the stage as she dropped hit after hit!

Katy kicked off at London's O2 Arena Sunday night with bops from her new album "143" -- but didn’t forget the classics, belting out everything from "I Kissed a Girl" to "Teenage Dream" ... all while rocking a sizzling Santa outfit.

Katy kept the crowd roaring with "Roar" and lit up the arena with "Firework," serving festive realness in a red co-ord and furry white boots. Add in her signature animated stage vibes, and it was pure Katy magic!

Jennifer Lopez seems to be in the single and mingling phase of her divorce from Ben Affleck.

Check out the video J Lo posted to Instagram on Sunday ... the singer/actress squeezed into a tight-fitting Monot dress that barely covered her chest as she pranced down a long hallway.

J Lo then turned and strutted along another corridor. In her black pumps, J Lo stepped up onto a stair and flashed a smile.