Music

California-bred rap veteran Saafir died in November ... and we've learned it was a complication of health issues.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the death certificate, which states Saafir died from septic shock and enterocolitis -- an infection of the small intestine.

The doc also lists infected sacral decubitus as a COD, a medical term for an enlarged bedsore caused by too much pressure on the bottom of the spine.

Lil Baby stayed quiet behind the scenes throughout the entire 2024 Rap Wars where Kendrick Lamar and Drake battled it out ... turns out, he's not a fan of being one of K. Dot's "examples" on "Not Like Us!!!"

The Atlanta rap star broke his silence in a one-on-one sit-down with Charlamagne Tha God on Thursday ... Kendrick accused Drake of exploiting A-Town rappers Baby, Young Thug, Future, 2 Chainz, Quavo and his "Her Loss" collaborator 21 Savage.

Kendrick rapped, "Lil Baby helped you get your lingo up" on the heavily promoted record but Baby disapproved -- "If you and him [Drake] was arguing why the hell you gotta say me, you know?"

Tory Lanez is firing back at Megan Thee Stallion as she seeks a restraining order against him ... and his legal team says she's not to be believed.

The rapper's legal team tells TMZ ... "Megan's claim that Tory filed legal docs to undermine her new Amazon Prime documentary is 'ridiculous.'"

Instead, Tory's legal team says the timing of the legal filing Meg is referencing had nothing to do with the release of her documentary and was filed simply to comply with legal deadlines.

Timothée Chalamet had a very special surprise guest at a screening for his new Bob Dylan movie ... and it was Tom Cruise!!!

The legendary actor dropped in on Timothée over in the United Kingdom for Tuesday's debut of Chalamet's new movie, "A Complete Unknown," at the Ham Yard Hotel in London, England

Tom and Tim shook hands and posed for some photos together ... in one shot of just the two of them, Tom is pointing at Tim and has one hand over his shoulder.

Britney Spears took her dancing to new heights, going harder than ever in one of her most intense performances yet -- so wild, you might need a second pair of eyes to keep up!

In an IG clip shared Wednesday, the bikini-clad singer treated fans to a high-energy mix of her signature moves -- butt slaps, thumbs in her underwear, chaotically strutting up to the camera, and twirling so fiercely she nearly loses her balance.

Her routine, filmed during her Mexican getaway, also introduced us to some fresh moves -- think unique hand shapes, a surprise stuffed animal cameo, and, of course, some intense body contortions.

Taylor Swift and her pals know style ... dressing up in honor of the pop star at an "Eras" tour-themed party -- with Brittany and Patrick Mahomes paying homage to a viral moment.

Mrs. Mahomes posted several photos from the party to her Instagram just about an hour ago ... showing off her silver outfit covered in fringe -- clearly an interpretation of T-Swift's own outfits on tour.

Brittany had Patrick dressed up too ... black tux with a white undershirt and bow tie -- complete with a black top hat hanging off his thick curls.

Bhad Bhabie says she's breaking up with her baby daddy Le Vaughn ... and she says Alabama Barker is to blame.

The "Gucci Flip Flops" rapper ripped into Alabama in a social media rant Wednesday, calling Travis Barker's daughter a "homewrecker" and accusing her of hooking up with Le Vaughn.

Bhad Bhabie says it all started one night when she got drunk with LV and they got into a fight ... she says she called another man and then got into a physical exchange with LV ... ultimately leading to them spending a couple weeks apart.

Swifties are convinced Taylor Swift is trying to shake off her past romance with Joe Alwyn ... by erasing all evidence of the actor from a recently released behind-the-scenes video.

The singer's team dropped a number of BTS clips on her YouTube page in honor of her 35th birthday. The uploads featured Swift on a couple of her music video sets, including "Anti-Hero" and "Bejeweled," where she served as both the star and director.

Yet, it wasn't the Grammy winner's directing skills that had Swifties' tongues waggin' ... as one scene appeared noticeably edited -- seemingly as an effort to keep Alwyn from popping up in the footage.

Timothée Chalamet is proving he’s got the pipes to match the hype, giving fans a sneak peek of the vocal chops he'll be showing off in his Bob Dylan biopic, "A Complete Unknown."

The multi-talented star treated fans to a lengthy IG clip Wednesday, belting out Dylan’s "Visions of Johanna" on a pier in NYC at sunset -- and honestly, it’s a whole vibe.

Timothée was in his zone -- bopping with swagger, showing off some low-key dance moves, getting oddly comfortable on the ground, and making the most of the scenic pier backdrop.

Snoop Dogg doesn't have any pride to hide when it comes to Eazy-E's diss track "Real Muthaphuckkin G’s" being a stone-cold classic ... and he got dusted on the song!!!

Tha Doggfather got the honor of headlining the 500th episode of "The Bootleg Kev Podcast" Wednesday and came clean about Eazy's infamous 1993 missile aimed at him, Dr. Dre and Death Row Records as a staff, record label and crew.

Snoop tells Kev his "Cadillacc Radio" plays "RMG" daily like clockwork and he always sings along ... "[Dre] and your Doggy Dogg think that y'all hoggin' shit / Both of you bitches can come and suck my doggy 🍆!!!" Burnnn.

Mod Sun is head over heels for "Love Is Blind" star Brittany Wisniewski -- he made that crystal clear as he spilled the tea about their relationship to us.

Catch this video of the smitten couple hitting up West Hollywood’s Craig’s on Tuesday, where we asked how things were going between them -- and when Mod Sun turned the question to Brittany, her look said it all.

We also asked if they were official -- and while we didn’t get a straight answer, Mod Sun’s response was all we needed to hear ... "Life is better when we’re together."

Jay-Z's war with Tony Buzbee is kicking up another notch ... the controversial attorney just filed a lawsuit, claiming Jay's company, Roc Nation, and its high-powered attorneys are conspiring to turn Buzbee's clients against him.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, one of Buzbee's clients -- a guy named Gerardo Garcia -- says 2 investigators approached him at his home, claiming to work for the State of Texas, and told him they were putting together a lawsuit against Buzbee that could "get [Garcia] a lot of money."

Garcia says he recorded the encounter with the individuals, and Buzbee posted a pic last week from from the video.

It allegedly shows one of them disclosing they work for an attorney named Marcy Croft, who's described herself online as part of TeamRoc -- the philanthropic arm of Roc Nation -- and Buzbee claims she also works with Alex Spiro, Jay's longtime attorney.

Thomas Giuffra, the lawyer for three anonymous men who have accused Diddy of sodomizing them, says Diddy's a lot like another fallen Hollywood power player -- Harvey Weinstein.

The attorney stopped by CNN Wednesday to talk about the lawsuit he recently filed on behalf of his three clients ... and, he says the similar threads in their stories caught his attention early on.

Giuffra says abusers -- like Diddy's accused of being -- all have patterns ... adding former Hollywood producer Weinstein had them as well.

Kim Kardashian isn’t letting a broken foot cramp her style -- she scooted right into the Billie Eilish concert, still living her best life!

The SKIMS mogul was all about good vibes Tuesday night -- laughing, flipping her hair, and serving looks as she scooted into Eilish’s night 3 at L.A.’s Kia Forum.

Kim turned heads in a white top, leather pants, and a stack of jewelry, oozing effortless glam. But her best accessory? That scooter, of course -- 'cause only she could make that look cool.

Nick Jonas fans are about ready to yell "S.O.S." after seeing the pop star's seeming support of controversial tech giant Elon Musk ... with many expressing their disdain on social media.

Here's the skinny ... on Tuesday morning, Musk used a GIF of the Jonas Brothers turning tables to quite literally transmit his X caption, "My how the tables have turned" -- which appeared to be a response to Tesla's soaring success since Donald Trump's election victory.

Remember, many people warned EM his business would be tainted by publicly backing the now President-elect.