Music

Ascension, the first posthumous release from the late South Bronx rapper Fred the Godson, is here. Released today (February 22) on his birthday via R1CMG, the new album also coincides with the naming ceremony for Frederick ‘Fred the Godson’ Thomas Avenue in the South Bronx. The new LP follows 2020’s Payback, released a month before

“WAP” — the sexually explicit hit song by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion — is a symbol of women taking charge and speaking their minds … to Rep. Maxine Waters, anyway. The Congresswoman and MTS recently hooked up online, and Waters seemed to surprise the rapper when she was asked what music encourages her

It was made between tours for Causers [of This] over the course of about [two] months. I’d never really consciously recorded a record. Causers was a bunch of demos that I sort of just whipped together. But, Underneath the Pine was a bit more conceptual in that I wanted to keep it all natural and

Exclusive Bobby Shmurda‘s plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key — he’ll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music. Bobby’s mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ … once Bobby’s released from prison he’ll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says

Bad Bunny was the musical guest on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. Rosalía joined him first for “La Noche de Anoche,” and he returned for “Te Deseo lo Mejor.” He brought the 24/7 Championship belt he won on WWE’s Raw earlier in the week to the stage with him during the second song.

Exclusive Prince Markie Dee had a serious cardiovascular issue that had gone untreated, and his manager suspects that’s what caused his sudden death. Markie’s manager and best friend, Louis “Uncle Louie” Gregory, tells TMZ … about a week before he died, Markie went to a hospital where he was told he would need a stent

Kim Kardashian West has filed for a divorce from Kanye West, TMZ  and The Associated Press report. According to TMZ, the divorce is “as amicable as a divorce can be.” Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Kanye West and the office of Kim Kardashian’s attorney Laura Wasser. In July 2020, West suggested he wanted

Metallica tried rocking out in front of millions of viewers watching their virtual concert — but the platform hosting their set got cold feet … and muzzled them to cover their own ass. This is pretty hilarious (and educational) … James Hetfield and co. were performing earlier Friday for BlizzCon — a gaming convention put

De La Soul are the stars of a new episode of the Cartoon Network show Teen Titans Go!. The legendary rap trio fights a tentacled monster who steals their music, attacking it with a bazooka that amplifies Trugoy’s voice to send out powerful sound waves. The band and superhero squad spend the rest of the

Play video content Exclusive West Coast Customs Justin Bieber finally got the keys to his futuristic Rolls-Royce … and the sight of his new whip brought him to tears. Ya gotta see when Justin lays eyes on his custom 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith … he can’t believe what he’s seeing, and he gets super emotional. The

Loretta Lynn and Margo Price have recorded a new version of the title track from Lynn’s 1971 album, One’s on the Way. The duet appears on the country music legend’s new album, Still Woman Enough, her fiftieth solo record. It was recorded at the historic Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Below, listen to the

Exclusive If Dolly Parton doesn’t want a statue of herself at the Tennessee Capitol, then that’s exactly what should happen … according to the politician who suggested it, and already has a plan B. Tennessee State Rep. Jeremy Faison brought up Dolly’s name in 2019 as the best replacement for the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue

UK rapper slowthai has covered Elliott Smith’s song “Needle in the Hay” for an Apple Music Home Session, as Stereogum points out. The original track appeared on Smith’s 1995 self-titled LP. Listen to slowthai’s take on the track, as well as the rapper’s performance of his own song “adhd,” below. “The lyrics to both tracks

Prince Markie Dee, one-third of the famous ’80s hip hop group The Fat Boys, has died. Prince passed away suddenly Thursday, according to SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel, where he used to host a radio show. The report did not mention a cause of death. The rapper helped start The Fat Boys, a pioneering rap

Migos rapper Quavo has been cast in Randall Emmett’s forthcoming film Wash Me in the River, as Variety notes. He’ll portray a character named Coyote, who is “a ruthless and heartless drug lord,” according to a press release. Other actors in the film include Robert De Niro, John Malkovich, and John Huston. Production of Wash

Exclusive Marilyn Manson‘s in the crosshairs of federal and local law enforcement after a bunch of women accused the rocker of abuse … and cops are set to talk with one of his alleged victims. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department plan to meet with one of Manson’s

Vicky Cornell, the widow of Chris Cornell, has filed a new lawsuit against the surviving members of Soundgarden, Variety points out. According to court documents viewed by Pitchfork, Vicky Cornell claims that she was offered less than a $300,000 buyout by the band’s remaining members: Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Hunter Benedict Shepherd. The complaint,

Breaking News The driver wanted for striking Nicki Minaj‘s father in a deadly hit-and-run has turned himself in to police … TMZ has confirmed. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … police arrested the driver Wednesday morning, and believe this is the person responsible for Robert Maraj‘s death. Police haven’t released any details about the suspect,

Streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music have paid $424,384,787 in accrued historical unmatched royalties (or “black box” money) to the Mechanical Licensing Collective, the MLC announced on Tuesday. Once the MLC analyzes the data to pay copyright holders, songwriters and publishers who have applied to be MLC members will begin receiving royalty payments and

Moneybagg Yo said he’s made a bundle during the pandemic and that he didn’t want it to end — something he immediately regretted and took back. The Memphis rapper issued a mea culpa Monday after a pair of cringe-worthy tweets about the coronavirus — and how it had affected him (and his net worth) as

Bowerbirds—previously a folk trio, now the recording project of North Carolina singer-songwriter Phil Moore—has announced its first new album since 2012. It’s titled becalmyounglovers, and it arrives April 30 via Psychic Hotline. The new full-length follows a pair of EPs that were released last year, 2020 Singles and Azaleas. Below, check out the music video

Exclusive Tekashi 6ix9ine‘s attorney says the director of an upcoming docuseries who called the rapper a “horrible human being” should zip it … because they’ve never even met. Tekashi’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ … “Supervillain” director Karam Gill is 100 percent wrong in his assessment of 69 and has no clue what he’s talking

Johnny Pacheco—the bandleader, songwriter, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the label Fania Records who helped popularize salsa on an international scale—has died, NPR reports. He was recently hospitalized, according to Fania co-founder Jerry Masucci’s brother Alex Masucci. No cause of death has been disclosed. Pacheco was 85. Pacheco was born in the Dominican Republic and

Play video content ABC Claudia Conway‘s audition for the ‘American Idol’ judges finally aired … showcasing the teen’s talent as well as her politically famous folks. Conway was one of several singers highlighted during the show’s premiere Sunday. Katy Perry was quick to ask the 16-year-old “Are you okay?” as soon as she could. Claudia

D’Angelo has been announced as the next Verzuz guest, though he doesn’t yet have a single set opponent. Instead, he’ll perform live from Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater with an array of unannounced friends. It happens Saturday, February 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern, broadcast on Instagram. Verzuz is now in its second season following its launch

Exclusive Nicki Minaj‘s father, Robert Maraj, has died after being struck in a hit-and-run accident … TMZ has learned. Nassau County Police in New York say he was walking on the road between Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue Friday evening around 6 PM ET, when he was hit by a vehicle heading northbound. Cops say

Bad Bunny has been announced as the next musical guest for Saturday Night Live. The Reggaetón superstar will make his debut performance on the show on February 20. Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page will host the episode. Last spring, Bad Bunny made an appearance in an SNL sketch called “Big Papi Cooking Show” alongside Kenan Thompson,

Exclusive Britney Spears does NOT have her own documentary in the works … we’re told fan speculation and media reports to the contrary are not accurate. A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ … a doc from Britney and her team is definitely NOT happening. We’re told a project of this magnitude would need to