Music

Jamaican musician U-Roy has died, Jamaican media sources reports. His longtime collaborator Neil Fraser, aka Ariwa Sounds studio’s Mad Professor, confirmed the news to Pitchfork. U-Roy, or Daddy U-Roy, was known for pioneering the vocal style of “toasting,” performing conversational, rhythmic speech over a reggae or dancehall beat. Throughout his career, U-Roy released some 20

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,

Françoise Cactus, the singer, drummer, and co-songwriter of the prolific French-German indie duo Stereo Total, has died. The band broke the news on social media. “We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved friend, singer and drummer Françoise Cactus,” Stereo Total wrote on the band’s Facebook page. “She died peacefully at home this

Play video content Breaking News Youtube/Demi Lovato Demi Lovato is revealing for the first time doctors believed she only had 5-10 minutes to live when she overdosed … and it’s all part of one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year. The singer says she suffered 3 strokes and a heart attack during the

serpentwithfeet has shared another new song from his forthcoming new album DEACON. Listen to “Same Size Shoe” below. The song is an exploration and discussion of the singer-songwriter’s dating life. “​I​ ​prefer to date and love on Black men,” serpentwithfeet said in a statement. “I don’t want to be with anyone who can’t go to

Exclusive Details Rapper Cyhi the Prynce claims someone tried to gun him down on the highway in Atlanta … and he’s lucky to be alive after flipping his vehicle and crashing into a tree. The Atlanta PD tells TMZ … it responded to a car accident on February 11 at 11:41 PM and found an

Dawn Richard has announced her first LP for Merge Records. The album, Second Line: An Electro Revival, is out on April 30. The announcement comes with the music video for the record’s “Bussifame.” Watch Richard’s self-directed video below. In a press release, Richard called Second Line “a movement to bring pioneering Black women in electronic

Play video content Exclusive TMZ.com Kodak Black visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High on the third anniversary of the deadly mass shooting there … and he came bearing gifts of education. The rapper was in Parkland, FL Sunday for a memorial to honor the 17 victims claimed during the 2018 shooting rampage — with upwards of

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

Nick Hakim is issuing a fully remixed version of last year’s WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD. It’s out February 26 (via ATO) and includes re-works by AceMo, Pink Siifu, KeiyaA, Slauson Malone, Big Thief’s James Krivchenia, and more. Hakim shared a new version of “QADIR” remixed by BADBADNOTGOOD with the news. Listen to it 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

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

The insurrection is dividing heavy metal band Iced Earth … the lead singer and bassist quit after the group’s founder was arrested for allegedly raiding the Capitol. Stu Block and Luke Appleton announced Monday they’re no longer rocking with Iced Earth, citing Jon Schaffer‘s role in the deadly riot as the catalyst. Stu, the lead

Ketchy the Great, the Los Angeles rapper best known as a member of the Stinc Team alongside Drakeo the Ruler, has died. His management confirmed the news to Pitchfork. Further details surrounding his death are currently unknown. Born Jameon Davis, Ketchy made his name in L.A.’s underground rap scene. He appeared on multiple songs by

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

Moses Boyd has released a new remix of his song “2 Far Gone” featuring Katy B. The track originally appeared on the London jazz drummer’s 2020 album Dark Matter, which was nominated for the 2020 Mercury Prize and netted him AIM’s UK Independent Breakthrough Artist of the Year award. Listen to it below. Katy B’s

Exclusive Yella Beezy was arrested Saturday on weapons charges, but the rapper says this was a set-up … TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … Yella Beezy was driving in Dallas when cops pulled him over after they claim he was running stop signs. They searched his car — unclear why — and

Bronx rapper and producer MIKE has released a new mixtape under his dj blackpower moniker. The eight-track project, titled BLP2021:“For Ur Own Good,” features appearances from Anysia Kym, Darryl Johnson, and Slauson Malone. Check it out below. BLP2021:“For Ur Own Good” is currently available on Bandcamp and SoundCloud, but will eventually be released on streaming

Play video content Breaking News Tekashi 6ix9ine and Meek Mill came an inch from trading punches early Sunday morning … as their long-standing beef reached a boiling point. The 2 men were at a club in Atlanta and as Meek was getting in his car to leave, Tekashi appeared and they both started jawboning. In

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

Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield) and Kevin Morby performed together on CBS This Morning yesterday (February 13), playing songs from their respective 2020 albums Saint Cloud (“Fire,” “Lilacs”) and Sundowner (“Campfire,” which featured Crutchfield, and the title track). Check those performances out below. In November, the couple appeared together in the Paris, Texas homage that was Morby’s

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

Milford Graves, the pioneering jazz drummer, professor, inventor, herbalist, visual and martial artist, has died, as NPR’s Lars Gotrich reports. He was 79. In 2018, Graves had been diagnosed with amyloid cardiomyopathy—colloquially known as stiff heart syndrome—and told he had six months to live. Born in Queens in 1941, Graves was a pioneer of free

Taylor Swift‘s experiment with her old songs is proving to be fruitful out of the gate — the early numbers are in for the first song of the big batch ahead of her, and they’re not too shabby. Billboard documented the single-day download and radio play data that has come in since Taylor released “Love

Nigerian singer-songwriter Fireboy DML was the musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (February 12). For his U.S. late-night debut, Fireboy performed a medley of “Champion,” from his latest studio album Apollo, and his 2019 track “Vibration” from Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps. He was joined by a full band and a

Play video content Cardi B is one happy lady, because she got a pretty spectacular pre-Valentine’s Day gift from her hubby. Cardi, with Kulture in tow, surveyed Offset‘s handiwork Friday … their living room filled with beautiful floral arrangements. Cardi and Kulture were gleeful as they checked out a bed filled with rose petals in

Legendary audio engineer, recording equipment inventor, and entrepreneur Rupert Neve has died, according to a statement posted to his official website. An obituary shared by representatives reveals that the cause of death was “non-Covid pneumonia and heart failure.” He was 94 years old. Born in Newton Abbott, England, in 1926, Neve volunteered in the British

Nelly‘s flip turned out to be a flop … so he’s unloading this Missouri mansion to finally 86 it from his real estate portfolio. The “Hot in Herre” rapper has put this Wildwood, MO home on the market for $599,000 … 19 years after he purchased the home. The plan was to remodel it and