Music

Barack Obama's got a healthy mix of hip hop, country, R&B and techno house in his ears right now -- the 43rd President's 2024 summer playlist covers every corner of the music map.

Obama dropped his annual top song selection Monday, along with his summer reading list. Noticeably absent from his music list is the year's biggest-selling tune -- Kendrick Lamar's Drake-diss "Not Like Us."

You don't have to be a former commander-in-chief to know picking that song would spur a hip-hop political debate, but Obama still gave several rappers the spotlight -- Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla's "Wanna Be," Saweetie's "My Best," and throwback cuts like Common's "The People" and 2Pac's "How Do U Want It" also made the cut.

Salt-N-Pepa's Sandra Denton is putting the heat on Southwest after being kicked off a flight last month ... demanding the airline investigate the issue and preserve any evidence in case this turns into a lawsuit.

In a legal letter obtained by TMZ ... Pepa's lawyers call on Southwest to get the ball rolling on investigating her removal from a July flight ... echoing her previous sentiments that a male agent engaged in "inappropriate and unnecessary action" in handling the situation.

The attorneys are going after Southwest with a number of allegations ... including their belief Sandra was racially profiled and discriminated against during the encounter. They've also called into question how certain policies were enforced.

Rihanna's proving that, unlike most of us, she can have it all -- balancing being a billionaire business mogul with being a mom, and a very hands-on one, on vacay with A$AP Rocky and their kids.

The singer was shining bright like a diamond on a beach in her native Barbados ... where she and her rapper boo let 1-year-old Riot Rose and 2-year-old RZA dip their toes in the Caribbean over the weekend.

Rihanna rocked a sheer black maxi cover-up over her bikini, while A$AP was in peak dad mode as they splashed around and caught the sunset with their brood.

It was trouble in paradise for YG and Saweetie ... we've learned the couple had a run-in with cops after getting into one spicy skirmish.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper couple got into a heated argument at their Los Angeles-area home on Saturday afternoon ... where things got so loud someone called the cops out of concern.

We're told deputies rushed over to the residence ... where they immediately separated YG and Saweetie, who apparently got into the spat over some cell phone drama.

Jordan Chiles no longer has an Olympic bronze medal ... but she might have a sweet bronze clock to replace it -- courtesy of Flavor Flav!!!

Just hours after Chiles was stripped of the trophy that she won during the floor competition earlier this month at the Paris Games ... Flav hopped on to X to offer her a cool consolation prize.

The rapper -- who became one of the faces of this year's Olympics after he sponsored the USA women's water polo team -- promised on the social media app to make her a clock chain ... that would be "something NO ONE else has."

Kanye West got two times the fun partying with wifey Bianca Censori ... as she got up close, dancing with a smokin' hot babe.

Check out the clip: BC was shaking it for Ye while he spun the decks at a wild party over the weekend ... but instead of the rapper stepping in, another partygoer couldn’t keep her eyes and hands off of Mrs. West.

Bianca didn’t bat an eye as her new companion moved in, grabbing her ass and sensually caressing her hips, back and arms.

The family of late singer Isaac Hayes is threatening to sue Donald Trump's presidential campaign ... claiming the former prez has been using one of his famous songs without permission at campaign rallies.

Lawyers for Isaac Hayes Enterprises fired off a legal warning shot, sending Trump and his campaign a notice of copyright infringement over the use of Hayes' song "Hold On, I'm Comin'" at Trump rallies.

The singer's family says the anthem has been used at least 134 times at different political events between 2022 to 2024 without permission. Trump notably played the song in Harrisburg, PA back in July ... where he used the track to close out his rally.

An Iowa concert featuring Boosie Badazz was met with gunshots before the show even began ... leaving two men dead.

Boosie was set as the headliner for "The Pull Up Car Show" in Pacific Junction, IA ... a day packed with muscle cars, drag races, and live performances from various artists.

However, before the concert portion of the event was about to begin, shots were fired in the parking lot. Two men, both in their late twenties from Omaha, NE, died in the shooting. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear.

Charli XCX is looking more like Charli XOXO after a lunch date with her fiancé, George Daniel ... where they were way more into getting their hands all over each other than any food.

The 1975 drummer didn't hide his affection for Charli XCX, getting handsy with her, constantly caressing the British pop star's face Saturday in L.A.'s Los Feliz neighborhood.

The couple got engaged last November, but based on them gazing at each other like horned-up teenagers ... we'd say they're still in a honeymoon phase.

Miley Cyrus is reliving her child star days, and she's actually embracing her "Hannah Montana" era ... because it's now made her the youngest ever Disney Legend!

This tribute's no joke ... it’s for those who’ve seriously shaped Disney’s magic. So, no shocker that Miley got a bit teary as she hit the stage Sunday with 13 other legends at the D23 event in Anaheim, CA.

The crowd went wild with endless applause ... cranking up Miley’s emotions as she reminisced about her iconic Disney Channel days as "Hannah Montana."

Sabrina Carpenter got quite a scare during her California concert over the weekend – she was filmed dashing away in terror after hearing exploding fireworks.

The pop star was performing onstage in front of a packed audience at San Francisco's Outside Lands music fest Saturday when pyrotechnics started going off behind her.

Check out the video ... Sabrina is dancing with her cast and crew while asking the crowd to give it up for everyone.

Luke Bryan's selling his Florida beachfront home ... and someone finally pulled together the kinda scratch he was looking for -- 8 figures worth -- to part ways with the property.

TMZ has learned the country singer has a pending sale for his five-bedroom, five-bathroom home on the Sunshine State's panhandle. Luke was asking $12.95 million -- an astronomical price -- but one buyer clearly thinks it's worth it.

The 4,645-square-foot house sits on over an acre of land in Santa Rosa Beach complete with a Gulf adjacent pool -- for days when walking those 100 or so extra steps just doesn't seem worth it -- heart pine floors, elevated ceilings and a modern kitchen full of the newest appliances.

The 2024 Olympics are officially a wrap ... closing a memorable, controversial Paris Games with star-studded performances by Snoop Dogg, Billie Eilish and The Red Hot Chili Peppers!

The celebration, which kicked off at the Stade de France Sunday afternoon, saw competitors from across the globe, celebrating their new gold, silver, and bronze hardware, coming together one final time for a variety of big performances from dancers, musicians and more.

The first big act came from French indie band, Phoenix, who performed their big hit, "Lisztomania," as the athletes surrounded the stage. The band later collaborated with Kavinsky for a rendition of the party anthem, "Nightcall."

Kanye West took a big L at the hands of someone he's had beef with for years -- one Taylor Swift!

Kanye's streak of 11 consecutive No. 1 albums was just broken, because "Vultures 2" fell short of the top spot by 1 ... and that 1 belongs to TS' "The Tortured Poets Department."

Taylor must be reveling in her latest win. Kanye's been a thorn in her side ever since 2009, when he hijacked her moment at the MTV Video Music Awards, telling the world Beyoncé was robbed and should have taken home the prize.

Nelly got a slot at Machine Gun Kelly's concert over the weekend, and the crowd went wild!

Funny thing is ... the biggest fanboy in the venue was MGK himself, who went nuts as Nelly sang "Grillz" and "Air Force Ones." MGK filmed the rapper and was crazy excited!

Nelly's appearance was part of the annual MGK Day celebration in Cleveland.