Jordyn Woods isn't only in the business of making music videos, so everyone's wondering why she's starring in Rick Ross' ... well we know, and it's meant to be an homage to her late father.

Sources close to Jordyn tell TMZ ... she recently met the 'Miami' rapper while the two were doing an episode of VH1's "Hip Hop Squares." They got to talking and Jordyn's mom, Elizabeth Woods, brought up the fact her late husband loved -- LOVED -- RR's music.

Everyone exchanged numbers on the game show set, and they kept in touch. Soon after, Rick expressed to Jordyn he had a great opportunity for her ... and wanted her to be the leading lady in his newest music vid.

We're told Jordyn jumped at the offer ... feeling it was a great way to honor her father's memory. John Woods died in January 2017 -- when Jordyn was just 19 -- after a battle with cancer.

As we reported ... the music video shoot went down Wednesday in Miami, where Jordyn was showing off her figure in some lingerie and a cute dress, with Ross on her hip.

Jadakiss says there's logic behind his pizza crust ordering practices ... when there's cheese on the pie, they have to give him plenty of dairy-air.

The "Why" rapper raised eyebrows this week when a Brooklyn pizza shop posted an image on social media showing his custom order ... a cheese pizza with the center cut out, leaving behind nothing but a ring of crust.

Jadakiss tells us the crust has been his favorite part of pizza since he was a kid ... and now that he's 44, he cuts right to the chase and skips everything except the crust because he's on a health kick, and dairy is not part of his diet.

Jadakiss says that's been his drill for years -- cheese pizza, hold the cheese.

Kiss says the viral image is actually from a year ago, and his good friend, the owner of Cuts and Slices pizza shop in Brooklyn, re-posted it after another pizza parlor announced it was now offering a pie made only of crust.

Jadakiss' odd order sent the internet into a tizzy ... but he's not dishing back the hate he's received. He says pizza lovers should order their pies however they want, and he's got nothing against peeps who pile on cheese. It just ain't for him.

Yung Joc is doing penance for the way he treated women in the past, because he now wants to have his wedding televised without making a dime, so he can show others people can change.

The "It's Goin' Down" rapper just got engaged to Atlanta criminal defense lawyer Kendra Robinson. The date for the wedding has not been set, but YJ is a man with a plan.

Anyone who's familiar with "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" knows ... Yung Joc has been a dirty dog when it comes to women. The show has chronicled lying, cheating ... the works.

He now says he's found his soulmate and is changing his ways. He thinks it's important to pay it forward by not getting paid for a televised wedding, so he can show other men they too can come back to the straight and narrow.

Fact is ... there's potentially a fortune he'd be leaving on the table. Gucci Mane scored a $1 million deal for his nuptials.

BTW ... his engagement to Kendra is not without issues. She made it clear she heard rumors he was stepping on her around the time leading up to their engagement, but she still said yes.

Joc tells us he wouldn't necessarily turn money away if offered, but if that were his motivation he's kind of screwing himself by putting it out there he'd say "I do" without scoring some Benjamins.

Keith Thurman says Floyd Mayweather is straight CHICKEN -- accusing the boxing legend of running scared before he retired and now he's calling Floyd out.

"If he wanted a real fight, he would have saw me years ago," Thurman tells TMZ Sports.

"You never wanted to fight me. I was right there right underneath you for years. I was the #1 contender of the WBA and then they made you super champion so that our names didn't have to be in the same sentence together."

FYI, a WBA Super Champ is a fighter who holds multiple titles in the same division -- and is exempt from mandatory title defenses. Essentially, Super Champs can pick their own opponents.

Thurman says during Floyd's active fighting days, there were plenty of opportunities to make a fight between the two ... but Mayweather wussed out and didn't want the smoke.

Now, Thurman -- who's 29-0 -- is gearing up for the biggest fight of his career against Manny Pacquiao on Saturday ... and he knows a victory could open some huge doors.

In fact, Keith says he sees big fights with stars like Terence "Bud" Crawford and Errol Spence in 2020 ... and says, "I'm very open to those contracts."

But, for now, Thurman says the plan is to beat Manny and then take the rest of 2019 off to gear up for a massive 2020.

Hawaii born Tony Scalzo gained fame in the late '90s when his American Rock band Fastball climbed the Billboard charts with their catchy song "The Way" and the follow-up slow jam "Out Of My Head."

Tony Scalzo is one of the founding members of Fastball and still records and plays gigs with the band's other two OGs including Miles Zuniga on guitar and Joey Shuffield on drums.

Fun(ish) Fact: "The Way" was inspired by the true story of a Texas couple who were found deceased in their car after driving hundreds of miles from home.

R. Kelly is scared for his life behind bars ... fearing retaliation from fellow inmates who know he's accused of horrid sex crimes involving underage girls.

Kelly's attorney, Nicole Blank Becker, tells TMZ ... during a recent visit with the embattled singer in federal prison, he told solitary helps because he believes his life would be in real danger in gen pop. Kelly feels way safer by himself.

As we reported ... Kelly is behind bars for the foreseeable future because the judge denied bond during Tuesday's hearing. Prosecutors say they have their hands on the alleged sex tapes at the center of the probe, which they claim show Kelly having sex with underage girls.

Although Kelly thinks he's better off in solitary, his attorney says it creates a problem because he has no one to lean on. He can't read or write, and that makes even the most mundane tasks super difficult, such as figuring out what's on the commissary list.

Kelly has access to a phone for a total of 15 minutes a month to speak with family and friends.  Prisoners in general pop have access to the phone all the time. There's also no access to TV or the internet.

A crew member on the show "Titans" was killed during a stunt after he was struck by a heavy object.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the crew member -- a special effects coordinator -- died Thursday in Toronto where the DC Comics show is filmed.

The tragedy occurred at a test facility where production crew work out the kinks for stunts.  Once perfected, the scene is played out on location.

The stunt in question at the test facility was a car that was supposed to flip on its side. The car did indeed flip, but a piece of metal from some sort of welded contraption that was attached to the car flew off.

That object struck the special effects coordinator -- who was standing nearby -- in the head. EMT's put the man on a stretcher and took him to the hospital, but cops tell us he died en route.

Production will be shut down for 2 days. The Ministry of Labour is now investigating.

Executive Producers from "Titans" tell TMZ, "We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of our treasured colleague, special effects coordinator Warren Appleby, after an accident which occurred at a special effects facility during the preparation and testing for an upcoming shoot.  Warren is beloved by all who worked with him during an impressive 25-year career in television and motion pictures. The executive producers, along with everyone, in the TITANS family, Warner Bros. Television Group and DC UNIVERSE, wish to express our deepest condolences, and heartfelt love and support, to Warren's family and friends at this most difficult time."

Joe Biden wanted to show the world he has soul, so what better place to prove it than Dulan's on Crenshaw.

In case you don't know, Dulan's Soul Food is an L.A. institution, and clearly Biden knows it. So, after the shellacking he took during the first debate courtesy of Sen. Kamala Harris, he grabbed an apron and got to work.

Our photog tested his mettle, asking the hard question ... What's your favorite dish? Answer:  Potatoes, eggs, sausage, bacon and fried chicken -- solid choices, all of them.

"It’s my turn to take care of you now."

AWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

That's new Kansas City Chiefs rookie Mecole Hardman's message to his mom after he surprised her with a new house ... and, yeah, the video is a tear-jerker.

Unclear where the new pad is -- we're assuming somewhere near Arrowhead Stadium so Mama Mecole can watch her son ball with the Chiefs -- but it looks like a sick place regardless.

There's a pool, a brand-new kitchen and plenty of yard space. It's pretty sweet.

"I been dreaming of buying my mama a house since I was 8 and now to finally do it words can’t explain how happy i am," Mecole said of the gift ... "I love you ma x1000000000."

Mecole was a 2nd-round draft pick of the Chiefs and reportedly just inked a 4-year, $5 MILLION deal ... and he said on camera his mom's new house is already fully paid for.

Slim 400 thought he was a goner as a hail of bullets rained down on him during a drive-by shooting in Compton ... but he miraculously survived, and now he says he can't be stopped!!!

Slim joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us the lowdown on last month's ambush, which sent him to the ICU and into surgery 4 times after he was shot NINE TIMES by masked gunmen.

The "Bruisin" rapper admits he thought he was toast when the shots were popping off ... and he details the shooting, telling us why he was able to make it out of there alive.

It's pretty impressive ... Slim is walking around on his own less than 3 weeks after being shot, and the only noticeable injury is a loss of hearing in one ear, which he hopes will restore in time.

Slim explains why he taunted his shooters -- who are still on the streets -- and tells us what minor changes he's making after his brush with death. Sounds like he's heeding YG's advice to "stay dangerous."

Representative Ilhan Omar says she's not scared for herself in the wake of Donald Trump's battle cry -- that she should go back to where she came from -- but she's mighty concerned for, as she puts it, "people who share my identity."

We got the Minnesota Congresswoman on Capitol Hill Thursday in a pap crush that rivals Kim Kardashian. She told our photog, Colin, Trump is sending a message to people who come from other countries like hers that they are not welcome in America.

Rep. Omar says her message is a direct counter -- that people with her background belong in this country and have the ability to serve the country ... that America is their country.

She's clearly touched by the support she's received from Cardi B and other celebrities who have embraced her.

The Ambassador to Sweden says her country does not have it in for black people, and as for A$AP Rocky, he's being treated fairly.

Karin Olofsdotter appeared on 'TMZ Live' Thursday and maintained A$AP Rocky has not been unfairly singled out after his arrest, more than 2 weeks ago, for allegedly assaulting a man on the street.

We challenged the Ambassador, because the man the rapper allegedly assaulted him first, and it's all on video. The Ambassador suggested A$AP's crime may be more serious, although she wouldn't elaborate.

She also scoffed at the notion black people might now be afraid to travel to Sweden, given what happened to A$AP and what Quavo told us about what happened to him. She said Sweden proudly is in the top 5 countries that enforce the "rule of law."

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is raiding a Hollywood Hills home in connection to a shooting involving an SUV registered to YG, which left one deputy shot and an innocent bystander dead.

Sheriff's sources say the house is leased by YG ... but he was not detained or arrested and was not present on the property during the raid. Deputies got a judge to sign a search warrant in connection with the incident involving a wild police chase earlier this month.

As TMZ reported, someone inside an SUV registered to YG fired shots from inside the vehicle, striking a deputy. A pedestrian was killed during the crossfire between deputies and the shooter. The incident occurred on July 3 in Compton.

Four men have been handcuffed at the scene and have been placed in patrol cars while deputies continue their search inside the house.

YG denied he was there at the time of the shooting, saying, "I was nowhere near the scene of this incident and had been in a recording studio all day in Hollywood. I was there until after midnight on the 4th of July and didn't learn of these events until after they happened."

Jordyn Woods is making some boss moves after being kicked to the curb by the Kardashians ... linking up with Rick Ross and becoming a music video vixen!!!

Kylie Jenner's former BFF was on the set of the rapper's new music vid Wednesday in Miami, showing off her endless curves in some sexy lingerie and a super revealing dress. No wonder Rick recruited her.

RR is looking pretty fly himself ... throwing on a black and white animal print button down and dripping hard with some gold chains. Rozay is peak South Beach.

But, this is all about Jordyn and how well she's doing for herself without the Kardashians.