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.

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.

Katy Perry just arrived to an L.A. Federal Courthouse where a trial is set to take place involving her song "Dark Horse."

Perry -- wearing a mint-colored suit -- is expected to testify in the trial today in what has been a lengthy legal battle.

As we reported ... Katy was sued by Christian rapper Flame back in July 2014 after claiming Katy's 2013 hit track "Dark Horse" is a total rip-off of his Grammy-nominated gospel track "Joyful Noise." Flame's music label uploaded the music video in 2008 to YouTube and it has nearly 4 million views.

According to the suit ... Flame says Perry not only jacked their religious music ... she also destroyed his reputation in the Christian music world because they're now associated with the anti-Christian witchcraft and imagery that appears in the "Dark Horse" music video.

Flame claims Katy jacked the underlying beat ... but she's calling BS, saying there are no significant similarities.

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk may have parted ways, but they have come together as parents in a big way ... agreeing to live in the same town and share custody ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the former couple tell us, they have agreed to joint legal and physical custody of 2-year-old Lea De Seine. We're told it's a 50/50 split, although with work schedules it varies from month to month.

And, what's more ... our sources say they do NOT have a formal, written custody agreement.  They're so in sync with co-parenting, they don't feel the need to memorialize it.

We're also told they agreed to live in the same city ... New York City. They had a home in L.A. and also one in New York that they bought last October. It's unclear if Bradley will still be spending much time in L.A.

Bradley and Irina started dating in 2015 and split last month.

President Trump is very much aware of A$AP Rocky's legal sitch in Sweden -- and he's got his team working to get him freed ... thanks in part to Kim K and Kanye West.

That's right ... we've learned Kim and Kanye lobbied The White House to jump in and get involved in the drama across the pond -- where A$AP's been behind bars for more than two weeks now as prosecutors determine if the rapper should be charged with aggravated assault.

Here's how it went down. We're told as soon as Kim and Kanye heard about A$AP's predicament earlier this month ... Kanye urged Kim to get on the horn and talk to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner -- with whom Kim is very familiar from her previous White House work.

Our sources say Kim filled Jared in on what was happening, and Jared then took the info to Trump himself ... whom, we're told, acknowledged something seemed amiss.

In addition to Kim and Kanye, Kareem Lanier and Pastor Darrell Scott of the White House’s Urban Revitalization Coalition, also played a big role … helping to connect ASAP’s management directly with Kushner through a phone call.

We're told Trump told Kushner he believed A$AP was being held unfairly, and wanted to help. As we reported, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got involved and unleashed a few deputies in an attempt to get some action. A State Dept. member was supposed to arrive in Sweden Thursday.  We're told the State Dept. is now actively working to get A$AP out of jail, thanks in large part to Kim's efforts.

However, some feel the State Dept. isn't moving fast enough. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus called Pompeo out for not doing more, though our sources say he's been working tirelessly. Fact is ... Swedish authorities have been unmoved so far ... and our sources say there's now real fear prosecutors might delay their decision beyond the 3 week mark and keep A$AP in custody.

Cardi B has compassion for A$AP Rocky and wants him freed ASAP, but she's not about to boycott a country that has shown her unbridled love ... i.e., Sweden.

Cardi literally (well, almost) stopped Bev Hills in its tracks when she perused the shelves at Prada, with throngs of fans craning their necks to sneak a peak.

Our photog asked if she's down with pulling the plug on appearances in Sweden in protest of Sweden's decision to keep A$AP Rocky in jail while prosecutors noodle over whether to charge him with aggravated assault.

Cardi is clearly empathetic to the plight of A$AP, who's been stuck in a Swedish jail for more than 2 weeks. The State Dept. is actively trying to get him out and, with a little help from Kim and Kanye, President Trump is on board as well.

Cardi hadn't seen our video with Quavo, who said he too was abused by cops in Sweden.

Nike says the Kawhi Leonard logo they created to put on merchandise in 2014 is distinctly different from the logo Kawhi sketched himself back in 2011 ... and they claim the proof is in the pictures.

Remember, Kawhi -- who was under contract with Nike from 2011 to 2018 -- claims he got a cease and desist in late '18 from Swoosh execs who claim they own the copyright to the "Claw Design" and forbid the NBA star from using it elsewhere.

In his lawsuit, filed in June 2019, Kawhi claimed he came up with the design while sketching around in college back in 2011. His version consists of his initials K.L. and jersey number #2 in a hand design. Leonard claims since he created the logo, he should have the rights to it.

But, Nike says that's simply not the case ... explaining they collaborated with Kawhi in 2014 to come up with an original design. Nike claims they submitted several concepts to him with a "number of proposed designs."

In new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Nike admits Kawhi had sent them a copy of his K.L. hand-design sketch as part of the collaborative process.

But, Nike says they eventually settled on an "original" version that is different from Kawhi's sketch.

Nike claims Kawhi signed off on the company using the final "Claw Design" in 2014 -- so they filed a trademark application to effectively own the rights to the image.

Nike says the company found out in 2017 Kawhi also filed an application to trademark the image -- and they were pissed ... saying he has no rights to it and had "fraudulently claimed to be the author and sole owner of the Claw Design."

In their suit, Nike says Kawhi even acknowledged publicly that Nike should be given "all the credit" for the design for turning a "rough draft" into a professional logo.

Nike is countersuing for copyright infringement, fraud and breach of contract -- and they're looking for a judge to stop Kawhi from using the design. They also want unspecified monetary damages.

The Washington Monument is more than a phallic symbol this week ... it's the backdrop for commemorating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

The image is life size -- a 363-foot projection of the Saturn V rocket that launched 3 astronauts on the historic moon mission. The tip of the Monument is nearly 200 feet higher than the tip of the space capsule.

The National Air and Space Museum is hosting a series of events to honor astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins' amazing mission that took them from Earth to the moon.

There will also be a 17-minute show projected onto the Monument Friday and Saturday dubbed "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" ... which will recreate the historic July 20, 1969 launch and subsequent lunar landing that paved the way for Neil Armstrong's most iconic quote after he was first to step on the moon.

Fun fact ... Neil Armstrong said everyone got his famous words wrong ... he did not say "This is one small step for man ..." he says he said "This is one small step for 'A' man." Apparently the "A" got lost in transmission.