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Ray J's living proof the rich just get richer ... because his investment yielded a 17,000 percent return on his investment ... yes, 17,000 PERCENT!!!

Ray J was playing a penny-slot game called "Buffalo" and won $17,000. We're told he plunked down a total of $100 so, yeah, it was a good day at the slots.

In case you want in ... Ray hit up the San Manuel Casino in San Bernardino County. It was quite the scene ... a crowd gathered to watch Ray J rake in the dough.

He played the slots because he considers himself an old man now, and that's what old folks do. BTW ... he's 40.

Ray has retired his days as a big gambler on table games, particularly roulette ... and his most recent lucky streak is probably a sign that's a good idea.

It's not like he needs money ... Ray's Raycon earbuds hit a milestone earlier this year ... 1 million unique customers who paid between $80 and $150 a pop. Translation ... he made a fortune, and that's just on one product.

Rapper Mo Fayne's song and dance about needing to get out of jail to fix a bum wing and send his daughter off to college didn't fly ... 'cause the judge just denied his request.

The "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star had a hearing Monday in Georgia, where prosecutors argued Fayne should remain locked up behind bars until sentencing in his federal bank fraud cause ... for which he's already pled guilty.

For starters, prosecutors said Fayne should NOT be let out of jail because long before he was locked up he had already been looking for ways to finagle his way out of jail by Googling which countries he could head to without fear of extradition.

Prosecutors also said Fayne's a hardcore fraudster who talked about swindling other people. They called him a menace and a danger to the public.

The judge shared the feds' concerns about Fayne's online travel search, as well as allegations he'd bragged to a witness he wouldn't end up spending a day in jail.

Fayne's been locked up since December after violating the terms of his bond for allegedly contacting a potential witness. He's slated to be sentenced in September.

TMZ broke the story ... Fayne pled guilty to 6 counts of federal bank fraud after prosecutors say he funded a lavish lifestyle during the pandemic with a Paycheck Protection Program loan. He's accused of using the money to pay off debts, like child support.

The man who claims to have found and returned Daniel Sturridge's stolen dog in 2019 is now suing the soccer star ... alleging the athlete has STILL not paid him the reward money he promised.

Foster Washington spelled it all out in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports ... saying Sturridge owes him reward money -- which was reported to be around $37,000 -- for helping him get his Pomeranian, Lucci, back nearly 2 years ago.

Washington says after Sturridge claimed the dog had been stolen in a July 2019 burglary in Los Angeles ... Washington found Lucci on the street.

Washington says because Sturridge reportedly offered a reward, he reached out.

In the suit, Washington says he got in touch with Sturridge and ultimately returned the dog expecting the reward money in exchange.

The problem? Washington claims Sturridge -- who's reportedly made over $40 million in his soccer career -- never paid him a dime ... so now he's suing him over it, claiming Sturridge breached a contract by not living up to the reward offer.

Before this little cutie was showing off her scary good acting skills, she was just another cute kid smiling for the camera in Washington, D.C.

This little lady has been making audiences laugh at some of the most absurd on-screen scenes for over two decades. She first gained a large following with her stand-out performance in a parody film series ... starring alongside her quirky counterpart, Anna Faris.

Even now, this funny female is still tickling the world's funny bone -- such as in the ensemble comedy movie where she takes a trip with her best gal pals.

Mark York -- best known for playing Billy Merchant in the early goings of "The Office" -- has died following an illness.

The actor died last week at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio. His death came quickly after the illness surfaced, but the exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

York grew up in Ohio, but left for California to pursue acting ... he eventually landed small TV roles such as "CSI: New York" in 2004 and "Fighting Words" in 2007, but undoubtedly his most memorable gig was playing Billy Merchant in seasons 1 and 2 of "The Office."

Mark, a paraplegic since 1988, had some memorable moments on the show, but his funniest came in season 2, episode 14 in "The Injury" episode ... where Mark's character is brought in for Michael Scott's disability-awareness meeting.

More recently ... Mark had been working as an inventor and had recently secured 2 patents for his inventions. He was an avid Cincinnati Reds, Kentucky Wildcats basketball and Ohio State football fan.

He's survived by his brother, mother and father.

Mark was 55.

RIP

The NBA says LeBron James was not blocked from playing after violating the league's COVID protocol because officials decided he was NOT a risk to spread the virus.

In fact, the league says investigators determined everyone who was allowed at the May 17 event for LeBron's tequila company -- the event that triggered the violation -- was either vaccinated or tested negative for COVID before being admitted.

The event was attended by some massive celebrities including Michael B. Jordan and Drake.

There was some outrage after the league announced LeBron had attended the event -- with some calling for the NBA superstar to serve a mandatory quarantine before being allowed on the court out of fear he could infect someone else ... especially since he refuses to publicly confirm or deny if he's been vaccinated.

But, the NBA says there's nothing to fear ...

"LeBron James briefly attended an outdoor event last week where participants were required to be vaccinated or return a negative test result," a league spokesperson said Monday,

"Under these circumstances and in consultation with medical experts, it was determined that his attendance did not create risks related to the spread of COVID-19 and therefore no quarantine was necessary."

The NBA also says LeBron did NOT receive special treatment because he's a superstar.

"Over the course of this season, there have been numerous similar violations of the league's Health and Safety Protocols, which were addressed with the player's team in a similar fashion."

Then, the league added this line ... which makes it sound like Bron HAS been vaccinated.

"Under current NBA rules, vaccinated players are permitted to engage in outside activities including their individual commercial arrangements, such as sponsor appearances or ad shoots."

Halsey, Khalid and Benny Blanco might be able to do anything if they put their minds to it -- and one band claims the hitmakers were set on ripping off a song 3 years ago.

Konstantine Lois and Shane Williams say they wrote a song called 'Loveless' in 2015 for Williams' musical group American XO. Now, they've just sued the above-mentioned A-listers ... claiming their 2018 smash hit, "Eastside," is basically a carbon copy of their own tune.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Lois and Williams are suing for copyright infringement and are going after not only Halsey, Khalid and Blanco -- but also Ed Sheeran, who's credited as a songwriter on "Eastside," plus the labels who distributed it. They say the similarities are fairly obvious ... to their ears, at least.

The pair break down in excruciating detail what they claim are virtually identical note dyads, note intervals, similar tempos and an all-around familiar beat -- and it doesn't sound like they think it's a coincidence either ... pointing to interviews Blanco gave that they say prove their case.

In a Vibe article, Blanco is quoted as saying he listens to 10 to 12 new artists every day in hopes of finding inspiration for ideas he could try himself. Based on their lawsuit, Lois and Williams seem to believe Benny stumbled upon their ditty somehow -- which was streaming at that point -- and then lifted parts of it for "Eastside."

You can listen to the 2 songs yourself, and make up your own mind.

Chi Modu -- one of the most famous photographers in hip-hop history, documenting iconic shots from the 1990s -- has died.

An Instagram post announcing the sad news went up Saturday, with a caption that read ... "Our hearts are broken... We continue the fight ©💪🏾 The family request privacy at this time 📷." It was accompanied by a photo of him and his lifespan in years, 1966-2021.

The details surrounding his death weren't released.

Chi had snapped one of the most memorable batches of photos as it pertains to music -- shooting a variety of rappers in the '90s, which went on to grace the covers of memorable albums, as well as T-shirts and stills for years to come.

He's perhaps best known for photographing Prodigy and Havoc of Mobb Deep for the cover of their 1995 album, 'The Infamous' ... but he might be just as known for his black and white photo of a shirtless Tupac, with his hands up near his head and cigarette smoke blowing.

There are countless other legendary artists in his repertoire, including The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, Nas, Diddy, LL Cool J, Wu-Tang Clan, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Ice-T, Run-DMC, Q-Tip, Gang Starr, Geto Boyz, Redman, Dead Prez, Eminem, Fat Joe, Kris Kross, Mac Miller, Ty Dolla $ign, Common and Flavor Flav.

The list can go on forever -- but bottom line ... your favorite rapper has probably been shot at one point or another by Chi ... whose work is well-documented and seriously unmatched.

The guy started at The Source and was pretty much tasked with getting in with these acts that were bubbling at the time ... and sure enough, they gave him unprecedented access to document their work, lifestyles and their most intimate moments. All the photos made for sick shots, which goes without saying.

His photojournalism went beyond just hip-hop, BTW -- Chi traveled the world and snapped a wealth of pics in countries all over Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Chi's contribution to photography and music culture is unparalleled ... and his death is, frankly, shocking.

He was only 54.

RIP

Elliot Page looks like he's digging his new look -- he just shared a shirtless pic that makes it clear ... he ain't skipping abs day in the gym!!! First shirtless photo since having surgery to remove his breasts ... and he looks jacked.

The "Juno" star -- who recently came out as a transgender man -- is showing off a 6-pack by a pool in his first shirtless shot.

Elliot's rocking a huge smile, and he's got good reason -- besides the abs, of course -- he's said how happy he is to finally be living his truth. Elliot added a couple hashtags to that point ... #transjoy and #transisbeautiful.

As you know ... Elliot revealed in March he underwent a procedure to remove breast tissue and reconstruct the remaining chest tissue and skin. He says he was actually recovering from the surgery in Canada in December when he first came out on Instagram.

What's better than prepping for voluntary NFL workouts??? If you're Aaron Rodgers ... clearly it's singing and dancing in Hawaii!!!

Here's video of the Packers star partying his face off in Kapalua just two days before he skipped out on Green Bay organized team activities ... and yeah, it doesn't seem like an end to his beef with his team is coming anytime soon.

We're told ... it all went down Saturday night when the quarterback and his fiancee, Shailene Woodley, showed up to a local restaurant and could not have had a better time.

We're told Rodgers -- along with Woodley, actor Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh -- were all enjoying food and music when they decided to turn things up a notch.

The group requested songs, sang and danced -- and video shows they all had a helluva lot of fun!

Check out the footage, Aaron and the rest of the crew were hanging loose, belting out classics and playing the guitar -- and we're told they all partied together for about 2 hours!

Of course, back in Wisconsin, Rodgers' coaches and teammates would certainly rather see him doing all of that in the Green Bay locker room.

You'll recall, Rodgers is currently feuding with the team over his contract situation and some of its recent personnel decisions ... and he's skipped out on Monday's OTAs presumably because of it all.

We're told Aaron did not seem disgruntled in any way ... not even bringing up his football drama and instead just enjoying the moment.

Kim Kardashian's maintenance and cleaning crew have come together to go after her in court for allegedly failing to pay wages, provide meal breaks and cover expenses ... but Kim claims she's the wrong target, and the vendor is the one who short-changed the workers.

According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- 7 staffers who say they worked for Kim at her Hidden Hills property are suing her, claiming they were told upon hire they were full-time employees ... but they say they were treated as independent contractors instead and got screwed out of full-time employee benefits.

However, a rep for Kim tells TMZ ... she hired a third-party vendor for the ongoing maintenance/cleaning services, and she's not privy to the agreement made between the vendor and the workers. The rep insists Kim “is not responsible for how the vendor manages their business and the agreements they have made directly with their staff."

The rep adds ... "Kim has never not paid a vendor for their services and hopes that the issue between these workers and the vendor who hired them can be amicably resolved soon."

In the docs, the workers allege they were not given pay stubs, not paid on a regular schedule, not given meal and rest breaks, not properly reimbursed for expenses, not provided a system to record their hours, and thus ... were not paid for all of their hours, including overtime.

According to the lawsuit, one employee also claims he was fired after he inquired about his rights and those of his son ... whom he says was only 16, but worked more than the maximum hours allowed for a minor under California labor law.

Again, we're told Kim's stance is this is an issue with the vendor ... and she's not the one workers should be going after. As one source put it, Kim's never missed a cellphone bill payment, let alone payment for workers at her home.

Casey Anthony apparently had an ugly run-in with a woman she's been beefing with for a long time over a man they both previously dated ... this according to West Palm Beach PD.

The formerly accused and acquitted child killer appears to have called the police this weekend while out at a bar in town called O'Shea's Irish Pub ... where she told cops she'd had a heated argument with an archnemesis.

Per the police report, obtained by TMZ, Casey told officers the other lady -- who's identified as Thelma Moya -- was arguing with her at the bar and spilled a drink on Casey's leg when things escalated.

The report notes that the call came in as someone throwing a drink in another person's face. Casey went on to tell cops this was a longstanding feud because she and Moya once dated the same guy ... at the same time. No word on who the lucky fella is.

Anyway, the officer says he told Casey about how to go about filing a restraining order ... but she turned down that option, and simply wanted this alleged altercation documented. It doesn't appear Moya was arrested, or that she was even on the scene when the police arrived.

As for Casey ... looks like she's holding down the fort at O'Shea's. She was spotted at the exact same place a few years ago, chatting up the regulars.

Bam Margera says his "Jackass" family betrayed, abandoned and rejected him ... so now he's on his own in Florida, where he says he's getting the help he needs.

The "Jackass" star ripped into his movie co-stars in a lengthy rant Sunday night, specifically going after Johnny Knoxville and director Jeff Tremaine, claiming they've treated him horribly.

Bam, as we first reported, was axed from the upcoming 'Jackass 4,' and says Johnny and Jeff "strung me along like a puppet" before a messy exit.

Steve-O is trying to get through to Bam, though ... he says Johnny and Jeff bent over backward to get Bam in the movie and all Bam needed to do was "not get loaded," but couldn't stay sober.

As we first told you ... Bam says his most recent rehab stint made his life much worse and he felt like he was going to die from an overdose or suicide.

Regrets, he's had a few ...

Malik Beasley has issued a public apology to his wife and son -- after he ditched the family for a fling with Larsa Pippen in late 2020.

"I wana say sorry for putting you in the situation you were put in the last few months," the 24-year-old NBA player wrote to Montana Yao on Instagram ... "my head wasn’t were it was supposed to be."

As we previously reported, Yao felt "blindsided" by photos of her husband holding hands with 46-year-old Larsa Pippen during a Nov. 23 outing in Miami.

Yao -- who married Beasley in March 2020 -- filed for divorce in December. They have a 2-year-old son, Makai, together.

Around the time she filed for divorce, Montana ripped Malik on social media ... saying she and her son were "told to leave our family home 10 days ago and just like you all I'm pretty confused."

She continued, "There have been no public or private addressing of the situation nor any type of apology."

Now, seems Beasley is finally ready to reconcile ... and though he never mentions Larsa by name in his IG post, it's obvious he's referring to her.

"I was looking for more when it was right here that whole time," Beasley said ... "I’m telling the world and you that there’s no body like you for me."

Beasley also claims he was the one who broke things off with Larsa -- saying, "For the record I was the one who ended my last relationship off the fact that there is no one like you."

He added, "Also for the record i wanted to do my own ish cuz I just left u guys and I def ain’t the type to set up pictures at the mall n ish .. as that’s some childish ish and I’m trying to grow individually and grow a family .. a real family."

Beasley says he's not "looking to be judged I’m looking for forgiveness."

"To forgive me for hurting my family the way I did. At the end of the day I’m a lover boy and I miss holding y’all and loving y’all.. I love you mu shi .. I love you kai Kai. My family over thing."

Question now ... is the apology coming too little, too late? Or will Montana take him back?

Drake's 3-year-old son clearly has dad's knack for big moments -- he made an unforgettable night at the Billboard Music Awards even more memorable by getting emotional on stage.

The hip-hop star cemented his spot as a legend Sunday night as he was named Artist of the Decade, and his little boy, Adonis, took the stage with him to accept the award ... to give it an adorable boost.

As Drake spoke to the celeb-stacked crowd at the Microsoft Theater in L.A. about dedication to his music and using his fear to fuel improvement, his son hugged his legs pretty tight.

But, as Champagne Papi was closing his speech, Adonis seemed to have had enough and started walking away ... only to get picked up by Drake and start crying as his father dedicated the award to him.

As we first told you ... Drake's mother, Sandi, was also in attendance to watch him win the huge award Sunday night, which previously went to Mariah Carey in the 1990s and Eminem in the 2000s.

Drake and friends celebrated his win at SoFi Stadium -- home of the L.A. Rams and Chargers -- after the show ... and there was a massive message on the big screen.

The lead singer of the music group that won the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest did NOT use drugs live on air during their celebration ... according to an official investigation.

As we told you ... Damiano David of the Italian band Maneskin -- which took top honors at the singing competition -- was accused of snorting a bump of cocaine after video showed him lowering his head toward a table where the group was gathered.

However, the European Broadcasting Union that organized the event says it conducted a review of the footage and facts -- while also claiming David took a voluntary drug test that came back negative, and determined ... "No drug use took place in the Green Room and we consider the matter closed."

The EBU added that "inaccurate speculation leading to fake news" tarnished this year's event and unfairly impacted Maneskin ... which the organization congratulated again for winning and wished them success.

As we reported ... David claimed the reason he was looking down by the table in the video clip was because a bandmate had broken a glass, and insisted to reporters he doesn't do drugs.