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Kanye West and Lil Durk may be working together a lot more in the future if all goes according to Ye's plan ... which is to free Durk of his current label situation.

Sources close to Kanye's camp tell TMZ Hip Hop that Ye is currently in talks to buy Durk out of his contract with Alamo Records in the aftermath of their new "Vultures" collaboration. That's the one where Ye claims he can't be antisemitic because, "I just f***** a Jewish bitch."

Our sources tell us 300 Records co-founder and current Alamo Records CEO Todd Moscowitz refused to clear Durk for another song he worked on for Kanye's upcoming album ... and now the paperwork battle is upon us.

Kanye was joined by Durk and the song's other featured artists, Ty Dolla $ign and Chicago rap legend Bump J at Blu Dubai nightclub over the weekend where they performed "Vultures" live for the first time ever.

The "Dark Twisted Fantasy" rapper's Dubai trip has been an eventful one so far ... he and his former personal trainer had a tense interaction inside a hotel lobby last week.

Shakira isn't out of the woods on the tax front -- Spain is coming after her again in a separate probe, and she's had to pay millions as prosecutors keep digging ... this per a new report.

We know Shakira settled her criminal case with the Spanish government last week -- having shelled out around $27 million to receive a lighter sentence after copping to tax fraud charges between 2012 and 2014 ... with an in-court acknowledgment she made before a judge.

However, according to a recent story from Spanish newspaper El Periodico -- she ain't done just yet ... 'cause now, prosecutors are drilling down on alleged tax fraud from 2018, which is a completely different case than what was dealt with just 6 days ago.

The outlet says Shakira has "deposited" an extra $7.2 million in this new investigation -- although it's unclear if this is just a bond, of sorts, she's forking over to stay out of trouble ... or if it's a straight-up new settlement amount she's paying to make the charges go away.

El Periodico, which is citing anonymous court sources here, makes it seem like this latest cash payment is a gesture from Shakira to receive further leniency when the case eventually wraps up ... which is a little strange and quite different than how we do things here in the States. The outlet notes, though, that her paying this isn't exactly an admission of guilt.

If this is true, and she ends up losing this $7.2 million down the line ... that would mean, all told, she's paid about $34 million or so to clear up her tax problems -- which have been dogging her for years.

Pretty shocking, to be honest ... but hey, we suppose this sorta thing can happen when you're as rich as she is. She's got an estimated net worth of about $300 million.

'Tis the season of giving and Kyle Kuzma is off to an amazing start ... the NBA star donated $60k worth of clothes to female inmates preparing for release from county jail in his hometown of Flint, Michigan!

The Washington Wizards forward also launched an initiative to refurbish housing conditions for the women who are locked up.

The Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation partnered with I.G.N.I.T.E. and R.I.S.E., two jail reform organizations that support incarcerated women as they prepare to re-enter society.

Kuzma revealed the collaboration at the 23rd I.G.N.I.T.E. graduation ceremony at the county jail on Sunday ... by surprising the female inmates, and announcing the big $60k donation.

The 6'9" baller also handed out presents to kids who were there to visit their moms.

That's not all Kyle's doing ... the 28-year-old also launched "Kuz's Corner," which will help refurbish living conditions at the Genesee County Jail.

"Kuz’s Corner provides incarcerated female inmates something to reach towards, and prove to themselves, and others of their worth and value," the foundation said in a press release.

"The females chosen to reside in Kuz’s Corner have set themselves apart as role models in their behavior, mentorship, and strive to return to the community as a better neighbor."

Kuzma -- who's averaging nearly 23 points a game this season -- cares deeply about his foundation which helps single mothers and children in Michigan, the DMV (D.C. Metro area), and Los Angeles ... a cause that hits close to home.

"When I was growing up, she worked two jobs and that hard work and dedication, just to make ends meet, put food on the table," Kuzma said about his mom Karri on GMA.

"That’s been my inspiration my entire life."

T.I. kicked off the Atlanta Falcons' 50th anniversary of Hip Hop celebration Sunday, and almost wound up kicking his son King's ass when a family dispute in the stands got physical.

Following the performance, T.I. and King engaged in what started as a playful back-and-forth but quickly spiraled into a physical altercation inside their suite at Mercedes-Benz stadium.

King began live streaming on IG where he pleaded his case that he knew about hardships like living with roaches while growing up ... to which his famous parents scoffed at his story and claimed he'd run to his grandmother's house to suck the pacifier, because he wasn't allowed to in their mansion!!!

King reached his breaking point and began to scream he's known for standing on business, to which T.I. stepped in and told him he was not only "embarrassing" the family but himself as well!!!

King can then be heard pleading for T.I. to "get off him" and you can see T.I. come into frame in an attempt to subdue his son.

He apparently succeeded ... T.I. secured King in a headlock and told him, "Boy you can't do nothing with me ... ain't shit you can do with me" as multiple people in the background can be heard pleading for King to stop before the camera cuts off.

Afterward, King blew off some steam on his IG stories although many of his followers informed him he was royally tripping and his parents were right.

King was born in 2004 -- T.I. had already released his platinum-selling "Trap Muzik" album and formed his Grand Hustle Records.

If holiday decorations were a sport, Kim Kardashian's pad would rank among the best each year ... this time, it's her Christmas light display wowing fans on social media.

Kim gave her 364 million followers on Instagram a quick peek at this year's holiday set up. She's got a bunch of trees filled with tens, maybe even hundreds of thousands of lights lining her driveway and leading up to the security gate.

As the gate pulls back, even more trees -- and a bunch more lights -- are revealed and "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" plays over Kim's video.

Of course, it's not the first holiday Kim's pulled out all the stops for her decorations ... it was only a few weeks ago when she showed off her mummified $60 million home filled with Halloween decor inside and out.

Kim's got a lot on her hands with 4 kids, running her business and a bunch of other commitments, so she's not the one to decorate the house herself ... but it still looks pretty damn good.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ready to live closer to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood ... our sources say they're eyeing a move to Los Angeles.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Meghan and Harry have been discussing a move to L.A. after deciding to no longer look for a home in Malibu.

We're told Meghan and Harry are taking interest in different L.A. neighborhoods, though they haven't toured any houses yet ... other than the $8 million plot of land in the 'Bu they checked out back in September, which they've decided to pass on.

Meghan and Harry live up the coast in Montecito, and a move to L.A. makes sense ... they've been attending lots of Hollywood events, and while Malibu is way closer than Montecito, they feel it's still too far from where they want to be.

Our sources say privacy and community are at the top of the list for Meghan and Harry ... which is one reason they soured on that estate in Malibu.

After TMZ broke the story of Meghan and Harry touring an estate off Pacific Coast Highway, we're told the property became a magnet for paparazzi and news coverage ... which created safety concerns for them and ultimately steered them away.

Meghan and Harry have lived in the Los Angeles area before ... and were able to fly under the radar at first.

You may recall ... Meghan and Harry lived in Tyler Perry's mansion in Beverly Ridge Estates for several weeks back in 2020, going mostly undetected ... and our sources say they want to move somewhere similar, where neighbors share concerns about privacy and security.

Meghan and Harry gushed over Tyler's place in their docuseries ... with Harry describing his time there as "bliss because no one knew we were there ... We were there for six weeks, and no one knew. My family still thought I was in Canada."

Eventually, the media caught on and figured out where Meghan and Harry were living, forcing Tyler to secure the property with a fence to stop paparazzi from snapping photos.

Tyler says he and his neighbors lived privately for years and had never seen anything like the media blitz over Meghan and Harry ... claiming once the word got out there were drones and helicopters flying over the home 24/7, and people sneaking onto the property and cutting holes in the chain link fence.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White House -- which is completely decked out in decorations ... so elaborate, in fact, they might even make Saint Nick himself blush.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue got adorned over Thanksgiving weekend ... and it looks like President Biden and co. are ready to welcome December cheer based on all the sparkly ornaments that went up all throughout the building and the rest of the grounds.

There's all the traditional stuff you'd expect ... Xmas trees, wreaths, lights and fake snow all over the place -- but there also seems to be a little bit of a specific holiday theme here.

The White House says they're going with a "Magic, Wonder and Joy" motif this year ... but if you read into what exactly is lining the halls right now -- it would appear the Bidens have a sweet tooth, 'cause there's a bunch of fake candy/treats hanging from the ceilings!

It's always cool to see the People's House get into the spirit of things ... and it also sounds like they're expecting quite a few visitors throughout the next month and change -- upwards of 100,000 or so, according to WH staffers.

Prince Harry was left on read in the hours before his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year -- and the person ghosting him was none than his brother ... William.

A new book from Royal insider Omid Scobie makes the shocking claim ... namely, that Bill completely ignored Harry's texts as he was attempting to make travel plans to fly from California to the UK in hopes of seeing QE2 before she passed.

One source says all of Harry's messages to his old sibling went unanswered -- with the apparent rationale being ... "He clearly didn't want to see his brother."

Since William wasn't communicating with Harry ... Scobie's book -- "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival" -- says the Duke of Sussex had to figure out what was going on all on his own ... which required him to book a pricey private jet.

Scobie alleges Harry had to shell out $30k to fly over solo ... this as PW was on his own private flight with Prince Edward and his own wife. The book claims Harry had no idea if the Queen had died already or not ... and word of her death actually broke while he was in the air.

As far as how Harry supposedly felt about this .... Scobie cites a source as saying, "Harry was crushed. His relationship with the Queen was everything to him. She would have wanted him to know before it went out to the world."

This anonymous pal of Harry's adds, "They could have waited just a little longer, it would have been nothing in the grand scheme of things, but no one respected that at all."

Of course, when Harry did finally arrive in Scotland -- where the Queen was on her deathbed before eventually passing on -- it was too late ... and he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye.

His presence in the UK at the time was solemn -- and while he and Will put on a united front to commemorate their grandma ... this book now suggests things were incredibly frost between them behind the scenes. Now, with their recent history in mind ... that's no shock.

Fact is ... Harry and Meghan's infamous claims of racism within the Royal institution included a hint that perhaps William himself had partaken in all that -- something the Prince of Wales firmly denied at the time. It's an understatement to say ... Will didn't like how Harry handled his exit as a Senior Royal, and everything else that came afterward -- public and otherwise.

9:45 AM PT -- The suspect accused of shooting three Palestinian men has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the second degree.

Police released a booking photo of Jason Eaton. He's being held without bail.

A Vermont man is now in custody after cops claim he shot 3 Palestinian college students in what might be a possible hate crime ... this as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.

48-year-old Jason Eaton was arrested Sunday near Burlington ... the site of the Saturday night shooting when 3 young men of Palestinian descent were fired upon on the street as they were walking and speaking Arabic and heading to a family dinner.

They've since been identified as Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid ... all of whom attend different universities in New England, including Brown.

At least 2 of them were also wearing traditional Keffiyeh scarves ... a garment often worn in Muslim countries. Because of this and the fact they were seemingly attacked without provocation, U.S. officials are saying this might be a hate crime, and the feds are investigating whether that's the case or not.

As for Eaton ... it's unclear what charges, exactly, he's facing at this point -- but he's due to be arraigned Monday. When announcing his arrest, law enforcement cited "three incidents of aggravated assault."

Taylor Swift hosted some special guests at her Sunday concert in Brazil … the family of the woman who recently died attending her Rio de Janeiro show.

Video posted to X showed five relatives of Ana Clara Benevides Machado enjoying Taylor’s performance from inside a VIP tent at Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo last evening.

The kin were all sporting t-shirts emblazoned with Ana’s face, including her dad, Weiny.

A source told People magazine Taylor invited the family to her Sunday show and took a group photo with them. The picture was later posted to X.

As we reported, Ana was attending Taylor's concert at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium in Rio on November 17, when she began feeling sick during a heat wave. The 23-year-old fan was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

8:23 PM PT -- TMZ has confirmed Jean passed away Wednesday, and we've confirmed the authenticity of the press release circulating on social media ... which we're told comes from her family. Her publicist also tells us Jean died from natural causes.

Her family released a statement, which notes her long storied career which started at JetStream Records and eventually jumped to Stax Records ... and all the tunes she produced in between, ending with her starting her own label (Comstar).

The statement ends ... "Jean Knight's legacy is not just a musical one; it is a testament to the enduring love between an artist, her hometown, and the fans who adored her. As we bid farewell to this iconic soulstress, New Orleans and her global fan base join together in gratitude for the indelible mark she left on the world." The family requests privacy at this time.

Jean Knight -- most famous for her hit 'Mr. Big Stuff' -- has died ... this according to reports.

An unattributed press release purporting to be the soul singer and New Orleans native's obituary is making the rounds online -- and if it's to be believed ... it says JK passed away last Wednesday, although the circumstances surrounding her death are unclear for now.

Knight's 1971 song is easily her biggest claim to fame, but it's a huge contribution to music and pop culture. 'Mr. Big Stuff' not only performed incredibly well on the charts when it came out -- including five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- but it ended up being featured in numerous films and TV shows.

Just a handful of series that used 'MBS' ... 'Family Guy,' 'black-ish,' 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' 'Everwood' and 'The Deuce' -- just to name a few. On the movie front, it got played in Will Ferrell's 'Semi-Pro.' Beyond that ... the track got remixed/sampled a ton over the years.

Some of that notable acts who flipped this gem ... Heavy D & The Boyz, Eazy-E, TLC, Queen Latifah, Everclear, Girl Talk, Beastie Boys and John Legend. 'Mr. Big Stuff' had also been covered a handful of times ... famously by Precious Metal, Lyn Collins and many others.

Jean had recorded lots of other songs throughout her career ... but none ever reached the success of 'Big Stuff.' Some of her other notable singles ... "My Toot Toot," "You Think You're Hot Stuff," "Carry On," "Helping Man," "Do Me," "Jesse Joe (You Got to Go)" ... and more.

She was 80.

RIP

Joe Biden's age has come under scrutiny as 2024 approaches, but a fellow Dem is going to bat for him ... none other than Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Mayor Bass -- who served in Congress before her current gig -- told us Wednesday, all the haters who suggest JB is way too old to give the White House another go need to look no further than what he's already done for the country.

According to Bass, his record speaks for itself ... and she's not sure what else he can do to convince people he's fit to extend his tenure.

Frankly, it's no surprise Bass is backing Biden -- that's the party line, and just about every Democrat will say the exact same thing with a camera in their face. Behind the scenes, however, many Dems are singing a different tune. The polls are ominous ... Trump's beating Biden and the President's approval rating has sunk to 39%.

The mayor's playing good good soldier for her party and President, and when we brought up the prospect of Gavin Newsom coming up to the plate ... she says she won't even talk about that until 5 years from now.

Here's a crazy story -- Dominique Wilkins opened a pack of old NBA cards recently ... and as luck would have it, he pulled his own rookie card!!

The whole thing was documented on video ... when the Hawks legend joined OTIA Sports CEO Jason Koonce to break an unopened batch of 1986 Fleer basketball cards in hopes of finding a Michael Jordan rookie in the pack.

FYI -- the '86 Fleer set is filled with a ton of rookie cards of that era ... including MJ, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and, of course, Dominique Wilkins.

The pull was pretty cool -- the Human Highlight Film reminisced about playing against several players as he revealed the deck ... which featured big names like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Bill Walton.

Once Wilkins came across his own face, the group of guys started freaking out ... with Koonce swearing up and down the card was not planted.

"This was sealed, this was not planned," Koonce said in the video. "That is insane."

"On my kid's life, that was not set up!"

The card could be pretty valuable depending on its condition ... some in great shape are currently listed online for thousands of dollars!!

Before this blonde kiddo bundled up in her beanie and purple jacket turned into a singer and actress, she was just braving the winter weather in Bainbridge Island, Washington with her older sister and shining bright as a child star!

Her claim to fame was on Disney's "Liv and Maddie" where she starred for four seasons, and, now a brunette, she showcases all her glitz and beauty to her 48 million Instagram followers. In 2016, she played Amber Von Tussle on "Hairspray Live".

You may have seen her in the 'Marvel Rising' franchise.

Ludacris performed at the Atlanta Falcons game this weekend -- and it looks like he took a page out of Lady Gaga's playbook to make an entrance ... descending from the heavens.

The rapper was the hired talent Sunday at Mecedes-Benz Stadium ... but weirdly enough, he didn't put on a halftime performance -- but rather, did a quick set after the third quarter ... which definitely took everyone by surprise.

The reason ... the dude literally rappelled down onto the stage below from way up toward the top of the facility -- and he did it kinda slowly, partially rapping a song in the air.

Looks like he was doing 'Move Bitch' on his way down ... and he was hyping up the crowd too, who ate it up. Unclear if he did a whole set once he touched down or not (there was a game going on, after all), but he got a little shine regardless.

The whole point of this was to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop in the ATL ... of which Luda has been a huge contributor over the years -- not to mention countless other acts from the area.

Kim Kardashian is jumping from Hulu to Netflix -- at least for movies, anyway -- 'cause she sold a forthcoming comedy she'll star in to the streaming giant ... this after a ton of interest.

Deadline broke the news Sunday ... a new flick called "The Fifth Wheel" just got sold to Netflix after an apparent bidding war to snap up the rights among 5 different studios. In the end, Netflix made the winning offer ... although it's unclear how much they shelled out.

This film isn't written or shot yet ... Kim K and the 2 co-writers who came up with the concept -- Paula Pell and Janine Brito -- simply sold the idea ... and now they'll actually make it. Kim's gonna play the lead ... a "fifth wheel" among an ensemble of female actors.

The rest of the plot deets are being kept under wraps ... but word is, Pell and Brito immediately thought of Kim for this and pitched her. After she came aboard, they started hitting the town as soon as the actors' strike ended and collectively shopped it around.

Deadline says Kim's been present at a lot of the meetings, and her involvement spurred a lot of studios to open their doors and take the movie under consideration. BTW, she's not only gonna act in this thing ... but she'll produce as well, alongside Pell and possibly others.

Pell is a well-known and established TV comedy writer ... as is Brito. Pell's got a lengthier resume, with tons of 'SNL' credits. She also wrote the Amy Poehler/Tina Fey movie "Sisters." Paula also notably EP'd Judd Apatow's 'This Is 40.'

Considering Pell's extensive history with 'SNL' stars ... you can probably expect that same type of mid-2010s humor for this new movie -- just with a little Kim K star power twist.

Of course, the bigger takeaway here is the fact that Kim's diving further into the acting pool. She already had a run on 'AHS' this year ... plus all the other smaller roles she's done in the past. This would be an even greater flex, though ... her straight-up leading a comedy.

We'll see how it turns out ... Deadline says this got picked up by Netflix's "mid-budget" team -- and according to reports, Netflix is aiming to spend between $30-$80 million on those.