Controversial S#!T

Joey Bada$$ made a powerful statement at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards ... urging rappers to stop delivering messages that lead to their demise, or the death of others.

During his performance of his "2000" album cut “Head High," Joey lined up 12 backup dancers ... each with a slain rapper's name embroidered on their hoodie.

In chronological order of their deaths, Joey honored Scott La Rock, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, Soulja Slim, XXXTENTACION, Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, King Von, Young Dolph, Trouble and PnB Rock -- all who fell victim to gun violence between 1987 and last month ... when PnB was killed. 😕

Joey went on to argue rappers are spurring their own genocide, and preached the culture needs to take accountability for the message it's delivering to kids.

He also slammed the popular slang term "op" a.k.a. enemy ... contending that war is being fought within rappers' own circles.

The New York rapper isn't the only one from his rap generation to decry the rap murder rate -- just a few weeks ago, Rich Homie Quan told us the "shoot 'em up, bang-bang music" is a problem for everyone who hears it.

Diddy's had enough of the narrative he's a greedy, self-centered label boss who steals from his artists ... and he says he's now fighting for his reputation!!!

The newly minted Love Records CEO hit "The Breakfast Club" Wednesday to tackle a bunch of topics ... including Kanye West's "White Lives Matter" controversy, and his former artist Ma$e's contract dispute with Fivio Foreign.

Diddy praised Kanye for being a "free thinker" and said he wouldn't condemn him as a person. For his part, Charlamagne said that excuses Ye's behavior ... but Diddy did call Ye's controversial T-shirt "unnecessary noise" and "tone deaf."

He also dubbed Ye's sidekick, Candace Owens ... "Karen Owens," because her real name is too Black.

Diddy says now is the time for Black lives to matter more than ever, and promised to poach high-profile executives from every business imaginable to get his people in good standing.

Elsewhere in the convo, Diddy was far less forgiving towards Ma$e ... alleging the former Bad Boy rapper owes him $3 million, and boldly declared all thieves should have their hands sliced off!

Nonetheless, Diddy says Ma$e abandoned the label -- only to become a "fake" pastor who ran to Atlanta to scam people following the success of his debut album.

Diddy says he's been scapegoated all these years for his ex-artists' failed careers, and people like Ma$e tend to push something he calls a "tap-out button" ... a convenient exit when the going gets tough.

The 'BC' crew also interrogated Diddy about his girlfriend Yung Miami's brand new series "Caresha Please" tying for Best Hip Hop Platform with "Drink Champs" at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Charlamagne jokingly accused Diddy of paying off the judges ... which Diddy naturally denied but still basked in the fact both shows were owned by his REVOLT TV hub.

Mo money, mo problems still ring true in Diddy's world after all these years!!!

Alec Baldwin is picking up where he left off in the movie that claimed a D.P.'s life -- 'cause her widower has settled his lawsuit against Baldwin and others ... and he'll now executive produce the movie side by side with AB.

Shocking news broke Wednesday morning in relation to the "Rust'" drama ... namely, Baldwin is going to reprise his lead role -- as is every other actor who was involved at first -- with the only difference now being who's running the show ... and that would be Matthew Hutchins.

Indeed ... the husband of Halyna Hutchins -- who was shot and killed by Baldwin last year -- has announced he's no longer pursuing a lawsuit against AB or the "Rust" producers, saying they've reached terms and agreed to drop his wrongful death lawsuit.

Not just that, but he's also reviving the flick ... plus, he's stepping in as the new executive producer and seeing this thing through -- a stunning development and a complete 180.

Matt says, "We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed."

He goes on to say, "The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023. I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

Attorneys and a rep for Rust Movie Productions LLC said they were happy to have landed on the same page as Matt, and are also ecstatic they can complete their passion project.

Alec, for his part, says ... "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna's son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation." Director Joel Souza also expressed his happiness with this turn of events -- so everyone's all good now apparently.

While things might be fine civilly, there's still a criminal investigation that's working its way through the system -- and based on recent revelations from the Santa Fe County D.A. ... Alec is not out of the woods, and very well might be prosecuted sooner than later.

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle, is speaking out for the first time since the WNBA star was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia ... saying it feels like her partner is being held as "a hostage" in the foreign country.

Cherelle sat down for an interview with Gayle King this week -- and explained she's absolutely "terrified" of what's going on with Griner, her trial, and the negotiations to get her out.

"It's like a movie for me," she said. "In no world did I ever thought our president and a foreign nation president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife."

Griner -- who's been married to Cherelle since 2019 -- was arrested in February in Russia after she was found to have hashish oil in her luggage while at an airport.

During her trial, Griner admitted to having the substances in her bag, but she told a judge that she packed it by mistake and had no intentions of breaking Russian laws. She was eventually found guilty -- and sentenced to nine years behind bars.

She is appealing the ruling, and the date for a hearing on that matter has been set for Oct. 25.

Cherelle says it's all been a horrifying experience for her.

"As much as everybody's telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she's a hostage," Cherelle said. "It terrifies me."

Cherelle told King she has legitimate worries that she may never see her wife again.

"When you watch movies," she said, "sometimes those situations don't end well. Sometimes they never get the person back."

The Black Lives Matter movement is going after Kanye West for the controversial "White Lives Matter" shirt he wore to his YZY Show, saying it's nothing but a stunt to hurt folks fighting for justice.

In a statement to TMZ, BLM says ... "While some may see Kanye and Candace's stunt as a distraction, we recognize that it harms thousands of families fighting for justice for their loved ones killed by state-sanctioned violence."

BLM's also ripping Candace Owens -- who also wore the shirt -- for what they view as spreading "toxic confusion" ... claiming the shirts, and phrasing, can be "used to legitimize violent assaults on Black people."

Kanye should know better, BLM says, telling us ... "Kanye knows very well that 'white lives' have never been targeted for oppression. Black folks, in contrast, are at the bottom of virtually every economic, social, and political measure because of centuries of individual and institutional racism."

For his part, Kanye says he wore the "White Lives Matter" shirt at his fashion show because he thinks BLM "was a scam."

Naturally, BLM disagrees ... they say the movement will benefit everyone in the long run because "when Black people get free, everybody gets free."

A woman says ex-NFL star and "pro-life" Senate candidate Herschel Walker paid for her abortion back in 2009, an allegation the football-player-turned-politician calls "a flat-out lie" ... but Walker's son, Christian, is now also putting him on blast.

According to The Daily Beast, the woman -- who did not want to be ID'ed publicly "out of privacy concerns" -- became pregnant with Walker's child in 2009. She claims a short time later, Walker asked her to get an abortion. She told the outlet she went through with it, and Walker funded the entire thing.

The Daily Beast says the woman provided it with an abortion clinic receipt for $575, a "get well" card that Walker allegedly penned to her -- as well as "a bank deposit receipt that included an image of a signed $700 personal check from Walker."

Herschel, though, said the claims are complete BS -- writing in a statement shortly after the outlet published the article, "I deny this in the strongest possible terms."

"It's disgusting, gutter politics," said Walker, a Republican who's gunning to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock in next month's midterm elections in Georgia.

"I'm not taking this anymore," he added. "I planning to sue the Daily Beast for this defamatory lie."

Walker's son, Christian, a conservative, posted a video shortly after his dad's denial accusing the 60-year-old of, among other things, threatening to kill him and his family in the past.

"I know my mom and I would really appreciate if my father Herschel Walker stopped lying and making a mockery of us," Christian Walker said on his Twitter page. "You're not a 'family man' when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence."

He added, "I don't care about someone who has a bad past and takes accountability. But how DARE YOU LIE and act as though you’re some 'moral, Christian, upright man.' You've lived a life of DESTROYING other peoples lives. How dare you."

Herschel said in a tweet of his own following Christian's, "I LOVE my son no matter what."

Kanye West seems to be saying he wore a "White Lives Matter" shirt because, in his mind, Black Lives Matter is nothing but a racket.

Ye took to IG to respond to all the blowback he's been getting -- and it's been A LOT -- over a shirt he and his Yeezy models were rocking during his fashion show Monday ... which had the controversial message plastered across the back.

Ye says, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME."

What he's referring to, it seems, is the fact that a small handful of BLM executives who've been caught in alleged scandals over the past couple years -- including one honcho accused last month of siphoning $10 million from donors, and another who's been accused of using BLM funds to buy a house.

Candace Owens -- who was also on hand Monday for Ye's show, wearing the shirt too -- has been one of many critics on the right who've latched onto this, despite denials from the BLM execs ... and it would appear Kanye's skeptical too.

There's more ... KW also went after one specific person who criticized him because of his fashion choice/political statement -- a contributing editor for Vogue named Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who called his shirt "dangerous" and "irresponsible" in a well-thought-out analysis.

His response was more simple, and quite frankly childish ... making fun of her wardrobe. He posted a photo of her, roasting her shoewear, saying -- "I KNOOOOOOW ANNA [Wintour] HAAAATES THESE BOOTS."

Kanye went on to say ... "This is not a fashion person. You speak on Ye. Ima speak on you. Ask Trevor Noah."

Gabriella doesn't seem to have responded to Ye's barbs just yet ... but she was far from the only blue checkmark to have blasted him for his stunt. Kanye was trending all day because of it -- with many recalling other controversial statements, including his infamous suggestion, while on "TMZ Live," that slavery was a choice ... not to mention all the MAGA stuff from over the past few years.

At any rate, it looks like Kanye is sticking to his guns. Not only was he wearing the shirt, but there are photos online from the Yeezy show that depict other people -- including models of his -- who were rocking it on the runway.

Just another day in the life of Kanye West. 🤷🏽‍♂️

A police officer pummeled a 17-year-old boy and drove a knee into his neck while arresting him in Oklahoma over the weekend ... and it was all caught on video.

Footage of Sunday's "attack" shows the deputy and other officers trying to restrain the teen on the ground at the Tulsa State Fair.

In one video, the cops are struggling to place the teen in handcuffs. At some point, the deputy slams his fist into the teen's head. Then he pushes his knee hard into the boy's neck as onlookers scream, "He's a f---king kid, y'all!"

But it didn't stop there. The deputy drags the teen -- who has seemingly gone limp -- across the asphalt with his face to the ground. The cops then cuff the boy.

Another video shows the angry crowd begging officers, who are standing around, to do something. Several witnesses confronted one officer and gave him a tongue lashing.

They screamed, "What the f--k is the matter with you? Do something about this? You can't just let him do this to this kid. He's beating the shit out of this kid. You better hope that kid lives, man. You guys are fucking ridiculous. He's barely conscious."

According to police, the teen was drunk and acting belligerent while waiting in line for a ride. Several people complained and police responded. The teen, who is white, began mouthing off and, according to cops, using racist language toward a black deputy. That's when all the trouble began.

Tulsa County Sheriff's Captain Mike Moore backed up the actions of his officers, reportedly saying "the deputies were required to use the force necessary" when the teen "continued to resist and continued to fight deputies."

The scales of justice may collide with a different set of scales, because 2 fishermen who were caught red-handed cheating to win nearly 29k in a fishing competition are now in the crosshairs of the law.

Chase Cominski and Jake Runyan -- who allegedly stuffed their winning catch with weights  -- are in big trouble. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office in Ohio tells TMZ, "My staff will be meeting with officers from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources today regarding the matter. I take all crime seriously, including attempted felony theft at a fishing tournament."

Prosecutor Michael O'Malley added, "These individuals will be held accountable."

Cominski and Runyan seemingly won Friday's competition with 2, 7-pound walleyes ... but there were suspicions, so the fish was cut open. That's when everyone saw the fish were stuffed with lead weights and fish fillets ... nearly doubling their actual weight.

These guys had a history of winning these competitions, and their competitors were pissed. You hear the outrage from the crowd.

Runyan was asked on camera if he had anything to say for himself, but he was mum.

Donald Trump is going after CNN in court -- alleging the network defamed him out of fear that he'll run for president again ... and he's asking for a boatload of cash over it.

The ex-prez just filed a federal lawsuit against the network, claiming it's been pushing a lot of slanderous rhetoric about him these past couple years -- and he says it's all an effort to paint him in the worst possible light in anticipation of a 2024 run.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Trump is pissed about certain labels he says CNN has used to describe him -- including "racist," "Russian lackey," "insurrectionist" and even comparisons to "Hitler." Those words simply go too far in Trump's mind, and he believes they constitute defamation.

We should note ... Trump's attorneys make a point about the alleged Hitler jabs, arguing CNN's repeated use of the phrase "The Big Lie" when referencing Trump contesting the 2020 election results is actually a direct reference to a term used by Hitler to incite hated of Jews and justify the genocide of the Holocaust.

So, in their minds, they see this as CNN associating Trump with Hitler by using the same term.

There's also this quote that spells out his beef ... "Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about the plaintiff and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence -- purportedly as a 'trusted' news source -- to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically."

Trump's team says CNN has blurred the line between opinion and news ... alleging it's now reporting these things about him as outright fact, which he says is a legal no-no. DT is seeking damages north of $475,000,000.

DaBaby and Tory Lanez are both under the impression their music is blackballed on streaming services -- but Russ says his expertise tells him it's highly unlikely artists are truly getting blackballed.

On Monday, the proud independent rapper posted a message related to the ongoing debate ... prompted by Akademiks and Apple Music's Ebro Darden's claims DaBaby and Tory are being silenced.

Both Tory and DaBaby recently released albums ... with DB pulling in dismal 16K units sales, down from the 120k his 2020 solo project sold in its first.

Tory's project was noticeably absent from all the top playlists but reached the top of Apple's album chart after being released last Friday ... which pretty much proves Russ' point.

Russ argues that unless an artist has all internet access cut from their fan's visibility, there's no blackball in place, noting how fans have the personal choice to push play or skip the music altogether.

The Diemon Records founder also tackled the notion that famous artists who need the editorial playlists to thrive don't have real fans as those listeners are only loyal to the platform -- which clashes with Tory's recent claim -- made on Ak's 'Off The Record' podcast -- that 80 percent of top artists' streams come from playlist support.

Akademiks and Ebro traded shots last week over claims DB was blackballed after Ak accused him of using his chief global editorial position at Apple to bury artists dripped in controversy ... namely DaBaby.

Boosie Badazz is making it VERY clear, Kanye West's "White Lives Matter" shirt has taken it way too far ... and the Louisiana rapper is calling for someone to pull Ye's Black card!!!

The ever-outspoken Boosie laid into Ye after the WLM shirt made its rounds on the internet ... accusing the YZY brainchild of abandoning his race in spite of all the opposition African Americans have historically faced.

Ye has yet to explain the true meaning behind his latest racial stance, but Boosie says Ye blatantly doesn't care about any Black deaths at the hands of White people.

Boosie then went for the jugular ... dismissing Ye's infamous 2005 Hurricane Katrina moment when he said then-President George Bush didn't care about Black people during a live telethon.

Political pundit Candace Owens also joined Kanye in wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt during the presentation ... which angered people even further.

Kanye West is stirring the pot again ... this time wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at his Yeezy fashion show.

The Yeezy head honcho was on hand Monday in Paris for a showcasing of his Season 9 collection, and during the show -- Ye was seen rocking a black T with a very clear "White Lives Matter" message on the back. The lettering is bold and in white without context.

The front of the shirt features images of Pope John Paul II and the message, "We shall follow your example."

The show started about an hour late, and featured a kids chorus, including his daughter North that sang while the models walked.

Kanye described the new collection as something you can "pull on and pull over" ... dubbing it the future of clothing. He also ranted a bit -- musing about how Elvis would fare in 2022 if he was alive, and saying "You cannot manage me" for good measure.

Before the show came to an end, a new song with Kanye and James Blake played through the speakers ... and everyone cheered.

Remember, Kanye wore a red MAGA hat for a while back in 2018 ... even sporting it at The White House when he met with Donald Trump.

Several H.S. football players in California were booted from their team after filming a racist prank where they sold their Black teammates at a "slave auction," TMZ Sports has learned ... and now the team has been forced to forfeit the entire year over a lack of eligible players.

Once the district got word of the video, made by members of the River Valley H.S. (CA) FB team, which was apparently meant to be funny, they acted swiftly ... kicking off the offending players for violating the student-athlete code of conduct.

"Re-enacting a slave sale as a prank tells us that we have a great deal of work to do with our students so they can distinguish between intent and impact," Yuba City Unified School District Superintendent Doreen Osumi wrote.

"They may have thought this skit was funny, but it is not; it is unacceptable and requires us to look honestly and deeply at issues of systemic racism."

Osumi said the students will be disciplined, but it's as much about teaching, too ... "education, honest, open discussions and instruction will guide our students to realize that their choices and actions have consequences."

The superintendent said the district is working to make sure the student body can learn from this situation -- adding she sees this as an opportunity for students to be more "aware, thoughtful, and considerate of others."

“When students find humor in something that is so deeply offensive, it tells me that we have an opportunity to help them expand their mindset," Osumi said.

River Valley hadn't exactly gotten off to the best start. They were 0-6, according to Max Preps. Football season in California usually kicks off mid-August, and with the playoffs, can go through mid-December.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says Kyrie Irving has done something "more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly" than his COVID-19 vax stance ... going off on the NBA superstar for sharing a controversial Alex Jones video on social media.

The Brooklyn Nets guard came under fire last month after reposting a 2002 clip of the "InfoWars" host ranting about a New World Order that would release plagues into society for financial gain ... which featured the caption "Alex Jones Tried To Warn Us."

Irving's Jones endorsement came weeks after the talking head apologized in court for claiming the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax ... so the timing was a bit odd to say the least.

Now, KAJ is weighing in on Irving's actions ... saying if it weren't for young basketball fans, he'd be "dismissed as a comical buffoon."

"Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench," the Lakers legend said on his website.

"When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society-- Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more -- it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks."

Abdul-Jabbar says people shouldn't just scoff at Irving -- there should be action -- and he wants those outraged to write to the All-Star's sponsors to demand they cut ties with him.

"Irving does not seem to have the capacity to change, but we have the capacity to keep fighting against his brand of destructive behavior."

FYI -- Irving's deal with Nike is most likely up after this season, but KAJ points out he still has deals with Pepsi and 2K Sports.

The niece of Glenda Cleveland -- Jeffrey Dahmer's neighbor played by Niecy Nash in the Netflix series -- says the show's brought nothing but trauma to the victims' families, and a physical memorial would only make things worse.

Nicole Childress tells TMZ ... a potential memorial dedicated to Dahmer's victims would just be too tragic for the families. She even notes she's avoided local spots related to his killing spree at all costs until recently.

As we reported, there's been a recent swell of support for building a tribute in Milwaukee ... where Dahmer lived and killed most of his victims.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson is on board with the concept of honoring the victims in some way, but he's worried a memorial might be viewed as a shrine that would draw fans of the murderer.

She's echoing what other relatives of victims have said -- the Netflix series is opening up old wounds for the people who simply don't want to revisit the heinous case.

Nicole also believes racism definitely played a big part in Dahmer's killings getting overlooked -- something former Milwaukee D.A. Michael McCann, who personally prosecuted Dahmer, has denied.