Controversial S#!T

Young Thug's RICO trial is about to get started -- during which prosecutors will present evidence backing their case, and, controversially, that will include some of his lyrics.

Opening arguments are scheduled to kick off Monday in Fulton County, where YT is facing serious charges ... including conspiracy, participating in criminal street gang activity, possession of a firearm and controlled substances charges, among others.

He's pleaded not guilty -- with his defense attorney insisting his name will be cleared through the proceedings.

Thug is just one of several individuals who've been charged in the sweeping case -- but he's a key defendant, as the feds allege he's one of the head honchos of YSL (Young Slime Life) ... which they claim is not only a music label/brand, but a violent criminal enterprise too.

The allegations against Thug and the other 27 co-defendants date back to 2015, and some defendants -- not Thug -- are facing murder, attempted murder and armed robbery charges. Even more alarming is the fact prosecutors are expected to cite specific lyrics YSL members have rapped to help build the case against them.

It's caused a lot of outrage, with some arguing rap lyrics shouldn't be allowed as evidence in the case ... claiming they often blur the lines between artistic expression and reality.

It's unclear which lyrics, exactly, are going to be mentioned ... but some of the songs prosecutors are looking at have been revealed. They include Young Thug's 2018 hit, "Anybody," plus tracks from YSL's 2020 compilation album like ... "Take it to Trial," "Ski" and "Slatty."

Prosecutors allege YSL members, including Thug, explicitly refer to criminal activity in those tracks -- and that they furthered the objective of the group ... namely, "Preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise."

While Thug is about to have his day in court ... one of his cohorts and fellow labelmates, Gunna, already accepted a plea deal that saw him released from custody. He was sentenced to 5 years with one year credit for time served. The remaining 4 years were suspended, so no more time behind bars if he stays out of trouble.

Prince Harry was serving up hot tea Sunday just ahead of the release of his memoir -- spilling secrets on his brother, Prince William, and other members of the Royal Family.

Let's start with Will ... whom Harry says he's been feuding with for years now, dating back to the time when their mother died -- which he says marked the beginning of them going down different paths of life and the start of a sibling rivalry that has long been in the making.

This is a big deal -- essentially, what Harry's saying is that despite them seeming close in adulthood, that hasn't quite been the case behind the scenes. PH also says he's been trying to repair his relationship with his sibling for a long time, and hoped Meghan Markle coming into the picture would help patch things up ... via a hopeful connection to Kate Middleton.

That never materialized, though, as Harry mentioned in his ITV interview -- which just aired and is making headlines around the world right now. When it comes to Meg and Kate, Harry says they never got along from the get-go ... while implying she and PW were jealous of her.

Harry even accused Will and Kate of playing into the stereotypes about Meghan which he says were being perpetuated in the British press ... an institution he says the Family has been in bed with for years, at the expense of others. Specifically, he name-drops Camilla.

That takes us to Harry's family at large ... whom he says he never intended to hurt, be it in interviews or through his book. On the contrary, he says he's tried dealing with all of his grievances quietly and in private -- only to have the plans and nature of those talks leak.

A few points of clarification ... Harry says he and Meghan were never trying to leave to the States for the sake of money -- a narrative that he claims was planted in the British press by his family's staff -- but rather, they wanted to stick around as Royals and do their duty.

Also ... he denies anyone in the monarchy is directly racist -- something that was suggested in the Oprah interview -- but simply said unconscious bias was alive and well ... while once again reiterating someone had, in fact, made mention of Archie's skin color, but again refused to ID them. He did point to the Ngozi Fulani incident as a prime example of this.

Last but not least ... Harry told ITV he was 100% confident in being able to reconcile with his fam, assuming the British press isn't involved. It's interesting he believes that, considering he says says in the same interview that nobody over there has attempted to bury the hatchet.

There are more interviews to come -- including one with Anderson Cooper on '60 Minutes' and a 'GMA' spot on Monday. His book, 'Spare,' hits shelves on Tuesday worldwide.

Lizzo is starting the new year with a list of grievances about the state of social media -- including the notion that "cancel culture" has been warped into something unrecognizable.

The singer has been expressing a lot of opinions lately about what she sees as total nonsense when it comes to what people focus on online -- especially as it relates to her. On Sunday, though, she had a new thought ... namely, that cancel culture itself is appropriation.

Here's how Lizzo puts it ... "There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected." She adds, "I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems." In the comments, several people seem to agree.

Her cancel culture theory is just the latest idea she's voiced on this issue. Earlier this week, she was addressing social media discourse at large -- suggesting users (probably Twitter ones) needed to do a better job at filtering truth from fiction before jumping to conclusions.

This goes beyond people having full-blown debates about her figure, BTW -- which continues to be a subject of conversation. Now, there seems to be talk about Lizzo's music, and which groups she may or may not be catering to ... not to mention opinions on her race.

Speaking of fat-shaming, Lizzo is again tackling that head-on. It seems she's receiving a bit of what Adele was subjected to when she noticeably lost weight ... people criticizing her for not "loving herself" as she was -- this after she'd been mercilessly mocked for years when she was doing exactly that and championing body positivity. A lose-lose scenario, really.

Of course, some might say she'd be better off tuning all of this noise out and carrying on with her business -- but Lizzo's never been one to bite her tongue. On the contrary, she speaks her mind ... which is what so many people love about her to begin with.

Brazil appears to be going through its own January 6th moment -- just a couple days after the 2-year anniversary of our own, no less -- all because Jair Bolsonaro lost the election.

The ex-Brazilian Prez -- who helmed a conservative first term, and was seeking a 2nd in the 2022 Brazilian general election -- was top of mind Sunday for thousands of his supporters ... who descended upon the National Congress in Brasilia during what quickly became a riot.

Tons of video is surfacing online that shows the mob breaching barriers and storming past officers to break into the Congress building, as well as the Supreme Federal Court and even the Presidential Palace itself, where just-sworn in President Luiz Lula da Silva now resides.

It seems all the buildings in question were empty prior to the break-ins, but this sight is an ugly one to say the least -- and very reminiscent to what happened at our Capitol.

The rioters are turning the grounds upside down ... destroying property and entering areas where they would obviously never be able to reach under normal circumstances. Just like here in the States, they seem to have busted through windows and locked doors -- and are making themselves at home in a chaotic scene. A lot of them are draped in Brazilian flags.

Some reports indicate that a good amount of these folks are actually armed, and threatening to occupy the premises for as long as it takes for their demands to be met -- which seem to lie in the fact that they think the election was stolen. Why does that sound familiar?

As for the response ... Brazil's Minister of Justice, Flavio Dino, is reported to have said he'll use the full extent of the law to prosecute these vandals -- but at the moment, it doesn't look like the police on the ground are having much luck in getting 'em the hell out of there.

Just like they were here, law enforcement is completely outnumbered and being overrun by civilians ... and some of the clashes have turned quite violent.

It's actually astonishing how much this parallels what happened here in the States -- some of the snapshots are almost identical -- with rioters entering offices, taking computers and posing for selfies all throughout the area and celebrating their unlawful infiltration.

Remember, we saw this exact type of behavior ourselves ... the only difference being that our lawmakers were in the middle of a live session, and had to go into hiding.

This current attempted coup is taking place on the weekend -- when federal workers and elected officials aren't around, it seems -- but it's no less discomforting to watch unfold live.

Time will tell what comes of this in Brazil. As we know, there was a special congressional committee formed that dug into the origins of Jan. 6 -- and they concluded by pointing the finger at Donald Trump ... claiming he incited the insurrectionists and should be prosecuted.

Prince Harry's been making a lot of claims about his brother lately -- and the repercussions for going against the family, as they say, is apparently not all that bad ... per a new report.

The Times published a story Saturday that claims to have some inside knowledge on how the Royals are digesting Harry's bombshells ... which have been leaking out via excerpts from his forthcoming book, "Spare," due to release next week.

According to the outlet, the only thing PH faces at this point for spilling his guts is being "written out of the script" for King Charles' coronation ceremony in May -- when he's officially crowned and all that jazz. That doesn't mean the Duke can't attend, though.

The Times' Royal Editor, Roya Nikkhah, tweeted this tidbit as a follow-up to her post ... "I can also reveal that Prince Harry has been written out of the script for the Coronation, with no official role in the service if he attends. Breaking with tradition, Charles will scrap royal dukes kneeling and paying homage to the monarch. Only William will perform that role."

So, it sounds like Harry can, in fact, roll through if he wants ... but will have to sit in the peanut gallery with all the others, while Prince William takes center stage next to Dad. All things considered, that's mild. Some speculated Harry would be uninvited altogether.

As for Willy ... The Times claims, through Royal sources, that he's "burning with anger" over Harry's assertions -- namely, that he allegedly attacked his brother, insulted his wife, Meghan Markle, and encouraged him to wear that Nazi costume all those years ago.

And yet, he's staying silent through it all ... which he apparently plans to continue doing for the foreseeable future. Time will tell if even more nuggets emerge when the book comes out.

As we know, Harry's on a full-blown press run right now to promote this thing. Word is, Penguin -- which reportedly paid him $20M for "Spare" -- needs around 1.7 million copies to be sold just to break even. Here's hoping the best deets are still under wraps.

The Joker gets pregnant in a new comic series they just rolled out -- which is, expectedly, drawing some outrage and backlash among a certain demographic ... can you guess who?

The latest story about the Clown Prince of Darkness comes from DC's 'The Man Who Stopped Laughing' series, which explores different plots and subplots for the Joker ... and some aren't even canonical, including this one about him growing a baby bump.

It dropped a few days ago, and people immediately noticed that writer Matthew Rosenberg and cartoonist Carmine Di Giandomenico concocted a tale about Joker wanting an heir, but one that was of his DNA. So, he starts to pursue female super wizardress Zatanna.

Of course, she wants nothing to do with the Joker ... so she casts a spell on him that guarantees no one else will ever bare his offspring, but it backfires -- making it so Joker gives birth all by himself, via vomiting as readers eventually find out. Along the way, the comic strip depicts him with a huge belly and getting checked on gynecologically.

In the end, the Joker's "baby" is a mutated version of himself ... and they're both enamored with one another. That's about all there is to the entry, and yet -- it's caused a lot of feathers to be ruffled in conservative circles, per usual.

Some on Twitter are accusing DC of trying to push LGBT-friendly narratives onto their base ... which they say has been going on for a while, through decisions like making Robin and Superman gay in some of their newer comics. Others, of course, saw that as progress.

BTW, the word "trans" is never mentioned in this latest iteration ... but that doesn't seem to have clicked with this crowd. They see what they wanna see, and they see trans Joker.

The notorious BTK serial killer is pouring cold water on the idea -- floated by his own daughter -- that he has a link to Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger.

BTK fired off an email to TMZ from prison after we reached out to him about a recent NewsNation article ... claiming Kohberger may have communicated with him through DeSales University professor Katherine Ramsland.

Kohberger, a Washington State University grad student, had previously studied at DeSales under Ramsland, who's also a famous true crime author and penned a book about the BTK killer.

In his January 5 message to us, BTK says, "No on Kohberger all around," in response to his daughter, Kerri Rawson, telling NN reporter Brian Entin she was "pretty shocked" there was "potentially a connection to my father."

Rawson also said she thought Bryan was likely influenced by BTK since he studied under Ramsland.

On this point, BTK agreed, stating, "I had thought some one may have study me." He also gave props to the Idaho investigators for nabbing a suspect, meaning Kohberger.

BTK went on to share his personal torment about not connecting with his family. "My family don't communicate with me at all. I love them all very much and [would] be happy if one did."

As you know ... BTK (real name: Dennis Rader) killed ten people during his sexually motivated, sadomasochistic rampage in Wichita, Kansas, from 1974 to 1991. He wrote taunting letters to the media, giving himself the moniker, "Bind, Torture, Kill."

He was finally captured in 2005 and confessed to the slayings, leading to his conviction. He is currently serving ten life sentences -- one for each of his murders.

The House of Representatives started looking like a UFC fight Friday night, when a congressman had to be physically restrained from attacking one of his colleagues.

It went down late Friday night after the 14th vote for Speaker of the House ... where Kevin McCarthy again failed to get the required number of votes.

Rep Mike Rogers (Republican, Alabama), a McCarthy supporter, was watching Matt Gaetz ... who in part spearheaded the opposition to McCarthy and voted no.

Rogers eyeballed Gaetz having a chitchat with McCarthy, and apparently saw Gaetz mouth the word "committee." It's unclear exactly what the 2 were talking about, but Gaetz was serving on the House Armed Services Committee, which Rogers chairs. It apparently looked like McCarthy and Gaetz reached some sort of agreement.

We're guessing -- but seems like a good guess -- Rogers was worried McCarthy was going to give the chairmanship to Gaetz in return for his vote, and that set Rogers off.

C-SPAN got shots of Rogers losing it, walking to the row in which Gaetz was sitting and then fully lunging at him. Other reps tried to thwart an attack by grabbing Rogers by the chin and shoulders ... holding him back.

Rogers then screamed at Gaetz, "I won't forget this!"

Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn are battling it out for bragging rights over who had a rougher life ... and it's getting ugly.

Britney fired back at her younger sister with a social media rant Friday, after Jamie Lynn complained on TV about growing up with a super famous older sister.

The sisterly beef reignited this week when Jamie Lynn said on FOX's new reality series, "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" that she struggles with self-esteem living in Britney's shadow.

Britney's having none of it, though ... she says Jamie Lynn and the rest of her family and friends were living it up while she was wasting away under a conservatorship.

What's more, Britney's none too pleased Jamie Lynn is whining on national TV ... Britney says she'd rather spit in her family's faces and "trash them on Instagram cause that’s all my family has ever been to me !!!!"

Jamie Lynn says she's proud of Britney and loves her to death, but grew up feeling like she didn't have anything for herself because her older sister found fame at such a young age.

Britney's response ... "It honestly blows my mind the hardships you say you have had with having me as your sister."

While Jamie Lynn says she's having a hard time finding her own identity outside of being Britney's sister, Britney's claiming she suffered nerve damage during the conservatorship.

Pop Warner has concluded its investigation into allegations a man yelled the n-word at an opposing team's coaches in a postgame incident last month ... and determined he did NOT use racially-charged language.

We broke the story -- an assistant coach for the Highlands Ranch Mountain Lions in Colorado was accused of hurling the slur towards Hamden Hurricanes (CT) staffers at the teams' hotel in Orlando following their matchup in the Div. 2 12U quarterfinals of the Pop Warner National Championships on Dec. 3

TMZ Sports has learned ... the youth football organization formed a committee of three independent regional vice directors to review footage of the altercation.

Pop Warner says the committee concluded the assistant coach actually used a different derogatory word when addressing the Hamden Hurricanes (CT) staffers ... saying, "The coach did not use the 'N' word, as had been alleged."

"The review found that the coach said the other team would have been beat by 'a bunch of f***ing m****ts' had the game been officiated differently," the statement says.

"He used the word 'm****ts' to describe his own undersized team."

The coach was cleared of using a racial slur, but PW still handed down a one-year suspension for "using profanity and acting in a manner that reflects negatively on Pop Warner."

Trevor Bauer will in all likelihood pitch during the 2023 MLB season, but it won't be for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The team just announced they've decided to designate the All-Star pitcher for assignment ... meaning his time in Los Angeles is done, and other organizations will have a chance to claim the 31-year-old pitcher.

But, that's unlikely to happen, as any org. that claims Bauer would be on the hook for his immense $22.5 million salary this season.

Bauer wasn't expected to be available for the start of this year ... that is until an independent arbitrator struck down his 324-game suspension, making him immediately eligible to play. All said, Trevor was suspended 194 games.

The decision meant the Dodgers had 14 days to add Bauer to their roster or move on from him.

The team nearly took every available minute available to them, but ultimately went with the expected path.

Bauer hasn't pitched in the MLB since June 2021 ... when a 27-year-old woman accused the MLB star of assault on two occasions in April and May of 2021.

Bauer, who always maintained his innocence, was never charged with a crime. A restraining order sought by his accuser was also denied by a court. Despite some of the wins in court, TB received one of the most severe penalties in baseball history.

Celine Dion's biggest fans are loudly going to bat for her with the Rolling Stone honchos who had the nerve to leave her off its 200 greatest singers list.

This protest is going down Friday outside the magazine's HQ in New York City ... with Celine fans coming out in droves, armed with picket signs and some not-so-intimidating chants.

Celine's supporters are yelling "Rolling Stone is stoned" ... as they bash the outlet for snubbing the Canadian singer from its refreshed 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list.

Julie Snyder, a TV personality from Montreal, is leading the demonstration and told our photog what protestors are demanding -- they want Celine recognized, AND an apology from RS.

The outlet is taking notice ... Rolling Stone editor Steven Pearl came outside to talk to the protestors, listening to their issues and clueing them in on how the list was formed.

Lizzo has a lot to say to the folks who won't stop talking about her figure ... she's tired of all the body shaming and says she's not here to fit anyone's beauty standards.

The singer just went on a long rant on social media, posting a video in a bikini where she sounds off on anyone and everyone who has something to say about her body.

Lizzo says she's tired of the discourse around bodies ... rattling off all the different things she hears about her own body. Her point -- no matter what she does, someone always has something to critique.

Remember ... Kanye West and Aries Spears trashed Lizzo's body last year, and she even responded to their comments during a show in Toronto.

Lizzo doesn't mention anyone by name in her rant, which has been her MO on this topic, but she addresses her haters, celebs and otherwise, calling them "delusional."

The way Lizzo sees it ... she's not here to conform to anyone's beauty standards, and she's going to do whatever she wants with her body, which she says is a work of art in itself.

Lizzo says folks are wasting effort commenting on all her Twitter posts ... and she proposes charging $5.99 for every comment on her tweet.

Prince Harry looked intense as he walked his dog along a rain-soaked path near his Montecito estate ... as he was making headlines for unloading on his family in his new book.

Harry was bundled up as he and Pula, his black Labrador, traversed an area around a public beach, then put rover in his Range Rover for the ride home.

Although he looked serious, he was clearly not surprised by the news over his book. All of the scandals he revealed were carefully orchestrated for the rollout of "Spare." He's done interviews with 'GMA' and "60 Minutes," and both shows are promoting their "big get" like crazy.

As you know by now, Harry is in full military mode, accusing members of his family of violence, racism, betrayal and a host of other misdeeds.

Prince Harry says he was probably bigoted/racist before he met Meghan Markle.

The Duke of Sussex was railing on the British news media, telling "60 Minutes" how racist they were toward Meghan, and then turned things on himself, saying he too may have harbored racist feelings before meeting his wife.

Harry told Anderson Cooper, "I had no idea the British press were so bigoted. Hell, I was probably bigoted before the relationship with Meghan."

He went on to say there was a rocky right of passage for other female members of the royal family, but adding race into the equation was a whole different thing.

Harry said he had no idea news outlets would react to Meghan the way they did.

As for how Meghan changed him, he said, "Put it this way. I didn't see what I now see."

Harry has made allegations of racism against other royals, telling Oprah a senior member of his family worried about the color of Archie's skin ... though he did not specifically say who.

Prince Harry's tales of fights with Prince William and his infamous Nazi costume don't do much for Thomas Markle ... because Meghan's dad isn't going to read his son-in-law's new book.

Meghan's half-sister, Samantha Markle, tells TMZ ... her dad -- and other family members for that matter -- think the book is fiction and a money grab. Samantha says her dad is actually more upset with Meghan than Harry. She says the bad blood goes way back to their wedding, where Thomas feels he was iced out by his daughter ... and Harry just went along.

Samantha says her dad believes many of Harry's allegations in the book are rooted in jealousy over his brother's status.

As for Samantha, she says she wouldn't even use Harry's memoir "Spare" as toilet paper.

The Duke of Sussex's much-anticipated memoir is due out Monday ... but Samantha thinks interest in the book is more idle curiosity, and not a sign people believe Harry's story.

As we reported ... Harry is going hard on William in the book, accusing his brother of attacking him during an argument over Meghan, and blaming William and Kate for wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party.

Samantha says in addition to being taken off the wedding guest list, he's still really hurt that Harry and Meghan never reached out to him when he suffered a medical emergency.