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Lil Kim is reaffirming her allegiance with Cardi B ... and probably at the perfect time too, because her BFF just might be heading into a full-scale rap war.

The legendary rapper is set to kick off BET's "Rap City" reboot, and in an upcoming interview with host Big Tigger ... Kim gushed over her friendship with Cardi, and even admitted to taking her advice when it comes to navigating life and career.

We're told the early episodes will feature appearances from DJ Drama, Remy Ma, Rapsody, G Herbo, Ice Spice and more ... with the premiere coming tonight at 8 PM ET/PT.

Kim's allegiance to Cardi is just the latest development in the female rap battle -- things are getting extremely feisty in the wake of Cardi and City Girl rapper JT's recent spat online.

On Monday, JT congratulated GloRilla for her first entry into the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 ... her "Tomorrow 2" single co-starring Cardi B -- only JT didn't name Cardi, prompting fans to instigate.

JT recently appeared on Nicki Minaj's "Super Freaky Girl (Remix)" ... so saluting Cardi B would be considered a slap in the face in the Barbz' eyes.

However, the Twitter chatter alerted Cardi ... and she proceeded to lay into JT for needing her help to pad City Girls' video stats. JT didn't let the criticism slide and then chastised Cardi for using writers to help with her songs.

The pettiness didn't end there ... Nicki entered the fray by changing her Twitter avatar to a photo of JT -- to which Cardi countered by changing her avatar to Nicki's longtime nemesis Remy Ma.

Niners wideout Ray-Ray McCloud will channel Bow Wow's Calvin Cambridge for "Monday Night Football" -- TMZ Sports has learned he's copped a pair of custom "Like Mike" cleats for the big contest against the Rams!!

The 25-year-old receiver hit up Joe Castro to get the movie-themed spikes done ... and we're told after the Cali artist spent about 10 hours making them, they're now set to arrive just in time for kickoff.

The Nike Untouchable Speed 3 cleats painted in 49ers' gold and red came out pretty sweet -- with both shoes featuring depictions of Bow Wow from the movie.

"Like Mike" is also written on the cleats as well.

If you haven't seen it ... the 2002 film is a classic -- it features an orphan named Calvin Cambridge (played by Bow Wow) who becomes an NBA superstar after wearing a pair of sneakers he found that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

Trevor Noah has just rocked cable news and news itself ... he's leaving his gig on Comedy Central.

Trevor made the announcement Thursday, telling the audience his 7-year tenure is coming to an end ... and he made the announcement on his 7-year anniversary.

A Comedy Central source tells TMZ ... his decision has to do with his schedule, which is hardcore crazy ... and it's just too much of a grind for him to do a daily show.

Comedy Central says, "We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years. As we look ahead, we're excited for the next chapter in the 25+ year history of 'The Daily Show.'"

It's unclear when Trevor will leave the show ... our Comedy Central source says Trevor and the CC team are working together on "a timeline for his departure."

TN has hosted "The Daily Show" since 2015, taking over for longtime host Jon Stewart on the satirical news program.

During his time as host, Trevor won a Primetime Emmy Award ... and was nominated for a bunch of other awards.

In 2017, Trevor extended his contract with Comedy Central through 2022 ... and now he's leaving altogether.

It will be interesting to see who Comedy Central tabs as the next 'Daily Show' host ... but one thing is for sure, they will have some big shoes to fill.

Victoria Beckham has people worried her marriage with David Beckham might be on the rocks -- and it all has to do with what appears to be a fading tattoo.

Fans took notice of VB's wrist this week when she did a lipstick tutorial on IG, pointing out that some signature ink she normally rocks on her wrist seemed to be almost totally gone. It's a cursive "DB" ... obviously her husband's initials, and one she's had since their 10th anniversary.

From the video, it looks like the tattoo is in the process of being removed. You can still see traces of it -- but the tat is certainly faded, and there's no explanation thus far.

Of course, this is still a cause of concern for some -- mostly because of Sylvester Stallone's recent tattoo drama -- but the public might be overreacting here.

Fact is, it appears Victoria is still wearing a wedding band on her left ring finger -- plus, her and David were photographed last week holding hands in public. On the flip side, however, he did attend the Queen's wake by himself a couple weeks ago.

It could all be much ado about nothing, but just to make sure ... we've reached out to reps for both David and Victoria about the missing ink. So far, no word back.

Dub Nation has a new K-Pop megastar in its fanbase -- it's Suga from BTS ... and he's already got Steph Curry's attention!!

1/7 of the most popular music act on the planet posted a snap with a customized "SUGA" Warriors jersey to his nearly 39 million Instagram followers on Monday ... seemingly confirming his allegiance to the Bay Area team.

Of course, the NBA champs have had some major support from K-Pop idols in the past ... from NCT's Chenle and Mark to GOT7 rapper, BamBam, who actually became the team's official global ambassador last season.

Suga's post was quickly noticed by the Warriors' biggest superstar ... who said, "Love the jersey SUGA!! See you soon ✈️"

There's speculation Suga is following in BamBam's footsteps as the team's newest ambassador ... but TMZ Sports is told that's not the case. However, there's rumblings Suga could attend the Warriors' preseason game in Japan later this week.

As we previously pointed out, BamBam's role with the team helped get Andrew Wiggins a starting spot in the All-Star Game ... with all the Ahgases (AKA GOT7 fans) voting on social media to secure the honor for the 27-year-old Canadian hooper.

On top of that, fans lined up for hours just to get a special BamBam x Warriors merch collab as well ... so yeah, the power of K-Pop is real.

Rachel Dolezal has an OnlyFans page... and while that's soaking in, add this -- the reason she's posting risqué pics is to show her love for Rihanna's lingerie line.

The ex-local NAACP Prez -- famously embroiled in a race controversy years ago for posing as a Black woman -- had 4 steamy photos of hers plastered online Monday night, which were screenshots from what appears to be her OF account ... something we've confirmed really does exist.

Her rep tells TMZ ... yes, Dolezal has indeed started a profile on the site, which as you've no doubt heard, has made some people millionaires. However, the rep says Rachel's in this to pay homage to Savage X Fenty, RiRi's incredibly popular underwear line.

We're told RD got her hands on the latest batch of lingerie, and wanted to show it off for her subscribers ... and they certainly got an eye-full, as did the rest of Twitter.

The OnlyFans URL at the bottom of the leaked pics goes directly to her page, and it's clear Dolezal isn't hiding this. She posts quite regularly, and has had the account for much of 2022, if not earlier.

Her bio says this account is dedicated to her "creative content" where she can interact with her fans. It also notes subscribers get to "see how my sensual side pairs with my creative spirit through intimate images inspired by color, light, and lingerie on the weekends." It's unclear how many sexy pics she's got in total -- it'll cost ya $9.99/month to find out.

Many are expressing shock over this ... but it's not totally out of the ordinary. There are tons of people, famous and otherwise, turning to OF. Like we said, it can be lucrative.

Folks might find this a bit jarring because of Dolezal's buttoned-up past -- which got rocky around 2015, when it was revealed she was actually a white woman who said she identified as Black for years.

Dolezal stepped down from her Spokane NAACP position amid the scandal.

Elon Musk's legal team was all set to grill Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal Monday -- but it never happened, and now EM's team is considering filing action to hold Agrawal in contempt.

Sources with direct knowledge of the case tell TMZ ... Elon's attorneys flew out to the west coast Monday to conduct Agrawal's deposition in Twitter's lawsuit against Elon for backing out of his purchase of the company. Sources close to Elon say Parag unexpectedly no-showed, but folks at Twitter say that's BS.

Our Twitter sources say both sides agreed on Sunday that Monday's deposition would be rescheduled for personal reasons, and will, instead, happen later this week.

Now, our Elon sources say his legal team might ask the judge to hold Parag in contempt for missing the depo ... which, if successful, could mean consequences even before the trial, which is set to begin Oct. 17.

Other reports suggested Elon was also supposed to sit for a depo Monday in Delaware, but Elon's attorney, Alex Spiro, tells TMZ, "It's a lie." He also insists the Parag's depo was still scheduled to go down Monday in San Francisco.

Remember, this is all about Twitter trying to force Elon to buy the company like he said he would ... only to then reverse course when he claimed Twitter wasn't being forthright about spambot data and security-related problems with the platform.

Lil Wayne got an early start to his 40th birthday celebration ... with a star-studded birthday party fit for the legendary rapper!!!

Sources close to Weezy tell TMZ Hip Hop ... the shindig went down at popular L.A. hot spot, The Nice Guy -- and several close friends and family members -- including all 4 of his children, flew in from New Orleans for the event.

Special guests ranged from YG and Yella Beezy to Mack Maine and Cortez Bryant on the hip hop side ... and Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe and Marcus Wiley repped for the sports culture.

NBA YoungBoy understandably couldn't be there on an account of his highly publicized house arrest, but sent a video message addressing Wayne as "his son" ... as they're both branches from the Louisiana rap family tree.

The biggest shocker of the night came courtesy of R&B legend Keith Sweat ... who surprised Wayne with a special performance of his classic track "Don't Stop Your Love."

Wayne's actual birthday is Tuesday, when he'll be getting the royal birthday treatment from the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. We've learned they're unveiling a special exhibit in his honor.

NMAAM and Vanderbilt professors will host an event for the exhibit, which features personally donated antiques from Wayne -- including his Best Rap Album Grammy for "Tha Carter III," his first handwritten letter during his stint on Rikers Island and much more.

Penn State ain't letting a great opportunity slip through its fingertips ... TMZ Sports has learned the school will capitalize on the "Chad Powers" craze -- with plans to sell merch this weekend on the heels of Eli Manning's hilarious bit at the university.

A spokesperson for the school said T-shirts with Eli/Powers' images on them will hit the Beaver Stadium bookstore on Saturday. They'll be available at trailer locations during the Nittany Lions' home game against Central Michigan as well.

The shirts are hilarious -- they feature the character and jersey number from Manning's "Eli's Places" episode earlier this week.

If you missed it -- click play right now ... the skit is laugh-out-loud funny, showing Manning caking on makeup and donning a wig in order to "try out" for PSU's football team.

In addition to the shirts, a PSU official tells us there will also be a Chad Powers-themed promotion going on at the school's Beaver Stadium Block Party on Saturday.

At the event, if people run faster than 5.49 seconds in a 40-yard dash (the time Manning recorded as Powers during the workout), they'll get a free Powers T-shirt!

No word on what one of the for-sale tees will cost or if Manning's getting a cut.

"While Chad was not eligible to make our roster as a run-on," a PSU official added, "he is still part of our Penn State Family."

PnB Rock's body is ready to be released to his family, but the process behind the scenes has been drama-filled between them and officials ... and actually required police intervention.

Sources tell TMZ ... PnB Rock's mother wanted her son's body right away because of religious reasons, but the medical examiner wouldn't give it up because his death's part of a larger homicide investigation. PnB's brother, PnB Meen, alluded to this online -- saying the family was having issues with the M.E. -- making him question how PnB's Janazah would go.

Janazah is a Muslim funeral ceremony ... and there are certain rules that come with conducting one -- including getting a burial started within 72 hours.

We're told PnB Rock's mom flew from Philadelphia to Los Angeles after being notified her son had been shot and killed Monday, and she went straight to the medical examiner's office to ID the body and try to get it released to the fam.

Our sources say Rock's mom was adamant the body needed to be released ASAP because their customs. We're told things got heated when the family was informed their request for immediate release could not be met and that LAPD was called to the L.A. County Coroner's office to help calm things down.

Our sources say PnB's mom also didn't want an autopsy performed, because it goes against their religion ... but we're told the M.E.'s office told her they had to conduct an autopsy by law.

TMZ broke the story ... PnB Rock was shot and killed Monday while dining at a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant in South Los Angeles.

The M.E. released the autopsy findings Friday, saying PnB Rock died from a gunshot wound to his back/chest, classifying his death as a homicide.

With PnB Rock's body finally getting the green light to be released into his family's possession -- after tons of back-and-forth between his loved ones, legal team, LAPD and the M.E. -- we're told the plan is for his family to take the body back to his Philly hometown for a funeral.

Memphis rapper EBG Ejizzle is screwing up a sweet plea deal that kept him outta jail ... according to prosecutors who say he's gone on a mini crime spree while on probation.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, EBG got locked up on September 11, just a few months after he narrowly avoided that very fate. In May, he agreed to plead guilty to aggravated assault -- a downgrade from his original charge of attempted murder -- and he got 3 years of probation instead of prison time.

Like we said ... sweet deal. However, prosecutors say things went south quickly ... as EBG failed a drug test less than 2 weeks after starting probation. They say he tested positive for marijuana, opiates, benzodiazepines and oxycodone.

To make matters worse, the 22-year-old was then accused of posting images on Facebook of a black firearm with an extended magazine, and a semi-automatic rifle.

Several days later, he allegedly shot up a parked car, and brandished the weapon in a threatening manner. According to the docs, EBG also has an active warrant for his arrest on charges of vandalism and reckless endangerment.

Ya get the point ... prosecutors are now asking the court to revoke Ejizzle's original sentence of probation, and he's currently being held without bail.

The death of a famous Philadelphia drag queen is getting national attention ... due to the tragic manner in which she died.

25-year-old Valencia Prime passed away after performing as part of a drag show ... according to Shaniyah Banks, an investigator for Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office.

A rep for Philadelphia PD tells TMZ they got a call about someone who had collapsed at Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar around 11:15 PM Monday night ... they were pronounced dead just before midnight.

We're told the causes of death were determined to be cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

The venue paid tribute to Valencia, posting a statement online about "the loss of a very bright and rising star in the performance community." They also said they're talking with her family about hosting a show in her honor in the future.

She's been met with tributes left and right since her passing ... drag queen Brittany Lynn wrote on Facebook, "You will be sorely missed ... keep twirling, ma'am," while drag artist Aloe Vera said, "I love you with everything in my heart Valencia. Rest in power.”

Valencia was 25.

Former 76ers owner Michael Rubin has found a new place to call home -- TMZ Sports has confirmed he just dropped $70 million on an L.A. mansion that sits on land previously owned by Ronald Reagan!

The pad is located in Hollywood Hills -- and it's insane. It features seven bedrooms, 12 bathrooms and a laundry list of amenities.

It's also three stories tall -- and it's located so perfectly on a knoll that it overlooks the famous Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

Reagan used to own the property many years ago, as did legendary music producer Richard Perry, though it's undergone significant remodels over the years since.

Our sources say Rubin -- who wanted a new pad in Los Angeles because a lot of his Fanatics business is run out of the city -- got a pretty good deal on the place ... it was originally listed for over $80 million.

Like Rubin, the seller has some ties to the sports world -- according to the L.A. Times, Francesco Aquilini, the chairman of the Vancouver Canucks, was the one who put it on the market.

Westside Estate Agency's Kurt Rappaport repped Rubin in the purchase.

Brittany Snow is a single woman again, because she and her husband are dunzo ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the couple tell TMZ ... the "Pitch Perfect" star and Tyler Stanaland have officially called it quits -- this after rumors of infidelity, although we're told there's no truth to any of those and that they had no bearing on the breakup.

What we are told, however, is that this uncoupling has been a long time coming -- and mostly has to do with distance. Apparently, L.A. (where BS lives) and Orange County (TS's home) is a bit too far and they were having problems splitting their time between the areas.

Again ... our sources insist this has nothing to do with cheating, with emphasis on the fact that Tyler is NOT dating his "Selling the OC" costar Alex Hall ... despite speculation they might be a thing. We're told the two Netflix stars are simply friends.

Unclear when exactly they threw in the towel on their relationship, but we do know it's over now. Snow posted Wednesday, "After time and consideration, Tyler and I have made the difficult decision to separate. This decision was made with love and mutual respect for one another. We have realized we need to take some time and make sure we are each living our most fulfilling and authentic lives."

She continued, "We started this journey as best friends and our relationship will continue to be a priority not only for us but for our dog Charlie. We sincerely appreciate your support and ask for privacy as we navigate this new chapter."

Trae Tha Truth's back in superhero mode -- after a stint in the villain role -- to help with Jackson, Mississippi's water crisis ... which has been a pretty disgusting situation for locals.

The Houston rapper made the trek to Mississippi over the weekend to assist with the water crisis ... helping deliver 100 water filters, groceries and enough supplies to support up to 50 families.

Trae delivered the water filters to families' doorsteps and showed them how to properly install and use the device.

He also listened to the people's concerns ... which according to some residents, date back some 30 years!!!

A video of the city's water situation went viral a couple of weeks ago ... showing a doo-doo brown substance oozing out of the faucet that barely passed for liquid.

City officials blamed everything under the sun for the contaminations -- insufficient resources, old and leaky pipes and heavy rainfall for the shutdown of one of the cities' two water-treatment plants -- but have been short to offer solutions all the same.

As of Wednesday, 150,000 Jackson residents reportedly are still without suitable drinking water.

While the road to winning back the public opinion may be a steep one, we're told Trae will be back on the road in Jackson to ensure families also get pallets of water this time around.

Trae posted his latest act of kindness on Instagram to a rather icy reception from his followers ... seeing that he's been mum on his involvement in the group beatdown of former collaborator and fellow Texas rapper Z-Ro -- after previously denying ambushing him.

The video evidence told a different story and IG commenters accused the "Asshole By Nature" of hiding behind his charity and posturing behind the camera instead of settling his beef back home.

Boosie Badazz's is torn up about a Houston jeweler getting killed shortly after they met -- but he's also pissed there's internet chatter he might be involved in the crime ... something he's angrily denying.

No doubt, Boosie's Labor Day weekend visit to H-Town, ended in a tragedy -- the death of Duke the Jeweler. Police sources tell TMZ Hip Hop the 29-year-old died from multiple gunshot wounds, and was pronounced dead Sunday at 11:46 PM.

According to cops, witnesses said they saw 2 unidentified Black male suspects hop out of a black GMC truck, approach Duke on foot and fire several shots in his direction ... before fleeing the parking lot.

Now, here's where Boosie comes into the story -- on Sunday, he actually met with Duke ... who, as it turns out, unwittingly captured his final moments on Instagram.

During the meeting, Duke showed off some jewelry, stacks of cash and Louis Vuitton bags -- and, according to Boosie, Duke got shot shortly after this.

The rapper was pretty emotional when he posted a video during his flight back home ... and spilled all the details he had about the incident.

Boosie says Duke was walking to his car -- after their meeting -- and, in his opinion, the dudes who jumped Duke were trying to rob the jeweler.

Boosie says it was in the distance, but he definitely heard the gunshots.

His posting only stirred up internet trolls who insinuated Boosie might have some involvement in the fatal shooting -- and that prompted him to curse them out.