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Michael Jackson's music may very well have a new co-owner if a mega deal is negotiated with Sony worth nearly a billion dollars, but there are strings attached ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the MJ estate will NEVER sell Michael's historic catalog outright. BUT, we've learned the estate would entertain a 50/50 split, but only if the estate maintains complete management and control.

Our sources say the estate would consider selling a 50% interest for around $900 million, and that would cover recordings, publishing rights, etc.

Here's what we're hearing ... there appears to be talks underway between the estate and Sony. When you think about it, Sony makes a lot of sense ... it's Mike's long-term label.

This is a distinction from other huge catalog sales that have gone down -- including from guys like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber and more. Those deals, didn't even come close to what's potentially at play for Michael's stuff ... and they also relinquished virtually all say over how the work can be used by their new corporate owners.

Springsteen's catalog went for $500 million, and Justin Bieber's went for $200 mil ... again, that for total ownership.

If these MJ talks manifest, it would easily be the biggest blockbuster sale ever -- which speaks to just how popular and in demand Michael continues to be to this day.

Las Vegas Raiders star, Darren Waller pulled up to the 2023 Pro Bowl with some new tats you absolutely could not miss ... because they were both on the sides of his head!!

The NFL tight end got the scalp ink on Saturday while the Pro Bowl games were going down at Allegiant Stadium ... and TMZ Sports has learned he flew out his go-to guy, Kali from Atlanta, to make sure it was all done right.

You can see in one of the pieces, there's an angel playing the trumpet. In the other, there's a falcon taking flight. Both are HUGE -- occupying most of the 30-year-old's cranium.

No word on what the images mean to Waller ... but Kali, who has done basically all of the tats on Waller, tells us the football player didn't complain once while the ink was going into his head.

"Sat like a champ," Kali tells us. "Always does."

Kali said it took a total of three hours to do the overall head piece -- and, when it comes to the healing process, the artist said it'll be just like any other tattoo ... as long as it's kept clean and moisturized.

The charges against Amar'e Stoudemire stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident at his home in December have been dismissed ... after prosecutors say the victim did not cooperate with the investigation.

As we previously reported, STAT was accused of striking one of his teen daughters across the face at least twice.

But the 40-year-old adamantly denied the accusations ... saying he would never lay a finger on another human being.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office confirmed to CBS Miami on Tuesday, the charges related to the Dec. 2022 incident have been dropped "due to the failure of the victim to cooperate in the prosecution of the criminal case."

Stoudemire tells TMZ Sports ... "A little over a month ago, my family’s world was turned upside down as I faced allegations that we all knew to be untrue – which I instantly and publicly denied."

"Today, I’m grateful that after a full investigation, all charges were dismissed. Fortunately, my family and most importantly, my incredible children are all doing well. My faith in the goodness we all possess has never wavered and has never been greater. My love for my family is without limits."

He continued ... "I am appreciative of all the respect and support received from family, friends and colleagues. Now that this chapter is closed, I look forward to all the great moments ahead with my family."

R. Kelly is no longer facing sex-abuse charges in Chicago, where a prosecutor's decided to drop several pending charges, but that news isn't swinging his mood ... the singer still has plenty of other troubles.

Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, tells us she spoke with Kelly after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced she no longer would pursue the case because the disgraced R&B star has already been convicted in 2 federal courts of similar crimes and "is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again."

Bonjean tells TMZ, “There is no real sense of relief. He is still fighting for his life. He is facing decades in prison." But, she added that Foxx made "the right move" with her decision.

Foxx held a presser Monday to make the announcement, acknowledging that some of the accusers may be disappointed, but "we believe justice has been served."

As we reported ... Kelly was accused of sexually abusing 4 people, 3 of whom were minors, in the Chicago case. Foxx says she will ask the judge Tuesday to dismiss the charges against Kelly.

'Bachelor' alum, Hannah Ann Sluss won't have to stress about getting roses anymore ... 'cause the former contestant is engaged to NFL player Jake Funk -- and was spotted at a Cabo airport sporting the massive ring!!!

HAS shared the big news to her 900k+ TikTok followers on Wednesday ... showing her enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with the Indianapolis Colts running back.

Apparently, Hannah wasn't expecting a diamond ring for dessert ... as the model captioned the clip, "The surprise at the end he had for me 🥺."

You can see the emerald cut diamond on her finger and a projection on a mountain in the background reading "She said Yes."

As it turns out, Hannah Ann was already wearing the rock on Tuesday ... when the bride-to-be showed off the ring while waiting at the airport with her future hubby.

Of course, this isn't the first time Sluss was asked for her hand in marriage.

The 26-year-old was the winner in season 24 of "The Bachelor" in 2019 ... and got engaged to Peter Weber.

However, Weber called it off during the "After the Final Rose" special ... claiming he was in love with the runner-up Madison Prewett.

Safe to say it all worked out for Hannah Ann in the end.

Rich the Kid has a permanent stamp to rep his friendship with Takeoff -- a new tattoo of the late Migos rapper's signature.

The "New Freezer" rapper was down in Tampa and got inked up by Tattoo MF Red ... splashing an assortment of purple and black hues to complete the piece on the back of his right hand.

Red, a go-to for celebs and athletes in the area, tells TMZ Hip Hop he got Rich's hand tat drawn up in a flashy 30 minutes ... in between his recording session at STB Entertainment studio and a radio interview he conducted.

Unlike some rappers paying tribute on social media, Rich's ink and love for Takeoff can't be misconstrued for clout chasing, as they got pretty tight over the years.

Takeoff was the one who actually taught Rich how to make it rain in the club, and they had numerous collaborations together ... never hesitating to go outta their way to celebrate each other's birthdays.

The last time we spoke to Rich, he fondly remembered those moments with Takeoff ... and he was also looking forward to the music he'd be making courtesy of his new multi million dollar deal with RCA.

Rich was recently in the studio with Takeoff's brother YRN Lingo ... who approved of the finished product and promises to drop a banger this Friday.

Polo G is looking to set the trend of "smart jewelry" -- the Chicago rap star's cashing out for a diamond-encrusted bulldog that's plenty flashy, but also functional ... as an iPhone case!!!

Skylar Langfeldt of Icebox Diamonds & Watches tells TMZ Hip Hop the pendant took a couple of months of engineering to perfect all the features. For instance, Polo's phone can actually be charged without being removed from the sparkling accessory.

We're told the pendant includes more than 500 grams of 14kt white gold with 90+ carats of diamonds -- and there's another 55 carats of bling on the accompanying chain!

Fans might confuse Polo for a Boston Red Sox fan after seeing the chain and pendant's red letter "B" enamel accents -- but we're told it's actually a tribute to BMoney 1300 ... Polo's friend who was murdered in August 2021.

T.I. and DaBaby’s first collaboration ever will appear on the soundtrack for “Fear,” the forthcoming thriller film in which T.I. also stars ... TMZ Hip Hop can confirm.

Sources close to the film’s soundtrack tell us the song’s name is also titled “Fear” and will be featured on the big screen.

Superproducer Sean Garrett will executive produce the album, which will also have more features from DaBaby, E-40 and Freddie Gibbs as well.

Both T.I. and DaBaby performed Saturday to support the film at an event in West Hollywood … where the legendary Atlantans braved sound issues, and ripped the soundman for slacking on the cues to play the tracks!!!

Tip half-joked the DJ should be appreciative of his patience and grace ... reminiscent of when Wiz Khalifa did the complete opposite in a similar situation.

Tip, who’s still yet to do a Verzuz, blazed through several trap classics such as “24’s” and “Rubber Band Man," before passing the mic torch to DaBaby and saluting what he was able to accomplish in hip hop ... hailing from the typically untapped region of Charlotte, NC.

DaBaby graciously thanked Tip for the intro and gave an impromptu performance of his multi-platinum hit “Suge.”

Young Thug and one of his YSL co-defendants are accused of pulling off a hand-to-hand drug deal while in court, during jury selection for Thug's RICO trial ... and it's all on camera.

Courtroom surveillance footage captured the moment Wednesday in Fulton County Court ... Kahlieff Adams walks over to Thug and clearly hands him an object. Aside from the cameras, at least 2 bailiffs were just a couple feet away, saw the whole transaction, and immediately nabbed Adams.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a deputy later discovered the object was a baggie of Percocet pills. While Adams is a defendant in the YSL RICO case, he is already serving a life-without-parole sentence for murder.

Thug's lawyer Keith Adams, no relation, denies his client had anything to do with the drug deal, as the state claims in docs. He says Thug complied after being instructed to hand over the pills to the deputy,

BTW, when deputies searched Kahlieff they say he had more percs, marijuana, tobacco and other contraband wrapped in plastic and food seasonings to mask the scent of the weed. He was taken to a nearby hospital, because authorities suspected he swallowed other drugs in an attempt to conceal them.

Both Thug and Adams are being blamed for delaying court … not the best impression for Judge Ural Glanville, who's had his hands full with the case before it even got off the ground.

Bobby Shmurda is officially in the pest control business ... at least in the rap game, where he's continuing the rollout of his anti-snitch song.

The GS9 rapper previewed a new music video on Thursday dressed as an exterminator and surrounded by a swarm of scantily clad assistants!!!

Sources close to the video production tell TMZ Hip Hop ... the song's title has been shortened to "Rats" and it's produced by PGlo.

We're also hearing the track will be the launchpad for a new project from Bobby, creating a ripple of new swag and energy.

Bobby's on the indie circuit now ... his last joint dropped back in October, and he's been battling sample clearances and blackballing on Instagram.

He sure picked the right topic to rap about though -- snitching has been a hot topic since Gunna took a plea deal and got sprung from jail.

Police are investigating a pretty horrifying clip of cops pummeling a woman ... and we're told it all started after a complaint about lack of cheese on a Big Mac.

In the vid, you can see 2 officers attempting to detain Latinka Hancock Monday in Butler Township, Ohio. After some arguing, you can see one of the cops punch her in the head multiple times before getting the cuffs on her.

Police now say they're looking into the incident caught on camera.

Hancock's attorney Michael Wright of Wright & Schulte tells TMZ ... it all went down after Hancock ordered and paid for a Big Mac at McDonald's with extra cheese -- but she claims the order didn't come with the extra cheese.

Wright says employees ended up calling the cops on Hancock after things got heated ... and insists she was confronted by Butler Township PD after trying to leave.

Cardi B was back in front of the judge in her strip club beatdown case after failing to start the community service portion of her plea deal ... and now she's got a new deadline.

The "WAP" rapper showed up Tuesday to a courthouse in Queens, where the judge gave Cardi until March 1 to complete her sentence, which includes 15 days of community service.

A rep for the Queens District Attorney tells TMZ ... Cardi was supposed to complete her community service by Tuesday, but so far, Cardi has done ZERO hours.

Cardi made a fashion statement at court ... rocking a huge fur coat over a skintight dress, strutting around in Louboutin heels and hiding her eyes behind Christian Dior sunglasses.

As we reported ... Cardi copped a plea deal back in September, pleading guilty to 3rd-degree assault and reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors, and received 15 days of community service as part of the deal.

Drew Findling, who reps Cardi, tells TMZ ... "Personally and professionally, Cardi is dedicated to community service and charitable endeavors. She therefore appreciates the court giving her until March 1st to complete her community service commitment in Queens, New York."

We're told Cardi will be doing community service this week.

Remember ... Cardi was accused of ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders, Jade and Baddie Gi, way back in August 2018 ... and she was arrested and booked a few months later for her alleged role in the strip club fight.

The city of Buffalo has some fresh new artwork ... weeks after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the football field, a local artist painted a mural of the Bills safety!

Adam Zyglis, the artist, was the mastermind behind the project ... and he collaborated with Rory Allen to find the perfect place for the mural. The guys decided on Larkin Square.

FYI, Larkin Square is outside downtown Buffalo ... and is about 15 minutes away from Highmark Stadium, where the Bills play their home games.

Adam, an editorial cartoonist at the Buffalo News, tells us the inspiration for the mural was born when he heard 24-year-old Hamlin was being released from the hospital.

"I completed the illustration late last week after reading news of Damar Hamlin returning to Buffalo and coming home," Adam told us. "That moment of tragedy united the country across team allegiances and party lines."

He continued ... "It was a human moment, and his recovery was an illustration of Buffalo's strength, love, and resiliency. As the coach said, it was much bigger than football."

The 17-foot-tall illustration, which shows Damar in his Bills uniform making a heart gesture with his hands, was hand-drawn by Adam and took 4-5 hours to create and color.

The mural was installed on Monday, and once Damar saw the sick artwork on social media, he tweeted, "Where is this?" with a heart emoji and two fire emojis.

Of course, Damar hasn't returned to the field since being released from a Buffalo hospital last week ... however, Hamlin did visit his teammates at the facility over the weekend.

Hamlin supported his squad as he watched them defeat the Dolphins in the Wild-Card round ... and will be cheering for the Bills in the divisional round when they play the Bengals.

CJ Harris, the former "American Idol" contestant who made it to the top 6 in 2014, has died.

A family member tells us CJ suffered an apparent heart attack Sunday night in Jasper, Alabama ... he was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, but didn't make it.

Fans of the show remember the Jasper native auditioning for the judges back in 2014 in Salt Lake City ... blowing them away with his version of Allman Brothers Band's "Soulshine."

Judge Keith Urban told CJ, "You sing 'cause you have to sing, not 'cause you want to sing. And, I mean that in the deepest way. And, that's why it's so believable and real."

Following his incredible audition, CJ rocked America with powerful versions of "Too Close," "American Woman," and "Free Fallin'." He was chosen by the judges as a wild card in the semi-finals after not receiving enough votes, getting kept in the competition -- making it all the way to the top 6 before getting eliminated.

After "Idol," CJ performed with Darius Rucker at The Grand Ole Opry, someone he's said was a massive influence on his style. He even played for audiences in the competition show's season 13 tour.

He was only 31.

Offset and Hit-boy held a party in Hollywood last night to celebrate their new track -- Offset's his first since tragically losing Takeoff -- and, as you can see, the Migos rapper is on the up again.

Sources inside the event tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Offset was in good spirits and drinking good spirits, as the party was sponsored by Patrón.

Their new single "2 Live" glorifies the wildness of Miami rap legend Uncle Luke's glory days while splicing in Too Short's smut masterpiece "Freaky Tales" in the sample.

The track dropped on Nas' Mass Appeal label, and we're told his team was instrumental in placing the collaboration.

The ThirdEyeRaz-directed video also premiered at the party and on YouTube this morning.

'2 Live' not only signifies Offset regaining his footing in the studio, but we hear the track could also be the launchpad for Hit-Boy's 2023 blockbuster release ... which would cap his work with Nas last year!!!

Offset's creativity seems to be activated again, but he's not the only one in his household dropping a project in the near future.

Filmmaker Michael Bay is now charged with killing a pigeon while directing a film in Italy ... but he's firing back, denying it ever happened under his watch.

The blockbuster director was hit with charges relating to the bird's death, which allegedly happened back in 2018 on the set of the Netflix flick “6 Underground."

However, sources connected to the production tell TMZ ... all the homing pigeons used in the film landed safely during filming.

One source told us, "Everyone knows Michael is an animal activist. This would never happen on his set. There are dozens of witnesses who said that this didn’t happen."

Italian officials say otherwise -- prosecutors claim the pigeon was killed by a dolly while Michael was filming in Rome ... where it is illegal to harm or kill wild birds.

Authorities say someone from the set saw the whole thing, and took a photo before reporting it to law enforcement.

The allegation isn't that Michael himself harmed the bird, but because he was the director ... he's being held responsible for the incident. Michael reportedly tried to get the case thrown out several times, but prosecutors persisted.