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J. Cole threw Kendrick Lamar's iconic "To Pimp a Butterfly" album under the bus on his "7 Minute Drill" diss -- an ultimate no-no from Baron Davis' POV.

It's one of the proud L.A. native's fav albums of all time ... point, blank period!!!

TMZ Hip Hop got up with B. Diddy at LAX on Friday and the "NBA on TNT" cohost repped his beloved West Coast and sided with Kendrick in his battle with Cole ... but still wants to hear from Drake like the rest of us!!!

Baron saluted all parties involved for giving hip hop some pizazz again ... and even thinks Kendrick should follow through and diss Cole again.

Cole knocked the jazzy 'TPAB' as all hype when he rapped, "Your second s*** put n****s to sleep, but they gassed it" ... Baron notes 'TPAB' as a cultural movement that would go on to soundtrack the George Floyd protests of 2020.

The 'Butterfly' nerve was also struck for several L.A.-based rappers, including Kendrick's former label prez who now believes the "King Kunta" MC has secret haters in the industry!!!

Baron's been dabbling in rap under the name "Bart Oatmeal" for the past few years himself and tells us it's been a new creative outlet for him.

Pete Davidson's making sure his friends on "Bupkis" have good memories of him -- as he makes his exit, Pete's dishin' out thousands to some of the show's staff ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us, Pete's handing out cash prizes -- totaling hundreds of thousands -- to some creators who worked on season 1 of "Bupkis" to thank them for all their hard work on the show, pre-cancelation.

We're told Davidson gave the money to just a handful of people ... all of whom were involved with season 1, but who weren't necessarily working on the now-dead second season.

Pete Davidson se está asegurando de que sus amigos en "Bupkis" tengan buenos recuerdos de él mientras cierra ese capítulo, ya que el actor está repartiendo miles de dólares a algunos miembros del personal, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Las fuentes nos dicen que Pete está entregando premios en efectivo, por un total de cientos de miles, a algunos de los creadores que trabajaron en la primera temporada de "Bupkis". Todo, para darles las gracias por su duro trabajo, antes de su cancelación.

Nos dicen que Davidson le dio dinero a solo un puñado de personas, todos quienes estaban involucrados en la temporada 1, pero que no estaban necesariamente trabajando en la segunda temporada, ahora cancelada.

There's apparently a green thumb attached to Tom Brady's golden arm ... check out a recent pic of his Miami mansion -- a garden he's growing in his front yard is flourishing!!!

The NFL legend had planter boxes installed next to a tennis court near the entrance of his new pad ... and just recently, dirt and food were placed inside of them.

And, from the looks of things, Brady's doing a great job tending to it all -- 'cause it seems the crops are already bearing goods!!

Bronny James is doing the right thing by keeping his basketball options open ... so says ex-NBA player and coach Byron Scott, who tells TMZ Sports he personally thinks the young hooper should stay in school another year.

The 19-year-old USC Trojan announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft on Friday ... saying he will explore the interest from teams at the next level while maintaining his NCAA eligibility and entering the transfer protocol.

We spoke with Scott about the big hoop news ... and he tells us the former four-star recruit's smart by leaving doors open.

"Not surprised, not shocked," Scott said of James' announcement. "I think Bronny and, obviously, his dad and Klutch Sports, they've probably been thinking about this for a while and how to kind of go about it."

"So him entering his name in the draft and also in the portal -- I think he’s just weighing his options to see where he can probably get drafted, and then if he doesn’t like that and likes a situation where he can go play college basketball for another year, then I think it’s the best of both worlds. I think he’s in a great position."

Bronny will almost certainly have a new home no matter what he decides to do ... and if that's a different university, Scott sees LeBron's eldest son being highly coveted in the 2025 NBA Draft.

"You know what, to be honest with you, I think one more year of college wouldn’t hurt him," Scott added. "I think he has some great skills, there’s no doubt about that -- he knows how to play the game, he’s got a great basketball IQ, but playing one more year and being almost kind of featured, I think would really really solidify him in the next NBA Draft."

"American Idol" contestant and former NFL pro Blake Proehl's biggest fan has been revealed -- it's his two-time Super Bowl champ dad, Ricky ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports his son's singing career has left him speechless!!

Blake -- a star receiver for East Carolina before joining the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 -- has kickstarted quite the second career after transitioning from football ... he's currently crushing it on the popular competition show.

Now that Blake is in the top 24 on "Idol," we talked to Ricky about watching his talented son on the stage instead of the field ... and he's unbelievably proud, especially considering he had no idea where it came from!!

"It's just amazing because none of us can sing!" Ricky told us this week. "I can't sing, my wife can't sign, my parents, her parents -- it's a gift!"

Ricky -- who played for six teams in the NFL from 1990-2006 -- recalled the first time he heard Blake belt out a tune ... and it was so powerful, he got a frog in his throat.

"For me, it was an emotional moment because I couldn't believe it. Then we heard him in person and we started hearing it more and more and how talented he was and how good he sounded just blew me away in that short period of time."

Ricky said it's super easy to support Blake's new career path ... 'cause he can tell just how much he loves music, just like he was with football.

"I think it took a lot for him to walk away from a game that he loves. A game that his dad played, his brother played and to have the courage to say, 'Hey, Dad, I'm going to pursue music.' I thought that said a lot about who he is as a person and I respect the guy. I love him for that."

Alex Jones is living it up in Hawaii, chillin' by the pool and downing drinks ... even though his massive debt to the families of Sandy Hook victims remains unpaid.

Eyewitnesses on the island of Kaui tell TMZ ... the controversial podcaster was at a ritzy resort earlier this week with his wife Erika, and they didn't appear to have any other family or friends hanging with them.

Jones was dressed pretty relaxed for his tropical vacay ... sticking to t-shirts and shorts while he hung around the hotel pool and bar area.

Jason Bateman is facing the ire of PETA after doing an ad read for a dairy company on his podcast -- and they're none too pleased with him ... TMZ has learned.

In a new letter -- obtained by TMZ -- the actor is slammed by the animal rights org for spreading what they call "false and misleading marketing claims" on a March episode of his "Smartless" podcast.

Specifically, PETA takes issue with Jason claiming Organic Valley -- a company that pumps out dairy products like milk -- sells items that are ethically sourced from small family farms ... as they claim the cows used for dairy production are harmed in the collection process.

Christine Quinn's husband is throwing in the towel on their marriage -- capping off weeks of volatility between them that's resulted in him being taken to jail ... and dueling TRO requests.

The "Selling Sunset" star's estranged hubby Christian Dumontet just filed to divorce his wife -- and it looks like he might've gotten ahead of her own filing ... as we know Christine herself has been mulling pulling the plug as well.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Christian is citing irreconcilable differences as the reason he's filing ... and he's also asking for sole legal and physical custody of their son.

Akon says he doesn't party enough to know the ins and outs of Diddy's party scene, but he's hoping the truth comes out, for everyone involved, and perhaps ... the industry learns a few lessons.

TMZ spoke to Akon Friday at LAX, and the multi-platinum hitmaker tells us the constant scandals in the music industry are simply bad for business.

Diddy was spotted in Miami all smiles while out for a bicycle ride earlier this week, and Akon says the best everyone can do is shower Puff with prayers ... and leave it in God's hands.

Abby Lee Miller is all in for JoJo Siwa's "Bad Girl" persona ... and she's loving her brand-spankin' new music video too ... which comes part and parcel with her edgy rebrand.

The famed dance instructor tells TMZ she's seen JoJo's new video for "Karma" ... and even with some of the sassier, gyrating dance moves ... she doesn't think it was too graphic or crossed the line -- in fact, Abby says she thinks JS played it relatively safe.

As for the costumes in the video that some fans said Abby would never approve of, ALM's flipping the script ... saying she absolutely loves them ... quipping to the haters if she could've afforded costumes like that for "Dance Moms," she 100% would have in a heartbeat.

Angelina Jolie está haciendo un gran e innecesario alboroto sobre un acuerdo de confidencialidad que Brad Pitt quería que firmara, al menos así lo ve Brad, quien piensa que ella y todas las celebridades firman este tipo de acuerdos todo el tiempo.

Los ex siguen en guerra por Miraval, la bodega francesa de la que son co-propietarios, y Brad acaba de presentar documentos en esa disputa ... refutando la afirmación de Angie de que ella desistió de un acuerdo para vender su parte de la bodega a Brad, porque él insistió en que firmara un estricto acuerdo de confidencialidad.

En los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Brad no niega que haya querido que Angelina firme uno, pero dice que no hay nada oneroso o amplio sobre el acuerdo que le presentó. De hecho, dice que es muy gracioso que Angelina se queje, porque su abogado "propuso una cláusula de no separación mutua aún más amplia" a Brad en relación con su divorcio.

The parents of those who claim to have been victimized on 'Quiet on Set' had no real shot to protect their kids -- so says Soledad O'Brien, who slams the industry.

We talked to the veteran journo -- who's set to host a moderated convo with some of those who were interviewed on 'Quiet on Set' in a new episode airing this weekend -- and she gives us her two cents about where some of the parents land in this equation in terms of blame.

She gives us an interesting take ... while she says many in the public believe some of these child stars might've been groomed at Nickelodeon ... Soledad argues the parents were too.

Angelina Jolie is unnecessarily making a big fuss over a non-disclosure agreement Brad Pitt wanted her to sign ... at least according to Brad who says she, and all celebs, sign these all the time.

The exes are still warring over Miraval, the French winery they co-own, and Brad just filed docs in that dispute ... refuting Angie's claim she walked away from an agreement to sell her share of the winery to Brad, because he insisted she sign a strict NDA.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Brad doesn't deny wanting her to sign one, but he says there's nothing onerous or broad about the NDA he presented her. In fact, he says it's pretty rich for Angelina to complain, because her lawyer "proposed an even broader, mutual non-disparagement clause" to Brad in connection with their divorce.

Michael Jackson's production company wants to stop two of his accusers from getting their hands on police photos that may include images of his private parts -- but they say they have every right to obtain the material.

John Carpenter -- the attorney repping Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- tells TMZ ... "The Los Angeles Police Department and Santa Barbara Police Department gave Michael Jackson and their legal team including Thomas Mesereau all of the incriminating evidence showing that Michael Jackson was sexually abusing children and that his corporations knew about it."

John claims Michael Jackson's companies have had this evidence for decades -- and so he believes they're entitled to the same information.

John C. Reilly ain't just your average movie star -- he's got some decent vocal chops to boot ... with this impromptu performance giving us major flashbacks to one of his roles.

The actor cowboyed up on stage at L.A.'s Fonda Theatre Thursday night ... surprising everyone during Sierra Ferrell's country set -- and as you can see, the crowd goes wild for his performance ... which seems to have come out of nowhere.

John was clearly having fun with this ... he's going full-on wacky and animated for this -- and the crowd can't get enough of him, it seems.