Music

Takeoff's shooting death shocked the world, but especially his hometown of Atlanta, where a graffiti artist was moved to honor the Migos rapper with a mural ... in little more than an instant.

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with Armondo Monoletti, the artist who painted Takeoff's likeness underneath the John Lewis Freedom Parkway bridge near downtown ATL.

Armondo says he couldn't sleep after hearing the Takeoff news and vigorously painted throughout the night ... using only the few paint cans he had in his arsenal, as all the stores were closed at the time.

He says he intentionally painted Takeoff without his signature sunglasses in order to humanize him, and he also wanted to show him smiling ... so fans could escape the grim reality surrounding his death.

Armondo -- whose "APE" graffiti tag stands for "Armondo Paints Everything" -- actually painted over the DMX mural he created back in 2021 to create the Takeoff tribute.

He says there was no disrespect intended -- just like he's done for Takeoff, he had painted the X tribute immediately after his passing.

Method Man isn't trying to hide his frustrations ... not only over Takeoff's death, but also over hip hop culture shouldering the blame for rap slayings.

We caught up with him Thursday in NYC and asked about escalated violence taking out so many more artists ... especially compared to his peak as an OG Wu-Tang Clan member.

Meth sarcastically scoffed at the question, suggesting it was the skinny jeans that changed the culture -- but then he got serious about the notion criminality is driving the culture.

In fact, he wasn't willing to even offer his two cents on potential solutions. Meth urged people to look closer at the circumstances in each case of violence ... instead of always blaming hip hop culture.

He adds ... it simply isn't always the artists' fault.

Jay-Z and Jeff Bezos, two of the most successful men in America, are interested in buying the Washington Commanders, in light of owner Dan Snyder's interest in selling the NFL team, sources tell TMZ Sports.

And, we're told a partnership between the men is on the table.

On Wednesday, the team issued a statement announcing Snyder hired a major bank to investigate a possible opportunity to sell the team ... but made it clear he hadn't yet made a final decision.

Still, the move provided hope to droves of Washington football fans ... who after controversy after controversy and endless losing have long wished Snyder would sell.

We're told Jay, worth an estimated $1.3 billion by Forbes, has expressed serious interest in acquiring the team ... valued at $5.6 billion this summer.

Despite the rap legend and businessman's incredible fortune, we're told he'd look for a strategic partner.

Bezos, one of the world's richest people ($114 billion net worth), is also interested in the team.

Bezos has ties to the area ... he owns the Washington Post newspaper.

Amazon also owns Prime Video ... which recently inked a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to broadcast Thursday Night Football.

Jay-Z is in business with the NFL ... signing a partnership deal in 2019 which gave Hov power over the halftime show, as well as social justice initiatives.

He also previously owned an NBA team, the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets ... before being forced to sell when he opened his sports and marketing agency, Roc Nation Sports, over a potential conflict of interest.

Byron Allen and Robert Griffin III, amongst many more, have also expressed interest in the team.

There's no shortage of suitors, but topping Bezos and Jay-Z would be a monumental task.

Lil Uzi Vert had New York City in a tizzy last night, shooting the music video for his new jam "Just Wanna Rock" ... and bringing out so many fans it looked like a rowdy flash mob.

Uzi -- joined by top Twitch streamer Kai Cenant and fellow Philly rapper 2Rare -- hit the streets and fans did too, toppling cars and whipping out their cell phones as Uzi put his electric dance moves on display.

The viral trio was destined to cause pure pandemonium ... turning up in the trailer and car ride ahead of the shoot.

Kai recently took the Twitch 👑 on October 15 and 2Rare inked a joint venture deal with Warner Records and music exec Mel Carter's Second Estate Records ... so the vibes were on 10 the entire night.

A hilarious moment came when 2Rare caught Kai lacking in 4K on sleep-cam before he awoke to spit bars from his NLE Choppa collaboration "Bustdown Rollie Avalanche."

The song could lead hip hop's next dance craze. It was released last month and racked up more than 500 million TikTok impressions from the previews alone.

There were two other people shot in the gunfire that killed Takeoff -- and one of those people is Quavo's assistant -- TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Joshua "Wash" Washington is the 23-year-old male who was shot and rushed to a local hospital by someone at the scene in the minutes following the melee ... cops described his injuries as non-life threatening.

Wash has been close with Quavo for years, and describes himself as Quavo's assistant and part of operations management at Huncho Records on his social media profile.

As we reported, there was also a 24-year-old female who was shot ... she was also taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

While the shooter (or shooters) have yet to be publicly named, the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office says Takeoff was shot in both the head and torso early Monday morning.

In video obtained by TMZ from the scene, you can see Quavo in an argument and then start to walk away as shots ring out. There's also video showing one man holding a gun to his side ... police have named that man as a person of interest in Takeoff's death.

Rob Dillingham, a 17-year-old consensus five-star basketball recruit and Kentucky commit, is leaving Kanye West's Donda Academy school ... and signing with Overtime Elite league.

Of course, Donda Academy has been engulfed in turmoil after West's repeated use of antisemitic remarks ... putting the future of the school/sports teams in flux.

Dillingham's exit from Donda Academy comes on the heels of Celtics star Jaylen Brown and Rams star Aaron Donald both parting ways from Ye's Donda Sports marketing agency.

The fallout unfortunately swallowed up the kids on the basketball team. Donda was recently pulled from a big tournament -- the Scholastic Play-by-Play tourney in December -- and, most recently, Morehouse College pulled the plug on a showcase in ATL.

Dillingham, a 6'2" point guard out of NC, is considered one of the top point guards in the 2023 class ... and was Donda's highest-rated player, so losing him is a huge blow.

Dillingham -- named Charlotte Observer Player of the Year -- is joining OTE at the perfect time ... the 6-team basketball league just inked a streaming deal with Amazon Prime.

Games start streaming Friday night ... meaning RD went from being on a team that was banned in places to potentially playing in front of millions.

Johnny Depp is a wanted man in just about every lane Hollywood has to offer these days, and he's about to make a guest appearance in a huge show -- orchestrated by Rihanna!

No, Depp won't be shredding his guitar with RiRi at the Super Bowl ... but production sources tell us he'll be a featured surprise guest in her Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show.

We're told JD won't be walking the runway, instead, he's going to be a focus of one of the show's "star" moments -- which has included the likes of Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu in the past. Depp -- who will wear items from the men's collection -- will be the first male in Savage X Fenty show history to take the role.

Our sources say Rihanna and her team invited Johnny to be a part of it, and both sides were super excited to make it happen. We're told Johnny has already filmed his part, and it'll be included in the show's premiere on Amazon Prime Video November 9.

As for how Depp will look, we're told the vibe is "cool and chic" and works for all aspects of Johnny's artistry -- music, modeling and acting.

TMZ broke the story -- it was just a couple months ago when JD made his big return to TV after the Amber Heard trial, when he appeared as the Moon Person at the VMAs. One thing's for sure ... he's been welcomed back to A-list status with open arms.

Kanye West is doubling down on his support for Kyrie Irving ... sharing a pic of the NBA star as they both find themselves embroiled in controversy over pushing antisemitic rhetoric.

The Brooklyn Nets guard released a statement denouncing "all forms of hate and oppression" and vowed to make a $500k donation to fight for the cause on Wednesday ... after facing a ton of backlash for posting a link to a movie that is filled with hurtful beliefs toward the Jewish community.

While KI took responsibility for his actions ... but did not flat-out say "I'm sorry" or "I apologize."

Just six hours later, Ye went to his Twitter account and posted a black and white image of Kyrie to his 31.7 million followers ... seemingly backing the athlete for the second time in three days.

Ye previously backed Irving on Sunday ... posting a different black-and-white image of him and saying, "There's some real ones still here."

Selena Gomez is opening up even more about her struggles with bipolar disorder ... revealing she had suicidal thoughts and checked into 4 different treatment centers.

She says, "I think when I started hitting my early twenties is when it started to get really dark, when I started to feel like I was not in control of what I was feeling, whether that was really great or really bad.”

In the Rolling Stone interview, Selena also recounts having extreme highs and lows for weeks or months, before understanding her bipolar diagnosis. At times she would have symptoms of mania like feeling the need to buy everyone in her life a car so she could share her "gift" -- but then she'd fall into a deep state of depression and not be able to get out of bed.

And in her darkest moments, she said ... “I thought the world would be better if I wasn’t there." After a 2018 episode, she says she ended up on a ton of meds, which helped her psychosis, but made her feel unlike herself.

She also touched on all the fan-stirred drama, where fans accused Hailey Bieber of stealing her ex, Justin Bieber ... saying it made her feel bad about herself.

In the past, she says this kinda incident could've set her back for months ... but this time it was diffused with kindness.

You'll recall, Selena and Hailey posed with each other last month at an event -- seemingly putting the whole mess behind them.

Selena gives a deeper look into her life in her new doc "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me." It premiered Wednesday night in L.A. ... and stars such as Olivia Rodrigo, Camila Cabello and Billie Eilish were all in attendance.

The documentary is out on Apple TV+ tomorrow.

LeBron James is paying tribute to Takeoff in a big way ... changing his Instagram avatar to a photo of the late rapper -- something the Lakers superstar rarely does.

James' IG update happened Wednesday night just before the Lakers took on the New Orleans Pelicans in Los Angeles ... when he swapped out a pic of his family for a photo of Takeoff, who was tragically killed in front of a Houston bowling alley on Tuesday.

The pic shows a stoic Takeoff in a suit and tie ... wearing a pair of dark sunglasses.

The move is a very meaningful one for James -- whose IG profile photos almost always consists of pics of him or his family. Most recently, his two sons, Bronny and Bryce, held the honor.

37-year-old James previously used the gesture to honor Kobe Bryant following his tragic death in 2020.

Of course, the Migos and King James are fans of each other ... remember, the rap trio turned LBJ's famous "Taco Tuuuuuuesday" lingo into an actual song two years ago -- and Bron was hyped over it.

LeBron has yet to publicly comment on Takeoff's passing, though he did share a photo of the Migos rapper in one of his IG stories shortly after his death.

Takeoff was just 28 years old.

It looks like Cher has a new man in her life ... she and Amber Rose's ex, Alexander Edwards, seemed to head home together after a fun night out with his buddy, Tyga.

Cher pulled up to Craig's in WeHo Wednesday night, where AE and Tyga were waiting for her inside -- Alexander came out to escort her in, and they grabbed hands as they strolled inside.

They all bounced from Craig's a little after midnight, heading to The Nice Guy for some more fun just a mile away. Tyga got in his own ride, while AE and Cher shared one ... with him kissing her hand in the back seat.

Tyga headed into the restaurant solo ... and while photogs were all on him, he points out the obvious -- "You're gonna miss the real photo!"

Once again, AE and Cher -- and their 40-year age diff -- walk hand-in-hand to the spot ... and when the shindig was over, they left together, presumably heading to her Malibu home. What a night. 😉

The 3 amigos reportedly spent some time together at her place last week, too ... but it's unclear if these meetings are more about business or pleasure.

She was also spotted with Tyga at Paris Fashion Week at the end of September.

If you've ever wanted to grab lunch with Paul Rudd, Zoom chat with Jason Sudeikis or go to work with Ben Stiller, here's your shot -- all those things are up for grabs, and all to our support veterans.

A ton of celebs are teaming up with Homes For Our Troops in honor of Veterans Day -- it's an annual online auction raising funds for injured vets, and this year's lineup is amazing.

A-list celebs like Whoopi Goldberg, Bryan Cranston and Jake Gyllenhaal are offering you a chance to link up for an online chat ... or maybe you'd prefer an in-person experience.

You could grab lunch in NYC with Rudd or Jake Tapper, or get a one-hour tennis lesson from Andy Roddick!

If memorabilia is more your thing ... bid on George Clooney's Omega luxury watch in an autographed case, Jennifer Aniston's designer Louis Vuitton bag and/or Kenny Chesney's autographed guitar. There's so much more you can peruse on their site.

The best part of this particular auction is 100% of proceeds go to Homes For Our Troops, which builds and donates custom homes for severely wounded post-9/11 veterans.

This is the 6th year of the Veterans Day Celebrity Auction -- bidding opens today and runs through November 13.

Kanye West could dig himself an even bigger hole if he tries to sell his "White Lives Matter" shirts in America ... because that phrase has already been trademarked -- and guess what? It's owned by 2 black men.

Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, hosts of the radio show Civic Cipher, legally got rights to the phrase last month ... telling CNN it's all about making sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands.

The trademark covers the right to sell clothing with those words displayed.

The trademark was acquired by an anonymous listener of Ramses and Quinton's racial justice show ... filing it the same day Ye wore his controversial outfit at Paris fashion week.

The listener transferred ownership over to their show a few weeks back.

Ramses and Quinton said it was a tough call to take the trademark ... but added, “Once it was clear that someone stood to gain significant profit from it, because as you’ve seen, even though (Kanye) says some really hurtful, divisive and sometimes crazy things, he has a bit of a zealot following and every time he releases something, it sells out.”

Chief Keef is in legal hot water ... a California judge issued a bench warrant after the rapper failed to show for a court date.

Chief Keef was MIA from a Wednesday court hearing relating to his DUI case, so the judge issued a $10K bench warrant.

Things seem to have been unraveling for Keef, legally speaking, since his arrest for DUI back in June 2021.

According to our sources, there was an outstanding warrant in that case from missing a court hearing. Law enforcement sources tell us cops were running plates during a routine traffic stop last month and pulled Keef over for driving on a suspended or revoked license. That's when officers saw an active warrant in the system from the DUI case, and Keef was booked and released without bail.

Our law enforcement sources tell us Keef was ordered to appear Wednesday in court but never showed, which led to the new warrant being issued.

The future is bright for Future when it comes to his real estate portfolio ... because he just dropped 10 figures on an island paradise.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the "Mask Off" rapper just bought a $16.3 million home on Allison Island in Miami Beach.

The place is absolutely palatial ... it's 8,897 square feet of pure luxury, as the 7-bedroom home features picturesque water views from the super exclusive island.

The master bedroom has a full wet bar and wine fridge, plus two huge walk-in closets and a private balcony spanning the entire length of the home.

Future's new crib has a backyard that sounds straight out of a tropical resort ... there's a pool and a spa, plus multiple dining areas and even a place to park a yacht. Miami living at its finest.

Jordan Karp represented Future in the sale, while Dina Goldentayer of Douglas Elliman repped the sellers.

Jemele Hill says she's had enough with rappers dying from gun violence ... and wants to see folks come together to talk about how to stop it once and for all.

We got Jemele at LAX Wednesday and asked her for solutions following Takeoff's death in Houston ... she's calling on artists, record labels and politicians to start tough conversations on gun violence.

While Jemele senses some of these talks may be going on behind closed doors ... she highlights why it's important to discuss issues and solutions surrounding gun violence in a public forum.

As we reported ... Takeoff was shot and killed this week while visiting Houston, the coroner's reports says bullets struck the Migos rapper in the head and torso.

Jemele also has strong thoughts on the practice of rappers "checking in" with certain people wherever they are traveling -- comparing it to "some slave s***." She says Black people should never have to feel unsafe going into another area.

For Jemele, she wants industry leaders to say enough is enough after the shooting deaths of Takeoff and PnB Rock -- lamenting the fact nothing's really changed since Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur were gunned down back in the day.