Super Bowl

Two more huge names are helping out with the Super Bowl 53 halftime show -- Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri -- this according to mega-producer Jazze Pha.

Pha is a producing legend who's from ATL and is one of the most plugged-in people in town -- and when we saw him at LAX, he told us he had just come back from halftime show rehearsals.

The big bombshell here ... Pha strongly suggests Lil Jon and J.D. are now a part of the show -- but he wasn't specific about what their roles will be.

"I think Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri and everybody gonna make it hot," Pha says ... "They gonna make it live. Maybe I let the cat outta the bag, I don't know!"

The issue ... there are huge stars calling for African-Americans to boycott the show -- including Common, who says the NFL doesn't support black people.

In fact, Common said he wishes Travis Scott would pull out from the show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Now, with two gigantic hip-hop legends seemingly signing on -- ya gotta wonder what the reaction will be.

Either way, Jazze says he was super impressed with what he saw at rehearsals and expects the show to blow people's minds!

We'll see!

Common says he loves Travis Scott -- but really wishes the guy would PULL OUT of the Super Bowl halftime show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

"I ain't with supporting the NFL," Common told us ... "They don't really support black people."

"Kaepernick said he's standing up for people who are being shot down, black and brown. The NFL basically blackballed him. They've shown how they feel about us for real."

Common says he respects the NFL players -- his beef is squarely with the owners.

As for Travis Scott, Common says ... "He's a dope dude, but I really don't want to support none of that stuff."

"Travis is doing what he's gotta do ... I feel like man, I wish he wouldn't [do the halftime show] to be honest."

Common says he has great respect for artists like Rihanna who have reportedly turned down the NFL in a show of support to Colin.

"All I know is that I'm supporting Kaepernick," Common added ... "I just want you to know that."

As we previously reported, Travis Scott reached out to Colin to discuss the Super Bowl halftime show before he officially signed on.

The two men had a cordial conversation but Colin explained why he would NOT give Travis his blessing to perform.

10:30 AM PT -- We've now made sense of what happened between Colin and Travis, and sources connected with both sides agree the two men spoke, but the timeline and substance of the convo are critical.

Sources connected to Travis acknowledge, when TMZ broke the story on December 20 that Travis would perform at the Super Bowl, he had indeed made that decision. The contract, however, had not been signed.

Travis has a track record for charity work and donations -- and wanted to incorporate that into his deal -- and that's when he started thinking of some sort of donation the NFL might make. We're told Travis' people started negotiating a donation amount with the NFL and Travis was "willing to walk" if he didn't get what he wanted.

Before the contract was signed, sources tell us Travis reached out to Colin ... presumably to get him on board but not to ask for permission. We're told Colin was not supportive of Travis performing at the Super Bowl, and the 2 men disagreed. Multiple sources characterize the conversation as "cordial and not hostile."

The NFL contract, we're told, was only signed a few days ago ... AFTER the conversation between Colin and Travis. That contract includes a $500,000 donation to Van Jones' charity, Dream Corps.

One final thing ... a Travis source underscored, although he respects Colin, "Colin doesn't tell Travis what he can and can't do. That's Travis' decision."

Colin Kaepernick and his close circle of friends are strongly DENYING a report rapper Travis Scott "consulted" with the ex-NFL quarterback before agreeing to do the Super Bowl halftime show.

The report claims Travis and Kap spoke over the phone -- and while they didn't exactly see eye to eye, there was a mutual understanding.

The report seemed to imply Kap was okay with Scott performing because the NFL and Scott agreed to donate $500k to a social justice organization.

But now, Kap's crew is calling BS -- and the QB is putting his stamp of approval on the public denials.

Kap's friend, Ebro Darden -- the famous HOT 97 radio host who works closely with Kap's girlfriend, Nessa -- tweeted, "Kap did not approve this bullshit! Get the f*ck outta here."

Kaepernick retweeted Ebro's statement -- and Nessa also weighed in saying, "FACTS @EBRO!!! THEY NEED TO STOP LYING."

In fact, the same day it was announced Big Boi from Outkast would also be performing at the Super Bowl, Nessa posted the urban dictionary definition of the word, "Sell out."

She added, "If you are with them, then you are definitely not with us."

Senator Elizabeth Warren can't hear all the Patriots' haters ... 'cause she's too busy CELEBRATING YET ANOTHER TRIP TO THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!!

We got the biggest New England fan on the Hill out at Reagan Airport when she couldn't help but gloat over Tom Brady's EIGHTH straight trip to the conference championship game.

"Hey, the Pats win!! I know, what can I say?? Talent, talent, talent!!!"

As for all the haters -- the ones who say they're tired of seeing the Pats make it this far EVERY year -- Warren says she's too busy loving New England's success to hear them.

"Come on. Nobody's envious. Everybody loves the Patriots. At least that's what I heard!"

As for if the Pats will pull out the win over the Chiefs on Sunday and advance to their third straight Super Bowl ... Warren says book it right now!!!

"We're going all the way!!!"

Finally ... a story about people in this country coming together, despite their differences, to achieve a common goal AND give the economy a boost.

GOD BLESS ATLANTA STRIP CLUBS!!!

Here's the deal -- adult entertainment venues in the ATL aren't allowed to be open on Sundays unless they also serve as restaurants. This is obviously bad news for food-free joints hoping to take advantage of thousands of extra folks in town for Super Bowl 53 ... but they weren't going to let the business opp pass without a fight.

So, several of the city's popular strip clubs -- including Blue Flame Lounge, The Cheetah and Magic City -- banded together and went to City Council to ask for an exception for Super Bowl Sunday ... and they got it! Somehow no one found out about the meeting and reported it.

Those in charge also agreed to let the clubs stay open an extra hour the entire week of the big game ... so the lights won't come on until 4 AM from January 28 through February 4.

As for the entertainment, Jackie -- the owner of Blue Flame -- says it has girls coming from Miami, L.A., NYC, Houston, Virginia and North Carolina who meet all of its requirements for the special weekend -- bomb body, pretty face, smell good ... and no bullet wounds.

Mr. Magic from Magic City tells us he'll have professional pole experts in the house -- the same ones who danced with Cardi B at Coachella -- putting on a nude Cirque du Soleil-esque show.

BTW ... all the dancers are required to have permits in Atlanta -- which cost $350 -- so the strip club exception means cha-ching for the city too.

USA! USA! USA!

MTV star Julia Rose has got you covered for all your Super Bowl cravings ahead of the big game -- 'cause she's serving up all the good stuff on one irresistible platter ... herself.

The model turned reality TV star -- who appeared on MTV's "Are You the One?" -- did a smokin' hot shoot with Chris Applebaum ... where she's half covered in L.A. Rams gear, and half covered in an ice cream sundae. Weird pairing ... but we ain't complaining!

Julia's been featured on Sports Illustrated before, so it looks like she's getting back to her OG pastime in the modeling department. She's also making a bold prediction here about who'll be in the big game.

The Rams are playing the Saints Sunday, and if they advance ... they'll play either the Chiefs or the Pats. But, in the meantime ... just enjoy this awesome pre-game show.

Federal agencies and Atlanta authorities are on high alert to crack down on human trafficking in the days leading up to the Super Bowl ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the FBI, ICE, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Fulton County Sheriff and other local authorities will be out in force in the 10 days leading up to the big game ... on the hunt for human traffickers and their victims.

The mission, we're told, is two-fold -- looking for traffickers who are bringing sex workers into ATL and traffickers who are preying on ATL residents. We're told law enforcement believes the majority of the victims who can be recruited are minors, both girls and boys.

We're told law enforcement will be coordinating raids and undercover stings -- along with normal patrols of areas known for sex trafficking -- in order to take down pimps and johns engaging in illegal activity.

Law enforcement will also enlist local media, businesses and schools to put the word out and report any suspicious activity online ... part of the "See Something, Send Something" initiative. We're told authorities will post

NFL fans planning on going to the Super Bowl in Atlanta have no reason to fear -- the security there's going to be as strong as ever ... government shutdown be damned.

According to law enforcement sources ... the FBI had a meeting with city and state officials Tuesday to lock down the final details of the overall security plan for SB 53 -- which will be held February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

We're told the Atlanta PD is the lead law enforcement agency responsible for safety at the event, but -- like at prior Super Bowls -- it will team up with FBI agents and the Department of Homeland Security to make it happen.

FBI Specialist Kevin Rowson tells us the agency's role is twofold -- it coordinates the collection and dissemination of all operational intelligence ... but it also steps up to take over in the case of an act of terrorism or if any crime rises to a federal level.

In the past, the FBI's role in security has included conducting the background checks for ALL of the event day staff who will be credentialed ... including security guards, food vendors, media and volunteers. That can mean as many as 30,000 individuals.

Rowson says ... "Our plans for the Super Bowl security have not changed despite the shutdown."

DHS Press Secretary Tyler Q. Houlton adds, "The Department takes the security of high risk events like the Super Bowl extremely seriously ... the current lapse in government funding will have no effect on our commitment to assuring a safe and secure event."

ATL PD's Public Affairs Director agrees, telling us ... "We’re confident our federal law enforcement partners will continue to assist us every step of the way and anticipate no impact from the shutdown."

As you'll recall ... security for last year's SB in Minneapolis resembled a militarized zone, with armed police officers and Humvees on the scene.

Master P is challenging YG to an NFL version of big bank take lil bank ... telling TMZ Sports he's so confident his New Orleans Saints will beat YG's Rams this weekend, he wants to put $40K on it.

We got P out in L.A. on Monday ... and he was still on a high from the Saints beating the Eagles and punching their ticket back to the NFC title game for the first time in nearly a decade.

Of course, YG is a massive L.A. Rams fan -- and when P heard the rapper won $20k in an NFL playoff bet with Dallas Cowboys superfan Post Malone, the No Limit boss had to up the ante.

"Okay, DOUBLE THAT," P told us ... "We good."

"YG, I know you beat Post Malone. But, that's not happening in the dome."

Master P says he's cool with YG -- and it's all in good fun -- and with the money both of these guys have made, it's not a life-changing wager. It's more about bragging rights.

"The Saints are my team so we're going to the Super Bowl this year."

There's more ... P says when the Saints win the title, he's gonna put some of the players in "I Got the Hook Up 3" as a reward!

His son, Romeo Miller, also has special plans to hook up Drew Brees with a special pair of his new MoneYatti kicks.

Remember, the Saints won the Super Bowl back in 2010 -- defeating Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts in one of the most exciting games in SB history.

It's official ... Maroon 5 are headlining Super Bowl LIII, and they'll be joined by the likes of Travis Scott and Atlanta hip-hop legend Big Boi.

The band announced the news Sunday with a promo video which lists themselves, Trav and Big Boi as performers for the halftime show. The NFL confirmed on their end, saying M5 will take center stage and TS and BB will be featured as guest artists.

We broke the story ... Travis signed on to perform for Super Bowl 53 late last month, despite tons of backlash from the African-American community. According to a report, Scott only agreed to do the show after the NFL vowed to donate a ton of cash to Dream Corps.

The Big Boi announcement didn't come as a total surprise. We knew organizers were scrambling to snag either him or Cardi B. Looks like they went with a homegrown artist for the big game that'll be played in ATL this year.

YG was all hyped up leaving the Rams game Saturday night with his battle cry, "F*** the Cowboys," despite the fact the Rams defeated Dallas minutes earlier.

The rapper was leaving the L.A. Coliseum when our photog asked who he wanted the Rams to play for the NFL championship -- the Eagles or the Saints?

Check out the vid ... it doesn't f-ing matter. YG couldn't be clearer ... the Rams are unstoppable.

The times they are a-changin' ... which is why a legendary NFL wide receiver thinks Julio Jones and Antonio Brown should team up to win it all.

TMZ Sports got Cowboys HOF'er Michael Irvin outside of Catch in Weho Friday night, and he tells us he'd like to see the Falcons WR and the Pittsburgh WR -- who's on the outs with the Steelers -- get together to win a Super Bowl ... because neither one of 'em has won anything yet.

We broke the story ... Jones rejected the notion of A.B. coming to Atlanta, saying his team was good as is. But, Irvin thinks if LeBron can hook up with D. Wade, and Durant can hook up with Steph to get a ring ... Julio should be a little more open to the idea.

Warrick Dunn says the NFL missed a huge opportunity by picking Travis Scott for its Super Bowl halftime show ... saying it shoulda been an Atlanta artist instead.

The former Falcons RB tells TMZ Sports he's got no issues with the "SICKO MODE" rapper ... but says an ATL legend could have had a much bigger impact during the SB show.

"Atlanta has its own unique feel," Dunn says.

Warrick tells us the plan from the start shoulda been to have Outkast be the headliner -- with other ATL music legends like T.I. and Jermaine Dupri joining them on stage.

"You show them the flavor of the history of all the great music that was produced that helped propel young careers today."

Dunn added that show could have "Showed America what really good music could be."

Remember when Mark Wahlberg bet big money on the Cleveland Browns to win 6 games this season, and everyone laughed in his face??

Welp ... ya should've listened to the man, 'cause the movie star is lookin' like a damn genius now that Baker Mayfield and co. have secured 7 wins this season!!

Of course ... when we spoke with Marky Mark back in July, the Orange and Brown were coming off an 0-16 season, and still had Hue Jackson as head coach at the time, so 6 wins seemed nearly impossible.

But, Wahlberg's faith in the rookie QB paid off big ... and although he never revealed just how much he wagered, you know he ain't wasting his time with small bets.

At the time, Wahlberg told us he made 2 other big NFL bets -- picking both the Eagles and Patriots to get back to the Super Bowl ... and both of those bets are still alive!

Michael B. Jordan really doesn't want to believe Travis Scott's joining Maroon 5 for the Super Bowl 53 Halftime Show ... because he thinks it goes against what Trav should be standing for.

Much like Al Sharpton -- who flat out called Scott a hypocrite when we talked to him -- Jordan implies Travis is betraying the boycott against the NFL for how it's treated Colin Kaepernick and its handling of the kneeling controversy.

MBJ says, "We're still trying to stand behind something right now," and suggests by taking the Super Bowl gig ... the rapper's setting the cause back.

Al Sharpton is calling out Travis Scott for agreeing to perform at the Super Bowl ... in fact, he's calling him a hypocrite.

We got the Reverend Friday in a rainy NYC, and he couldn't be stronger ... he says Travis is betraying the NFL boycott by drawing people to the game by his presence with Maroon 5 during the halftime show.

Sharpton feels strongly that people need to turn their backs on the NFL for what they did to Colin Kaepernick and others who expressed themselves by taking a knee to protest injustice.