A$AP Rocky Attacker Will NOT Be Charged

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The man who attacked A$AP Rocky's crew will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, despite the fact that he incited the violence and persisted in harassing the rapper before A$AP finally snapped.

Swedish prosecutors just said they believe the guy who harassed Rocky attacked his bodyguard in self-defense, after being pushed and lifted by his neck. The initial video does not show anyone getting physical with the guy, but prosecutors have drawn that conclusion.

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LET'S MAKE PEACE

To the contrary, you hear Rocky in the first video trying to diffuse the situation, saying no one wants to go to jail.

Nevertheless, prosecutors say the guy was acting in self-defense when he hurled his headphones at Rocky's bodyguard, cutting his head.

Here's the bizarre part ... the bodyguard has already been CLEARED by Swedish authorities. So, on the one hand the bodyguard acted appropriately, and on the other he incited the violence and caused the other guy to act in self-defense. In other words, it doesn't make sense.

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BRUTALLY BEATEN

The man was never taken into custody during the investigation, despite the fact that Rocky was detained a day after the incident and remains in jail 2 1/2 weeks later, and no charges have been filed.

It's clear Rocky will be charged with aggravated assault ... prosecutors mistakenly said as much last week. If convicted, he faces 6 years in Swedish prison.

The Swedish justice system is apparently an immovable force, because the Prime Minister has essentially told President Trump and the State Dept. to butt out after their attempts to free the rapper.

Formal charges are expected Thursday. Up to now, prosecutors and the judge have justified the detention by saying Rocky is a flight risk. It would seem he will continue to be held after Thursday, since authorities will be upping the ante.

Live Nation Admits to Scalping Tickets ... For Bands Like Metallica

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Live Nation's provoking the ire of concert lovers everywhere, because it's fessed up to the shady practice of putting tickets directly on resale sites ... before the public even has a chance to buy them at face value.

The touring company's admission comes on the heels of a Billboard report detailing a secretly recorded phone call between a Live Nation honcho and an event promoter for Metallica in February 2017 ... days before the band announced its WorldWired North American stadium tour.

During the call ... the 2 parties agreed to put 88,000 tickets directly on secondary market sites like StubHub, so people never got a chance to buy them on sites like Ticketmaster, which is actually owned by Live Nation.

The company's admitted to facilitating this scalping practice for "about a dozen artists out of the thousands we work with" ... but other than Metallica, the bands remain unknown.

Live Nation says it did it because bands know face value of its concert tickets are often lower than market value ... so the tactic allows them to recapture a cut of that money.

According to the report ... Live Nation used various covert methods to place tickets on resale sites immediately, including having employees transfer thousands of tickets into single accounts to be listed and sold on secondary market sites.

So, the next time a show sells out immediately online ... eyebrows shall be justifiably raised.

Soulja Boy Life After Jail ... Smaller Circle, Less Social Media

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Soulja Boy is making some huge changes to his lifestyle following a stint in county jail ... and that means shrinking his social circle and shying away from social media.

Sources close to Soulja tell TMZ ... his three months in L.A. County Jail served as an eye-opener, and now that he's back home, he's cutting people off and cutting off his time on Twitter and Instagram.

The biggest change ... we're told Soulja kicked a bunch of people out of his crib in the San Fernando Valley, the same home that was burglarized when he was locked up.

TMZ broke the story ... crooks hit Soulja's home and made off with $500,000 in cash, jewelry and his iPhone -- which the alleged thieves used to go live on Soulja's IG account -- and when SB caught wind of the burglary in jail, he was convinced it was an inside job.

Soulja's inactivity on social media is also related to the burglary ... we're told he's still upset about it, and he just wants to keep to himself and stay away from the masses.

As we first reported ... Soulja was sprung from jail last Sunday, getting out 146 days early due to a combo of good behavior, time served and overcrowding. Back in April, SB was sentenced to 240 days and 265 days of community service for violating his probation.

Bottom line ... we're told Soulja's a changed man ... and now we'll see how long it lasts.

MacKenzie Ziegler $cores Big Payday ... In New Music Contract

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MacKenzie Ziegler is cashing in on some new songs, because we've learned the 15-year-old singer is raking in $175,000 for an advance on her music.

TMZ has obtained her minors contract that was filed in L.A. Superior Court. It says she inked a deal with Sony Music Entertainment. According to the deal, the advance is for a minimum of 12 new tracks.

According to the contract, Sony Music Entertainment agrees to pay MacKenzie the $175k advance, and she's guaranteed at least $9k for the first year, $12k for the second and $15k for the third contract year.

As for royalties, this is where MacKenzie can cash in even more, getting 20 percent in all music formats.

According to the deal, MacKenzie is also getting a $300,000 studio budget ... and another $20k toward an attorney.

It's another big payday for Maddie Ziegler's little sister ... MacKenzie pocketed $130k just last year after finishing as a runner-up on "Dancing with the Stars: Juniors."

She's getting even more to sing though ... further proof it pays to be a triple threat.

G-Eazy Sweden's Treatment of A$AP Rocky ... Proves White Privilege, Racism

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UPDATE

3:35 PM PT -- G-Eazy just showed enormous support for A$AP -- posting our story with a powerful message -- saying, "Facts. This is the sad truth ... The difference between me and Rocky's treatment and process in Sweden brings to mind two concepts that disgustingly go hand in hand: white privilege and systematic racism." 

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UPDATE

He continues, "Let's call it what it is. He should not be behind bars right now. My heart goes out to my brother @asaprocky and his team. We're riding for y'all. #JusticeForRocky #FreeRocky."

UPDATE

11:34 AM PT -- Jada Pinkett Smith's weighing in on the situation after apparently just learning about G-Eazy's experience in Sweden compared to Rocky's ... saying, "We got the message loud and clear Sweden. Trust me ... we got it."

UPDATE

As A$AP Rocky rots in a Swedish jail for weeks without being charged with a crime, you gotta wonder how another rapper -- a white rapper -- accused of the same crime and more spent a relative nanosecond behind bars before being allowed to go on his merry way and leave the country.

You may recall a story TMZ broke a year ago in May, when G-Eazy was arrested in Stockholm after punching a security guard in a club and snorting coke using a $100 bill.

G-Eazy was arrested for assault, possession of drugs and use of narcotics. There was no video of the attack, yet prosecutors allowed him to strike a deal a day-and-a-half later ... he pled guilty to violent resistance, a crime of violence against an official and illegal drug possession. His sentence -- a $10k fine and probation. He was also ordered to pay the security guard $900.

That was it ... G-Eazy was allowed to leave the country, no muss, no fuss.

Now, compare that to A$AP. There's VIDEO of the assault -- actually 2 videos, the other being the alleged victim assaulting Rocky first -- yet prosecutors and the judge have kept him in jail for more than 2 weeks as they continue to "investigate" and decide if he'll be charged. As we reported, prosecutors mistakenly played their hand Friday and said he was going to get indicted.

A$AP faces 6 years in prison for his alleged assault. G-Eazy spend less than 2 days behind bars.

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TROUBLE IN SWEDEN

And, one more thing. Remember, back in 2015 Snoop Dogg was arrested in Sweden after being snatched out of his car because cops believed he was driving under the influence. He was forced to pee in a cup and was released after cops determined he was clean. Snoop, who was there for a concert, said it was a case of DWB and he would never return to the country.

So, what gives?

Originally Published -- 7:50 AM PT

Jordyn Woods Rick Ross Music Video Gig ... My Dad Would Be So Proud!!!

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Jordyn Woods isn't typically in the business of making music videos, so everyone's wondering why she's starring in Rick Ross' ... well we know, and it's meant to be an homage to her late father.

Sources close to Jordyn tell TMZ ... she recently met the 'Miami' rapper while the two were doing an episode of VH1's "Hip Hop Squares." They got to talking and Jordyn's mom, Elizabeth Woods, brought up the fact her late husband loved -- LOVED -- RR's music.

Everyone exchanged numbers on the game show set, and they kept in touch. Soon after, Rick expressed to Jordyn he had a great opportunity for her ... and wanted her to be the leading lady in his newest music vid.

We're told Jordyn jumped at the offer ... feeling it was a great way to honor her father's memory. John Woods died in January 2017 -- when Jordyn was just 19 -- after a battle with cancer.

As we reported ... the music video shoot went down Wednesday in Miami, where Jordyn was showing off her figure in some lingerie and a cute dress, with Ross on her hip.

No doubt Jordyn's dad would be proud ... his daughter's a BAWSE!!!

Jadakiss When it Comes to My Pizza ... Only Crust is a Must

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Jadakiss says there's logic behind his pizza crust ordering practices ... when there's cheese on the pie, they have to give him plenty of dairy-air.

The "Why" rapper raised eyebrows this week when a Brooklyn pizza shop posted an image on social media showing his custom order ... a cheese pizza with the center cut out, leaving behind nothing but a ring of crust.

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Jadakiss tells us the crust has been his favorite part of pizza since he was a kid ... and now that he's 44, he cuts right to the chase and skips everything except the crust because he's on a health kick, and dairy is not part of his diet.

Jadakiss says that's been his drill for years -- cheese pizza, hold the cheese.

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Kiss says the viral image is actually from a year ago, and his good friend, the owner of Cuts and Slices pizza shop in Brooklyn, re-posted it after another pizza parlor announced it was now offering a pie made only of crust.

Jadakiss' odd order sent the Internet into a tizzy ... but he's not dishing back the hate he's received. He says pizza lovers should order their pies however they want, and he's got nothing against peeps who pile on cheese. It just ain't for him.

Anyone else hungry?

Slim 400 I Thought I Was Going To Be Killed ... In Drive-By Shooting

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Slim 400 thought he was a goner as a hail of bullets rained down on him during a drive-by shooting in Compton ... but he miraculously survived, and now he says he can't be stopped!!!

Slim joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us the lowdown on last month's ambush, which sent him to the ICU and into surgery 4 times after he was shot NINE TIMES by masked gunmen.

The "Bruisin" rapper admits he thought he was toast when the shots were popping off ... and he details the shooting, telling us why he was able to make it out of there alive.

It's pretty impressive ... Slim is walking around on his own less than 3 weeks after being shot, and the only noticeable injury is a loss of hearing in one ear, which he hopes will restore in time.

Slim explains why he taunted his shooters -- who are still on the streets -- and tells us what minor changes he's making after his brush with death. Sounds like he's heeding YG's advice to "stay dangerous."

As Slim puts it, you can't run from death ... but he feels the Lord has something special planned for him because he could've easily been six feet under by now.

YG Cops Raid Rapper's Home and Cuff 4 Guys ... In Deadly Shootout Case

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UPDATE

3:08 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ it's currently unclear if the person arrested for the weapons charge was involved in the shooting, but testing will be done on the gun recovered at the home.

UPDATE

11:48 AM PT -- We're told one person on the scene was arrested for a weapons charge.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is raiding a Hollywood Hills home in connection to a shooting involving an SUV registered to YG, which left one deputy shot and an innocent bystander dead.

Sheriff's sources say the house is leased by YG ... but he was not detained or arrested and was not present on the property during the raid. Deputies got a judge to sign a search warrant in connection with the incident involving a wild police chase earlier this month.

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LOADING THE EVIDENCE

As TMZ reported, someone inside an SUV registered to YG fired shots from inside the vehicle, striking a deputy. A pedestrian was killed during the crossfire between deputies and the shooter. The incident occurred on July 3 in Compton.

Four men have been handcuffed at the scene and have been placed in patrol cars while deputies continue their search inside the house.

YG denied he was there at the time of the shooting, saying, "I was nowhere near the scene of this incident and had been in a recording studio all day in Hollywood. I was there until after midnight on the 4th of July and didn't learn of these events until after they happened."

Originally Published -- 8:56 AM PT

Jordyn Woods I'm a 'Boss' ... Check Me Out in Rick Ross' Music Vid

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Jordyn Woods is making some boss moves after being kicked to the curb by the Kardashians ... linking up with Rick Ross and becoming a music video vixen!!!

Kylie Jenner's former BFF was on the set of the rapper's new music vid Wednesday in Miami, showing off her endless curves in some sexy lingerie and a super revealing dress. No wonder Rick recruited her.

RR is looking pretty fly himself ... throwing on a black and white animal print button down and dripping hard with some gold chains. Rozay is peak South Beach.

But, this is all about Jordyn and how well she's doing for herself without the Kardashians.

Check out the gallery ... Jordyn's a BAWSE!!!

Jermaine Dupri Clarifies 'Stripper Rap' Remarks ... Not At All What I Said

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GOT THE BALL ROLLING

A lot has been made of Jermaine Dupri's comments about female rappers -- but he wants to set the record straight on what was and wasn't said ... straight from the horse's mouth.

We talked to JD on "TMZ Live" Wednesday about an interview he recently did with People Now that's been catching tons of backlash in and around the hip-hop community. 

He said some of the hot femcees in the game right now sound like "strippers rapping" when asked specifically about Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion, going on to say he didn't have a fave of those three 'cause he felt they all rapped about the same thing.

For the record, Cardi is the only one out of the above-mentioned MCs who used to dance -- Nicki and Meg did not. 

Jermaine clarifies that his remark was only aimed at the artists he was asked about -- and made a point to say that his statement was not meant to be a blanket label on all female rappers. He also recoils against claims he's sexist, saying nothing's further from the truth.

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Cardi weighed in on the issue herself, basically saying she's giving the people what they want ... so she's gonna keep rapping about her "p***y" 'til people demand otherwise. 

Jermaine points out Cardi appears to have heard this complaint before, and that his remark is likely a widespread sentiment that's only catching fire because he's the first big name to publicly voice it -- namely, the most popular female rappers right now focus heavily on sex.

Whether he's got a point or not ... Jermaine does have a solution of sorts for the ladies. If they got bars, he's got beats.

Da Brat Defends Jermaine Dupri ... 'Strippers Rapping' Is Necessary Convo

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Da Brat is going to bat for Jermaine Dupri ... she sees a silver lining in his controversial comments about today's female artists, even though he said they sound like
CONVERSATION STARTER

Da Brat is going to bat for Jermaine Dupri ... she sees a silver lining in his controversial comments about today's female artists, even though he said they sound like "strippers rapping."

Da Brat was at LAX Tuesday when a photog asked about Jermaine stirring up controversy and firing up Cardi B ... DB says his hot take is part of a master plan to start a discussion that's a long time coming.

In case you missed it ... last week Jermaine said Da Brat paved the way for women in the rap game, but when he was asked about his favorite contemporary female artists, he said the industry is filled with the same content from different voices, and they all sound like strippers.

Da Brat explains why she thinks Jermaine's comments were taken out of context, which is debatable ... but she says it doesn't matter anyway because he's helping stir up publicity for ALL female rappers.

Harry Styles Sells Hollywood Hills Home at a Loss

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Harry Styles just pocketed $6 million ... because we've learned he just sold his Hollywood Hills home.

Harry bought the house a few years back for around $6.8 million, so in reality he's taking a loss, but at least he unloaded the crib.

The house has been for sale for around a year. He initially listed it for $8 mil but there were no takers.

As for why Harry's selling ... he thought he'd be spending more time in L.A. but that's not the case. He's not buying another house in the City of Angels.

The house is gated, modern and has great city views. It's 4,400 square feet strong ... and has 4 bedrooms and 6 baths.  

The house was listed by mega-realtor Kurt Rappaport and Carl Gambino.

Rapper Boonk Recovers from Broken Jaw ... After Getting Punched

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Rapper John Gabbana -- aka Boonk -- is on the mend after getting socked in the face, which left him with a busted jaw ... and some gnarly aftermath footage.

Just a warning ... some of these clips are very graphic (close-up shots of Boonk's broken mouth with teeth missing and whatnot). Boonk recorded himself going into surgery Saturday -- where he seemed to be in relatively good spirits surrounded by pals -- as well as some clips of him from Sunday, when he was apparently recovering from his operation. 

In the video from Saturday, you see Boonk with blood spatter all over his tank top and him holding a tube that he used to suck some of the blood from his mouth. Think a dentist's suction device, only bigger ... and bloodier. That's what we got here.

As for how exactly this happened ... Boonk was sucker punched in the face by a short dude.

It's unclear what led up to the assault, or where this even happened, but the seemingly mild blow left a major impact on Boonk's mug. On Instagram, he wrote ... "Broken jaw on both sides, surgery 7:30am. Pray for me, love you guys !! Gotta show them even when I’m down I’m still happy and oh if anyone ask.. I ran into a wall." 

We've been trying to get a hold of Boonk to get more info on what went down, and whether he's filed a police report or not. Considering the circumstances, he certainly could have.

In the meantime, it looks like he's got some love and affection to help him heal, courtesy of a lovely lady who's laying bedside with him. 

Feel better, man. Ouch ...

R. Kelly Parents of Alleged Sex Slave Fear Suicide Pact

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The two women who have been living with R. Kelly have not been seen since the singer's most recent arrest, and the parents of Joycelyn Savage fear the women may have made a suicide pact.

The women, who were living with the singer at Trump Tower Chicago are no longer there, after the feds raided his apartment Thursday night and sealed it off.

The Savage family lawyer, Gerald Griggs, tells TMZ, he believes Joycelyn and Azriel Clary are with R. Kelly's people at an undisclosed location in Chicago.

Griggs says the Savages are concerned the 2 women may see the handwriting on the wall for R. Kelly and have hatched a plan to kill themselves if it looks like he's not coming back.

So far, Griggs says, attempts to locate the 2 women have proven futile.

We're told if the parents can't find Joycelyn they are considering getting police involved by filing a missing person's report.

Azriel's parents, however, say they know where the 2 girls are ... they're in the apartment in question that was raided in Trump Tower. They say R. Kelly had 1 unit in the building, which was in Azriel's name, and that the girls were temporarily kicked out during ... but have since returned. Azriel's parents do not believe the 2 women have a suicide pact.

As we reported, Kelly was arrested Thursday night in Chicago while walking his dog, and he now faces an array of federal charges in both New York and Illinois, including racketeering, sex trafficking and obstruction of justice.

Soulja Boy Out of Jail!!! 146 Days Early

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UPDATE

10:24 AM PT -- Soulja Boy is officially a free man and is back on the streets of L.A. We've confirmed with LASD ... Soulja was cut loose early Sunday morning just before 2 AM PT as a result of his jail time expiring. It's unclear if he was walked out, or if he was received by his team at the time of release -- but one thing we do know is that SB is out. Biggest comeback of 2019 ... resumed!!!

The time is quickly approaching for Soulja Boy to turn his swag on again ... he's getting out of jail way early.

According to jail records ... the rapper's set to be released today, after just a little more than 3 months locked up, despite being sentenced to 240 days for a probation violation. Do the math ... that's 146 days of early freedom.

The L.A. Sheriff's Dept. tells us Soulja is getting sprung early thanks to a combination of good behavior, time served and overcrowding.  

We broke the story ... SB was hit with a sentence of 240 days in jail and 265 days of community service for violating his probation in April.  

The judge said he failed to do his court-ordered community service and even conspired to falsify evidence saying he had completed it ... on top of feds finding ammunition at his home in February, another big no-no.

The good news -- while Soulja was locked up, his kidnapping case was rejected by prosecutors.

So, today is sort of a win-win ... crank that!!!

Originally Published -- 12:50 AM PT