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A$AP Rocky's saying good riddance to Sweden FOR GOOD and never looking back ... assuming everything goes according to plan.

Rocky left Sweden hours after the judges in his assault case decided to let him out of jail while they noodle on their decision, which is expected on August 14. A$AP returned to the U.S., and he won't have to return for the reading of the verdict, because it will be a written ruling.

All signs point to Rocky being acquitted. Prosecutors tried to keep him in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk. The judges could have ordered him to stay in Sweden but they gave him the all clear to leave the country. That smells like a not guilty verdict.

Our sources say if the verdict comes in as expected, Rocky will never go back to the home of IKEA.

He never said the arrest was racially motivated -- at least not for public consumption -- but a lot of people, including his mom, think that's exactly what's behind his arrest and prosecution. As we reported, Snoop and Quavo say they had similar experiences with Swedish cops, and Snoop also said good riddance to the country.

The rapper said during his testimony he won't seek any money from the Swedish government for wrongful prosecution, because he can easily earn back his profits from canceled concerts. Smart move ... more incentive for the judges to find him not guilty.

Rocky's lawyer says he believes he did enough to show the judges his client acted in self-defense and the attack on the alleged victim was not overboard or premeditated ... as the prosecution alleged.

Seal is lecturing Katy Perry about the differences between borrowing and stealing ... he says being influenced by other artists is fine, but ya can't just jack someone else's beats!!!

Seal was at LAX Friday when he weighed in on Katy being ordered to cough up $550,000 for ripping off another musician's work. He says there's a fine line between being inspired by a tune and straight up stealing it.

As you know ... Katy lost a huge lawsuit this week, a jury decided she and her codefendants improperly copied Christian rapper Flame's song, "Joyful Noise," for her smash hit, "Dark Horse."

Seal rattles off a list of artists who influenced his music when he was breaking into the industry, but he says he never went so far as to steal from them ... and ya gotta hear the shade he throws at Dr. Luke and the 7 other songwriters who worked on Katy's disgraced track.

A$AP Rocky got a HUGE assist Friday from 2 eyewitnesses to the beating that landed him in jail and Swedish criminal court ... because both said they were clear -- they did NOT see Rocky strike the alleged victim with a bottle.

The bottle is the centerpiece of the prosecution's case. They claim Rocky severely injured the alleged victim by hurling a bottle at him ... which they say was excessive force and unjustified. Rocky admitted Thursday he picked up a bottle but denied he ever threw it.

Cardi B's worldwide stardom will put her in a precarious position when she sits for a deposition next week -- and that's why she wants the judge to keep the whole matter confidential.

Cardi is in a legal dogfight with her former manger -- he sued her, then she sued him -- and in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, her attorneys say her monumental achievement as a world-renowned rapper makes her vulnerable to a feeding frenzy from both the public and the media.

Her team says if the video of her deposition, as well as the transcripts, get out to the public, it could harm her case ... and expose private details about her life and finances.

Additionally, they've got serious Internet meme concerns. As they put it in docs, if the material gets out "it is highly likely that any such video will be reproduced and edited (and possibly manipulated) into out-of-context video clips and GIFs of her testimony."

As we first reported ... Cardi's ex-manager, Shaft, claims he transformed her from an Instagram wannabe to a global celebrity. Shaft sued Cardi for $10 million in April 2018 ... and then she countersued him for $15 million.

One of Shaft's more significant claims -- he says his contacts and personal team of writers and producers are responsible for her first massive hit, "Bodak Yellow."

Lil Uzi Vert says people who think he shaded Lil Nas X -- including X himself -- are tripping and just don't understand etiquette on Twitter ... where sending a heart is all that's required.

Allow us to explain -- Lil Nas was trending, again, this week when he shared a screenshot of his DM asking Uzi to collab with him on a "Panini" remix ... but getting no reply. Fans accused Vert of leaving X on read ... a clear sign of disrespect, or at least indifference.

But, Lil Uzi tells us he did reply by sending a heart, which suggests he's interested ... and if Lil Nas X wants to collab, Uzi says he's all for it.

Uzi's kinda got a point for not hitting X back with a longer reply ... Uzi says they've never met. Sounds like that's about to change though.

We also had to ask Uzi about the flashy new (but used) $1.7 million Bugatti he debuted at his blowout birthday bash. He's still flaunting it, but not down to talk price. Umm, spoiler alert? Sorry, Uzi.

Woodstock 50 is officially a no-go, kaput, donzo, dead -- pick your favorite adjective -- cause it's been canceled.

The troubled festival was just over 2 weeks away from kicking off, but organizers just couldn't recover from setback after setback that ultimately led to Wednesday's announcement that its been officially called off.

Greg Peck, a principal of Woodstock 50, tells TMZ, "The unfortunate dispute with our financial partner and the resulting legal proceedings set us off course at a critical juncture, throwing a wrench in our plans and forcing us to find an alternate venue to Watkins Glen."

He goes on to say, "The timing meant we had few choices where our artists would be able to perform. We worked hard to find a way to produce a proper tribute—and some great artists came aboard over the last week to support Woodstock 50—but time simply ran short."

The news comes on the heels of artist after artist announcing they were pulling out ... from Miley Cyrus, Carlos Santana and Jay-Z to the Dead & Co. and John Fogerty. The good news for the artists who originally signed on ... Woodstock 50 organizers say artists get to keep their fees, asking they donate 10% of it to charity.

As you'll recall ... the festival was originally supposed to go down at Watkins Glen International in upstate NY but the venue pulled the plug, this after serious money issues.

The 3-day festival then got moved to Columbia, Maryland at the Merriweather Post Pavilion ... a much smaller venue. As we reported ... Woodstock 50 was reduced to become a free show for those lucky enough to get their hands on tickets. So much for that.

#RIPWoodstock50 ... we hardly knew thee.

The guy who knocked out Future's bodyguard with a flying blindside punch claims there's more to the story than the video shows ... and he was just protecting his friends.

As you'll recall ... the bodyguard was attacked last week at the Ibiza Airport after an altercation between the rapper and a group of guys carried over onto the street.

The man who threw the punch, Marcus, tells TMZ ... he and his buddies had just landed and noticed Future, so one of his pals asked for a picture. He claims Future responded with, "Suck my d**k."

Marcus admits his crew fired back at Future with some rudeness of their own, but says they were ready to leave and let it go ... but the bodyguard wasn't.

He claims the rapper's hired muscle followed them outside to the taxi line, and kept insulting and harassing them -- and even said he'd die for Future -- before inviting them to come around the corner to fight. Marcus' point is the guy was practically begging for it.

Marcus says the bodyguard continued to follow them in a threatening manner, and because he's a big guy and they didn't know what he was capable of ... he launched a preemptive strike.

The Brit also denies there was anything racially charged about the incident, and says his friends at the airport were predominantly black ... including the guy who shot the video. He's insistent he personally didn't drop any racial slurs.

As we told you ... Future's bodyguard isn't pressing charges for the assault and the Civil Guard of Spain will not investigate unless somebody does. Marcus claims he and his friends were detained by airport police shortly after the incident ... but were cut loose once cops reviewed security footage.

Sorry, Bradley-Gaga romance theorists, but Lady Gaga's clearly got her eyes -- and lips -- on another guy altogether ... the studio engineer she was sucking face with during brunch.

Gaga wasn't trying to hide it from anyone Sunday when she plopped down on her sidewalk table at Granville restaurant in Studio City. The dude she was locking lips with is Dan Horton, who's reportedly worked with LG on recordings years ago. He's also worked with Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and Camila Cabello ... so he's got plenty of cred in the biz.

It's unclear how serious they are but they looked pretty stoked during their date, which included some super close-up conversation -- and, of course, the kissing.

It's the first time Gaga's been out showing PDA with anyone since she and agent Christian Carino called off their engagement in February ... ending a 2-year relationship.

When Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk broke up, "A Star is Born" fans were buzzing that life was about to imitate art.

Cardi B did not take the stage in Indianapolis Tuesday because of a security issue that threatened the rapper's safety as well as the venue she was supposed to perform at ... TMZ has learned.

Cardi was supposed to perform at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indy, but less than an hour before the sold-out show was scheduled to begin, the concert was postponed ... leaving tons of fans angry, upset and wondering what the hell was going on.

Cops put out a release saying, "This evening, there was a scheduled concert at Bankers Life. We were notified of an unverified threat to the artist and the artist canceled this evening’s concert - there is no immediate threat to public safety, this not an active incident. Ongoing investigation."

The venue says Cardi's show has been rescheduled for Sept. 11.

Cardi was inside the venue for soundcheck prior to the show, and posted a message to her fans after the announcement, issuing a heartfelt apology.

Cardi had another show postponed earlier this year in Baltimore ... but that was because she couldn't perform due to health issues from her recent plastic surgeries.

Damian Marley is joining the heated protests over new construction atop Hawaii's tallest mountain ... and he's doing it with some Bob Marley classics.

Damian and thousands of protesters continued putting on the pressure to halt the construction of a 30-meter telescope on Mauna Kea. Damian, who has been visiting Hawaii for nearly three decades, visited the base of the mountain over the weekend to put on a show.

We're told Damian spoke to the masses and reminded them the work they're doing is immensely important. He also told them he can relate ... due to a similar situation that went down in Jamaica when some Rastafarians were pushed out of their sacred land.

As we reported ... Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson joined the group last week. Native Hawaiian groups are worried the construction will harm a site they consider sacred.

We're told Damian, who had recently performed shows in Maui and Oahu ... decided to get over to the Big Island to hang with protesters for several hours. He performed some of his own songs along with some of his father's legendary tracks, including "Get Up, Stand Up" -- a worldwide anthem for human rights. He also performed "Crazy Baldheads" and "Positive Vibration."

Danielle Bregoli might as well be Rich Uncle Pennybags from the Monopoly game ... cause she's cornering the market on big money contracts -- and the latest gets her into the gaming world.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Danielle's company, Dani B, scored a $100k advance for her to promote a new mobile game. As part of the deal, she'll have to pimp the game on her social media ... including her popular YouTube channel, which has nearly 7 million subscribers.

It's unclear, based on the contract, if Bhad Bhabie herself is part of the game ... but seems like a good bet.

Danielle's likely to score a bunch more money on the back end ... with royalties based on the number of downloads and ad revenue. The deal was struck just a few days ago.

It's been one helluva month for Danielle. As we first reported ... Danielle scored a $1 million songwriting deal earlier this month. Earlier this year, she inked a $900k deal to promote CopyCat Beauty.

Then, there's her Snapchat original series, "Bringing Up Bhabie," which generated over 10 million unique views in the 24 hours after its debut. Unclear how much she's making with Snap, but with views in the MILLIONS, ya gotta imagine she's making a pretty penny.

Nipsey Hussle's birthday is still a couple weeks away ... but cops are already gearing up and bracing for a huge turnout at his Marathon Clothing store in his honor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD has August 15 marked on its calendar, planning a heavy presence at the location where the rapper was shot and killed earlier this year.

The police force is fully aware Nipsey was a beloved member of the community, so its anticipating thousands of fans showing up to pay their respects on his bday.

We're told the LAPD is not taking any chances.

Our sources say more than 100 officers will be in the area -- but many will be in plain clothes because they don't want to come off as threatening.

Interestingly, Hussle's camp hasn't even released any official plans about how it will celebrate his bday ... but cops are making an educated guess it will revolve around Marathon.

Nipsey's memorial service and funeral procession were attended by thousands in April. We're told just like that gathering, cops don't foresee violence ... but they'll be ready if things get out of control.

As we reported ... Nipsey and his business partners were being investigated at the time of his death for alleged gang activity around his clothing store, despite the LAPD praising him at the very same time for taking a stand against gang violence.

The LAPD later said it wasn't specifically targeting Hussle ... just looking to curb the long-standing gang problem in the area surrounding Marathon.

Young Dro's GF says he wasn't just arrested for hurling banana pudding at her ... she says he violently struck her.

Young Dro's GF told cops the violence erupted in the bedroom, when he punched her so hard it left a bruise. She says a while later she was eating dessert on the sofa when Young Dro smashed the plate of banana pudding in her face. Then she says he grabbed a kitchen knife and went to town on the living room furniture.

As we reported ... when cops showed up, they arrested Young Dro, despite the fact his GF did not want to press charges, presumably because they saw she was injured.

For his part, Young Dro told cops he didn't strike her during their altercation ... and claimed the bruise was actually a birthmark.

Dro's girlfriend told police he has a drug problem and needs help. She said he takes pills -- Xanax, Ecstasy, Albuterol, Molly, Percocet -- and lashes out when he comes down from his high.

Young Dro is charged with misdemeanor battery/family violence.

Like father, like son couldn't be more true for Meek Mill and his boy -- especially when the tyke proves to be a promising rap star like his old man.

The Philly MC was performing Saturday night at a club called NOTO Philadelphia, where he also hung around for an after-party following his show. At one point in the night, Meek brought out his 9-year-old son, Rihmeek, to take the mic and spit some bars.

Safe to say, the kid didn't disappoint!

Rihmeek -- who Meek calls Papi -- dropped a freestyle of sorts for the crowd, who were very encouraging as he rapped his way through a few lines off the top.

Here's what we could make out ... "My name is Papi and I never understood, (something something) face, you just got hit." OHHHHHHHH!!! C'mon, he's trying.

Meek -- who was fanning down his son's hot fire -- gave his boy big props, and then asked the audience to give it for him -- which they happily obliged. Just the fact he got up there in front of all those people is pretty awesome, and hey ... he might be solid if he sticks to it.

Just another memorable moment in what's a jam-packed week for Meek. As we reported ... a panel of judges overturned his 2008 criminal conviction, saying he deserves a new trial due to the credibility of the key witness, who turned out to be dirty cop.

Justin Bieber seems to be coming to terms with the fact that most everyone loves the Jonas Brothers (including his wife, Hailey Bieber) ... now, he's on board too.

JB was spotted out Saturday in WeHo hitting up a day spa with Hailey, and on their way out ... Justin was photographed rockin' this little number, which is apparently part of his Drew House clothing collection. It's vintage Disney Jonas Bros., plastered across his chest.

Hailey was there too, of course -- and she seemed to approve of her hubby's attire ... giving him a dreamy look as they strolled away together in their caj outfits.

Now, what's funny about the Jonas shirt is that Justin recorded Hailey back in March confessing her old love for the boy band, which left him fake shocked and outraged.

Looks like he's embraced the Jonas fandom since then though -- and, apparently, aims to turn a profit eventually with this. The Jonas shirt isn't available for sale on the Drew website yet ... maybe the Biebs is just giving a test run first before putting it on the market.

Lil Nas X has interesting plans lined up if he ends up topping Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's #1 Billboard record -- apparently, bathtubs and roses will be involved.

The MC was in NYC Friday visiting the East Coast Twitter offices -- and on the way out, a pap asked him about the looming feat that he's likely to achieve at the end of this upcoming week. If "Old Town Road" stays at #1 on the charts, he'll have gone 17 weeks straight.

At the moment, 'OTR' is tied with Mariah and Boyz II Men's '90s hit "One Sweet Day" and the Bieber-feature "Despacito," which also tied 'em at 16 weeks in 2017.

When asked how he'll celebrate, LNX sheds some light on how he'll shed a tear.

Watch ... Lil Nas says he's gonna be spending some time in a bath with the water works on -- but, luckily, not for as long as he usually sits and sulks.

Now, there's one other item on the docket for Nas X if he becomes the Billboard king -- and it has to do with how he'll deal with Mariah herself. The R&B queen has already said that she isn't worried about Lil Nas beating her record, saying ... "Darling, no."

Unclear if that means she's not stressing about it at all, or if she doesn't think 'Old Town' can beat her and the Boyz's streak. Either way, Lil Nas X says he'd have something for Mariah if it does in fact break the record.