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Beyonce's dad, Mathew Knowles, says before there was Destiny's Child ... there was Girls Tyme -- which apparently had A LOT of pieces filling in around his daughter over the years.

Mathew came on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to give us the 411 on a new book and album he just released about the girl group he started nearly 30 years ago. You know about DC, obviously, but that success was built on Girls Tyme.

The book, "Destiny's Child: The Untold Story," and the album by the same name offer previously unreleased music, and a deep dive into the making of the group -- which Mathew says involved more than a couple dozen different members.

We've always heard about Bey, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson -- but, as it turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg between Girls Tyme and the final version of DC.

Tekashi 6ix9ine and Trippie Redd were only at each other's throats for publicity -- faking beef to help their careers -- according to a Nine Trey Bloods member.

Anthony "Harv" Ellison is asking a judge for a new trial after being found guilty of kidnapping Tekashi. In new docs -- obtained by TMZ -- he spills the beans on the alleged reason Trippie and Tekashi69 feuded.

Specifically ... Ellison says he was brought on as Tekashi's security after defending 6ix9ine during a "staged publicity beef" with Trippie Redd.

You'll recall ... during Ellison's kidnapping trial, Tekashi claimed Ellison punched Trippie Redd in the mouth during a November 2017 confrontation between the rappers in an NYC hotel lobby.

Now, Ellison says Trippie's manager told Tekashi where to find Redd in order to set up a "staged confrontation."

Shawty Redd -- the hip-hop producer behind hits for Snoop Dogg and Young Jeezy -- wants to know why cops hauled him out of his ATL hotel room -- an arrest he calls totally bogus.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Shawty Redd was busted for disorderly conduct at the Hyatt Centric Midtown Atlanta on Nov. 7 after a manager called cops and said Redd was refusing to leave the property.

TMZ obtained video Shawty recorded as police entered his room, with a manager in tow, and things got heated pretty quickly. Shawty demanded to know why he was being asked to leave the premises, and didn't like the answer. The officer told him the hotel has the right to remove patrons at any time, but Shawty wasn't buying that.

Cops released body cam footage -- so we have the dispute from both angles -- and you can see when they finally move in to slap the cuffs on the man who produced Snoop's "Sensual Seduction."

As for what prompted the call to cops ... sources connected to Shawty tell us he was walking through the lobby with a bottle of beer, and the manager tried to give him the boot. We're told Shawty explained he was a guest and went to his room.

Clearly, the manager didn't take kindly to the way their interaction went down, and called cops. Our Shawty sources say the judge later dropped all charges ... however, the producer's pissed at the hotel, and considering legal action.

Now, let's remember better times ...

Kelly Clarkson probably wishes her lakeside home was already gone, but it's not ... so she's making a big move to get it off the market.

The singer just slashed the price of her 20,000-square-foot mansion in Hendersonville, TN by more than a MILLION DOLLARS ... $1.25 mil to be exact.

Kelly originally listed the gorgeous 7-bedroom palace -- which she bought in 2012 -- for $8.75 mil in March 2017, but it's been relisted with a new $7.5 mil price tag.

The property sits on 4 acres right next to Old Hickory Lake ... just 25 miles from Nashville. It features a long, gated driveway that leads to a central fountain, and inside the front door is a double staircase leading to the grand foyer.

Along with the 7 beds -- including a master suite with a fireplace -- the 3-story house has 8 full bathrooms and 3 half baths. Other highlights include a saloon-themed bar with a pool table, a gym, a playroom with a ping pong table, a media room and a 2-story office ... with a private elevator.

And, that's just the inside. The backyard boasts a large saltwater pool, 2 spas, a garden, a greenhouse, a private dock and an area for outdoor dining. Of course, the home also comes with breathtaking views.

Colombian superstar J Balvin properly addressed the political unrest plaguing his native country ... taking the opportunity to do it in his own hometown to a packed house.

The reggaeton singer was performing Saturday night in Medellin, where he hosted tens of thousands of Colombians in the city's Atanasio Girardot Stadium -- which looked quite full.

He's on an international tour right now, and it's clear he wasn't about to pass up the chance to speak on the nationwide protests that have broken out down there over the last week or so ... which has left at least one student dead and several others injured.

The anti-government protests are in response to President Ivan Duque's policies, which many feel are stymieing economic opportunity, access to higher education and better healthcare. Violence is also a major issue. It's a dense topic, but people have taken to the streets.

Enter J Balvin, who's caught a bit of criticism for throwing up sympathetic social media posts on the situation ... but not actually using his voice and clarifying his opinion.

Welp, he didn't shy away from it this weekend -- making it crystal clear where he stands. J Balvin sides with the frustrated citizens (especially the youth) and made a plea to the government ... which got a resounding cheer from the crowd. It's pretty powerful.

Speaking in Spanish, he asked President Duque's administration to listen to people, because if they're demonstrating like they have been ... there's obviously something wrong that needs fixing. He went on to request peace, love and understanding from both sides as well.

Montell Jordan says he sees Kanye West walking the walk when it comes to declaring his Christian faith -- which is enough for him to believe what's in Ye's heart ... aka, Jesus.

The former R&B singer turned minister spoke to us in NYC about Ye's spiritual journey, and while some have questioned Kanye's motives and sincerity in turning to God ... Montell says he's taking the guy at his word (and his actions) that he's embraced Christ as his savior.

He's got a pretty good reason for that too -- noting that there's no true way to know what's in Ye's heart. But, based on outward appearances, it sounds like Montell's convinced.

Of course, Kanye's been on a performance tear lately ... going around the country with his choir collective and doing Sunday Services. He even brought it to Joel Osteen's church. He has also been fairly outspoken about declaring his love and devotion for God and JC.

Still, many have remained speculative as to whether Ye's a true blue religious guy -- considering his background ... and all the ups and downs that have come with it.

MJ touches on that too, explaining that society often judges people (especially artists) on their immediate past, despite what that person may be putting out now. He definitely knows a thing or two about it -- once upon a time, Montell was a walking one-man party.

Rihanna and Paul McCartney just proved they truly are two peas in a pod -- but in this case, they were two passengers in a plane.

The singers bumped into each other Friday while on a commercial flight to London -- in which they were both riding first class, of course. RiRi documented the whole run-in ... and it's a sweet moment. Must've also been pretty awesome for the other passengers on board.

In her vids, Rihanna says she's about to put Paul on blast ... and then jokingly asks out loud how is it possible he's on her plane. PM played along, pretending not to know her.

Rihanna calls herself a peasant, and Paul ribs her by backing that up (all in jest, mind you). Check it out ... they clearly have a ton of fun together, and it's all love between 'em. Later on, they were seen arriving at the same airport, London's Heathrow ... all smiles.

As you might be aware, Paul and Rihanna are certainly no strangers to each other. Outside of being some of the biggest names in music, they actually collab'd on a song in 2015.

The Game is officially out of the game ... according to the rapper himself who celebrated his 40th birthday and his retirement on the same night.

We got Game Friday night outside the Sunset Room in Hollywood where he was NOT feeling his oats. Game told us 40 isn't feeling all that old ... due to his diet. Still, he acknowledged he's damn lucky to have lived into his 4th decade.

We'll admit it ... we might have soured the birthday guy's night a little by asking him about his homie, Wack 100's recent comment that Nipsey Hussle shouldn't be considered a legend. Watch the clip, because Game makes it 100 percent clear ... Wack doesn't speak for him.

Now, if you want to give him the legend label -- Game's cool with that, and told us he's satisfied with his stats, so, "it's time to live a little." He's hinted at it before, but last night he stated strongly ... he IS retiring.

As for the Nipsey "legend" question ... we did get Wack heading into the bash, and he was happy to explain why he said what he said.

He said it's nothing personal, it's just about numbers -- and, in his eyes, that's all that determines a "legend." Wack says Nip just wasn't around long enough but believes he would have gotten to the level of Game, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar.

Chico DeBarge -- the R&B singer known for the '80s hit "Talk to Me" -- probably needs to talk to a lawyer soon ... he's been arrested for drug possession.

The younger bro of the DeBarge family musical group got busted in Burbank, CA earlier this month in a Walmart parking lot after cops saw him using a piece of wire to try to unlock an SUV ... according to police.

Thinking he was trying to break in, officers approached and searched DeBarge ... and allegedly found methamphetamine in his pockets. He was placed under arrest, and cops say they also discovered drug paraphernalia in the SUV.

Oh yeah, it turns out the singer had locked his keys inside ... which is why he was trying to jimmy the door open.

Chico was booked at the Burbank City Jail before being released. We're told formal charges are pending review by the City Attorney.

DeBarge rose to fame in the '80s with his self-titled debut album featuring his hit single and followed it up with a second album ... before he served prison time for drug trafficking.

Mac Miller helped put rapper GoldLink on the map, according to GoldLink himself ... who claims he was NOT trashing Mac on social media -- despite how many, like Anderson .Paak, took it.

GoldLink was on stage in Hamburg, Germany Wednesday night when he addressed the controversy that erupted after he insinuated Mac had used one of Goldlink's records as a "blueprint" for the "Divine Feminine" album. Goldlink told the crowd, "Mac Miller is my best friend in the industry, that's one of my best f**king friends to this day."

He went on to give Mac props, along with Pusha T and Wale, for helping him make it in the music biz. GoldLink said his Mac Miller post was "about love and that n****s can actually be brothers. It wasn't about stealing, I never used the word copy. I never used the word steal."

Well, it's true he never used those words. What he said was, Mac would "adopt styles as homage" to other artists he loved. GoldLink also said of "Divine Feminine" ... "That's where our problem started."

As we reported, Anderson .Paak defended Mac and called out GoldLink for metaphorically backstabbing Mac when he can't defend himself, and also ranted, Mac "brought your ass on tour and opened up his fan base to you when you had nothing."

Well, watch the clip, because GoldLink seems to take a shot at Anderson saying, "You can't talk about n****s you don't know, so we ain't worried about n****s we don't know." BTW, Anderson has featured on songs with GoldLink and Mac.

He also thanks Mac for giving him a platform -- something he also acknowledged on social media -- and he really gushes about cake. The one Mac gave him.

Ariana Grande's singing "We Are Family" for the Thanksgiving holiday because she's spending it with her mother AND her father for the first time in her adult life.

Ariana was surrounded by both of her parents on Thursday, which she revealed was her "first Thanksgiving with both of my parents in 18 years!" She posted several photos and videos of what looked like a big family celebration.

The singer's parents divorced in 2003, and Ariana reportedly fell out of touch with her father, Edward Butera, in 2013. At the time, she told Seventeen magazine it was one of the hardest things she'd ever gone through. However, over the last couple of years, she and dad have been patching things up.

She's posted a few shots of dad joining her before and after concerts on her current tour.

Ariana references her strained relationship with Butera in "thank u, next" -- singing, "One day I’ll walk down the aisle/holding hands with my mama/I’ll be thanking my dad/’cause she grew from the drama."

Bow Wow says the Millennium Tour is gonna have better energy the second time around ... this after Omarion's decided to cut ties with B2K following tons of drama on the first leg.

We got Bow Wow in Atlanta after Omarion announced the rapper would be featured on the 2020 version of the tour instead of B2K ... and he says the vibes on tour are gonna be way better this time around.

As you know ... Omarion touted the original Millennium Tour as a sort of B2K reunion, but wherever they went, drama followed. Raz B nearly quit just a few days into the tour, and then more issues cropped up when Lil Fizz started dating Omarion's baby mama, Apryl Jones.

J Boog is ripping Lil Fizz for ruining the tour, but Bow Wow isn't willing to go there ... as he puts it, he and Omarion are trying to stay above the fray.

French Montana says he's getting better every day following a medical scare that put him in a hospital bed ... and he's finally out of the intensive care unit.

The "Unforgettable" rapper just shared an update on his health ... announcing he's out of ICU and on the road to recovery.

As you can see ... French is still being monitored, but now he's standing under his own power.

It's good news for French ... as we first told you, earlier this week he was still suffering from the effects of severe exhaustion and dehydration following a travel schedule that took place in several countries in only a few days.

French has been hospitalized in Los Angeles since last week. Police were first called to his Calabasas crib for a burglary, but it turned out to be a false alarm. When cops arrived, they made contact with French and determined he was seriously ill and got him an ambulance.

No word when French is getting out of the hospital ... but it's nice to see him making progress.

Justin Bieber's got a lot on his mind this Thanksgiving ... and it seems he's at least toying with the idea of dropping his new R&B album soon.

Justin and Hailey are spending their Turkey Day in Miami, grabbing juice at Joe & The Juice together to start off their holiday ... and ya gotta check out the shirt on Justin's back.

As you can see ... Justin's threads say, "Drop the album already."

Is it a sign Justin's getting ready to bless his fans with some R&Bieber?!? Then again, maybe he just likes the shirt -- it's from his fashion line after all.

As we first told you ... JB's planning a new tour and practicing his dance moves. We've been told the tour will coincide with a new album, which he's teasing as a transition into R&B.

Oh, and get this ... Justin's going with platinum blonde hair ... he debuted some pink hair earlier this week, but he's already switched to platinum.

Jay-Z has a problem with an Australian company using his name and lyrics to sell books ... and now he's taking the Aussies to court.

According to a new lawsuit obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald, Jay claims Australian online retailer Little Homie is engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct to hawk a children's book titled "AB to Jay-Z."

In the suit, Hov reportedly claims Little Homie is infringing on his copyright for lyrics from his hit single, "99 Problems."

The book's back cover reads, "If you're having alphabet problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but my ABCs ain't one."

The phrasing is obviously a play on Jay's famous hook, "If you having girl problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one."

Jay's legal team reportedly fired off a cease and desist to Little Homie back in March 2018, but his lawyers claim the retailer kept deliberately using his likeness and lyrics in a flagrant and glaring way.

Anderson .Paak isn't letting a "disrespectful, narcissistic, jealous" attack on his friend, Mac Miller, go unchecked -- which is why he's lighting up rapper GoldLink.

The heated beef over Mac's good name started when GoldLink -- who toured with Mac on the GO:OD AM tour -- posted what he claimed was a tribute, but it obviously rubbed Anderson and many Mac fans the wrong way.

GoldLink claims he played one of his albums for Mac while they were on the road, and then Mac turned around and used it as the "blueprint" for his next record, "Divine Feminine."

Anderson flipped his lid when he saw GoldLink's post and immediately called him out for the copycat accusation, saying ... "You ain't the first to make an album inspired by a relationship ... but you are the first to disrespect my friend who is no longer here for absolutely no reason and I can't stand for that."

Anderson -- who's featured on songs with both Mac and GoldLink -- added, "I'm not a tough guy, I'm not about negativity, but this bugged me bad bro." He also ripped GoldLink for essentially backstabbing Mac, who "brought your ass on tour and opened up his fan base to you when you had nothing and this the type of appreciation you give?"