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Tekashi 6ix9ine's going to be more at risk than ever when he's released from prison -- not just because he'll be a snitch on the streets -- but because his muscle's bailed on him.

Several of the rapper's former bodyguards have parted ways with him for various reasons, but one thing they all have in common is that no amount of money he could pay would bring them back ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told the ex-members of 6ix9ine's security team feel he unnecessarily put them in harm's way BEFORE he went to prison ... so the fact he's a flat-out rat now would make things worse.

Shawn Stockman says Smokepurpp is doing the admirable, and rare thing, in show biz -- putting money last to honor Kanye West's desire to keep his music strictly Christian.

First, the backstory ... Smokepurpp and Kanye collaborated on a track dubbed "No Problem" back in 2018 which was supposed to be released on Smoke's debut album, "Deadstar 2."

The record dropped last month, but without Ye's featured track. The problem with "No Problem" is the track's littered with curse words. In short, it's exactly the kinda music Kanye has since denounced -- opting instead to go full gospel.

When we talked to the Boyz II Men singer, he was belting out Smokepurpp's praises ... calling it a respectful move. The rapper has said he pulled it because it just isn't indicative of Kanye's new sound.

Now, there is a catch. Smokepurpp says there's still a chance he'll drop "No Problem" ... but ONLY IF Kanye goes back to doing secular tracks.

Shawn warns Purpp shouldn't hold his breath for that.

Mac Miller fans are showing up in droves to honor the late rapper at pop-up exhibitions opening around the country.

Fans were treated to the invite-only installation in L.A. Thursday to celebrate Mac's music and legacy. These exhibitions -- produced by Mirrored Media -- are launched in partnership with Amazon Music, and in conjunction with Mac's posthumous, "Circles," album release. Fans perused the art pieces and tons of mech ... while also enjoying listening sessions.

Thursday's event was a soft opening, but a 2-day event is slated for Friday and Saturday in NYC and also in Mac's hometown of Pittsburgh. The exhibition is free to the public from noon to 9 PM, and all net proceeds from merch sales will benefit the Mac Miller Fund ... which supports young musicians.

Eminem has violence on his mind -- as in America's mass shootings, and the Ariana Grande-concert bombing -- and poured his thoughts into a surprise album filled with dark images.

He unexpectedly dropped "Music to Be Murdered By" at midnight, and if the title doesn't say it all ... the lead single, "Darkness" and its music video will. The video recreates the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting and imagines the thoughts of the shooter.

Em seems to be sitting in a room at the Mandalay Bay -- just as the mass murderer did that night -- as he loads up on booze and then opens fire.

Another track on the record called "Unaccommodating" references the violence at Ariana's Manchester show, also from 2017. Em raps, "I'm contemplating yelling 'bombs away' on the game like I'm outside an Ariana Grande concert."

Demi Lovato's comeback includes a Grammys performance, a coveted Super Bowl gig ... and a full-length studio album to be released in the first half of 2020.

TMZ's learned the singer's still working on the tracks -- which will be the first new music she's put out since she nearly died from an overdose -- but plans to drop them by summer.

We're told the new album will touch on her OD in July 2018, her time in rehab, her sobriety and the journey/struggle to get there.

Our Demi sources say a tour coinciding with the album is also very possible, but the logistics have yet to be locked down.

It's been a big week for Demi -- before we got word of the new album, it was announced she'd be performing at the Grammys on January 26 ... and singing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV in February.

Tyler, The Creator is the new owner of a stylish pair of sunglasses ... after buying them off a passerby's face on the streets of the Big Apple.

Here's how the transaction went down ... a woman was walking down the block in Chelsea when someone breezed by and yelled, "Your glasses are FIRE!!!"

The lady hardly noticed -- she was wearing headphones -- and she kept moving until she felt a tap on her shoulder. The woman spun around to find a large man -- Tyler's bodyguard -- asking to buy her glasses for $50. She politely refused, but when Tyler's muscle upped the ante to $100 ... she couldn't turn it down.

As it turns out, she'd actually found the shades in a thrift store for $10 ... so she was turning a pretty sweet profit.

Lizzo's feeling good as hell gold about her body as she soaked up some sunshine, and had a blast on the beach with friends ... and Jillian Michaels is clearly out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

The singer and her crew hit up Piha, a surf beach in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday ... and she wasn't shy about showing off her figure. Lizzo rocked the hell out of a tiny, metallic gold, one-piece swimsuit.

In true Lizzo form, she also did some twerking in the sand and posed for a bunch of pics ... before she headed back to the office. She's down under to perform at the FOMO Festival.

We don't know that it was, but the beach trip might seem like a response to last week's controversy. You'll recall, fitness guru Jillian said we should celebrate Lizzo's music, but not necessarily her weight ... because it could lead to serious health issues.

Lots of buzz around that debate -- but Lizzo definitely ain't hearing it all the way down in New Zealand.

Justin Bieber's hit the stage earlier than expected ... but instead of singing his biggest hits he went full Kanye.

The Biebs hit up Churchome Wednesday night in Beverly Hills ... where part of his worship included grabbing a mic and singing heartfelt gospel.

Justin sang a few tracks, including "Reckless Love," "Good Good Father" and "Sinking Deep." Some of the lyrics -- "Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found ... I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still. You give yourself away. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God."

Boosie Badazz says he meant no harm when he rocked Kappa Alpha Psi letters at an NBA game ... but he wants angry frat bros to chill out and stop talking gangster.

Boosie's apologizing for his fashion faux pas -- wearing a red sweater emblazoned with the black fraternity's Greek letters -- telling TMZ, he was just thinking about looking fresh, and didn't anticipate igniting a firestorm on social media.

In case you missed it ... the rapper posted a selfie from his courtside seat at the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks game, and frat bros were quick to rip Boosie for his choice of clothing, calling it offensive and dripping with disrespect.

Boosie says he's got Kappas from all generations coming at him sideways ... but he says the keyboard gangsters need to cool it on the tough talk.

Rich the Kid and NBA Youngboy are officially cementing their music collaboration ... with a couple of matching chains that cost the same as a modest home.

The rappers decided that ahead of their highly-anticipated project together they'd celebrate joining forces by flossing new bling. The flashy pieces are a mix of the rappers' logos -- YB's "Never Broke Again" tagline is replaced with Kid's music label, "Rich Forever."

There's also Rich's trademark money bag being gripped tight by two gloves ... which is seamlessly centered on the pendant. The bling features emerald cuts, 25 carats VVS diamonds.

The price ain't for the faint of heart -- a cool $180k.

This isn't the first time the duo's worked together. Rich dropped "For Keeps" last year featuring NBA YoungBoy.

That track blew up, big time. In fact, the music video alone racked up more than 24.4 million views on YouTube.

Ariana Grande appears to have buried the hatchet with the Recording Academy because she's ready to take the stage at this year's show ... even though there were issues last year.

The 'Thank U, Next' singer made the announcement Saturday, saying she was officially booked to perform at the 2020 Grammy Awards later this month. She wrote on Instagram, "OFFICIAL: #ArianaGrande will perform at the #GRAMMYs Jan. 26!"

Attached was a promo shot of her with the Grammy logo in the corner, and the words "GRAMMY PERFORMER" emblazoned along her back. So yeah, it's definitely happening.

What's interesting ... Ariana had a big beef last year with the Grammys' longtime executive producer, Ken Ehrlich, who publicly made it seem like Ariana had backed out of last year's show because she was too frazzled and unorganized to pull it together on short notice.

We heard from people connected to the situation that characterization simply wasn't true -- in fact, we were told it was Ken who'd put her in an impossible spot by not allowing her to perform her biggest hit single at the time, "7 Rings," and then later recanting.

By the time Ken realized it'd be better to have AG perform than not, our sources told us he came back to her with the offer to do "7 Rings" when it was too late ... she'd already made up her mind on not doing the show at all, and that's how it ultimately played out. We're told the whole thing left a bad taste in Ariana's mouth, so she just watched from home.

Now, it looks like that's all water under a bridge -- and the reason might be more obvious than you'd think. Earlier this year, Ken announced he's hanging it up after this year's show, so it appears the direction of things is about to change hands -- if it hasn't already.

In Ariana's case ... probably for the better.

There's a special piece of Beatles memorabilia up for sale ... handwritten lyrics to a classic song from the 'White Album' scribbled by George Harrison and Ringo Starr!!!

The lyrics to George's signature song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" are penned on the back of a studio recording sheet, and it's going up for sale through the memorabilia company Moments in Time -- and they're hawking this slice of Beatles history for $195,000.

It's pretty cool ... the lyric sheet is a working draft used during the hit song's recording way back in 1968 at EMI Studios in London.

Yo Gotti's sick and tired of the fatal bloodshed in Mississippi State Prisons, so he's enlisted Jay-Z's Roc Nation to demand the Governor make immediate changes ... or face a lawsuit.

On the heels of 5 inmates getting killed in 3 different MS prisons ... Gotti's called on Team Roc -- the philanthropic arm of Roc Nation -- and it fired off a letter Thursday to Gov. Phil Bryant. In the letter, they make it clear they'll take legal action if Bryant doesn't take steps to improve prison conditions.

Gotti's pissed off because 2 of the deaths went down at the prison known as Parchman Farm ... not far from his hometown of Memphis. Gotti says the prison conditions are "absolutely inhumane and unconstitutional."

Prison violence in Mississippi has increased sharply in the last 10 days, with riots and escapes. Critics say gangs have almost literally taken over some of the penitentiaries ... which are reportedly woefully understaffed and underfunded.

In its letter to the Governor, Team Roc says inmates -- male and female -- are "forced to live in squalor, with rats that crawl over them as they sleep on the floor, having been denied even a mattress for a cot." They believe the conditions are so bad, they constitute cruel and unusual punishment ... a violation of the Eighth Amendment.

Will Smith could still get jiggy with it ... because he's not completely shutting down the idea of putting out another album.

We got Will in New York City Friday, and our guy asked if he's ever going to drop a follow-up record to 1997's "Big Willie Style" ... and Will leaves the door wide open.

The 'Fresh Prince' is in the Big Apple promoting his latest movie with Martin Lawrence, "Bad Boys For Life" ... and it sounds like Will's still got a soft spot for the recording studio.

Will's obviously not averse to sequels ... so it's not a stretch to think he'll make his return to the rap game one day. Our photog has a special date in mind for a potential album drop.

Neil Peart from the band Rush -- one of the greatest drummers in rock history -- died Tuesday after battling cancer ... according to his family.

Peart passed away in Santa Monica. The family says he'd been diagnosed with brain cancer 3 years ago, but hadn't announced it to Rush's legion of fans around the world.

The Canadian rock trio of Rush formed in 1968, but Neil didn't join his bandmates -- bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson -- until 1974. All 3 men were known as virtuoso musicians and Neil's solo's are legendary ... in particular his drumming on iconic songs like "Tom Sawyer."

His influence on today's rock musicians can't be overstated. If you, or your parents, were a drummer growing up in the 70s or 80s... you know about the endless hours amateurs spent trying to play like Neil.

Sadly, he announced his retirement from the band in 2015 -- he'd been battling chronic pain related to tendinitis. The following year they announced the band was done touring ... not only because of Neil's health, but Alex was also battling arthritis.

Billie Eilish is ripping a page out of Mark Wahlberg's playbook ... by living it up in Hawaii.

The Grammy-nominated singer's in the Aloha State having a blast with her friends. In a rare wardrobe move ... Billie rocks the hell out of a bathing suit. We're so used to seeing her in baggy clothing ... but when in Rome, right?

Looks like a few friends joined her on the trip and they went on quite the excursion ... from zip lining and kayaking to going on a sick helicopter ride and swinging into a lake. She also shared what looks like a Jacuzzi with a friend ... never mind the rain.

And, even though the weather hasn't been cooperating ... Billie still managed to have an incredible photo of her looking outside a helicopter window with a perfect rainbow as her backdrop.

Billie, of course, has been nominated for 6 Grammys ... including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. "Ocean Eyes" was arguably the song that put her on the map but "Bad Guy" is what's now earned her critical acclaim.