TMZ.com

Kanye West has joined protesters in Chicago. The rapper is with Chicago Public Schools students to protest the killing of George Floyd as well as to demand CPS cancel their contract with the Chicago Police Department.

Kanye West's giving a huge assist to the families and legal teams fighting for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd ... and helping in other ways too.

Kanye's donated $2 million, so far, to the cause and set up a 529 college savings fund to fully cover tuition for Floyd's 6-year-old daughter, Gianna. He's also made a separate donation to cover the legal costs for the Arbery and Taylor families.

Along with that, a rep confirms Kanye's donating to several black-owned businesses in his hometown of Chicago and nationwide that have been in crisis and impacted by the unrest in the U.S.

As you know ... widespread protests and riots have broken out since Floyd was killed in police custody on May 25. The demonstrations are a demand for an end to systematic racism and police brutality ... of which the killings of Arbery and Taylor are also prime examples.

Arbery was shot and killed in Georgia in February after being chased by 3 men who allegedly believed he fit the description of a burglary suspect in the area.

Taylor -- who was an emergency medical worker -- was shot and killed by Louisville cops in her own home in a "no-knock warrant" case, in which cops allegedly busted in without warning.

The band that provided the magic for Joe Exotic's unique set of songs on 'Tiger King' has good news for everyone itching for more of their good musical vibes.

Vince Johnson of The Vince Johnson Band -- who made up one half of the music duo who wrote and performed Joe's tracks featured on the Netflix series -- just inked an exclusive licensing and distribution deal with BMG Rights Management and Create Music Group.

As part of the agreement, all those Joe tunes (which are actually Vince's) will be compiled onto an album for the first time and be released on streaming services everywhere in the coming months. There'll also be some new tunes, including a cut called 'Killer Carole.' Probably won't be a big hit in Carole Baskin's crib.

We got a little taste of this gem before it officially drops Friday -- we're thinking you can add this one to your back road country playlist. No sign of Joe, though, in the pseudo-music video -- he's a little tied up right now, unfortunately.

In any case, it's great news for Vince and co. ... whom, as we previously told you, were gunning for a record deal of some sort in the wake of the show's massive popularity. Unclear if they've gotten signed to a label yet, but a licensing deal is kinda like getting halfway there.

Of course, Vince lost his longtime music collaborator -- Daniel Clinton -- who helped him pen a lot of the songs on 'Tiger King,' after he passed away from a heart attack late last year. Here's hoping Vince does him proud with this streak of good luck going forward.

Danielle Bregoli -- otherwise known as Bhad Bhabie -- is getting professional help for a couple very serious issues ... she's made the decision to enter rehab.

Sources connected to the rapper tell us Danielle, who's just 17 years old, recently checked herself into a facility at an undisclosed location, and has been held up a few weeks now. We're told she's receiving treatment for a combination of things ... childhood trauma, but also substance abuse in the form of prescription pills.

Our sources tell us Danielle, as well as people around her, were aware of the severity of the issue ... which is why she decided to seek assistance. We're being told she's doing well so far and is optimistic about her progress. She could be in there from 30-90 days.

BB's been kinda off the radar lately, which caught the attention of fellow femcee CHIKA ... who recently called her out for her silence on George Floyd. She wrote, "bad bhabie lil chickenhead ass been silent, too. we really ain’t caught her outside not once. hmm."

Welp, Danielle broke that silence Tuesday with a black square on IG -- following suit with tons of others who went in on a social media blackout this week to honor George and the BLM movement. But, as for not "being outside," well ... she's been busy getting herself right.

Her management team tells us ... "We are very proud of Danielle for recognizing that she needed help and seeking it out."

Here's hoping she comes out the other side new and improved. Get well, kid.

Music producer David Jassy says a magical thing happened while producing a mixtape inside San Quentin State Prison -- rival gang members found common ground in their love for music.

The award-winning producer, and formerly incarcerated man at San Quentin, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to download us on his groundbreaking achievement, a 17-track mixtape written, recorded and produced inside one of America's most notorious prisons.

David says the project, dubbed "San Quentin Mixtape, Vol. 1," quickly brought together members from rival sets within the highly-segregated prison.

When he started making beats on a keyboard inside his cell, David says he noticed inmates from different gangs congregating outside -- a super rare occurrence for any prison, let alone San Quentin.

David seized on the opportunity and ran with it ... pairing rival gang members on the same tracks to further boost camaraderie and ease years of tensions.

In the end, David managed to get 17 different inmates to rap about their struggles behind bars without using profanity, while teaching them the ins and outs of the music industry, production and artistry.

The end result goes way beyond creating a record -- as David told us the inmates learned valuable skills they can use in the future. In other words ... true prison reform.

The mixtape dropped Friday on all streaming platforms ... and as we first reported, David already got a huge shout-out from Kim Kardashian, who had visited him at San Quentin before Governor Gavin Newsom commuted his sentence just a couple months ago.

Kim Kardashian is applauding music producer and ex-inmate David Jassy on a groundbreaking achievement ... a mixtape written, recorded and produced in San Quentin State Prison.

The 17-track project, dubbed San Quentin Mixtape, Vol. 1., is dropping Friday, and Kim surprised David with this congratulatory message ... admiring his work, passion and dedication to his music-led prison initiative.

David, an award-winning producer who wrote and produced for Britney Spears, Sean Kingston, and Ashley Tisdale before being incarcerated, is the mixtape's brainchild ... he used a keyboard to makes beats in his San Quentin cell, and had other inmates rap about their stories.

Along the way, David's vision captured the hearts and minds of a host of celebs ... with Kim, J. Cole, MC Hammer and Common among the famous folks who visited San Quentin to see what Jassy was cooking up, and encourage the inmates to keep doing their thing.

David spent 11 years in San Quentin as part of his sentence for killing a man during an altercation, but while inside ... he worked with the prison to establish a music-focused initiative within the Youthful Offenders Program. He taught inmates how to write, produce and record their own music in a studio.

Jassy used his contacts in the music industry and other donors to support the program with enough donated audio equipment to build a full-scale production studio inside the prison's media lab.

The end result -- a project delving into the life experiences of 17 different inmates, exploring their struggles behind bars while encouraging the next generation to learn from their mistakes and forge a better path.

Kim says David and the 17 inmates featured on the mixtape should be very proud of themselves, and she can't wait for the world to hear their positive message -- the mixtape has no profanity.

Queen's guitarist, Brian May, got a double shot of "Another One Bites the Dust" ... first with an agonizing crushed nerve, followed by a heart attack.

Luckily, Brian lived to tell the tale himself, but he says for a good week he was in absolute "agony" -- and that was before his heart nearly stopped pumping.

The rock icon says he thought he tore a muscle while gardening -- not very rock 'n' roll, we know, but he's 72. Brian says he tried to treat himself with ice for a week, but when he finally got an MRI it revealed he had a compressed sciatic nerve.

While struggling to recover from that he got the double whammy -- heart attack!!! Brian says he was at home when he felt the tightness in his chest and got his doctor to drive him to a hospital.

Brian calls it a "small" heart attack, but consider this ... doctors had to implant three stents to clear blocked arteries. So, it doesn't sound all that small.

As his buddy, the late great Freddie Mercury put it ... "Sends shivers down my spine ... body aching all the time."

Cardi B's body now plays host to a massive new art installation ... because the ink has just dried on her insanely colorful back tattoo.

Cardi showed off her latest handiwork, which she says took months to complete, with a special shoutout to the tattoo artist. The piece traverses Cardi's entire backside, from the top of her back down to the middle of her thigh. It's festooned with flowers, butterflies and even a hummingbird.

The new tattoo isn't Cardi's first -- she already had some serious ink on her other leg -- but her latest, thanks to the steady hand of Jamie Schene, is a spectacle if not spectacular.

Cardi isn't the first to engage in a rear-view coverup. Ben Affleck revealed an insane back piece a while ago. Fans thought he was clowning, but turns out it was the real deal.

Drake's relationship with Kylie Jenner's been fueling the rumor mill for months, and now that he's referred to her as "a side piece" -- on wax, as we used to say -- expect it to heat up.

Here's the deal ... Drake went on Instagram Live Wednesday night to tease some unreleased music from a collab with Future.

On the track, the duo raps about all the hot women they're able to haul in, and Drake spits these lyrics -- "Yeah, I’m a hater to society / Real sh*t, Kylie Jenner that’s a side piece / Yeah, I got 20 motherf***in’ Kylies."

Future follows with similarly themed lyrics, but what's interesting is the 2 have been working on this song together for a couple years now, but in the past ... Future rapped the Kylie part.

It should be noted, the track shouts out Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, as well -- "Yeah, I got 20 damn Kendalls / Young slim baddies and they in vogue / Yeah, I got 20 f***in’ Gigis."

Drake, of course, is no stranger to gossip related to Kylie and the Kardashian/Jenner crew. There were reports of romance with her in November, but we were told they were just hanging out as friends.

That friendship endured despite Drake's beef with Kylie's brother-in-law, Kanye West, over a variety of issues ... including a rumored affair he had with Kim.

No lyrics about that on any new music from Drake, though ... at least not yet.

Roddy Ricch really is ballin' now ... along with his crew cause he hooked 'em up with some diamond-studded championship rings to celebrate his first-ever Grammy win.

The 21-year-old Compton MC will soon get his hands on these incredibly-baller rings produced by none other than Hollywood's favorite celebrity jeweler, Elliot Eliantte. We're told Roddy ordered 7 rings for him and his crew. Eliantte's been working on the bling for the past few months and he just finished them, so Roddy will soon have them delivered.

All in all ... we're told the rings are worth a whopping $250k. But, gotta give the kid some credit, celebrate big after a monumental win. As you probably know by now ... Roddy brought home a Grammy back in January after winning Best Rap Performance for "Racks in the Middle." The track featured Nipsey Hussle and Hit-Boy.

Little Richard's family, friends and former band members gathered for the icon's graveside funeral -- a surprisingly low-key and private service for the legendary showman.

Little Richard, or Richard Wayne Penniman to those close to him, was buried Wednesday at the Oakwood University Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama.

The trailblazing rock 'n' roll star's niece, opera singer Brandie Sutton, sang during his service. Dr. Carlton P. Byrd delivered a eulogy, and Richard's family spokesman David Person gave some closing remarks before he was laid to rest.

As we reported ... Little Richard died earlier this month at his Tennessee home, surrounded by his brother, sister and son. His bass guitarist, Charles Glenn, told us Richard had been sick for a couple months before he passed.

The singer, of course, is known for his enormous influence over the rock 'n' roll genre, with insanely popular hits like "Tutti-Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally." The Beatles have credited him as an inspiration, and Richard paved the way for acts like James Brown, The Rolling Stones and even Michael Jackson further down the road.

As for his connection to Huntsville, he attended Oakwood University and studied theology on campus after he'd already become a rising music star. He also recorded many of his hits in Alabama.

Little Richard was 87.

Sia put guardianship to good use for a couple of young guys who were on the cusp of adulthood, and getting tossed out of foster care ... but instead, she gave them a home.

The elusive singer made the revelation this week during an interview on SiriusXM, where she said she'd recently become a mother to TWO "children," so to speak. She says they were actually 18-year-old boys at the time of adoption last year, and were aging out of the foster care system in which they were living at the time.

They're both 19 now, and Sia says she loves 'em both very much. When asked how they're holding up during quarantine, she said one's doing better than the other under the circumstances -- but added they're both learning a lot indoors.

Now, if you're raising an eyebrow at the idea of adopting adults ... you shouldn't be. Not in California, anyway, where Sia has at least one home and seems to reside permanently. You can adopt 18-year-olds here -- there's a whole process, and it's not all that uncommon.

Congrats to Mama Sia!

Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber are firing back at Tekashi 6ix9ine's claim that she and/or their team illicitly bought their way to #1 this week.

AG took to IG Monday with a celebratory post, highlighting her and Bieb's single, "Stuck with U," which landed at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list ... beating out Doja Cat's popular "Say So" as well as 6ix9ine's new single, "GOOBA," which came in third.

She said she wanted to thank her fans for getting her there, but also took a good minute addressing 6ix9ine's allegations from just a few hours earlier that she, Biebs and people working for them allegedly maxed out 6 credit cards to purchase 30,000 units at the last minute to secure their spot at #1. Ariana calls BS.

She insists the reason "Stuck with U" moved the way it did is because more people actually purchased their song instead of streamed it, which counts for more units than streaming and explains why it surged to the top. Ariana goes on to say she and Bieber have longtime ride or die fans -- and they're credited with the bump. Nothing more.

She continued with all artists should be grateful and honored by the opportunity to be heard at all, and to work in the biz. She sent love to everyone in the top 10 ... "even number 3."

BTW, Bieber took up for their hit track ... pointing out Billboard rules only allow for 4 units to be purchased per credit card -- so, he's saying Tekashi's allegation couldn't be true.

And, as for Tekashi only calling out Ariana? Justin says, "If you gonna say her name make sure you say mine because it's our song."