Young Dolph Suspected Killers Captured
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The men who cops say gunned down Young Dolph are in custody ... after a manhunt which resulted in their arrests.
23-year-old Justin Johnson was taken in by U.S. Marshals Officers Tuesday in Indiana, he's wanted on a slew of charges out of Memphis ... including first-degree murder. 32-year-old Cornelius Smith was also booked on a first-degree murder charge Tuesday, but unclear if the Marshals or Memphis PD got him.
As we reported ... cops announced Wednesday Johnson was wanted for murdering Young Dolph ... and Johnson went on social media Saturday to announce plans to turn himself in come Monday ... which he didn't do.
FOX 13 in Memphis was first to break the news of the suspects' capture.
Johnson, who claims he is innocent, was on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list ... and law enforcement says he has ties to organized crime. Smith has not yet made a public statement about his involvement in the murder.
Johnson's a Memphis-area rapper who goes by the name Straight Drop ... and he appears to have shot a music video back in the day at the same home where cops retrieved what they believe is the getaway car used the day Dolph was shot and killed.
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Kanye West Gunning to Meet Vladimir Putin ... Making Russia '2nd Home'
Kanye West has his sights set on Moscow -- where he reportedly wants a powwow with the Vladimir Putin, not to mention a vast plan to establish roots in Mother Russia.
Ye is gunning for a meeting with the Russian President, and also wants to do a series of Sunday Service shows in the man's country fairly soon -- sometime in the spring or summer, in fact ... this according to Billboard, who spoke to KW's biz associate, Ameer Sudan.
Sudan says Ye's schedule will dictate when this all happens, but assures Billboard that the wheels are already in motion to broker a face-to-face between Putin and Kanye.
Sounds like a lot of this is going to be handled by some Russian friends Ye has apparently cozied up to of late -- tycoon real estate developer Aras Agalarov and his son Emin Agalarov ... the so-called "Trumps of Russia," and clients of attorney Scott Balber, whom Sudan says is also helping Kanye make this happen. Unclear if Balber reps Ye personally.
Anywyay, speaking of Emin -- who's actually an aspiring musical artist himself -- Kanye is said to be intent on helping him blow up here in the States via collaboration, so says Sudan.
There's more ... Sudan says Ye's business relationship with the Agalarovs will bear lucrative -- with deals he says they're working on that'll supposedly send his net worth sky-high, north of $10 billion, he claims. So, in other words ... Ye is all in on Russia, it seems.
Sudan went so far to say that Kanye would be making the area a "second home," telling Billboard the guy plans to spend a lot of time out there going forward. As for where those Sunday Service concerts would happen -- word is, he has the Crocus City Hall in mind, and will invite President Putin as his guest. It's a big venue ... capable of seating over 7,000.
Other options are being considered too, per Billboard, like the Grand Sports Arena at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, where the Olympics were once held. Capacity there is 80k-plus.
One last thing ... Sudan says Kanye is aware of the international strife between the U.S. and Russia -- namely, Putin encroaching on Ukraine, among other things -- but had this to say about it ... "This is Ye, Ye is going to get there regardless. What are they going to say? He's going to be a special guest of the Agalarovs."
He adds, "Kanye knows what's going on more than the average human being, he's well aware of things. And it's nothing against the United States or to cause conflicts, but Ye is Ye -- he can't be controlled."
The pivot to Russia makes sense if you've followed Kanye's politics -- he's a fan of Donald Trump, and is close with DT's inner circle ... evidenced in Trump-centric meetings he's taken of late. Looks like he's taking that relationship and extending it ... TO Russia, with love.
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Doja Cat Fan Busted After Making Bomb Threat at Concert
A Doja Cat fan is behind bars Sunday after making a bomb threat at her concert.
Doja Cat was performing at a concert in Indianapolis Saturday night, when the impatient fan wanted to cut the line to get inside.
A Deputy Police Chief told the IndyStar, "A fan wanted to advance in line so he exercised very poor judgment and told those around him in line he had a bomb in his backpack."
Cops were called and no explosives were found, but the guy was arrested for unrelated, outstanding warrants.
It's always insane for anyone to make such a threat, but especially in these times... and not just because of the political landscape. After the Astroworld tragedy, lots of people are on edge at concerts, so something like this predictably will cause chaos.
A concertgoer posted this ... "Just waited 4 hours to see doja cat for their [sic] to be a literal bomb threat(???) scariest moment of my actual life the ground was covered in ice we were all running and slipping around literally so scary."
A fan was also freaked out ... "We were considering leaving before the bomb threat happened. Saw the front of the line push everyone back and dipped out of there. Not going back."
.@DojaCat briefly paused her performance to stop fans from fighting during the #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/W3WRFy9vJS
— The Kittens Room (@TheKittensRoom) January 9, 2022 @TheKittensRoom
By the way ... another, smaller incident once the concert began. Doja Cat stopped the show for a short while because 2 fans were fighting.
Insane times all around.
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Sinead O'Connor Teenage Son Dead by Apparent Suicide ... Singer Blames Hospital
Sinead O'Connor's son has died, according to police ... it appears he took his own life, and Sinead is clearly angry at people who were in charge of taking care of the teen.
17-year-old Shane O'Connor apparently was on suicide watch in an Irish hospital just one day before he took his own life, but someone was able to leave. Sinead wrote the day before Shane's body was found, "Like, how has a seventeen-year-old traumatised young person WHO WAS ON SUICIDE WATCH in Tallaght Hospital's Lynn Ward been able to go missing???"
She went on ... "Hospital of course so far refusing to take any responsibility. Anything happens to my son on their watch? Lawsuits."
Police in Ireland issued this statement ... "Following the recovery of a body in the Bray area of Wicklow on Friday, 7th January 2022, a Missing Person Appeal in respect of Shane O’Connor, 17 years, has been stood down."
My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God. May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace:
— Sinead The 1 And Only (@OhSineady) January 8, 2022 @OhSineady
Sinead's rep confirmed her son's death, and she posted the tragic news as well, saying, "My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God."
She goes on ... "May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace:"
Police had been looking for Shane since Thursday, with Sinead pleading in a tweet, "Shane, your life is precious. God didn't chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing."
Her pleas got more desperate ... "This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it's not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me. Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety ... My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don't stop it from beating. Please don't harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let's get you to hospital."
The news has devastated the 55-year-old singer, who referenced a Bob Marley song ... "This is for my Shaney. The light of my life. The lamp of my soul. My blue-eye baby. You will always be my light. We will always be together. No boundary can separate us."
Shane's father is Donal Lunny, an Irish folk musician. He and Sinead are no longer together.
Shane was 17.
RIP
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Pete Davidson Drives L.A. Crowd Wild ... Performing with Jack Harlow
Pete Davidson whipped a crowd into a frenzy Friday night, when he jumped on stage and performed with Jack Harlow!!!
Jack Harlow and Pete Davidson together is my fever dream come true.. pic.twitter.com/lShi4DCSSC
— 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 (@caroIinahoney) January 8, 2022 @caroIinahoney
Jack was performing at The Novo in L.A. when he invited Kim Kardashian's BF to join him, and Pete didn't miss a beat. They danced around the stage as they performed "SUVs (Black on Black)."
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You hear folks in the crowd saying they can't believe Pete joined Jack. It just underscores how Pete's celebrity has skyrocketed since hooking up with Kim. It's not to say Pete wasn't a celeb before, because he was, but Kim brought the whole thing to another level.
Pete and Jack have history together ... they've been friends for a while. In March 2021 Jack appeared on 'SNL' as the musical guest and even did a skit with Pete.
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'To Sir With Love' Singer Lulu SIDNEY POITIER WAS 'MY INSPIRATION' ... He Empowered, Educated
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Scottish singer Lulu, who sang the huge, hit, title song for one of Sidney Poitier's most famous movies, is reflecting on his death ... and thanking him for inspiring her.
Lulu tells TMZ ... Sidney was "my friend, my teacher, my inspiration."
She famously sang the theme song for Sidney's 1967 movie, "To Sir, With Love." The film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Original Score written from a motion picture or TV show.
Sidney starred in the film, alongside Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall ... and Lulu!
Lulu also tells us the movie, "rises above the fray and leads by example," ... comparing it to the way Sidney lead his life. She says SP empowered and educated those around him, so they could choose to follow his lead.
Remember ... Sidney is credited with breaking barriers in Hollywood for Black celebrities ... and Lulu clearly was moved by working with him.
As we reported ... Sidney died at the age of 94, though there's no official cause of death yet, and there's been tons of tributes pouring in across Hollywood for the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor.
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Kanye West Teases Balenciaga Collab ... Now I Can Dress the World Like Kim!!!
It appears Kanye West's new GF Julia Fox won't be the only one decked out in a Balenciaga look inspired by Ye, 'cause he just teased a massive collab with the fashion brand and his own baby, Yeezy.
Ye posted some sort of "Collaboration Agreement" contract Friday, showing his signature under Yeezy, Gap and Balenciaga brand names. While it's currently unclear exactly what the partnership will bring, the fact 3 of Kanye's favorite fashion outlets are coming together is significant.
Of course, Balenciaga became synonymous with Kim Kardashian when the two were together -- Kanye would dress her in the brand all the time -- and she's continued to wear it almost exclusively over the last few months.
As we told you, Ye's most recent girlfriend, Julia Fox, switched into a look almost made entirely of Balenciaga in the middle of their date night in NYC on Tuesday. When we first saw Ye and Julia leave "Slave Play" on Broadway, she was wearing a blue coat ... but after dinner, she was in a Balenciaga coat, gloves, top and purse.
Fox recently sat down with Interview Mag and talked about her whirlwind few nights between Miami and NYC with Ye ... saying he filled a hotel room with looks for her to try on -- and the two even did a mid-dinner photo shoot.
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The Weeknd Listening Party Draws Big Stars ... Lyrics Fuel Angelina Jolie Dating Rumors
The Weeknd can definitely draw a crowd -- both normies and celebs -- because a bunch of big stars showed up on a rainy, L.A. night for his listening party.
Zack Bia, Madelyn Cline, Luka Sabbat, Lil Baby, Stassie Karanikolaou, Shaq's son Myles O'Neal, Ty Dolla Sign and Lewis Hamilton hit up Delilah in WeHo for the bash.
The Weeknd announced just a few days back he was releasing the album, "Dawn FM." The music was streamed on Twitch and Amazon.
It's unsurprising ... a bunch of big music stars are featured on the album, including Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Oneohtrix Point Never and Quincy Jones. Jim Carrey even pipes in.
Now there's been a lot of speculation The Weeknd is dating Angelina Jolie, and he certainly fueled speculation with the cut, "Here We Go... Again." The lyrics ...
-- My new girl, she a movie star
-- I loved her right, make her scream like Neve Campbell
-- But when I make her laugh, swear it cures my depressin' thoughts 'Cause baby girl, she a movie star
-- Baby girl, she a movie star I told myself that I'd never fall But here we go again.
We get the hint.
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Drakeo the Ruler Family Can't Cover Funeral Cost ... Wants to Use His Money
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Drakeo the Ruler's family says it can't afford to bury him in a coffin ... so they're asking a court to give them access to his coffers.
According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the rapper's mother says she just can't foot the bill for his funeral, which she is pegging at just under $52,000. She'd like to cover it with money from Drakeo's estate, but she can't access his assets without a court order.
In the docs, Drakeo's mom says her late son's assets should be at least $2 million, and she's asking the court to let her dip into those funds to say goodbye to her son with a proper burial. She adds ... the memorial she's planning will be full of "dignity, style and grace."
As we reported, Drakeo was fatally stabbed in the neck last month while backstage at the Once Upon A Time in L.A. festival.
In the docs, Drakeo's mother says she needs the money ASAP to secure a funeral date because it's hard to reserve a spot with funeral homes ... due to an increase in COVID-related deaths.
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Dead & Company Not Truckin' to Cancun ... COVID Cases Shut Down Festival
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John Mayer's not alone -- COVID-19 is running rampant among the promoter's crew working Dead & Company's Mexico festival, and it's forced the band to pull the plug on the whole event ... TMZ has learned.
Our production sources tell us more than 20 staffers for CID -- the promoter of the Playing in the Sand festival -- have tested positive for the virus. The two-weekend event was supposed to kick off this weekend in Cancun, but we're told that's not gonna happen now.
As it was, John Mayer already had to pull out on Wednesday due to catching COVID himself -- but, as they say, the band intended to play on ... until they got news of the outbreak.
We're told both this weekend and next have been canceled because they just can't pull off the event safely with so many staffers being infected.
No word yet on rescheduling or refunds -- but if you're a Dead Head packing a bag for Mexico, COVID's now officially harshed your buzz. Bummer.
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Dr. Dre Millions on the Line ... If COVID Torpedoes Super Bowl Halftime Show
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The Super Bowl halftime show promises to be one of the most spectacular yet, thanks to Dr. Dre, but the stakes are high because if COVID somehow kills the show, Dre could lose millions.
As we reported, the show will be filled with huge stars, including Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Dre is fronting most of the money necessary to pull off the event, and we're told it's in the millions of dollars.
Our sources say ... Dre has Event Cancellation Insurance to cover any calamity that might derail the halftime show. Problem is ... we're told there's an exclusion for COVID.
We've learned the pesky provision is called a Communicable Disease Exemption, and it's been around for years ... ever since SARS. But COVID is part of the Communicable Disease Exemption, which means the insurance policy will not cover Dre's losses if the show is 86'd.
The high, high likelihood is the show will go on as planned. There's cautious optimism Omicron will peak later this month ... and the Super Bowl is set for February 13th.
Even if there's an explosion of cases and the crowds are either scaled back or even eliminated, the game will go on ... similar to how it went down last year in the throes of the pandemic. The other possibility, the NFL has made it clear it wants fans in the stands, and if that can't happen at L.A.'s SoFi Stadium, the game could be moved to say, Dallas.
It's still risky without insurance, but since Dre has either reached or is close to billionaire status, let's just say it's manageable.
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Shawn Mendes The Single Life is Rock Hard
Shawn Mendes is a couple months single -- which may have opened up more time in his schedule to hit the gym -- as evidenced in new pics of the singer on the beach.
Shawn hit the sand in Miami Wednesday -- soaking up the sun, waves and some screen-time on his phone. Shawn looked somber, but hard to imagine he'd be sad taking in the beautiful views.
While he mostly appeared to be solo, at one point a few fans stopped by to chat with the singer.
It was back in November when Shawn and then-girlfriend Camila Cabello announced they were ending their relationship. In a statement, the two said, "Hey guys, we've decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever."
They continued, "We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward."
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Kanye West Headlining Coachella ... Claims Report
Kanye West is filling the third and final headliner spot at this year's Coachella ... which almost certainly means Travis Scott is getting left out of the festival -- at least according to a new report.
Variety says they have sources who claim Kanye has signed on as one of the famous event's big names for 2022 ... joining the other two headliners in Billie Eilish and Swedish House Mafia.
Coachella is coming back after two years off due to the pandemic ... and the 2020 edition had Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine and Travis Scott as the headliners before it was scrapped.
If Kanye joins the fold, it appears highly unlikely Travis will take the stage at Coachella this April in Indio, CA ... but there's yet to be an official announcement either way.
Kanye will certainly be a big draw and he's got some new music to perform too ... remember, he recently dropped his latest album, "Donda."
December 2021
Yeezy performed a few "Donda" listening parties last year ... and just last month he took the stage with Drake for the 'Free Larry Hoover' benefit concert in Los Angeles.
Kanye also surprised fans at Rolling Loud California in just a few days after he played a sold-out show with Drake ... so he's primed and ready for Coachella.
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Harry Styles Fan Sues Concert Venue ... I Was Injured By Crowd Surge!!!
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2:52 PM PT -- 1/6 -- An MSG Entertainment spokesperson says they just received the complaint and are looking into the matter.
9:19 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the venue had no comment.
One woman says the crowd at a Harry Styles concert in Los Angeles got so rowdy it left her injured ... and now she's filed a lawsuit against the venue.
The woman claims she attended Harry's "Fine Line" album release show at The Forum in December 2019. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says during the show, a mass of folks surged towards the stage, causing her to be knocked to the ground by other concertgoers.
From there, the woman says other folks in the crowd crushed her body, causing serious injury.
Harry is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, but she's suing The Forum, show promoters and ticketing services -- including Live Nation, Stubhub and Ticketmaster.
In her suit, the woman claims the venue, promoters and ticketing services failed to provide sufficient seating, lighting, security, supervision and crowd control that night ... and says folks in front of the stage were left in harm's way during the crowd surges.
The fan is looking to get paid ... claiming her alleged injuries are chronic and debilitating and are diminishing her quality of life.
We reached out to MSG, which owned The Forum at the time of the alleged incident ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 1/5 4:58 PM PT
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Young Dolph Shooting Death Suspect Identified Wanted For Murder
There's been a break in the investigation into Young Dolph's death ... law enforcement says a suspect has been identified and is wanted for murder.
The U.S. Marshals, Memphis Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation say one of the suspects is a 23-year-old man named Justin Johnson.
Authorities released a mug shot of the suspect Wednesday and say Johnson is wanted for a slew of charges, including first-degree murder.
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According to his social media page, Johnson appears to be a local rapper who goes by the name StraightDrop. His page is flooded with pics of himself flaunting clothes, money and expensive cars.
Law enforcement says Johnson is on the TBI Most Wanted list, has ties to organized crime and should be considered armed and dangerous ... and there's a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to his capture.
As we reported ... Young Dolph was gunned down in November while he was inside a cookie shop in Memphis, and 2 masked gunmen were caught on surveillance footage before fleeing in a getaway car.
11/17/21
The feds allege Johnson shot Young Dolph to death ... and they say he also has an outstanding warrant for violating his federal supervised release from a separate weapons offense.
There was a second person in the surveillance video, but authorities did not mention or name him.
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Billie Eilish Headlining Coachella ... Travis Scott Almost Certainly Out
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Billie Eilish will fill a headliner spot at this year's Coachella -- making her the second out of three names -- and a big question mark for Travis Scott's status with the festival.
A source with knowledge tells us Eilish has signed on as one of the event's big names for 2022. 2020's edition had Frank Ocean, Rage Against the Machine and Travis Scott as the three headliners before it was canceled because of COVID-19.
Frank is now committed to 2023's festival, and Rage Against the Machine is reportedly not headlining 2022's edition ... which left 2 empty spots with Travis.
The first was filled by Swedish House Mafia, who announced their return to music a couple months ago -- and now the 2nd will be Billie.
Of course, it almost seems impossible that Travis will take the Coachella stage in Indio, CA this April ... but no official announcement has been made either way.