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Kanye West was apparently all set to perform at the Grammys, but his online antics have now gotten him barred ... so says the guy's own team and industry pals.

Ye's rep confirmed the news to Variety Saturday, saying it was true that the rapper wouldn't be hitting the stage in a few weeks. The reason cited ... his "concerning online behavior," which the Recording Academy clearly felt might translate to a fiasco in a live setting.

His involvement with the Grammys was something that hadn't been public until now -- earlier this week, the first round of official performers was announced, but KW wasn't on the list.

His rap buddy, The Game, let the cat out of the bag about this as well -- taking to IG with a lengthy caption decrying the decision to uninvite Ye ... likening it censorship and even invoking slavery.

He writes, in part ... "Time & time again they show us that they only want to STEAL the culture, not allow you to ever be their equals. In a more than obvious move for reasons of minuscule actions."

Game went on to muse about the reasons, including the fact Trevor Noah is hosting and that Kanye's account was suspended for 24 hours this week.

He adds, "Speak your mind in this country for yourself, family or your people & you're ostracized immediately & if you push them hard enough they will stop at no ends to try and put an end to you as a whole."

As you know ... this saga crescendoed when Kanye called Trevor a "k***" for taking him to task on his own show about how he was dealing with the divorce, including publicly airing out the family's business. TN speculated it could lead to real-world violence, or worse.

Guess who's back ...

Britney Spears has made her return to Instagram ... two days after her sudden disappearance. With the reactivation, Britney was back to her old habits -- posting pics, eyes locked on the camera!

While Britney's caption was a simple rose emoji, her fans flocked to the comments section, welcoming her back to the platform. However, Britney doesn't address why she ever left ... our Instagram sources told us they didn't remove her profile, so it must've been her doing.

Before abandoning the app, she used the platform as a weapon against those that hurt her ... in a post that's since been deleted, she called out the entire entertainment industry, saying she was on the clock 7 days a week with little privacy.

Luckily her past posts are still on the page ... meaning fans can still watch her dance or go off about her family secrets!

Young Thug's family is suffering through an unimaginable loss, as the mother of one of his children was shot and killed after a fight at a bowling alley.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Atlanta Police Department responded to Metro Fun Center Thursday night on a report a woman had been shot. We're told when they arrived, they found LaKevia Jackson dead -- having suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Cops say they've learned Jackson was involved in some sort of a dispute inside the venue over a bowling ball which eventually escalated to gunfire.

A local reporter spoke to Jackson's mom who said LaKevia was at the bowling alley to celebrate a friend's birthday ... and that the alleged shooter waited in the parking lot for about 20 minutes for her to leave.

Young Thug and LaKevia have a 14-year-old son, Kyvion, together ... the rapper has 6 children.

Post Malone might be the nicest superstar ever … so says one mom, after he helped wish her autistic son, and fan, a happy 21st birthday.

Nicole Schumacher tells TMZ ...  she and her son Andrew, who's a huge fan of Post's, ran into the "White Iverson" rapper at Matsuhisa Restaurant in Bev Hills to celebrate his 21st birthday.

She tells us Andrew follows the law and had been eagerly waiting to have a beer for the first time ever! While he waited for the brewsky, he was in for a big surprise.

The table next to them sent PM a bottle of sake, so Post came over to thank the group, and as he was about to walk back to his table, Nicole told PM that her son was a big fan and would love to meet him. Post more than obliged.

Check out the video ... Post gives Andrew a warm smile and a handshake, and there's a little chitchat, which means everything to the young man.

Andrew's mom tells us he has a hard time speaking, and rarely are strangers as patient and kind with him as Post.

Mom and son hail from Canton, Ohio ... they were in town visiting her other son who works in L.A. ... so this surprise meet and greet was the icing on the cake.

Justin Bieber was forced to take a seat Wednesday during his concert in the Mile High City ... but not because of the altitude ... because his concert went to crap.

It went down at Justin's Justice World Tour show in Denver at the Ball Arena.

JB was performing "Yummy" when the stage lights went out, video monitors went dark, sound equipment shut down, lasers went off, the large monitor behind him went out ... and only the pyrotechnics -- mini fireworks -- still worked.

Once things started to go sideways, Bieber stopped performing and just sat down on the side of the stage ... while technicians worked frantically to restore power.

JB was only a few songs into his set ... and it was no quick fix because JB didn't rise up for more than 15 minutes.

And, speaking of sitting, it didn't sit well with his fans, who plunked down hundreds of dollars and traveled miles. Making matters worse, the concert had already been postponed and downsized due to COVID.

The show resumed after a 30 min pause, but there were still tech issues. Justin powered through but didn't have all the bells and whistles, like some of the large video screens, lasers and stage lighting.

When he returned to the stage, Justin mentioned Hailey ... asking the crowd if they had "heard about my wife in the news, she's doing better." TMZ broke the story, Hailey was hospitalized last week in Palm Springs with a blood clot. As we reported, doctors at the time thought it was COVID-related.

Justin said, "Thank you for your patience, sometimes life throws you a curveball, not much you can do about it."

Well, 2 curveballs in a week are a bit much.

Britney Spears' family secrets and sexy photoshoots have come to a very abrupt halt ... as the singer's Instagram account mysteriously disappeared off the site.

On Wednesday, Brit's IG disappeared without a trace, meaning she's losing her ability to speak out -- and show off -- like she normally does ... as you're aware, Britney used her social media to talk about family drama, the conservatorship, and love for fiancé Sam Asghari.

Confusion is moving fast among fans, with no answer yet as to why she's dropped off. Sam also has yet to comment publicly on her disappearing act.

A few weeks ago, Britney posted about her big return to Las Vegas -- as a tourist instead of a performer -- saying she loved being "treated as an equal" for once ...none of her recent posts foreshadowed a deletion.

While she used her platform to talk about the high points in her life, she's been known to use it as a weapon against those that hurt her ... making a lengthy post separate from her Vegas story, Britney went off at the entire entertainment industry, saying she was on the clock 7 days a week with little privacy.

She said, "I gave my all when I worked only to be literally thrown away … I was nothing more than a puppet to my family yet to the public I just performed on stage and did what I was told to do."

We have reached out to Instagram for comment ... so far, no word back.

Mike Mora, who married Kelis 8 years ago, is dead after a battle with stomach cancer.

A rep for Mike, who was a professional photographer, confirmed the death which comes 6 months after he learned of his cancer diagnosis.

Mike and Kelis had secretly tied the knot back in 2014, and had 2 children together -- 6-year-old son, Shepherd, and 1-year old daughter, Galilee.

In January 2020, they moved away from L.A. with plans to build a home, and a life on a farm outside the city -- but, shortly after the move Mike began experiencing "the worst pain" in his stomach.

He revealed his stage 4 cancer diagnosis back in September, saying ... "I thought the whole time that I just had an ulcer. With no idea what was about to come my way."

He told his followers his symptoms started one year ago, before he had been diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma -- and said doctors had given him only 18 months to live.

In another post, he said ... "I never thought this could happen to me. At just 36, with 3 kiddos, and a wife that loves me. I want to be able to help those that might experience something, maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through."

Mike was 37 when he passed.

Drake's YOLO Estate is drawing the attention of real estate developers who don't really give a crap about its legacy as a celeb party palace -- instead, they wanna tear it all down.

TMZ has learned ... in addition to celebs like Britney Spears and Caitlyn Jenner, multiple real estate developers have visited Drake's 3 side-by-side properties in the past few days, and they're all licking their chops to convert them into one mega estate.

We broke the story ... Drake put the Hidden Hills properties on the market, asking $22.2 million for the full compound, or a mere $14.8 mil for his main residence alone. We're told the developers don't think the mansion itself needs to be razed, but homes on the 2 adjacent properties would likely be demolished.

Drake did a lot of renovations on the main property. Our sources say the potential buyers like his interior remodeling, but the exterior grounds could get a makeover.

As it was explained to us ... some developers are looking at this property similar to the Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian massive neighboring properties, which are also in Hidden Hills.

We're told several offers have already been made for Drake's estate in less than a week.

"Big Time Rush" star Stephen Kramer Glickman is going crazy over an offer from CeeLo Green, who wants him to be his opener for an upcoming gig ... and it's all thanks to TikTok.

Stephen tells TMZ ... CeeLo invited him to get the crowd warmed up at a charity event next month in Dallas, with the invitation coming his way after the Gnarls Barkley singer heard Stephen's rendition of the group's famous hit.

As Stephen explains, he went viral back in 2020 when he covered "Crazy" and posted it on TikTok -- singing with a green beard, by the way -- and tons of celebs noticed, like Lizzo and Addison Rae, but the biggest rush came when CeeLo shared the post.

Stephen says a charity based in Dallas, Face Forward, hit his line one day and told him CeeLo personally wanted him to be the opener for their upcoming gala. He says the offer blew his mind, and you better believe he's going!

The best part, Stephen says he's going to sing "Crazy" before passing the mic to CeeLo!!!

Traci Braxton, the sister of Toni Braxton, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Traci's Husband Kevin Surratt tells TMZ ... "We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatment for Esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory."

We're told Traci's sisters, mom and friends were by her side when she passed.

Traci appeared on the family's reality show, "Braxton Family Values." She was an actress, best known for "Sinners Wanted." She also appeared in "There's a Stranger in my House" and "Chaaw." She recorded a hit song, "Last Call," that rose to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. She also recorded "Broken Things" featuring her sisters, Toni, Towanda and Trina.

As you know, Traci has famous sisters ... Toni, Towanda, Tamar and Trina.

The family has experienced other recent tragedies. Her niece, Lauren Braxton, died from a heroin and fentanyl OD back in 2019 at age 24.

The last time we saw Traci she was joking and laughing with our cameras on the streets of NYC in April 2019.

Traci leaves a husband, Kevin Surratt and a child.

She was 50.

RIP

Drake is going where he hasn't gone before -- at least in his famous adulthood -- and that would be ... long braided hair, a look that he's now rockin' and rockin' well!

Champagne Papi debuted the new hairstyle this weekend, showing off two photos that gave fans an up-close view of his hair tied up and braided back -- something we just haven't seen from Drake since he splashed onto the scene way back in the last 2000s.

Unclear if he's planning to keep the 'do and let his hair grow out even more -- but we'll say this ... he should definitely consider it ... 'cause the braids suit him well.

What might have caught some off by surprise is the fact his strands were long enough to braid at all -- but, if you've been paying attention ... it might come as no surprise. He has, indeed, been sporting a bit of a poof lately -- as seen in photos of him at events like The Weeknd's birthday party last month ... and even clips of him on tropical vacations.

He's been kinda sly about it ... but yeah, the dude's been low-key letting his hair down. And now, he's got the final product on full display. We're curious to see what the back looks like -- because although his hair is longer than usual, it doesn't seem long enough to have a trailing effect from behind ... at least not yet!

Here's the funny thing ... Drizzy's own kid, Adonis, appears to have actually gotten a jump on braids first -- which is kinda crazy to think about.

As you know, Adonis has quite the mane on him ... with remarkably long locks, which he often has up in a 'fro style -- but he's also been known to get his hair knotted up, which we've seen on the biggest of stages next to his old man.

Tom Parker from The Wanted is bravely dealing with his illness ... confined for a time to a wheelchair after undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

His bandmate, Max George, posted this pic of Tom Friday in a wheelchair. Max captioned the pic of Tom, who looked chill, "I mean ... come on😍."

Tom was diagnosed back in October 2020, with stage 4 glioblastoma. Last year he say the cancer is being held at bay.

Tom had been getting treatments in Spain at a clinic that specializes in this type of cancer. The treatment lasted 3 weeks, and he was able to rejoin the band last month in an emotional reunion. He also appeared on stage at a U.K. concert and performed on a gold throne!

Max posted some pics of Tom after his return from Spain.

The Wanted has really stepped up ... pledging that one pound for every ticket sold will go to brain cancer research.

Drake's highly coveted Hidden Hills estate is seeing huge interest after being put on the market Monday ... and it's drawing big celeb eyes, namely Britney Spears!

Witnesses on the property tell TMZ, the YOLO Estate was flooded with potential buyers on Tuesday -- holding showings for 20-30 guests -- and within that group was Britney Spears and her fiancé Sam Asghari.

It's unclear what drew Britney to the property, aside from it being one of a kind. The home does have a great recording studio ... maybe a sign of things to come from the pop icon?

We're told Britney was looking at the package deal -- the estate and the two neighboring properties -- creating the ultimate compound offered at $22.2M! She's certainly got the cash, being worth a reported $60M ... and she's got a house to sell that's worth a few million.

We're also told Caitlyn Jenner toured the estate Tuesday as well ... safe to say Drizzy caught everyone's attention!

As we reported, Drake listed the 3 homes on Monday ... The main mansion -- coming in at 12,500 square feet -- has an asking price of $14.8M and features a private theater, swimming pool with a bar and waterfalls, and tennis courts.

Drake won't have a problem selling his estate ... we're told the house already has a handful of serious buyers ... with expectations that there will be several offers by week's end.

BTS fans had to get innovative in how to celebrate their favorite band -- with standing, singing and shouting prohibited at a recent concert -- but they were still able to bring the noise.

The supergroup just stepped off the stage after a massive show in South Korea Thursday night. While more than 15,000 were on hand for the show, everyone had to follow strict COVID protocols, set by the government.

In a statement before the show, BTS' management co. Big Hit Music said, "Cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up during 'BTS Permission To Dance On Stage – Seoul' is strictly prohibited according to government guidelines."

However, fans were provided with "clappers" -- and they used them to full potential -- synchronizing claps to the songs, and making plenty of noise in the process.

Thursday's show was the first of 3 the group, who hails from South Korea, will have in their home country ... it's the first they've performed there since the pandemic.

Morgan Wallen's warm reception at the ACM Awards is proof country music is complicit in his use of the N-word ... so says the NAACP Nashville chapter president.

Sheryl Guinn -- president of the Nashville chapter -- tells TMZ ... by welcoming him back into their community, the genre's embrace of Wallen destroys artists' accountability.

The ways she sees it -- people in country music believe Morgan just needed to have enough time pass until people lose their outrage. However, Sheryl says time does not heal all wounds.

She thinks the Academy of Country Music banning Morgan from its 2021 ceremony had no impact ... they never addressed how the N-word is a symptom of the underlying inequality and bigotry. She points to the fact Wallen's album went on to do huge numbers.

As we reported, Wallen was caught on camera hurling the n-word during a rowdy night with friends back in February of 2021.

Sheryl tells us she hasn't seen the country artist make enough of an effort to show his fans why using the N-word is a bad thing. She acknowledges he donated $25K to her division of the NAACP, but says the money doesn't help his followers understand systemic racism.

The last time we spoke to Sheryl, she shared her thoughts on Wallen's 'GMA' interview with Michael Strahan back in July ... saying his words came from a place of embarrassment, and he was sorry for being caught, as opposed to being sorry for spewing a hateful word.

Travis Scott is giving back -- chipping in millions for community-based initiatives that'll help out students, aspiring creatives and even future concert-goers.

The rapper is launching what he calls Project HEAL -- which is a multi-tier effort that's going to pour a ton of cash toward causes Travis sees as important. As far as the amount here ... we're talking $5 million, and he's dispersing that money on multiple fronts.

For starters, $1 mil is being earmarked for HBCU scholarships -- and it sounds like he'll be using his previously-established Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund to allocate, manage and disperse these awards for underserved but high-achieving Black scholars.

Scott and co. aim to assist at least 100 students with this dough, aiding them in getting over the finish line in their senior year. The academic criteria ... averaging a 3.5 GPA or higher.

There's more ... the rest of the $5 million is being divvied up for a few different enterprises, including establishing/providing free mental health programs for vulnerable kids ... as well as expanding his creative design program -- offered through his Cactus Jack Foundation.

He's also allocating funds to make sure music fans are safe at shows going forward ... something that touches him personally. That money will go to the U.S. Conference of Mayor's Task Force on Event Safety ... with a tech-driven approach toward that end.

Of course, Astroworld comes to mind -- where 10 people died as a result of injuries sustained during Travis' set -- the causes of which are still under investigation. As we've reported, several victims and victims' families have filed lawsuits against Travis, Live Nation and others.