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The sound engineer who Travis Scott allegedly attacked in an NYC club says the rapper flipped him the bird and socked him in the head, landing him in the hospital with injuries.

Identifying himself only as Mark, the engineer spoke with Fox 5 News from his hospital bed after the alleged assault at Club Nebula in Manhattan early Wednesday morning.

Mark said he can't turn his head and "My neck is f**ked up. My arm is tingling. I have pins and needles going down it."

He also described the events that led to the violence, saying Travis was playing the DJ music so loud the sound was distorted. When Mark tried to lower the volume, he said Travis flew into a rage.

Travis "stuck his middle finger in my face," Mark said, adding, "So I lowered the monitor a little bit so I could talk to him, and that’s when he ran around the speaker and attacked me."

As we reported ... Travis made a surprise appearance at the club Tuesday night to perform with his protege, Don Toliver.

After Travis had his meltdown in the DJ booth, he purportedly attacked the sound engineer and caused $12,000 in damage to a speaker and video screen, before leaving the club.

The NYPD now wants to question Travis after a police report was filed alleging that he committed assault and criminal mischief.

Travis' lawyer, Mitchell Schuster, told us the incident was "a misunderstanding being blown out of proportion by clickbait and misinformation."

Schuster also said he's working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve the situation and believes Travis will be "cleared of any wrongdoing."

Travis Barker's finger injury has put his band's touring plans on pause -- something fans feared that's now become a reality.

Blink-182's lead singer, Tom DeLonge, officially broke the news Wednesday -- telling their fans in Mexico and several Central and South American countries they'll have to circle back to see them some other time. The tour was set to begin in Tijuana on March 11.

Obviously, with Travis' recent updates about his busted digits ... that probably wasn't going to happen, and now Tom and co. are confirming it with a formal postponement.

No word on when they'll be able to get back on the road, but Tom says TB's gotta get well again before they can perform as a troupe. He also apologized to ticket buyers and promises to update them in the near future.

As we reported ... Travis has been documenting his journey, posting photos and videos of his hand getting worked on in recent days. It was pretty clear he'd be out for a while.

Justin Bieber has fully canceled his world tour ... and it almost certainly aligns with a growing mental health movement to pump the brakes when an artist is struggling.

Justin pulled the plug on his Justice World Tour concerts in the UK, France, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

Fans will get refunds, but won't get to see JB, who, by the way, turns 29 today.

As TMZ reported, Justin suspended his tour back in September because of physical and mental health issues, and it's not the first time he's done that.

At the time, he said, "After getting off the stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realize that I need to make my health the priority right now." He was also dealing with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which caused temporary, partial paralysis to his face.

The tour has been dogged with problems. It was supposed to kick off in 2020 but the pandemic derailed that plan. Once the tour belatedly kicked off, he was sidelined with COVID.

Ed Sheeran says his wife's health was in peril during her second pregnancy -- just one thing that made 2022 really difficult ... challenges he says will be reflected in his new album.

The singer made the revelation Wednesday in announcing his latest project, "Subtract" ... saying Cherry Seaborn was diagnosed with a tumor last year while she was pregnant with their second child, Jupiter ... who she delivered in May.

He writes, "Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumor, with no route to treatment until after the birth." ES goes on to say that on top of this, he also lost a good friend in '22 ... not to mention dealing with the lawsuit over his hit, "Shape of You."

In light of these trials, Ed says he's offered up his most honest work yet in "Subtract" -- which he explains wasn't aimed at pleasing anyone but himself. He's known for cranking out consistent pop hits -- so we'll see what he's got in store here.

As for his wife, it sounds like she's okay. There's been no word of further health complications from the tumor, and Ed didn't elaborate. By all accounts, his second daughter is healthy ... she's coming up on her first birthday in a few months.

Mod Sun is breaking his silence for the first time since Avril Lavigne called off the now-former couple's engagement ... saying he's dealing with a broken heart.

The singer took to his Instagram Tuesday to say, "In 1 week my entire life completely changed…I just know there’s a plan for it all. I’ll keep my head up + always listen to my heart, even when it feels broken 💔"

Mod was on tour, promoting his "God Save The Teen" album when TMZ broke the story that his and Avril's relationship was over ... and it appears road life and seeing his fans has worked as therapy.

Mod continues, "Being surrounded by love every night on tour has been an absolute blessing. I have the best friends in the entire world, thanks for always having my back. See you on stage."

Sources connected to the couple told us they'd been "off and on" for several months before Avril decided to pull the plug.

Ben Kweller, a singer-songwriter who's toured with the likes of Ed Sheeran and others, experienced a major tragedy in his family ... through the unexpected death of his teen son.

16-year-old Dorian Zev Kweller was killed in a car accident Monday, Ben confirmed Tuesday. He took to social media to share the update, writing ... "There’s no way that I can be typing this but I am…. Our son, Dorian Zev Kweller, was killed last night. He was only 16 and he was a true legend. Kindest, gentle soul, a friend to all. If you knew him, you know. We’ll never get over him as long as we’re here on earth. Please keep his spirit alive with your memories and the music he made."

Ben says his son was an aspiring recording artist himself, adding that he would write/produce songs everyday on his own accord ... and that the kid was a true poet with a bright future ahead. In fact, BK says Dorian was scheduled to play his first gig at SXSW in 2 weeks.

He goes on to say this ... "My baby boy was at the starting line with so much life ahead of him… I have no idea why things like this happen. We’re in complete shock and don’t know what the future holds. Lizzy, Judah, and I have no idea how to deal with this disaster. Thank you for your prayers and support and we apologize if we are slow to respond to messages."

The exact circumstances of the crash have yet to be released -- but his mother, Liz, confirmed he'd died in a wreck. Dorian is survived by his parents and younger sibling.

Dave Grohl is proving once again why he's just as much a rock star off the stage as he is on it ... putting his BBQ skills to work to feed the less fortunate.

The Foo Fighters' lead man showed up at Hope The Mission in Los Angeles around midnight Wednesday with some overnight gear and a massive meat smoker. Grohl took the next 16 hours (14 to cook and 2 to let the meat rest) whipping up ribs, pork butt, brisket, cabbage, coleslaw and beans.

You can see from the pics we've obtained just how hands-on Dave was through the whole process, making sure everything was just perfect as he worked in the kitchen.

We're told Dave handled all expenses himself and got some sleep here and there in the parking lot while the meat was getting smoked.

When it came time to serve, Dave chatted up Hope The Mission staffers and guests living there in the shelter. In all, we're told his massive BBQ feast helped feed around 450 guests and 50 staffers.

We're all thinking it, right?

Madonna was taking care of her late brother, Anthony Ciccone, before his death -- and despite their complicated history, they were far from estranged ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources tell us Madonna was actually footing the bill for Anthony's stay at a Michigan rehab center before he died this weekend. We're told he'd been there for a while, and that 2 days before he passed ... Anthony himself removed the feeding/breathing tubes doctors had him using.

Our sources say he was in failing health toward the end -- having lost a lot of weight -- and he knew the consequences of removing the equipment, which ultimately resulted in his death. We're told some family members -- including his sister, Paula, and his father -- had been visiting in his final days, with Paula being at his bedside throughout most of it.

Anthony's rehab care wasn't just a last-ditch Hail Mary ... our sources tell us Madonna and other relatives have been actively trying to help Anthony for years, but, by and large, he rejected assistance, as living on the streets and drinking had become a way of life.

But, in the last stretch ... we're told the 66-year-old couldn't fend for himself, and the fam stepped in.

We're told he suffered from alcoholism, which led to homelessness -- and, as a result, his relationship with his famous younger sister had always been challenging. With that said, our sources tell us Madonna never considered herself on the outs with him, per se.

As we reported ... Anthony's passing was announced this weekend by the husband of one of Madonna's sisters, Melanie -- who remembered him in a sweet eulogy on social media.

Travis Barker released new images of his grotesque hand injury as goes under the knife today ... and his injuries seem even worse than everyone thought.

The Blink-182 drummer posted a video showing his horribly deformed finger getting massaged by a doctor who asks if he feels pain. Travis responds, "I mean, yeah, it's painful."

He also posted two photos -- one showing a close up of his finger with either a lump or a bone out of place. The other picture depicts him with a Velcro strap over his damaged hand.  His caption read, "Surgery tomorrow 🤞"

Travis actually reinjured the finger ... a few weeks ago he said he was playing the drums during rehearsal and smashed his finger so badly it tore some ligaments.

Here's the problem ... Blink-182 has a world tour that kicks off next month, so it's unclear exactly what condition Travis will be in to perform ... at least on the early dates.

Kourtney Kardashian seemed worried, posting ... "🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️❤️"

Finger's crossed ... maybe a bad choice of words.

Hip-hop heads have been debating for weeks about a new all-time greatest rapper list that has Jay-Z at #1 -- but now Lil Wayne has entered the chat ... and he says he's the G.O.A.T.

Weezy said as much this past week during an appearance on Zane Lowe's Apple Music podcast show, where the topic of Billboard's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time -- which they published on Feb. 8 -- came up ... and to LW's surprise, he clocked in at only #7, below several others.

The outlet has Biggie, Eminem, Tupac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z ahead of him, respectively -- but Wayne begs to differ on all of them, especially among those still living. He says straight up, he's #1 ... and even dares survey-takers to ask the guys ranked higher than him how they feel about it. In his view, he thinks they'd agree ... Wayne is greater than them.

Per usual, this is all subjective ... and it's not really clear what sort of criteria Billboard is even following in deeming anyone better than the other. From the looks of it, it seems like they're pegging Jay as top dog because of overall success -- which he's certainly achieved.

But, if you check Twitter ... it appears many are agreeing with the notion that Wayne is, in fact, better than Jay-Z -- both in terms of rap skill and cultural impact, which really should be how these things are measured. Fact is, Weezy is still spittin' fire in 2023 (see the new DMX collab) ... whereas one could argue Jay isn't really rapping like he used to at his peak.

With that said, their numbers are comparable ... Wayne has 3 #1 hits (Billboard Hot 100) and Jay has 4 #1s of his own. However, Wayne has 25 of his songs in the top 10 historically, whereas Jay only has 22 in the same category. So, on a song-for-song basis ... they're close.

Even on an album count, Jay's 14 #1s to Wayne's 9 (Billboard 200) has 'em almost tied.

We suppose this question is really in the eye of the beholder, but can probably be answered honestly with one simple question -- in your heart of hearts, whose music are you actually bumpin' at the function? And who, truly, has the more memorable repertoire overall???

King Charles might have to get on the mic and croon a tune at his own coronation if Buckingham Palace can't find big-name talent ... which they're reportedly struggling to do.

According to multiple British media outlets that say they're in the know on this, Charles and co. have whiffed on some major players that could've potentially been booked for the May ceremony ... where KC will be officially crowned as the new sovereign in all his glory.

The Sun reports that 3 HUGE stars apparently told the Royals, of late, that they're unable to attend and/or perform ... including The Spice Girls, Harry Styles and Sir Elton John (who's a knight, no less). The reason for preemptively getting out of it ... conflicting schedules.

In Elton's case, he's on his farewell tour ATM ... and around early May (when the coronation goes down) he's actually scheduled to do a slate of shows in Germany before and after the ceremony. Per the Sun, going to and from in that short window isn't feasible.

As for Harry -- who's also touring, and never seems to really stop -- he technically has availability in early May to potentially squeeze in a BP gig ... but the Sun says it's going to be too hard for him to get bandmates together for that, and that they need "downtime."

And, when it comes to the Spice Girls ... apparently, it's too many schedules for too many ladies. That's about all the Sun has to say about that -- so, they ain't performing either.

Of course, there's also Ed Sheeran and Adele ... whom the Palace also reportedly approached, only to be shot down. DM reports both told the King they couldn't do it -- with Ed citing touring conflicts, and Adele apparently not offering (or having) a specific reason.

So, who's actually going to do the gig? At this point, the British media seems to be in agreement that Lionel Richie, Take That (minus Robbie Williams), Olly Murs and a handful of other not-as-famous music acts are in line to step up and carry the torch for HRH.

Rihanna is getting a new addition to her wardrobe ... PETA is sending her a faux fur coat after the pregnant singer appeared to wear real fur to dinner.

Here's the deal ... Rihanna was photographed this week in a full-length fur coat, which PETA tells us is almost certainly made of the real deal ... and now the animal rights org wants RiRi to make some fashion changes.

PETA fired off a letter, obtained by TMZ, to Rihanna's team ... saying they noticed her fur coat, then pled their case for switching to faux fur and offered up a faux fur coat.

In the letter, PETA's senior vice president Lisa Lange cites Rihanna's growing family, writing ... "As a mother, you know what it's like to feel protective and to want to make sure no harm comes to your family. Please understand that this desire -- this instinct even -- is shared by the minks, foxes, and rabbits who are torn away from their families and killed for their fur."

PETA then asks Rihanna, "Won't you please help create a kinder world for your children to grow up in by deciding today that you'll no longer wear fur?"

The org offers to take any of Rihanna's fur clothes off her hands and donate them to survivors of the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey ... PETA says those folks truly have an excuse to wear real fur because they lost everything and now have to survive winter.

PETA also tells Rihanna they're sending her a faux fur coat from Unreal Fur, which they say will help her "stay warm and fashionable while making the cruelty-free switch."

Britney Spears, Sam Asghari and their security team will need to keep a closer watch on her beloved pooches, after at least one of the dogs got out and bit an elderly man.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Britney's Doberman named Porsha got out from her Thousand Oaks property Thursday and was roaming the neighborhood. We're told at some point, Porsha came in contact with a man in his 70s who was riding his bike.

Our sources say the man got off his bike, and Porsha bit him in the leg before a member from Britney's security team came along to wrangle the pooch. We're told the man went to get his bite checked out at a local urgent care.

A source close to Britney tells us her team was later contacted by animal control and advised to make sure the dog stays on the property and doesn't get out again. The Britney source tells us the incident was described as more of a "nip" than a bite.

It was back in October 2021 when Sam gifted Britney Porsha, posting a video with the pup and exclaiming, "It's going to be trained to protect you from any motherf***er that comes around you with bad intentions."

Looks like Porsha might be taking guard dog duties a little too seriously.

Diplo is the latest major artist to sell their music publishing rights to corporate overlords, and he says there are 2 very good reasons for this trend ... or in his case, 110 million reasons!

We got the famous DJ at LAX and asked why he sold his music publishing rights for his record label, Mad Decent, to Iconoclast -- and he says the brand management company seized the opportunity to nab his musical gold.

Diplo says music catalogs like his, which include popular tracks like Major Lazer's "Lean On," are constantly streamed, and are slow, but reliable and steady, moneymakers ... which adds up to a great long-term investment for corporations and hedge funds.

But, talk about a win-win -- he says it's also a sweet deal for artists, as it allows them to cash out now instead of waiting a couple decades for their music streams to generate a ton of money.

The way Diplo sees it ... he'd rather take the money now, so he can spend and invest -- speaking of which, he told us some of the big plans he has for his financial windfall.

It could be life-changing money -- although Diplo was already a pretty rich dude, he estimates his catalog went for $110 million ... before the IRS takes its cut. Death and taxes, right?

Remember, Justin Bieber recently sold his catalog for $200 million, Dr. Dre sold a portion of his for more than $200 mil ... and Bruce Springsteen kicked off this trend when he sold his for $500 mil back in 2021.

Billie Eilish says she got a jump scare when she came home ... claiming when she flipped on the lights in her living room, a random man was standing shirtless outside her window.

The singer beelined it to court after Monday's alleged incident and is seeking court-ordered protection from a 23-year-old man named Raymond Black.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Billie claims she received quite the shock Monday when she got home around 7:30 PM and discovered Black had snuck onto her property and made himself comfortable.

Billie claims she has security footage showing Black loitering around her Los Angeles home Monday afternoon, walking around her property, taking his clothes off and helping himself to her outdoor shower as he waited for her to get back.

She claims when she got home, she went straight inside and turned on a light in the living room to discover a shirtless Black on the pool deck staring back at her, with only a glass window separating them.

Billie says she called 911 and police raced to the home within minutes, searching her property for the culprit. She says cops didn't find him there, but ultimately tracked Black down a short while later on a nearby street and arrested him.

While Billie says Monday's alleged incident was super scary, she claims the same man also showed up looking for her at her parent's home ... and says he also made a couple visits to her home last year when it was still under construction.

Billie says his alleged behavior is causing her anxiety, fear and emotional distress ... and she's asking a judge for a temporary restraining order to keep him away from her and her parents.

Gene Simmons shared a touching moment with his kiddo, dancing with his daughter during her wedding reception ... in a video obtained by TMZ.

The KISS rocker and his daughter, Sophie Simmons, went with "Can't Help Falling In Love" for the first song of their father-daughter dance ... and it's a super sweet moment.

Gene and Sophie share a few words as they show off their ballroom dancing skills, it's clear he's one proud papa.

The wedding reception was Thursday at Delilah in West Hollywood ... and as you can see, it was a speakeasy theme, with tons of gold balloons and most guests wearing black and white.

We're told Jeff Ross was among the celebs in attendance.

The day before the reception, Gene's daughter got hitched to James Henderson in an intimate ceremony Wednesday, exchanging vows in Malibu.

We also obtained video of Sophie getting on the mic and singing during the party, which raged on well into the night. Remember, she's a singer herself.