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Mariah Carey ended her COVID vaccine excursion on a high note -- literally.

America's diva rolled up her sleeve in NYC Saturday to get her first dose, but it wasn't without some trepidation. The "Emotions" singer had 2 of them -- excitement and nervousness, as the camera rolled for the money shot.

As the doctor sticks the needle in her arm, she belts out her signature, glass-breaking screech ... 2 times, no less!!!

It was all in fun, we think, and Mariah encouraged everyone to follow suit and shoot up.

Mariah is curious about the absence of blood, ending with this proclamation, "See, I've proven my point. I am actually a vampire."

Paul Simon will be a forgotten name in the history books when scholars look back on 20th-century music and see only Bob Dylan and The Beatles standing tall -- that's the polarizing take of one NBC writer, anyway.

Jeff Slate -- a NYC-based songwriter and journalist -- penned a controversial piece for NBC Think ... titled, "Paul Simon sold his catalog to Sony for millions. He'll still end up a historical footnote to Dylan." Indeed ... it is triggering.

His subheading reads, "He was a prolific songwriter with a lucrative catalog any corporation would happily monetize. But there are only a few names our descendants will ever learn."

We know, we know ... you're fuming already. That's exactly what the internet is doing as well as it jumps to PS's defense.

You can read Slate's take in full for the big picture -- which is all about how Dylan recently sold his catalog of music and the rights to it to UMG for a reported $400 million, and how Simon followed in his footsteps by doing the same with Sony for his rights -- but the gist here is ... Paul Simon will be an "also-ran" compared to BD when it's all said and done.

In Slate's view, Dylan will perhaps be alone with John, Paul, George and Ringo and as the standout folk/rock acts of the '60s/'70s -- and that artists like Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and others will fall by the wayside, especially among younger, average-Joe listeners.

That seems to be what Slate's getting at -- and of course, A LOT of people disagree ... with some arguing Simon is just as prolific and culturally impactful as Dylan ever was. We don't have to get into a pissing contest ... both guys have scores of songwriting credits and hits under their belts. Of course, you could argue Dylan is perhaps the better-known of the two.

Lil Wayne's in luck if he ever needs to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbor, because he just dropped a fortune on a mansion right by Kylie Jenner's crib.

The rapper dropped $15.4 mil for the home in Hidden Hills -- the high-profile gated community that's home to much of the Kardashian crew -- according to sources familiar with the deal.

The 12,135 sq. ft. home looks awesome -- it's a brand new custom estate with 7 beds, 7.5 baths, and a bright, open floor plan with panoramic views.

The interior comes with all the luxurious bells and whistles you can imagine -- chef's kitchen, breakfast room, refrigerated wine display, piano area, entertainer's lounge and a home theater.

Outside there's a pool, a basketball court, multiple patios with seating and a 1-bed guest house ... and it all sits on 3.26 acres.

Diddy's trip to Florida prevented him from attending his son's 23rd birthday party in L.A. -- well, in-person anyway ... but when you're Diddy you just show up as a HOLOGRAM!!!

The rap mogul's handling some biz in Miami, but turned to the folks over at PORTL to have them beam him live Thursday night into his son Christian Combs' 23rd birthday soiree in Los Angeles. The visual is stunning ... Diddy appeared life-size as a 4K interactive hologram.

We're told the PORTL device allowed Diddy to see and hear the crowd. You can see he dedicated the hell out of "Happy Birthday" to his son and made a toast. Diddy's 3 daughters -- Jessie, D'Lila and Chance -- also appeared as holograms with him.

PORTL, an LA-based startup, dubs itself as the world's first and only single passenger holoportation machine ... and you know what that means. It doesn't come cheap -- it'll cost the average joe around $60k.

For his part ... Christian had one helluva bday bash -- Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Snoop's son Cordell Broadus, Swae Lee, Winnie Harlow and Young Thug were just some of the celebs who attended. They all showed up in-person, though.

Britney Spears says there are no ghostwriters when it comes to her social media posts, contrary to a growing belief ... now she herself tells TMZ she writes the dang things herself!!!

The pop star is refuting claims made by one of her former makeup artists, Billy Brasfield, who alleged Britney personally told him she had no control over this week's Instagram post criticizing the 'Framing Britney Spears' documentary.

Britney tells TMZ ... "No, I’m not talking to him at all. I write my posts. I’m not sure who he is talking to, but I am not talking to Billy B."

Brasfield, who worked with Brit from 2012-13, said he texted Britney about the IG post and she responded right away, telling him she had no say in the caption.

As we reported ... Britney broke her silence on the 'Framing' doc Tuesday, writing she was "embarrassed by the light they put me in" and adding, "I cried for two weeks." Her post certainly took a lot of air out of the idea she was framed.

Lots of folks, including Brasfield, were quick to claim the post couldn't have been written by Britney ... and fans even went after her social media manager, Cassie Petrey, claiming she was the true author.

But, as we first told you ... the social media manager did NOT craft Britney's post about the Hulu documentary, and Cassie wasn't even aware of Brit's plan to express herself until the IG post went up.

Quavo is speaking out for the first time since TMZ posted video of an elevator altercation between him and Saweetie -- and he wants to make one thing clear -- he's never physically abused his former gf.

Quavo tells us, "We had an unfortunate situation almost a year ago that we both learned and moved on from. I haven’t physically abused Saweetie and have real gratitude for what we did share overall."

The unfortunate situation Quavo's referring to is a video TMZ obtained inside an apartment complex elevator. The scene starts with Saweetie appearing to take a swing at Quavo during a struggle for control of a video game console.

At one point, Quavo grabs Saweetie by the arm, swinging her into the elevator, and the two fall to the floor. Saweetie stays on the ground -- apparently injured -- after Quavo gets up. Once the door opens, Quavo gets out and makes sure the door stays open while Saweetie limps out.

Quavo's statement comes just hours after Saweetie told us, "This unfortunate incident happened a year ago, while we have reconciled since then and moved past this particular disagreement, there were simply too many other hurdles to overcome in our relationship and we have both since moved on."

The show Justin Bieber put on for a group of SoCal inmates was less about song and dance, and more about sitting and listening ... as photos of his recent prison visit reveal.

TMZ's obtained pics showing the Biebs surrounded by a big group of prisoners in the yard at the California State Prison of L.A. County. Justin and his pastor took a field trip to the correctional facility last week, but this is our first look at what went down.

In one shot you see Justin listening intently while seated outside, and in another, he appears to be praying. We're told Bieber specifically visited inmates taking part in the prison's Urban Ministry Institute ... a seminary program run by Prison Fellowship.

And, get this, JB also visited the Paws for Life K9 Rescue program, which is the first dog rehab program in a men's maximum-security prison. Inmates actually train them to become service dogs to military vets. Pretty awesome.

As we first reported ... Justin's RV was seen pulling into the prison last week where he was spreading the good word.

Britney Spears fans are coming for her social media manager's head because they think Brit's reaction to the new doc wasn't authentic ... but they have it all wrong.

Here's the deal ... the pop star broke her silence on 'Framing Britney Spears' Tuesday, criticizing the documentary ... saying she was embarrassed by the portrayal and cried for weeks, but some folks think Britney's social media manager, Cassie Petrey, is the post's real author.

However, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Cassie did NOT craft Britney's statement about the Hulu documentary, and she wasn't even aware of Brit's plan to express herself until the IG post was published.

As you see, Cassie's catching lots of online heat ... with keyboard warriors calling for her to resign from Britney's team.

Our sources are adamant ... Britney wrote the caption herself and it was posted the day she wrote it. We're told Brit does indeed feel deeply embarrassed by the documentary, which she's made clear to those closest to her.

Our sources tell us no one on Britney's team prompted her to break her silence, and it was all her decision.

Britney Spears says the latest documentary about her life is super embarrassing and it's got her in tears.

The singer broke her silence on the 'Framing Britney Spears' doc Tuesday, saying she was "embarrassed by the light they put me in."

Britney says she didn't watch the entire documentary, but she really didn't like the little bit she did see ... she says, "I cried for two weeks."

Brit shared her emotional reaction along with a video of her dancing to Aerosmith's hit song, "Crazy." She says she's dancing to Steven Tyler every night just to keep her sane.

As you know ... 'Framing Britney' has her fans fired up about how the pop star's been treated over the years by the media, Justin Timberlake, her father Jamie Spears and others.

Drake's massive mansion was buzzing with police activity Tuesday, and cops say one woman is in custody after being found near the sprawling Toronto property.

Toronto Police tell TMZ ... officers responded to a call around 5 PM ET and apprehended a woman before she could gain entry to Drake's estate.

We're told there were no reported injuries and police are investigating after clearing the scene.

A source close to Drake tells TMZ ... the rapper was home at the time, but the woman got nowhere near the inside.

There was a report of a woman allegedly armed with a knife storming Drake's home and using a metal pipe to strike one of his security guards ... but Toronto Police tell us the report is NOT true.

As you know ... Champagne Papi built the 35,000 square foot mansion on a 2-acre lot, and it's decked out with 2 saunas, a massage room, a 10-car garage, a gym, a screening room and a full-sized indoor basketball court.

Kodak Black's got a lot of love for Donald Trump ... who handed him a get out of prison card and other gifts, apparently, which he's not afraid to proudly display.

The rapper joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and explained how he even got the hook up with the White House. Kodak called Trump "a real one" and claimed they're like brothers from another mother due to their zodiac signs -- but he also acknowledged the efforts of his attorney Bradford Cohen, or as KB calls him ... Pops.

Aside from commuting Kodak's 46-month prison sentence, Trump also sent him an autographed parting gift ... which he couldn't wait to show us.

You can't say he isn't making the most of that Presidential pardon either. Since getting out of prison, he's been on a very generous charitable streak ... but he's also been working on a lot of music.

With Pops by his side, Kodak told us he has more than 200 tracks ready to go, and he's looking for some big-name collaborators. You gotta watch his shoutout to Justin Bieber and even ... Beyonce.

The Nike lawsuit might have caught Lil Nas X by surprise, but he had to see this coming -- the Church of Satan is throwing its support behind his new limited edition "Satan Shoes."

David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, tells TMZ ... the shoes, which feature an inverted cross, bronze pentagram and a drop of human blood, are getting a ton of love from the Church because they embrace the essence of Satanism.

For the uninitiated ... Satanists do not actually worship Satan, nor do they believe in God or the Devil. They are opposed to all spirituality and anything supernatural, and with no belief in the afterlife, Satanists emphasize being your true self, living life to the fullest and personal achievement ... values it says LNX is following with his new kicks.

Harris, who's pretty high up in the Church of Satan (kinda like a cardinal), says Satanists are digging the way Lil Nas X is turning against religion to market his customized Nike Air Max 97 shoes.

The shoe's Monday release came on the heels of Lil Nas X's polarizing "MONTERO" music vid featuring the Prince of Darkness -- a brilliant marketing plan, apparently, because all 666 pairs sold out within minutes, with folks shelling out $1,018 a pop for the limited-edition kicks. BTW, that price tag is an ode to the bible scripture emblazoned on the side, Luke 10:18, which references Satan's banishment from heaven.

Between the shoes and the "breathtaking" music vid, Harris says LNX is clearly extending a middle finger to folks who told him he'd burn in hell for his sexuality. However, the Church of Satan applauds Lil Nas X for living life on his own terms and being his honest self ... which will, no doubt, infuriate his critics even more.

Kevin Gates is learning even a Lamborghini does not always beat a Prius ... as one of those hybrids rammed into his SUV, sending it spinning out of control.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Baton Rouge MC was involved in a car crash Monday around 8 PM in L.A. where cops say a woman driving a Toyota Prius ran a red light before colliding with Kevin’s Lambo.

The impact was pretty intense ... cause the crash spun Kevin's SUV before it finally came to a rest about 100 feet away from the intersection. In the aftermath video, Kevin's standing in the middle of the intersection and chatting with the woman, who is sitting in the driver's seat with the door open.

Our sources say cops were called and responded to the scene where they facilitated the exchange of insurance information.

Britney Spears is going dark -- and "RED" -- with her recent Instagram posts ... but a disturbing black-and-white photo of a woman cradling a skull baby tops them all.

The singer's string of IG posts the past week has been baffling fans as she's been sharing photos of red objects -- lips, a refrigerator, gloves, and a kitten in a red drawer -- along with videos of herself dancing ... and captioning them "RED."

But, on Monday night she dropped this creepy Victorian era photo with a skull-faced baby and wrote ... "Devil is in the details."

She added ... "wouldn’t want this baby to hit me one more time!!!!" with some LOL emojis, an obvious reference to her 1998 hit, and one she found amusing.

Shortly afterward, Brit shared a dance vid of herself with the caption, "I'm an extremely wicked looking vampire but really that's the whole point !!!!"

In the vid, she's wearing the same outfit as similar RED-themed vids she's shared over the last 6 days.

The bizarre posts come as Britney fans are ramping up the #FreeBritney movement, and she's requesting changes in the ongoing legal battle over her conservatorship. She is NOT, however, requesting to end the conservatorship.

Some of her fans believe the posts are cryptic messages to the public about her life, while others believe they are simply indicators she's not well.

Nick Jonas is about to become an inspiration to an untold number of kids, because his life story is about to be memorialized in a new comic book.

The comic book -- which we're told has not been approved by or worked on with Nick or his  team -- will drop next month ... this according to Darren G. Davis at TidalWave Productions. It's 26 pages long, and it orbits around Nick's accomplishments and struggles.

The book centers around Nick's drive to become an accomplished singer and star while he battled a serious disease -- type 1 diabetes, which he disclosed to the world in 2007.

The comic book starts with Nick's rise to fame with the Jonas Bros. The group was incredibly popular but busted apart within a matter of a few years. Lots of folks wrote Nick and his brood off for good, but Nick wasn't about to wave the white flag.

The comic book then hones in on Nick's plan to become a solo artist ... something that lots of people in the music industry thought was a non-starter. Nick proved them wrong with "Jealous," and it cemented him as a lone singer.

Of course, the Jonas Bros. got back together and became more popular than ever. And, don't forget Nick also became a movie star with the blockbuster film "Jumanji." He then married another movie star ... the amazing Priyanka Chopra.

The hook -- he did all this and he's 28 years old.

TidalWave has entered these waters before, with a Dolly Parton comic book, so he's in good company.

Here's your chance to own a big piece of Notorious B.I.G. history ... a hubcap from the SUV the rapper was shot in is hitting the open market.

The folks over at Moments In Time are brokering the sale of one of the 4 hubcaps from the infamous GMC Suburban Biggie was riding in when he was gunned down March 9, 1997, as he left L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum.

We're told the seller originally got the hubcap from a family friend who owned the rental company which owned the SUV ... so it's been around the block. We're told the seller had the hubcap for years and just decided to unload it, with an asking price of a cool $150,000.

As you can see ... the hubcap still has part of the sticker that was slapped on it some 24 years ago, and you can still make out the advertisement for his 1997 album, "Life After Death."

The sticker says, "THINK B.I.G. MARCH 25 1997," which was the album's release date.

You can see the hubcap with the sticker in the crime scene photos from back in the day ... after B.I.G. was shot 4 times in a drive-by while the SUV was stopped at a red light on Fairfax and Wilshire Blvd.