DMX New Mural Unveiled in His Hometown

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LEGENDARY MURAL

A new tribute to DMX is finally complete -- a huge mural in his hometown of Yonkers, NY ... and TMZ has a first look at the art.

We got these images of the mural designed by NYC artist Floyd Simmons ... no relation to DMX, by the way. He painted it on a wall near the Calcagno Homes on School Street, the same public housing where DMX once lived -- and it will be unveiled to the public Tuesday morning.

Floyd, pictured above in front of the unfinished wall, tells TMZ ... residents at the housing project reached out to him because they liked another famous mural he'd done in Harlem back in the '90s.

The DMX project was supposed to last a week, tops ... but a heat wave followed by rain caused a delay and complicated matters. The project ultimately took a little over 2 weeks to complete.

As if that wasn't enough ... Floyd says he broke his pinky in the middle of the job when he got it jammed between the cherry picker lift and the wall.

But, when it was all said and done, the mural -- 35 feet by 22 feet -- featured a stoic DMX front and center and a verse from his "Look Thru My Eyes" track ... which pays homage to the very same neighborhood.

As we reported ... X died back in April after suffering an overdose. Following his death ... practically all of NYC -- and elsewhere -- paid tribute to him.

Blueface's Jeweler He Doesn't Owe Me a Dime ... And, F*** Tekashi69!!!

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Blueface's jeweler wants to make it crystal clear, the rapper doesn't owe him any money -- contrary to the online digs from Tekashi 6ix9ine ... and Tekashi can go shove it, according to the jeweler.

We got Gavriel D., the founder and CEO of NYC Luxury, Monday in NYC ... and he stopped to give us the 411 on Blueface tatting the name of Gavriel's company on the side of his head.

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NO BUSINESS FOR TEKASHI

You'll recall the "Bleed It" rapper raised eyebrows last week with the tat on his dome, and drew Tekashi out of his troll hole to comment. He insinuated Blueface is broke and can't afford to pay for his bling, so he turned to human billboarding.

Gavriel says that's total BS ... and says there's only one logical explanation for the tat -- Blueface loves the brand!!! It's true. Blueface is known for giving his favorite brands serious real estate space on his dome. He's done it with Corvette and Yves Saint Laurent.

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LUXURIOUS TATTOO

The celeb jeweler also told us a while back he joked with Blueface about his Corvette tattoo and that he should get an NYC Luxury one too. We're told Blueface one day, out of the blue, FaceTimed him and voilà ... there he was on the table getting the tattoo done.

And, how's this for a zinger ... Gavriel claims Tekashi's desperately tried to line up some jewelry from him --- even before Blueface's head tattoo -- but, to no avail.

Rihanna & A$AP Rocky Look on the Bright Side, We Are!!! Couple Shoots Super Colorful Music Vid

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Rihanna and A$AP Rocky appear to be mixing business with pleasure -- and they're not being low-key about it ... rocking some seriously eye-catching outfits.

RiRi and Rocky appeared to be filming a music video together Sunday in the Bronx. You can see they're dressed to the nines with bright-colored furs and hats. Rihanna's colorful taste also showed up on her gemstone-filled grill.

It seems the entire neighborhood was invited to the project ... you can see a parade on the streets as cameras were rolling. There was also a wardrobe change later in the evening ... with Riri rocking the hell out of a red dress and heels.

A$AP recently revealed he's around 90% done with his fourth studio album, "All Smiles" -- so, we're guessing this is a shoot for one of his tracks. Rihanna hasn't dropped a new album since "Anti" in 2016, and fans are thirsting hard for new music ... but this probably isn't it.

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RIHANNA'S ROCKY RIDE

It makes sense they're working together, musically. As you know, they've been inseparable for weeks now. He literally swept her off her feet recently ... and called her "the love of my life."

Hey, who wouldn't wanna spend as much time as possible with Rihanna? Yeah, that's what we thought.

Garth Brooks Stadium Shows Back with Vegas Concert ... 'Greatest Feeling!!!'

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GARTH GATHERS GIANT CROWD

Garth Brooks is putting the pandemic in his rearview -- and he wants other musicians to follow his lead -- after he packed the stadium home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Garth played to a sold-out crowd of 68,000 Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium ... making it the first major stadium concert since COVID-19 shutdowns began more than a year ago. If the country superstar had any rust, the audience couldn't tell as they cheered through more than 2 hours worth of live music.

The only person more excited than fans was Garth, who said, "To every musician out there, all I can say is get back in the game because it’s the greatest feeling in the world." It's been more than 500 days since his last live gig, and he told the crowd, "I’ve never been made to feel at home as quickly as you guys have made me feel.”

There was one reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic ... a disclaimer on Garth's website for all ticket-holders that read, “Purchaser assumes Covid risk. All Covid rules apply.”

Las Vegas has been wide open since June 1, so there were no COVID rules to apply for this show. Next up for Garth is another stadium concert, next week in Salt Lake City.

It's interesting ... Vegas had packed houses all weekend -- besides Garth's show, UFC 264 was going on at the T-Mobile arena ... plus Dave Chappelle and Justin Bieber had sold-out shows too.

Talk about battle-testing the COVID-19 vaccines.

Cardi B & Offset It's Princess Kulture's Birthday ... Adults Gotta Party Too!!!

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KULTURE'S CRAZY CASTLE

Cardi B and Offset threw a princess-themed bash for Kulture's 3rd birthday -- complete with a castle -- but the proud parents also made sure to have some WAP-themed fun for themselves.

The guest of honor arrived to her event in full princess regalia ... she rode in a horse-drawn carriage with mom and dad, while wearing a bright pink dress and, of course, a tiara.

Cardi's outfit matched her little girl's and they made a grand entrance together -- through a tunnel of balloons -- into the castle. The party had the usual kid stuff ... a petting zoo, Disney princesses and a Cinderella cake, but also a DJ to make sure Cardi and Offset had fun.

While the happy couple was grinding on the dance floor ... Cardi's baby bump was very prominent.

Cardi just revealed -- during her BET Awards performance with Migos -- she's expecting their second kid.

Good to see they're not letting it slow 'em down on the dance floor.

Gwen & Blake Newlyweds Return to L.A. ... Check Out That Ring!!!

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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton look like they're happy anywhere following their holiday weekend wedding ... and they're still rocking those country vibes.

The newlyweds just arrived in L.A. via private jet following their July 3 ceremony at Blake's ranch in Oklahoma ... and were all smiles as they drove off in a Chevy pickup truck. See? Still keeping it country.

"The Voice" stars were joined by Gwen's son, Zuma, who was sitting in the backseat, but it was hard to see him past her sparkly new wedding ring.

As we told you ... the singers tied the knot in a Fourth of July weekend event after first getting together back in 2015. They met on the popular singing competition show when they were both judges.

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Their wedding seems to have been a pretty small, private affair ... but still looked stunning.

The happy new couple headed back to their L.A. estate ... where we're guessing the honeymoon will continue.

Britney Spears Artists Supports #FreeBritney With Huge Yarn Display

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The #FreeBritney movement is feeling extra artistic after Britney Spears' impassioned testimony -- a massive art display, made of yarn, is echoing her call to end the conservatorship.

The artist behind the impressive yarn art, London Kaye, tells TMZ ... she used about 36,000 feet of yarn to create 5 iconic Britney looks and the "Free Britney" signage, and the whole thing stands 15-feet tall.

London hung the art outside the Britney Spears The Zone Museum in Los Angeles, it went up Wednesday and she says it will stay there for about 2 weeks.

London is an L.A.-based street artist who ya might recognize from "The Amazing Race," season 29. She says the Brit tribute recreates the singer's outfits from "...Baby One More Time," "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "Toxic" ... and took her about a week to make.

As you know ... Britney wants to end her conservatorship after 13 years. Celebs like Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus have had her back ... and now she can add these yarn figurines to the movement.

Quite a string of support.

Tekashi69 Trolls Blueface's Head Tattoo ... Just Pay Your Debts, Bro!!!

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Tekashi69 is back on his grind to be the Internet's #1 celeb troll, and this time he's targeting Blueface over a fresh tattoo.

So, get this ... Blueface recently got a tattoo on the side of his head and it raised a lot of eyebrows because the precious real estate the "Bleed It" rapper carved on his dome was reserved for his celebrity jeweler ... NYC Luxury.

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LUXURIOUS TATTOO

The clowning was swift ... and Tekashi got right in the mix by chiming in on DJ Akademiks' IG post with not-so-veiled comments implying Blueface is broke and can't pay for his bling.

Tekashi wrote, "He definitely owed them money for unpaid jewelry" ... followed by "NYC Luxury" and a bunch of laughing and skull emojis, as in ... dead ass laughing.

Not helping matters is the fact Blueface -- who already sports Yves Saint Laurent and Corvette logos on his head -- doesn't exactly look thrilled with the finished product.

In any event ... the trolling is a far departure from when Tekashi vowed a little over a year ago to be on his best social media behavior after being sprung from prison early.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, said the rapper wouldn't start beef or troll other artists because the feds would be watching. Sure, 69 has no restrictions regarding his social media use ... but he still vowed not to post anything inflammatory.

That all seems to be out the window. Remember, Tekashi nearly came to blows with Meek Mill in Miami earlier this year ... and now this. It's also pretty ironic for 6ix9ine, of all people, to be commenting about anyone getting ink on their face or head. Pot and kettle much?

Something tells us Tekashi won't be invited to Blueface's restaurant anytime soon.

Juvenile Hopes 'Vax That Thang' Eases Fears ... Educates the Youth

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Juvenile's the first to admit he was skeptical when a dating app reached out about collaborating, but that faded when he heard the end goal was educating his community about the COVID-19 vaccine.

The New Orleans rapper joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and explained how and why the collaboration with the dating app BLK came together. He tells us he was all in soon after hearing the dating app's mission to get users vaccinated before going on dates.

Enter Juvenile's "Vax That Thang Up" ... a remix to his 1999 classic, and still a club banger, "Back That Thang Up." The rapper thought the remix was a brilliant idea.

Juvenile probably didn't need too much convincing considering the staggering numbers. Remember, early on during the vaccine roll out there was serious hesitancy and mistrust ... with only 14% of African-Americans trusting the vaccine is safe.

New figures also show COVID cases (18%) and hospitalization rates (11%) jumped exponentially among African-Americans in L.A. County alone between mid-May and mid-June.

But, while vaccination rates have gotten better among African-Americans ... misinformation looms, which leads to hesitancy. But, as Juvenile says, he hopes the remix calms fears -- and, in fact, he told us how it's already impacted someone close to him.

Almost as cool, Juvenile's picked up a new, money-making hobby during quarantine. Watch ... you could say he's making new places for you to back that thang up!

Ringo Starr My Favorite Beatles Era, You Say??? 81st Birthday a Big Clue

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PERSONAL FAVORITE

Ringo Starr is celebrating 81 trips around the sun, and since we caught the legend on his born day ... we couldn't pass up the chance to find out which version of his legendary band he loves the most.

The iconic Beatles drummer was passing through Beverly Hills Park Wednesday, where he was getting all kinds of shout-outs and selfie requests to help ring(o) in his 81st birthday. Like the knighted gent he is ... Sir Ringo obliged each and every one along his path.

Anyway, check out the clip ... we were curious what era of The Beatles is best in his eyes and ears. We were within shouting distance of him, and figured why don't we just do it -- the run-in, that is -- in the road??? Alright, it was a sidewalk, but close enough.

Turns out, Mr. Starr is a fan of the days when they'd wrapped 'Sgt. Pepper's' ... but slightly before "Abbey Road," and all the rest that followed.

Take a wild guess -- there's really only one right answer here.

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BIRTHDAY BASH

As for why he chose that particular era -- it has to do with chemistry and togetherness.

Apparently, that's around the time Ringo felt the 4 were at their most fab ... truly playing together as a band again. Great insight into Beatles history.

Oh, and we didn't forget to singo Ringo "Happy Birthday" -- and neither did the rest of the fans who were around.

Yeah, they sang the wrong version, but Ringo was still all about peace and love. Peace and love!!!

Lil Nas X BET Awards Kiss ... Draws Whopping 3 FCC Complaints!!!

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Lil Nas X triggered a wave of online criticism for kissing a male dancer during the BET Awards, but over at the FCC ... it was basically crickets. Sooo, sign of progress?

TMZ's obtained the complaints filed to the Federal Communications Commission and there were merely 3 of them made in after Lil Nas' much-talked about performance of "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" ... which he buttoned with the kiss.

One viewer from the Bronx wrote to the FCC around 1 AM ... "I was very disturbed to see 2 men practically having sexual in the stage when the awards show is supposed to be a family show. It’s ridiculous and children and adults are being forced to endure this. Unacceptable and I will be unsubscribing from BET network. DISGUSTING AND DISTURBING!!!!!!!!"

Another pissed off viewer wrote, "During a performance 2 gay men kissed. Why are you showing this on tv. It is disgusting and wrong for kids to see because it’s unnatural." #Ugh.

The third gripe cam from a guy in Philly, but it was mostly about satanism than the kiss.

That's it. Just the 3. For comparison, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's Grammy performance of "WAP," and J Lo and Shakira's Super Bowl Halftime show each inspired more than 1,000 FCC complaints.

As we reported ... Lil Nas delivered a stunning performance at the BET Awards ... not only with his hit track but also with a tribute to Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time."

Of course, the rapper saw way more than 3 people sounding off on social media -- so many, in fact, that Lil Nas clapped back at the haters ... particularly one who called him out for using "AFRICAN CULTURE FOR S***S LIKE THIS!!!!!!!"

The incredibly low number of FCC complaints might have more to do with a lower number of viewers -- at least compared to the Grammys or a Super Bowl -- but one can hope part of it is also about tolerance.

More than anything, Twitter's the new clearing house for hate ... which the FCC's gotta love.

Juvenile Vax That Thang Up!!!

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"Girl you look good once you vax that thang up, you handsome young brother once you vax that thang up" ... yes that's Juvenile remixing his famous song for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The New Orleans rapper just dropped a vaccine remix to his 1999 classic, "Back That Thang Up" ... teaming up with Mannie Fresh and Mia X to give folks yet another reason to get their shots.

Juvenile's even got a music video for "Vax That Thang Up" as part of a collab with the dating app BLK, pushing vaccines as the safest way to have sex in the pandemic.

"Dating in real life, you need to vax that thang up, feeling freaky all night you need to vax that thang up" ... well said, Juvenile.

The music vid's fun, the message is great and the remix flows perfectly ... so bravo to all involved.

For his part, Juvenile says he wanted to do something positive for his community and to show how much he cares about protecting not only himself but also his family.

You heard the man ... vax that thang up!!!

Kobe Bryant Crash Victim's Husband Auditions For 'AGT' ... Powerful Performance

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Matt Mauser -- who lost his wife in the helicopter crash that also killed Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- gave an emotional audition for "America's Got Talent" on Tuesday ... and the performance is incredibly moving.

The 51-year-old shared his tragic story with judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel ... before singing a rendition of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins.

Mauser -- who met Christina at a bar in 2004 -- broke down his final memories of his wife ... saying she kissed him goodbye and said "I love you" before the fatal helicopter ride in Jan. 2020.

Mauser got teared up before performing the cover ... as he brought his 3 children on stage.

Not only is his story powerful, but Mauser has some serious pipes ... giving it his all.

After completing the audition, Mauser got a standing ovation from the judges and the audience ... and there may not have been a dry eye in the house.

Mandel applauded Mauser for being able to move an entire room full of strangers ... with each judge giving him a resounding "yes" to move on to the next round.

Mauser says he hopes to inspire his children by being on the show ... and would donate all winnings to his wife's foundation if he ends up with the $1 million prize.

Swae Lee Declares Covid 'officially over' ... Crowd Isn't So Convinced

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SWAE'S STATEMENT

Swae Lee's jumping the gun with a COVID prognosis for the country ... proclaiming, during an indoor concert, the pandemic is effectively dunzo, but he might wanna slow his roll.

The Rae Sremmurd rapper was performing at Vendome Nightclub in Miami Monday night when he took a brief pause to celebrate what he perceives as the coronavirus being "officially over."

His rationale seems to be ... everyone is "outside" (of the home) and close together again, so there's no danger -- but the audience didn't appear to be fully buying what he was selling. Watch for yourself ... major mixed reactions.

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Of course ... he oughta be cautious despite declining rates compared to, say, last year. Florida COVID cases are somewhat on the rise again with the Delta variant going around ... reports say they're actually #5 across the nation with the quickest spread of the virus.

Ever the showman, Swae didn't linger on the topic for too long -- pivoting to a performance of his and his brother's hit, "Black Beatles," and the crowd unanimously loved that.

In his defense ... while COVID-19 cases spiked around 42% just last week, vaccinated folks are largely not needing hospitalization. In other words, science is working.

Like we've always said, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Swae ... separated at birth!!!

Britney Spears Retires from Music Manager Larry Rudolph Says in Resignation Letter

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Britney Spears is hangin' up the mic and intends to retire from the music business ... so says her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, who just submitted his resignation.

Rudolph sent an email Sunday night to Britney's personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, and the conservator of her estate, Jamie Spears, saying, "It has been over 2 1/2 years since Britney and I last communicated, at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus. Earlier today, I became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire."

Rudolph went on to say he's not part of the conservatorship and in the dark regarding lots of details, adding, "I was originally hired at Britney's request to help manage and assist her with her career. And as her manager, I believe it is in Britney's best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed."

Rudolph's resignation comes on the heels of Britney's testimony in which she said she was forced to perform and never wanted to do the European tour.  TMZ broke the story ... sources connected to the conservatorship say it's the opposite -- she begged to go on the tour and there are allegedly emails and other communications to support that.

Nevertheless, if Britney is really retiring, there's no need for a music manager.

Rudolph ended his email with this ... "I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together. I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I'll be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been."

Britney had said she would never perform as long as her dad was part of her conservatorship. As we reported, Jamie continues to be the sole conservator of her estate ... Bessemer Trust just bowed out as it was about to become co-conservator with Jamie.

Miley Cyrus Cries Out 'Free Britney' ... During Vegas Concert

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SAY IT LOUD

Miley Cyrus gave a solo performance in Vegas for the 4th, but she also joined a chorus ... as in the "Free Britney" chorus.

Miley hit the stage for the opening of Resorts World ... as she sang her biggest hit, "Party in the U.S.A." ... she added the Britney Spears chant -- "Free Britney!"

She sang, "The taxi man turned on the radio, he turned to me and said, 'Free Britney, Free Britney!"

The song has lyrics about Jay-Z and Britney ... Miley said, "We love JAY-Z, but we got to free this bitch. It's stressing me the f*** out!"

This isn't the first time Miley's supported Britney. During a performance on the NFL's TikTok Tailgate Super Bowl Pregame show, she screamed out, "We love Britney." She did something similar during a 2019 Memphis concert when she repeated the refrain, "Free Britney."

ICYMI ... Britney mentioned Miley during her court hearing last month, talking about Cyrus smoking joints at the VMA's yet she says the management team they share treated Miley differently.