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It's no surprise Adele's Vegas show is a hot ticket, but it's hard to imagine anyone could have predicted just how expensive resale prices would be to see the singer live.

The rollout for "Weekends with Adele" started this week -- a series of Friday/Saturday shows at Caesars Palace from January to April -- and fans were crazy to get their hands on tickets.

Unsurprisingly, presales sold out within minutes, and tickets were quick to popup on resale services like StubHub and Ticketmaster. However, fans who didn't capitalize on the initial sale were pissed to see resale prices ... which ranged from $2k to $35k!!!

One fan wrote, "Adele out her rabbit a** mind with these concert ticket prices." Another chimed in, " ... guess we're the ones paying her husband alimony."

Of course, re-sellers can decide to sell their seats at whatever price they want -- it's up to fans whether or not to spend the money -- and they'll likely take a drop ... but the opening price is crazy, nonetheless.

Adele recently performed for some of her celebrity friends in L.A. -- including Oprah, Drake and Lizzo -- and helped pull off a surprise marriage proposal.

Travis Scott is breaking his silence for the first time since Astroworld, insisting he didn't know the severity of what was happening in the crowd, and alleging the person in his ear never expressed an urgency to immediately stop the show.

Travis sat down with Charlamagne tha God for nearly an hour to talk all things about the tragic Houston festival. Travis says he feels a sense of responsibility to figure out what went wrong, but did everything he could with the knowledge he had during the show.

Travis claims his "in-ear" told him to end the show "after the guest" AKA Drake, and that he was never told just how bad things were in the crowd.

At times, Travis was clearly emotional -- especially when talking about the families who lost loved ones -- and even says he's met with some of them privately.

Travis says, "They lost their loved ones, I just always wanna be there for them, I’m gonna fix this problem and make sure this doesn’t happen in the future and be the number one voice for this. We gotta figure it out.”

Charlamagne asked Travis if he felt a sense of responsibility for what happened, and while Travis admits he was the face of the festival, he says he feels his responsibility is now to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future. In other words, he never takes responsibility, nor does he lay the blame on anyone else.

While he was pressured several times to say who was responsible, TS never gives a straight answer -- mostly preaching a message of future prevention.

He does, however, say as an artist, he and his team focus on the creativity of the show ... not so much the safety and logistics -- something that's handled by promoters.

One safety possibility Travis suggests -- though how exactly it would work is still in the air -- is to equip fan festival wristbands with health and location trackers to pinpoint issues in the crowd.

Travis says he never heard pleas from the crowd, asking him to stop ... and says he's done the best he can during shows in the past -- and even at Astroworld -- to stop the show when he could see someone needed help.

TMZ broke the story ... there was an apparent breakdown in communication from the time Houston Fire Dept declared the concert a "mass casualty event" and the time the show ended. We obtained video showing cops watching and recording the show nearly 30 minutes after the declaration was allegedly made.

Scott was heavily criticized for photos showing him golfing with Mark Wahlberg and Michael Jordan over Thanksgiving. Charlamagne asks Travis why he chose to go, and while he didn't really expand, Travis said Mark and Jordan were good people for him to be around, and it was just a thing for the holiday.

Slim 400 -- an up-and-coming rapper in the California hip-hop scene -- has been shot and killed in L.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Slim was gunned down Wednesday night in Inglewood. It's currently unclear what led to the shooting and how many suspects were involved.

Born to military parents in Germany, Slim moved back to Los Angeles as a young child and was raised in Compton. The rapper was later discovered and signed by the now nonexistent Pu$haz Ink music label -- the same one made popular by YG and DJ Mustard.

Slim narrowly escaped death back in the summer of 2019 when he was shot 9 times in L.A. Slim claimed he was ambushed in the attack while visiting family in Compton.

Slim 400 was just 33.

RIP

Drake and Ye wouldn't be getting ready for tonight's huge Larry Hoover benefit concert at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum if music mogul J. Prince hadn't stepped in to broker their peace treaty ... and he's telling TMZ how he pulled it off.

The Rap-A-Lot Records honcho says there was nothing easy about getting the 2 hip-hop giants to lay down their swords after years of sniping that got incredibly personal. When J. Prince joined us on "TMZ Live," he said his choice of words mattered more than ever.

You'll recall ... Prince was side by side with Ye when he recorded a video last month, extending an olive branch to Drake by asking him to join him for a concert that would raise awareness for Larry Hoover's case, in particular, and for criminal justice reform in general.

After that, he got both men face-to-face at Drizzy's Toronto mansion, and Prince says he had to use a "special lingo to reach these guys' hearts."

He says he stressed to Drake ... he had a chance to set an example for all of hip-hop about how to settle beefs peacefully. As he put it to us, "this is a situation that could save lives."

J. Prince was quick to give Hoover himself credit for suggesting the concert ... and Larry Hoover Jr. echoed that when we saw him Wednesday in Los Angeles. He says his father -- who's been locked up since 1995 for a murder, drug conspiracy and extortion -- didn't want to see Drake and Ye possibly lose their lives to violence.

The countdown is on -- with about 24 hours remaining until Drake and Kanye reunite as performers -- and crews for the spectacle are working 'round the clock to finish up the massive stage.

TMZ has obtained a series of photos taken Wednesday inside L.A. Memorial Coliseum where the Free Larry Hoover event is scheduled to go down. You can see a massive, elevated platform in the middle of what is usually a grass field.

Sources with direct knowledge say a crew of more than 200 workers has been going nonstop to get the stage finished. We're told the show's budget -- an estimated $10+ million -- counts for the stage construction/production, space rental, security, event staffers and more.

As for Thursday night's show, our sources say it'll be an "environmental experience," the largest ever created -- and feature incredible projections throughout. Construction crews have even been seen pouring concrete to build up the foundation.

Obviously, Drake and Kanye haven't rehearsed inside the stadium yet, but we're told they've been doing so off-site -- and a dress rehearsal will happen before the real deal Thursday.

A substitute teacher in Texas was given the boot after "treating" his students to a karaoke version of Britney Spears' "Toxic."

The sub was "teaching" students at Bowie High School when he dimmed the lights and broke out the karaoke machine which he brought with him from home. He then unleashed a light show and exercised his vocal cords.

It did NOT go well. Honchos at the school gave him the boot, saying he wasn't following "best practices." Unclear whether that meant not singing at all or singing "...Baby One More Time."

Hilarious that the school district noted the teacher was not arrested!!!

Also hilarious ... a school district spokesperson said, "I've heard worse Britney Spears covers, but the lights are a bit much."

Britney Spears’ big birthday bash is far from over -- although the pop star turned 40 last week, she and Sam Asghari are keeping the party going.

Brit and her fiance were enjoying a Monday morning by their hot tub at the resort where they're staying in Cabo San Lucas.

As you can see in the photos, Mexico agrees with Britney! She's relaxing in a red bikini with shades on ... and Sam, with his super-toned bod, is right by her side.

Last week, the pair hopped on a PJ filled with roses and a special birthday cake, to begin the singer's birthday festivities.

Hey, the 4-Oh is a BIG one, worthy of a LONG celebration!!!

Drake won't be partaking in the upcoming Grammy Awards -- despite being nominated -- because the guy just pulled his submissions ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper has withdrawn his 2 Grammy nominations -- one for Best Rap Album in "Certified Lover Boy" and another for Best Rap Performance in "Way 2 Sexy" -- after having gotten nods about two weeks ago.

A source close to Drake tells us the decision was made by Drake and his management team,  and the Grammys board respected it. Variety was first to report Drake's withdraw.

He's obviously no stranger to the award ceremony -- having racked up multiple wins over the years, including one in 2019 -- but Drake has also publicly noted he isn't a fan of accolades like this ... saying they're virtually meaningless.

He was also one of the first to speak up after The Weeknd was snubbed by the ceremony, saying, "I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards."

Of course, this move might have more to do with his involvement in Astroworld Fest than his stance on awards -- the guy's been relatively low-key since the tragedy, especially since he's been named in a few of the lawsuits that have surfaced thus far.

Cardi B partied at the Maxim Saturday night in Miami at Art Basel.

She started her night pouring Whipshots at the Good Time Hotel then hit up the SLS hotel in Miami Beach for the Maxim Art Basel Party. She showed off some serious Cardi moves ... as the crowd clapped and cheered.

She made the rounds ... several parties in town were rocked by CB. And here's the thing ... unlike so many celebs who tend to just hang with each other, Cardi loves interacting with everyone ... you see from the video, she just loves the company of everyone. A refreshing change.

At the Maxim party, she was there with Offset, just kinda hangin' with him and drinking Dano's Tequila. Teyana Taylor and Karrueche Tran were also there. Best part is when Cardi and Offset leave ... she just started busting a move as she headed for their car.

There is also a video of Cardi and Offset arriving at a club in Miami and Cardi appearing to tell the bouncers to let the black women in.

Cardi's had a big week ... Playboy just announced she'll be its first Creative Director in Residence ... which she calls "a dream come true."

Daymond John told us on "TMZ Live" Friday this was a super brilliant move for Playboy to become relevant again.

Billie Eilish knows this lesson all too well ... you want to make your fans happy, but there's a line they can't cross.

Billie arrived at JFK Airport in New York Saturday, and some overzealous fans got way too close and frenetic. Her 2 bodyguards had to stave them away ... as the singer traversed her way through the terminal.

Billy's only 19, so the drill isn't old hat ... it's really a dance. When do the bodyguards step in and when do they leave fans to interact?

There were other forms of protection as well, in the form of face masks ... something folks are required to wear in airports ... btw, with the new variant, masks aren't going away any time soon.

Billie's definitely got protection issues ... she's gone to court for a protective order against a man she claims has been harassing her and is potentially dangerous. She claims the guy has been lurking at her L.A. home and bombarding her with threatening letters.

According to the docs, Billie says she got a note from the man saying ... "You can't get what you want, unless what you want is to die for me ... You will know that soon the water will rise, and you might very well die ... You will die."

Elon Musk may have just gotten Swifted, because his ex has just released a song trashing him as a BF.

Grimes' song, "Player of Games," doesn't mention Elon by name, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist like him to figure it out.

The song references gaming -- something Elon apparently loves. The lyrics go ... "I'm in love with the greatest gamer, but he'll always love the game, more than he loves me."

Their 3-year relationship ended back in September -- and she goes on ... "Sail away, to the cold expanse of space. Even love couldn't keep you in your place."  Seems like that's the giveaway!

Elon didn't call it a clean breakup ... he said they have "semi-separated." They did attend the Met Gala back in September, but it's unclear if this was before or after the breakup.

They both seem committed to co-parenting their 1-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii Musk.

Yung Joc is denying claims from a dog breeder that he's an irresponsible dog owner who lost his pit bulls soon after getting them ... he says the dogs managed to chew through their enclosures.

The "It's Goin' Down" rapper tells TMZ ... he did his part to keep the dogs contained on his property, with kennels and two chain-link fences, but he was surprised they were still able to bite their way out.

Yung Joc says he paid over $20,000 for the pit bulls, Nispey and Bruiser, back in April from a dog breeder in Los Angeles ... but after they escaped, the dog breeder blamed the rapper and offered a $5k reward for info on their whereabouts.

While the dog breeder, Andre of Big Gemini Kennels, claims Yung Joc was being irresponsible and might be hiding something ... Joc tells us he's been transparent with authorities, even sharing the video of their escape.

Yung Joc is firing back about accusations he was in over his head ... he says he thought there was no way the dogs could get past not just one, but two fences ... and he says it wasn't a case of being cheap.

Bizzy Bone says the on-stage brawl between Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia is just how things go in hip-hop sometimes ... and 'Verzuz' honcho Swizz Beatz has his back.

We got Bizzy at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles on Friday and asked him about Thursday's fight at The Hollywood Palladium, where fists and insults started flying early on in the highly-anticipated "Verzuz" showdown.

Bizzy, who seemed to instigate the fight by calling out Three 6 Mafia members for "mocking" him, says it's just a part of the hip-hop culture ... and he says no one from Triller or "Verzuz" was mad at him.

In fact, Bizzy says he even talked with Swizz about the incident ... and was assured everything was all good. Some folks thought SB was talking noise about Bone Thugs on the live stream, but Bizzy says they weren't the intended target.

As we reported ... there were signs leading up to the show things might get testy between both groups, with Bizzy calling Three 6 Mafia "devil worshipers" on social media and challenging them to "denounce Satan."

Willow Smith got some time on the beach, time with her friend and time making sure she was COVID-free all at once ... talk about multitasking!

The 21-year-old was on the beach in Miami Friday where a nurse grabbed a quick swab -- presumably for COVID -- while the singer sprawled out on a lounger chair.

Once the test was finished, Willow was free to hang out and even share some PDA with a friend, who looks like the artist DE'WAYNE, who she's recently been touring with across the U.S.

Willow and DE'WAYNE chilled out with a walk on the beach after their cuddle-shesh.

Daymond John says Playboy is making its best move in years by joining forces with Cardi B ... because she'll bring her legion of young fans to the iconic brand, while also making much-needed changes to it.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and we got his reaction to Cardi coming onboard with Playboy as its first-ever creative director in residence.

Daymond says the move makes sense for Playboy on several levels as they move away from traditional print magazine and focus in on a digital rebirth -- he envisions Cardi breathing life back into a brand with a following that skews much older.

Cardi says her new role with Playboy is a "dream come true" ... and Daymond tells us why he wants to see more of those dreams becoming a reality before deciding if Playboy is a worthy investment.

"America's Got Talent" standout Jay Jay Phillips -- whose big hair gained as much attention as his talent -- has died from complications related to COVID-19.

A family member tells us Jay Jay was battling the disease at home Thanksgiving week. We're told family and friends were continuously checking in with him over the phone, and he took a turn for the worse the day before the holiday.

Jay Jay's family urged him to go to the hospital, but he just told them he needed more sleep ... and that was the last time they heard from him.

We're told Jay Jay's girlfriend and her mom -- who is a nurse -- went to check on him Thanksgiving Day and found him dead. The family member tells us Phillips was not vaccinated, but just before he got sick had started to tell people he planned on getting the shot soon.

Phillips' dad, who he lived with, is currently hospitalized and fighting for his life on a ventilator.

Jay Jay first made an appearance on season 4 of the talent competition, but was eliminated early. He came back during season 12, but was eliminated in the judge cuts just before the quarterfinals.

Phillips was 30.