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Drake doesn't always fly on a top-tier private jet to get the hell out of Dodge -- sometimes he's gotta settle for what's around ... which was the case for him in St. Barts this weekend.

The rapper hit the Gustaf III Airport in the village of St. Jean Saturday after partying the night away on the island for New Year's Eve. It was just him and a small entourage he was with -- and in a video obtained by TMZ ... you can see just how small of an airport this was.

The planes here seem to be turboprop ones -- which usually have a single-engine and are meant to go relatively short distances and not very high ... unlike a regular jet.

We're told Drizzy and co. appeared to be heading to a different airport on the island of Saint Martin, which carries larger aircrafts and is meant for rigorous trips. So, in other words ... this was a pitstop on his journey out of the Caribbean.

As you can see ... Drake seemed to be kinda upset about something. A witness tells us there was some sort of confusion about which plane they were getting on, which apparently got on Drake's nerves a bit.

All good -- who isn't crabby after a long night ... which is certainly what Drake and friends experienced less than 12 hours before this was shot. Dude was on a yacht ... naturally.

Word is, St. Barts was the place to be for New Year's -- there were sightings with big names over the past several days ... including folks like Leonardo DiCaprio, Dua Lipa, Mike Tyson and even Jake Paul, who actually posed with Drake on the vessel.

Kanye West has gotten back on the horse, because he's back in the dating game.

Kanye and actress Julia Fox hit up Carbone restaurant in Miami Saturday night, and he was clearly having a good time.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us it's nothing serious, but that he's embracing single life ... this after Kim Kardashian made it clear she's going through with the divorce.

Kanye has been out a lot lately, from Belize to Miami and parts elsewhere, as he retools his life as a single man.

As we reported, he was out partying recently with IG model Yasmine Lopez, although we're told it was not a date. They happened to be at the same party, but still, he's getting on with his life. BTW, this was at James Harden's Thirteen restaurant with J Mulan, where Kanye rolled up with Justin LaBoy.

Sources familiar with the situation say he seems happier now than he has in a long, long time.

It's unlikely Kanye's feelings toward Kim have been Etch A Sketched away ... just a few weeks ago Kanye was performing with Drake at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum when he changed the lyrics to "Runaway" ... "I need you run right back to me, more specifically Kimberly."

The plea didn't land ... the next day Kim filed to restore her marital status to single, STAT, and leave all the other issues for another day.

Kanye and Kim are actually far along in dealing with property issues ... he's deeded her his interest in their family home, and he just bought a $4.5 million fixer-upper directly across the street from the family house. We're told he bought the house abruptly -- so he could be close to the kids -- and our sources say this fixer-upper is going to be stripped right down to the studs ... it needs everything.

A-Rod and Kanye West have something in common -- THE DATING GAME!!!

A-Rod brought a date to The Langham Hotel in London Saturday night. Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... they arrived together at around 9:45 PM and got super cozy ... as they talked J Lo's ex put his hand on her thigh as he sipped a non-alcoholic drink.

Folks at the bar say they were not looking for attention .... in fact, at one point they moved to another part of the bar that was further away from other folks. There wasn't any kissing or hugging, but they were clearly affectionate and into each other ... so say the witnesses.

No one approached A-Rod, but some folks in the bar clearly recognized him.

A-Rod and Kanye really do have things in common -- they're both recently single, and not of their own doing. But, A-Rod and Ye seem to be moving on ... a good start to 2022.

Jeff Bezos went all John Travolta with girlfriend Lauren Sanchez ... as they celebrated a new year disco fashion.

Bezos posted pics of him and Sanchez looking super affectionate as they partied by a pool in St. Barts.

Now here's what's interesting. Check out this pic of Jeff with Lauren's son Nikko and Nikko's dad, former NFL star Tony Gonzalez. Tony was married to Lauren, and we're told Tony and his wife are vacationing with Lauren and Tony ... and we're told that's not the first time.

Jeff posted that 2022 will be a time for personal growth. For her part, Lauren commented and wrote, "I love you baby. For every reason and no reason."

You gotta check out Bezos's duds ... an orange patterned vintage '70s shirt, cream chinos and shades.

Lauren's was a little more current ... a black crop top and black leather pants.

They've been hanging in St. Barths for more than a week ... lounging like royalty on the super-yacht they rented for the vacay.

The 57-year-old's going through -- well, some might say a mid-life crisis -- as he showed off his buff bod, and our Bezos sources flatly denied its the result of HGH, despite what some speculated on social media.

Halle Berry clowned everyone Saturday by making it seem she tied the knot again ... and she got over on lots of her famous friends.

Halle posted pics that made it look like she and boyfriend, Van Hunt, are now hubby and wife. The photos were taken in a chapel on what appears to be a resort. We believe they're at a super fancy hotel in Bora Bora.

Well, it looked real enough for Dwayne Johnson and Octavia Spencer to fall for it hook, line and sinker.

It's actually easy to miss the joke. Halle captioned the pic, "well, IT'S OFFICIAL!" When you read the caption next to the pic of the 55-year-old actress wearing a flower crown as she gets up on her toes to kiss Van, well, it's easy to get clowned.

The joke is unmasked with the next caption ... "It's 2022!" So, it's official -- it's 2022. We get it.

Halle actually hashtagged '#Gotcha,' but apparently, that was too obvious so she edited it out.

"The Rock" reacted by posting a bunch of clapping emojis with the caption, "congrats you two!!! Beautiful!!"

Octavia Spencer chimed in ... "Congratulations!!!!!"

There's a little backstory here. Halle's been married 3 times -- and some of the splits have been super difficult -- so a 4th plunge is, well, a little surprising.

Halle and Van have been together for a while, but she never really acknowledged it until September 2020.

There was something strange appearing in the sky over Tennessee ... and it prompted an eyewitness' super funny reaction to the prospect of UFOs.

Check out this wild, hilarious video obtained by TMZ, which appears to show multiple lights in different formations high above Memphis.

We're told this was shot a couple days ago, on Dec. 27, in the evening ... and you can see the lights forming a line and a triangle.

The eyewitness who shot the video is beside herself ... "Y'all, what is that y'all?!? Y'all what the f*** is that?!? Oh my God, y'all!!!"

It's unclear what we're seeing here, but they don't appear to be planes ... and it's the latest in a string of unidentified objects being spotted in our skies.

Earlier this month, we obtained video of a swarm of lights darting around the airspace above Chino Hills, CA ... looking like giants orbs in the heavens.

And, there was also the pilot who recorded what appeared to be a fleet of UFOs over the Pacific.

The Dept. of Defense is launching a new UFO task force ... and it would be hilarious if this Memphis eyewitness narrated all their evidence.

Fake vaccine cards are selling like crazy ... and demand has shot up over the past few weeks, smack in the middle of the omicron surge.

First of all, this is terrible, and if it's not a crime ... it should be. The cards are going for around $250 ... $50 a pop more than they were going for back in September, and that means demand is high.

We're told thousands of people are hawking fake vaccine cards ... pretty shocking.

The folks studying the surge of fake cards tell us the price of the bogus cards will continue to rise as Omicron spreads and as people need to prove they've been jabbed ... and the holidays are accounting for increased sales.

The cards were originally sold on the dark web, but sellers have become emboldened as everything gets even more political and they're now selling the cards much more openly ... on various forums and chatrooms.

Max Julien -- famous for his leading role in the blaxploitation film 'The Mack' -- has died.

The actor/writer/producer passed away on Jan. 1, due to undisclosed circumstances -- this according to his PR team ... who says his wife discovered him early him Saturday morning.

In a statement, they say in part ... "During Julien's decades-long career, he was known for being bold, honest and straightforward. He would live and speak his own truth both professionally and privately. He was thought of as a rare 'man among men'."

Comic book writer and film producer David F. Walker broke the news about Julien's death in a social media post, honoring his friend.

He wrote, "I met Max back in 1996. He was a great human being, and we had so many amazing conversations. He was brilliant and hilarious and charismatic... R.I.P" DFW's caption accompanied an artistic rendering of Julien in his prime, depicting a classic scene from 'TM.'

No cause of death was revealed.

While he's got handful of acting credits, Julien will be most remembered for playing Goldie in the '73 cult classic film -- in which he portrays an ambitious up-and-coming pimp in Oakland, who faces off with corrupt cops and a drug kingpin upon being released from prison.

Along the way, he builds his roster of women with his sidekick, Slim ... who, funny enough, is played by a then-young Richard Pryor, well before he blew up as a big time actor. RP, of course, was already well established as a comedian at this point.

Several different lines and scenes from 'The Mack' have made their way into popular culture -- especially in hip-hop, with multiple rappers sampling snippets of the film into their songs. Some of those MCs who paid tribute -- Too Short, Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Jadakiss, MC Ren, Kriss Kross and Big K.R.I.T. ... just to name a few.

Some other notable movies and shows Julien has starred in ... "The Black Klansman," "Psych-Out," "Uptight," "Mod Squad," "Getting Straight," "How to Be Player," among others. He also helped create the 'Cleopatra Jones franchise -- another blaxploitation saga.

Julien is survived by his wife, Arabella. He was 88, despite what his public birthday is listed as online. We've been assured ... Max was born in 1933.

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade ... and when life gives you frigid temps and frozen bodies of water, strap a pair of sharpened blades to your feet a go for the bone-chilling ride of your life!

Hollywood elite like Kendall Jenner, Rebel Wilson and Manolo Gonzalez Vergara are all putting their careers on ice to try and live on the edge and continue to skate through life in a blades blaze of glory!

Kourtney Kardashian, Molly Ringwald, Jonathan Van Ness and a bunch of other freezing famous faces are getting a good workout by sliding into the trend and sharing their ice shots on social media for you to chill with.

AJ McKee has conquered the cage ... and now the Bellator champ tells TMZ Sports he wouldn't mind spending time in a ring boxing against arguably the 2 biggest combat sports athletes in the world.

Floyd Mayweather. Conor McGregor.

We talked to the 26-year-old undefeated MMA star at the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley boxing match in Tampa ... and we asked AJ about all things his combat sports career.

First, on boxing.

"I wanna test my skills against some of the best and that's why I've always called out Floyd. It's not like, 'Oh, I wanna beat Floyd.' I wanna test my skills in hand-to-hand combat with one of the best athletes in hand-to-hand combat," McKee says.

We then asked about McGregor ... and AJ says he's down to box the Irish superstar -- or anyone else.

"I'm down for anybody. If it's 145, 155, 170. In boxing, I'll go up 3 weight classes."

Of course, Floyd and Conor boxed in 2017 ... a fight Mayweather won by TKO. It was one of the biggest sports events ever. Floyd then went on to box Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa and Logan Paul.

Now, about McKee's day job as Bellator champ. We asked him where he goes from here ... after beating fellow badass Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, winning the promotions 145 lb. million dollar tournament.

"I would like to be double champ," AJ says.

"Becoming double champ is definitely bucket list. Be a champ-champ and then see where the path lies after that."

But, promotions aside -- UFC, Bellator, ONE, PFL -- who's the best 145 pounder on the planet?

McKee says he's all about finding out ... if that means scrapping with guys like Brian Ortega, Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.

"Send the contract, bro. I'm gonna sign it. Cross-promotion, any promotion, backyard bully stuff. I'm just about the fight. I love to fight, outside of the money, the fame, the clout, clearly that's not what I do it for."

Bella Thorne's bling has some serious bite ... check out the new piece she's got hanging around her neck, complete with two alligators and a hefty price tag.

Bella hails from Florida, and told jeweler Alex Moss she wanted something that would pay homage to her home and her roots. Moss went to work, designing the necklace ... complete with 18k white gold, 33.1ct VVS diamond D-F color and 16.7ct natural Zambian cushion-cut emerald.

As for the price, the piece is 1 of 1 and we're told it rings in right around $300,000.

Moss says the whole look is not only iconic, but practical, with the alligator tails even bending for some flexibility while Thorne rocks it.

Hidden within this warped-out snap is one of the most popular singers in the world.

This frosty female earned her well-deserved success from a very young age when she began creating music with her brother in their bedroom. She is best known for her angelic voice you may have heard at the top of the charts on the radio.

Another defining feature of this talented musician's career has been her noteworthy styles in the fashion world ... her hair color is one thing that's always a topic of discussion among fans.

Kodak Black found himself behind bars on New Year's Eve -- albeit briefly -- but it sounds like it might be a big misunderstanding ... at least according to his attorney.

KB's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... yes, his client was indeed arrested early Saturday morning near Pompano Beach, FL on a misdemeanor trespassing charge -- but insists it's a bogus bust ... based on nothing but a cease-or-desist letter from 4 months ago.

Here's the deal ... Cohen says Kodak went to his old neighborhood of Greenacres to hang out with some pals for the holiday, and to also pay off credit card debt for 5 families living in the area who'd shelled out for Christmas gifts for their kids and loved ones.

At some point while he was there, we're told the cops showed up and took Kodak into custody -- telling him he was in violation of a letter issued by the local Housing Authority.

You might recall that letter ... it was fired off in response to Kodak delivering AC units to people there in Sept., which the HA apparently didn't appreciate. Anyway, it seems Kodak's mere presence this time around triggered a call to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Here's why Cohen thinks the arrest was unwarranted -- for one, he says the C&D never made its way to Kodak, meaning it wasn't served properly in that it was sent to his record label, and not him personally. Second, he says that letter says nothing about not coming onto the grounds, so it shouldn't have served as the basis of any arrest.

This is sure to kick up some dust among hip-hop heads -- just a year after learning of MF DOOM's death, it would seem the internet has decided that 50 Cent is ... well, greater.

You might've seen DOOM trending Saturday, and that's largely 'cause it's been 365 days since the world found out the enigmatic MC -- who was legendary in the underground scene throughout the 2000s -- tragically had passed away on Halloween 2020, this per his widow.

But that's not the only reason folks were talking about him -- some Twitter users appear to be fiercely debating who the better artist is between MFD and the one and only Fitty ... this after somebody held a rap G.O.A.T. tournament bracket -- and asked who'd beat who.

The OG poster of the bracket/poll says ... "First hot take of the year: In terms of greatness: 50 cent > MF Doom." They tweeted this in response to people being dumbfounded that 50 had overtaken DOOM in a head to head ... taking 70% of the vote out of about 100 people.

The reactions ... very mixed, and very polarized. On the one hand -- some simply won't accept that 50 Cent is the better rapper between the two ... noting DOOM is by far the superior lyricist, rhymer, beat selector and all-around creative if you look at 'em bar for bar.

On the other hand -- it seems even more people say he actually is ... on account that 50's got waaaay more mainstream hits than DOOM -- and has more name recognition. Not to mention his skills ... he, too, is solid on the mic.

While hardcore fans choose sides ... there's another take that's perhaps more nuanced. Fact is ... these 2 guys are totally different stylistically, and comparing them is ... weird. They're both great in their own right, especially depending on what you might wanna listen to!

FWIW ... 50 didn't seem to respond to the news about DOOM's passing last year (RIP, BTW), but he did respond to Eminem's homage to fallen legends (including MF) just earlier this year ... and seemed to dig the fact he'd gotten name dropped in the tribute.

Plus, they're both New York cats ... so ya gotta figure 50 knows about DOOM. After all, the guy's earned the title of your favorite rapper's favorite rapper -- he's that iconic/influential.

With all that said -- we gotta pose the question for those who know both of these fellas' music well and might have something to say ... does 50 Cent actually have MF DOOM's number in a would-be Verzuz???

Jake Paul says he's willing to get inside the Octagon against Jorge Masvidal for a UFC fight -- but first, he wants Dana White to do a few things.

The YouTuber just laid out his terms and conditions for a potential bout against Gamebred ... saying he wants UFC fighters to get what he feels they deserve.

In a public post to the UFC boss, Jake wrote ... "Happy new year @danawhite. Here is a real challenge for you… I will immediately retire from boxing and fight Jorge Masvidal in the UFC if you agree to (the following)."

You can read JP's letter for yourself, but to summarize -- he's asking fighters get a $50k minimum payout fight ... as well as more of the MMA giant's yearly earnings.

Jake claims UFC generated about a billion dollars in 2021 alone -- so essentially, he's saying $500 mil should be earmarked and divvied up among the talent themselves.

There's more ... Jake wants Dana to put a focus on healthcare for fighters.

If Dana implements these asks by March 31, JP says he'll retire from boxing and come on over for a 1-fight deal with JM.

As you may know, there's been a lot of talk about a would-be fight between these two -- with Masvidal himself stoking the flames and issuing a challenge, with certain caveats.

Ball's in Dana's court now!

Harry Potter and co. got together again for a trip down memory lane -- and even though J.K. Rowling doesn't sit for an interview herself ... she still magically appears (kinda).

The author and creator of the wizarding franchise was notably absent for HBO Max's 20th Anniversary 'Return to Hogwarts' reunion special, which hit the airwaves Saturday ... just in time for the new year.

While JKR did not appear in person to mingle with the rest of the cast and crew -- including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint -- she was there in spirit ... but more specifically, there in old archival footage from a couple years ago, this according to reports.

Word is, clips of J.K. from 2019 are sprinkled into the nearly 2-hour show ... where she talks about casting and the early process of turning her books into a blockbuster film. Apparently, some of the cast also talks about her, but they do it sparingly ... and mostly gloss over her.

If you're wondering what gives ... it's no secret J.K. has become persona non grata in Hollywood of late, due to comments she's made over the past year that many perceive as transphobic, remarks she' since tried clarifying time and again. Still, Radcliffe disavowed her sentiments ... drawing a firm line in the sand on where he stands on the trans community.

Now, with that in mind ... it's perhaps no surprise Rowling isn't in the HBO special, but weirdly enough -- there are slightly differing takes on why she wasn't involved ... including a report claiming she herself turned the opportunity down.

EW cites sources saying J.K. was extended an invite by HBO brass, but that she and her team felt the old footage of her would be adequate. Even more puzzling, these same sources say her transgender controversy played no part in the decision to pass on joining.

HBO Max, meanwhile, confirms they reached out to Rowling, but wound up agreeing that her old clips would suffice. It's unclear, on their end, if she turned 'em down for a new interview, or if they actually shot something with her and then ultimately scrapped it.