TMZ.com Home

Atlanta hip hop culture is having a really rough go of it this year -- but one of the city's beloved rappers, Trinidad James, says the ATL will power through these hard times.

We caught up with the "All Gold Everything" rap star Wednesday at LAX, and it's clear he was traveling with a heavy heart.

Between the murder of Metro Boomin's mom at the hands of her own husband to Young Thug, Gunna and much of YSL's RICO indictments to Lil Keed's sudden death ... ATL rappers have had an extraordinary bad luck streak.

Trinidad attributes the downward spiral to the fact Atlanta's been on top for several years now, and as he puts it -- when you're at the top, "there's all types of energies, people and situations just trying to take you down."

The murder of Def Jam rapper Trouble also weighed on Trinidad ... in the wake of the alleged killer surrendering to cops.

Trinidad told us about a recent text exchange with Trouble, which was their last communication, and it was a lighthearted -- and slightly racy -- joke between friends.

WWE superstar The Miz -- a HUGE Cleveland sports fan -- says he ain't droppin' his Browns support due to the Deshaun Watson trade ... but he did tell TMZ Sports he will never wear the QB's jersey.

We got the wrestler out in NYC this week ... and given the new sexual misconduct allegations against Watson this month -- we had to ask if his Browns fandom is still intact.

The Miz said yes -- reminding us that he's been rooting for the NFL team for decades -- but he made it clear, he won't tout Watson as his favorite player.

"Yeah, I'm still a Cleveland Browns fan," the 41-year-old said. "But you're not going to see me wearing a Watson jersey."

The Browns traded for Watson in March and gave him a massive, fully guaranteed $230 MILLION contract ... despite more than 20 women alleging he had been sexually inappropriate with them during massage therapy sessions in the past few years.

Since the trade, two more civil lawsuits have been filed against Watson claiming misconduct -- while other women have came forward to the New York Times to make further allegations against him.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about all of the new claims during Browns practice on Wednesday, but he told reporters, "I think for me, I'm going to be respectful of the investigation, of the legal proceedings and let that play out."

American actress Lori Petty was just 29 years old when she was cast as Rae Lindley -- the young and smart biologist on the journey to receiving her PhD in marine biology -- in the 1993 family/drama film "Free Willy."

Lindley shared the big screen with Jason James Richter as the orphan who finds companionship with Willy the whale, Jesse, Michael Madsen as the husband who takes in Jesse, Glen Greenwood, Jayne Atkinson as Glen's wife who shows Jesse a mothering side, Annie Greenwood and August Schellenberg as Rae's boss and Willy's keeper, Randolph Johnson.

LP is also known for her role as the bodacious surfer Tyler in "Point Break," the kid sister Kit in "A League Of Their Own" and the manic inmate Lolly in the Netflix series "Orange Is The New Black."

Ketanji Brown Jackson is taking no chances on the heels of an alleged threat on another Supreme Court Justice's life ... because her dinner reservation includes security guards.

We got Justice Jackson ducking out of her SUV and darting into District ChopHouse & Brewery in Washington D.C. for dinner Wednesday ... and as you can see, there's a lot of muscle watching over her.

KBJ wastes no time walking into the restaurant ... and there are at least 4 Secret Service agents flanking the newest member of SCOTUS.

We should say, it's not totally unusual to see a member of SCOTUS with security, but Justice Jackson seemed to have a crew that was intentionally very visible.

It's the first Justice we've seen in public since a man was arrested outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home earlier Wednesday and charged with attempted murder ... and the security presence for Jackson is an indication SCOTUS is taking the threat seriously, on top of an incoming abortion rights ruling that's expected to be super controversial.

Prosecutors say 26-year-old Nicholas Roske was carrying a gun and had traveled all the way from California to kill Kavanaugh after finding the Justice's address online.

R. Kelly needs to be locked up for more than a quarter century ... according to federal prosecutors, and that's just for the one case for which he's been convicted.

Federal prosecutors out of the Eastern District of NY -- who won a conviction against Kelly last September -- just filed their recommendation for his sentencing, and they believe there's more than enough reason to send him away for "in excess of 25 years."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say Kelly's particularly menacing because of his history of enticing minors. Prosecutors hold up the case of his relationship with Aaliyah as a prime example, saying he "began to sexually abuse her when she was just 12 or 13 years old." As they laid out in the trial, Kelly went on to marry her in an attempt to cover up that abuse and dodge criminal charges.

Other reasons prosecutors want the judge to throw the book at Kelly include his recordings of child pornography ... and the "physical and psychological" abuse of women. Of course, much of that was detailed in the "Surviving R. Kelly" documentary -- things like Kelly making women call him "Daddy," violent spankings if they disobeyed his rules, and prolonged isolation as punishment.

They also say Kelly knew he had genital herpes in 2004, but continued to have sex with women without telling them.

The feds are particularly concerned because they say Kelly continued doing all of these heinous acts even after he'd been arrested and gone on trial in 2008.

And there's this ... as we all know, R. Kelly has an impressive catalog of hits, and prosecutors say that led him to believe "his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct -- no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others -- to the strictures of the law."

Add it all up, and the feds say that's why they're recommending the judge put Kelly behind bars at least until he's well into his 70s. He's currently 55, and sentencing is scheduled for June 29.

Tom Brady's changed up his hairstyle yet again -- now choosing to dye it orange -- but, this time, the move is all for a great cause!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers partnered with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation on Wednesday to throw a "Cut and Color for a Cure" event ... and Brady was front and center for the action.

At the event -- which allowed kids who are battling pediatric cancer to give hair makeovers to Bucs players in an effort to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research -- Brady sat down in a chair and let the youngsters go to town on his famous 'do.

The kids sprayed his hair front to back in orange -- the official color of the NPCF -- leaving the GOAT with a sweet new look.

Brady and the Bucs also donated a check for $117,000 to the org. at the function.

“The support of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in our fight to end childhood cancer is invaluable,” NPCF exec David Frazer said.

“The team’s continued commitment to assist kids facing a cancer diagnosis makes them so much more than a sports team -- they are truly heroes, rallying to create a better tomorrow for their young fans and supporters nationwide.”

Rap music's first song to go No. 1 on Billboard -- Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" -- is still one of its most controversial, as one of Ice's collaborators comes forward claiming the rapper's a total fraud.

Mario "Chocolate" Johnson — the man Suge Knight infamously appointed as co-writer of the eventual blockbuster track — went off in a new interview with "The Art Of Dialogue," exposing what he says was Ice's true contribution to his debut record ... ZERO!!!

Mario ripped Ice, aka Rob Van Winkle, saying ... "He said he wrote 'Ice Ice Baby' at 16 ... he didn't write NO parts of that song!"

Vanilla Ice has disputed Johnson's work in the past ... perhaps most passionately in his ABC interview in the 90s when the incident was still fresh in his mind.

The urban legend goes Suge and his henchman physically strong-armed Ice by hanging him over a hotel balcony and making him drink urine in order to coerce him into signing over part of the writing credits -- which funded the launch of Death Row Records.

One thing all parties (including Suge) agree on is the whole Vanilla Ice hung-over-a-balcony mafia-style was widely embellished.

While Ice admits he did go out on the balcony to be intimidated, that's where the physical contact stops. Mario backs that up too, and adds the heated meeting was NOT about "Ice Ice Baby" at all -- but, instead, says it was about the 8 other songs on Ice's album, "To the Extreme."

Six Haitians who were in Florida for the Special Olympics this month have mysteriously vanished ... and now, an active search is underway to find them.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced this week that Oriol Jean, 18, Anderson Petit-Frère, 18, Peter Mianovich Berlus, 19, Nicholson Fontilus, 20, Steevenson Jacquet, 24, and Antione Joseph Mithon, 32 all disappeared on June 6.

According to cops, the six -- members of Haiti's Special Olympics delegation who were competing in the soccer competition -- were last seen at around 2:30 PM in Kissimmee. All of them, police say, turned in their hotel room keys, left their personal belongings and then vanished.

The sheriff's office said it's now investigating it all as a "missing person's case."

"We are in communication with Walt Disney World, Special Olympics, and our Law Enforcement and Federal partners," cops said in a statement. "At this time, we believe this is an isolated event and do not suspect foul play."

The Special Olympics event began on June 5 in the Orlando area and is slated to run through the end of this week. According to organizers, it's set to feature around 5,500 athletes and coaches -- with roughly 120,000 people expected to tune in at the venues.

One of the missing Haitian Olympians, Petit-Frère, wrote in a social media post just last week that he was excited for the event ... and called it an "honor" to be a part of the team.

Ray J hit the nail on the head when he said straight men should do more to support members of the LGBTQ community, so says Da Brat, who believes even more can be done when it comes to straight men in hip hop.

Da Brat and her wife, Judy Dupart, joined "TMZ Live" and gave us their thoughts on Ray J's take on homophobia in the Hip Hop community.

Da Brat says she feels Ray's comments are a step in the right direction and believes more artists -- like Snoop Dogg, for example -- who holds legend status in the biz could help too.

ICYMI ... Ray J posted an 11 minute video on IG, calling out straight men for not shouting out folks in the LGBTQ+ enough. In his caption he wrote "GAY PRIDE/ RAY PRIDE!!" and went on to say that the time is now to show more love.

As for Da Brat, who only came out publicly in the last few years, tells us Judy is someone who makes her feel like it's OK to be free and be herself. She says she never felt stuck with her sexuality, but she was conditioned to keep her dating life private as a celeb.

It ain't over for Johnny Depp and his attorney Camille Vasquez -- the two will reunite again -- and maybe even for a jam session.

Vasquez was leaving "Good Morning America" Wednesday in New York City when she asked, now that the trial was over if she'll see Johnny again. Without hesitation, she answers, "Of course!"

The camera then follows up, asking if she's a fan of his music, unclear if Camille didn't hear the question, but when asked again, she replies "Yes, yes, of course." Before getting into an SUV.

As you know, Camille and Johnny struck up a friendship over the many months together working on the case. Fans speculated, and social media theories ran wild that the two of them may have become more than friends ... but our sources say that just isn't the case.

Lifelong friends and victims of the Uvalde school shooting will be buried next to one another -- a decision made by their parents -- who say the two shared an incredible bond.

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez will be laid to rest at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde this week -- their parents will have the friends side-by-side, according to an interview with ABC News.

The 2 were close friends that attended Robb Elementary School, first meeting as toddlers and continuing to build their friendship as they grew up together.

As they got older, they'd text each other things like "I love you" at night ... and Annabell would wear a necklace with a photo of Xavier on it.

On the day of the shooting, both students received awards at school, posing for a pic together before returning to class ... and just one hour later is when tragedy struck.

The residence Bob Saget called home before his unexpected death has hit the market.

The home which was newly renovated when Bob bought it in 2003 is listed for $7.765 million. Bob's nephew, Adam Saget at Compass holds the listing.

As expected, the property has a ton of entertaining space -- including a pool, spa and barbecue hosting space -- complete with 6 bedrooms, including a guest house. The home was first built in 1964, but got a total renovation when Bob bought it for $2.895 million.

Bob shared the home with his wife, Kelly Rizzo, but recent reports said she felt the home had become a burden -- even though it was also filled with happy memories.

The listing comes just before the Netflix premiere of "A Tribute to Bob Saget" which is set to release June 10 -- featuring some of the industry's best comedians, who Bob called friends.

It was back in January when Saget died at The Ritz-Carlton in Orlando after suffering a brain bleed. Investigators believe the comedian struck his head -- possibly on the hotel headboard -- before he went to sleep.

Family members of the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting are trying to make sure their loved one's deaths are not in vain -- they want Congress to do something, anything, about firearms and white supremacists.

We got Ben Crump and the families he represents Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are hearing testimony from survivors and loved ones of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.

Michelle Spight, whose cousin Markus Morrison was one of the 10 killed in Buffalo, says she's tired of the rhetoric coming from Congress ... and she wants more done to combat white supremacy, because the gunman in their case followed that ideology.

Dominique Douglas, another of Markus' cousins, says if Congress members do nothing in the wake of multiple mass shootings, they should be voted out of office.

Crump says the bodies of the Buffalo 10 were so mangled by the shooter's assault rifle, they're the modern equivalent to Emmett Till ... and he's calling on lawmakers to put people over politics to enact gun reform before there's another public tragedy.

Todd and Julie Chrisley are likely headed to federal prison, but at least they got in a hearty family meal before the bad news in court ... and we got some pics from the event.

Think "last supper," but earlier in the day -- the Chrisleys gathered the fam for a Sunday brunch 2 days before they were found guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion.

The family broke bread at the Peach & the Porkchop, just outside Atlanta -- and witnesses tell us they made the most of it. Everyone was all smiles, although Todd did have to get up to take a phone call for about 10 minutes.

It might've been case-related, as we're told everyone at the table was quiet and looking at Todd during the call. In any event, the mood picked back up again when he sat down.

As we reported, Todd and Julie were found guilty Tuesday of a laundry list of charges, but Todd's lawyer told us they plan on appealing the verdict.

The US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia tells us the Chrisleys sentencing is scheduled for October, and they're facing up to 30 years in prison.

Ezra Miller is not only a bad influence, they're a danger to the well-being of an 18-year-old woman ... at least according to her parents, who are asking a court to step in and keep the actor away from her.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tokata Iron Eyes met a then-23-year-old Miller in 2016 -- when she was just 12 -- and the actor was visiting the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. From there, Tokata's parents say she and Ezra developed a friendship they believe puts Tokata at risk.

Tokata's parents say Miller flew her to London in 2017 to visit the studio where "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" was filmed, as she was a big fan and Miller was a star in the movie. At the time of the trip, they say Tokata was 14 and Ezra was 25.

As the friendship continued, Tokata's parents claim Ezra supplied their underage daughter with alcohol, marijuana and LSD.

Not only that, they claim Ezra -- best known as The Flash in the DC superhero films -- disrupted Tokata's schooling at a private institute in Massachusetts so much, she dropped out in December 2021.

The parents say they flew to Miller's Vermont home in January to get their daughter ... and discovered she didn't have her driver's license, car keys, bank card and other items needed to navigate life independently.

They say they also found bruises on Tokata's body which they allege Ezra caused.

Shortly after she got home, Tokata's parents say she fled to NYC to reunite with Ezra -- and from there, the pair's been traveling together to Vermont, Hawaii and Los Angeles. The two were spotted at a club in Hawaii in video obtained by TMZ.

As we've reported ... Miller got arrested several times during their stay in Hawaii, including an incident where they allegedly attacked bar patrons.

In the docs, Tokata's parents state, "Ezra uses violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata." They claim Ezra's also told Tokata to solely go by Gibson ... a nickname she formerly used with family and friends.

Then there's this ... they say Ezra's decided Tokata is non-binary transgender, when she had previously declared herself "non-binary, queer, gay."

It seems Tokata is aware of her parents' concerns -- she recently took to social media to say she's mentally stable, and her "comrade" Ezra has been a help in her life. She also says she's recently gotten a therapist and is looking forward to the future.

Tokata's parents are asking the court to step in and issue an order of protection against Ezra on behalf of their daughter, and a hearing is set for next month.

Dwyane Wade says he's scared to death for his transgender daughter's safety ... saying as more states implement anti-trans sports laws, his fear grows even stronger.

The Miami Heat legend spoke about his concerns at the TIME 100 Summit in NYC this week ... when he was asked -- as the father of 15-year-old Zaya -- about the current struggles for trans youth in this country.

"As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves our house," Wade said.

"And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world."

Wade gave a passionate response about his fears ... while also blasting the idea of trans sports bans -- calling out lawmakers for making rules on things he says they know nothing about.

"To me, it’s a joke," Wade said, "This is our life. We live this."

"When you’re out there making rules and if you’re not experiencing this and you're not living this and you're just out there signing away and making laws, that's not right. That's a joke."

FYI -- Louisiana just became the most recent state to pass a bill preventing trans women from competing in women's sports ... joining states like Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and more.

Wade added, "Come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her."

Wade says he is frustrated that we're "losing the humane side of us" ... claiming in reality, he believes people should take the opportunity to educate -- instead of being dismissive.

"We're not gonna close the book on anyone being gay, bisexual transgender -- we can't close the book on that!"