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French Montana says he and his mopstick are ready to clean up the rap competition this summer with his album "Montega" -- an album that now has certified approval from NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

French & fam were out in The Big Apple last night at Sei Less restaurant soaking up the sounds of the new project, which won over listeners with features from Quavo, Rick Ross and late collaborator Chinx ... over a bangin' bevy of longtime producer Harry Fraud's beats.

French tells TMZ Hip Hop he's back in his bag saying, "This album takes me back to my roots and original wave sound with Harry. I create my best work with him and always trust him to see the vision."

He adds, "I think the fans are going to appreciate this one, it’s really going to bring them back."

Last weekend, French dropped off the intro track video "Blue Chills" and plans to keep the hype moving into the album's June 24 release date.

Chris Brown wants no part of the Internet debate about whether he's more talented than Michael Jackson -- he's shutting down the whole convo after an interview on "Big Boy's Neighborhood."

During the opening moments, the L.A. radio host addressed the swirling controversy to which CB decided to dead things once and for all.

Breezy says if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, he wouldn't be anywhere near the entertainer he is today and cited a shrine he has dedicated to the late King of Pop.

For the past few weeks, hip hop artists like Fivio Foreign and Tank have been leaning toward giving CB the ultimate crown -- but Chris himself says he'd concede to the man who brought us "Thriller," "Rock With You" and "Billie Jean."

Going forward, CB is gearing up to go on tour with Lil Baby and drop his new album "Breezy" -- a project he tells Big Boy he recorded 250 songs for, before whittling it down to just 23.

President Biden is back on his feet -- and on top of softer terrain -- just a couple days after wiping out on his bike in a clip that's now gone viral.

The Prez hit Rehoboth Beach in Delaware Monday -- sporting a big grin, ballcap and aviator sunglasses. 46 didn't hit the water, just a walk along the shore, but he stopped to chat and take pics with several other beachgoers along his stroll.

As we reported, JB was biking with Dr. Jill Biden on Saturday while on a weekend getaway in his home city when his shoe got caught in the pedal strap, causing him to fall.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger is not cowering from crazies who are so angry at his feelings toward Donald Trump they threaten to kill him.

Kinzinger, a member of the Jan. 6th House Committee, posted a letter he says was sent to his home, and here it is ... "You are one stupid c***. That pimp you married not only broke his oath, he sold his soul. Yours, and Christian's too! Adam's activities have not only hurt this country, but countless patriotic and God-fearing families. Therefore, although it might take time, he will be executed."

Then the writer goes on to attack Adam's wife and son ... "But don't worry! You and Christian will be joining Adam in hell too! We find it blasphemous that you name the son of the devil Christian!"

Kinzinger, who is not running for re-election, appeared on ABC's "This Week" Sunday and said he believed Trump's involvement in the insurrection rose to a level of criminality.

In posting the letter, Kinzinger blamed the tone of the GOP for people like this letter-writer going nuts ... "The Darkness is spreading courtesy of cowardly leaders fearful of truth. Is the what you want @GOP? Pastors?"

BTW ... along the same lines, a GOP candidate named Eric Greitens, who's running for the U.S. Senate in Missouri, appears in a campaign ad with gun in hand, saying he's going after RINO's ... Republicans In Name Only.

Houston Baptist men's basketball star Darius Lee was tragically shot and killed while at a gathering in New York on Monday, the university confirmed.

He was just 21 years old.

According to the NYPD, the shooting occurred at what appeared to be a barbeque in Harlem at around 12:40 AM.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene following reports of gunfire, they found nine people -- seven males and two females -- suffering from gunshot wounds.

Lee, who was ID'ed by Houston Baptist as one of the seven injured males, was transported to a nearby hospital after being struck in the chest by a bullet. He was sadly pronounced dead there, cops say.

Police say a firearm was recovered at the site of the shooting, but no further details regarding the incident were revealed. Cops say they've yet to make any arrests and an investigation is ongoing.

Houston Baptist officials mourned Lee's death on Monday, with men's basketball head coach Ron Cottrell calling the 6-foot-6, 230-pound wing "a remarkable young man."

"We are in shock and cannot wrap our heads around this news," Cottrell said. "My heart breaks for his mom, his sister and his entire family, and for our basketball team. The only thing we find comfort in right now is knowing where Darius is. He is in the arms of Jesus… we know that as fact. And we will see him again some day."

Lee was Houston Baptist's best player last season ... averaging 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The rising senior was expected to graduate in December, the school said.

"As great of a basketball player as he was, he was an even better person," Cottrell said. "I can't even think of basketball right now. I can only think of what a light Darius was during his short time on earth. He was a joy to coach and we loved him so much."

Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna don't agree on much, but were apparently able to hammer out an agreement before another nasty trial was scheduled to kickoff between the two.

Jury selection in the former couple's revenge porn case was to begin Monday in L.A., however, potential jurors were informed they'd no longer be needed -- as the two had reached a settlement.

We don't yet know the terms of the deal, or if it was financial ... but we do know Rob and his legal team put up quite a fight to prevent the trial from even happening in the first place.

As we reported, Rob claimed he and Chyna had already struck a deal to end the revenge porn case. Rob said he had agreed to help Chyna get out of another case if she'd drop the revenge porn case ... but then claimed Chyna never held up her end of the bargain.

A judge decided Rob's proof of a prior deal wasn't good enough, and ordered the revenge porn case to continue ... but obviously, that changed Monday morning when the two sides figured something out.

The emergency protection order that was filed against Rajon Rondo last month after he was accused of pulling a gun on the mother of his kids has been dismissed, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A judge ordered the dismissal of the petition on June 16, according to court records.

Court documents show the reason for the move was Rondo and his accuser, Ashley Bachelor, "reached an agreement." No further details surrounding the pact were revealed.

As we reported, the emergency protection order was initially filed on May 13 after Bachelor claimed Rondo became enraged after she interrupted a video game session between the NBA player and his son in Kentucky on May 11.

Rondo allegedly smashed a bunch of items around the house ... and, according to court documents, told Bachelor "You're dead" before leaving the residence.

Bachelor claimed Rondo eventually came back with a gun, scaring her and their kids.

Bachelor was eventually granted protection for herself and her two children, and Rondo had to temporarily stay at least 500 feet away from Ashley and their kids.

It's only Juneteenth's second year as a national holiday, but it's been official with Lizzo for much longer than that, and -- like many other celebs -- she's going big to celebrate.

The singer says she's been celebrating Juneteenth since her childhood in Houston, but for the third straight year she's getting her fans in on the festivities with a huge giveaway that includes a chance for them to fly out and hang with her.

Lizzo also posted why the holiday is so important -- "Juneteenth is about giving Black citizens of this country our own Declaration of Independence. It is about the complicated and nuanced history we have with this country".

June 19, aka Juneteenth, marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in America -- in Galveston, TX -- got the word President Lincoln had abolished slavery two-and-a-half years earlier with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was finally recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

Mariah Carey marked the day with a photo of her twins, Morocco and Monroe, looking at photos of Mariah's father. She captioned the Juneteenth/Father's Day post with "Celebrate your black excellence."

There were many others ... including Justin Bieber and Pharrell, who took a moment to share his own words after hitting the stage for Day 3 of the Something In the Water festival in Washington, D.C.

The Juneteenth Foundation's Freedom Festival was also held in D.C.

Logan Paul says his relationship with The Rock was completely ruined amid the fallout from his suicide forest vlog in 2017 ... revealing his idol asked him to remove any traces of them together from social media following the controversy.

The 27-year-old YouTuber/boxer had celebs and politicians calling for him to be canceled after posting footage of a man taking his own life to his channel after a trip to Japan ... but claims one person, in particular, left him truly hurt.

"This was one of the saddest moments of my life, what I'm about to say." Logan said on the True Geordie Podcast.

"After Japan happened, I obviously found myself in a hole -- rightfully so -- that I had never been in before. Extremely low, mentally, and I got a call from my publicist, who also repped Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson."

"She's like 'Hey, Dwayne has asked that you remove every video and picture that you've done with him. Maybe in the future, the relationship can be reconciled, but for now, he basically wants nothing to do with you.' Which I also understood. I get it. I made a grotesque error."

"He has had things happen in his life where that incident has affected him in a vastly different way," Logan added.

Johnson has previously opened up about his mother's suicide attempt when he was just 15 years old ... calling for people to look out for and take care of each other.

Logan says he wishes The Rock had reached out to him personally to explain his decision to cut ties ... saying, "I feel like we had a healthy relationship, an open line of communication. I was so sad that my hero wanted nothing to do with me."

"I was sad because I understood it. I really f***ed up."

As for their relationship now, Paul says Johnson recently hit him up via Instagram DM and pretended like nothing happened ... but he didn't respond.

Johnson also reacted to Logan's recent WrestleMania appearance, saying he was very proud of the Maverick's work .... but it sounds like this relationship is far from fixed.

The celebration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a combination of solemn moments and all-out partying -- featuring multiple generations of music superstars -- to mark the occasion.

The biggest party went down Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl where Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Khalid, Billy Porter and many more took the stage and got the sold-out crowd on its collective feet.

The concert event -- "Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom" -- aired live on CNN, and Chaka's performance was especially rousing, backed by The Roots, she belted out her hits "Ain't Nobody" and "I'm Every Woman" ... while EWF and Bell Biv Devoe also played crowd favorites "Groove Tonight" and "Poison."

President Biden and Vice President Harris recorded messages to address the Hollywood Bowl audience ... and called the holiday a "time to celebrate, time to educate and time to act."

Meanwhile, the activist who fought hard for years to get Juneteenth federal holiday status also marked the day.

95-year-old Opal Lee completed a 2.5 mile walk in Fort Worth -- symbolizing the 2.5 years it took for the enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, TX to get the news that President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

That happened on June 19, 1865 ... hence the holiday's name, Juneteenth. While it's long been unofficially recognized -- especially in the Black community -- it didn't become a federal holiday until last year.

Opal's suggestion for all Americans to recognize the holiday -- "I advocate that we celebrate from the 19th of June to the 4th of July. That would be celebrating freedom."

'Bold and the Beautiful' star Ashley Jones is no longer married to her allegedly abusive husband ... but she's walking away with some court-ordered protection.

A judgment's been entered in her divorce from Joel Henricks, and according to the docs, they hammered out child custody issues earlier this month ... and also figured out how they're dividing up all their assets.

The one complicating issue is Ashley accused Joel of beating her and causing a spiral fracture in her hand. As a result, she also asked to extend her restraining order against him through Feb. 20, 2023 ... and the judge granted it.

According to the divorce judgment, obtained by TMZ, Ashley will have physical custody of their 6-year-old son, Hayden, 3 days a week plus alternating weekends. Joel gets him for 4 hours each Tuesday and Wednesday and alternate weekends.

Ashley gets to pick Hayden's school next year, but has to pay 100% of the tuition. She'll also have her son with her for Mother's Day and her birthday every year. She and Joel will alternate custody, annually, for holidays and school breaks.

The divorce does not include child support or spousal support, but the exes agree they'll each cover all expenses incurred while they have Hayden.

As for division of property ... each keeps their personal bank accounts, Ashley gets a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLE -- while Joel gets a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 and a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 truck.

Pope Francis may be hanging it up soon -- stepping down as the leader of the Catholic Church -- at least that's the buzz in and around the Vatican.

There's some unusual activity going on ... and the backdrop to all of it is the Pope's frail health. He's been confined to a wheelchair recently ... the result of debilitating knee pain.

The Pope also just canceled a trip to Africa scheduled for next month.

What's fueling the resignation rumors is a meeting of cardinals that the Pope just scheduled ... it's highly unusual.

Pope Francis assumed his role back in 2013 and has instituted a series of reforms, which include a new constitution.

What's especially interesting ... Pope Francis's predecessor, former Pope Benedict, resigned in 2013 ... he says it was based on deteriorating physical and mental health.

And, there's this ... back in May, during a meeting with bishops, Pope Francis addressed his knee issues, saying, "Rather than operate, I'll resign."

If Michael Jordan memorabilia from his time in Chicago doesn't excite you, then check this out -- a ticket stub from his first-ever game as a UNC Tar Heel has just hit the auction block ... and, it's believed to be the only one in existence!

The extremely rare piece is from the November 1981 UNC vs. Kansas game -- which was Jordan's debut on Dean Smith's Tar Heels hoops team.

The ticket is tattered and torn and has been given a poor 1 grading ... but since it's believed to be the only surviving stub from the night -- it could net a small fortune.

In fact, experts at Heritage Auctions say it could go for over $10,000!!

Jordan ticket stubs have been hot on the auction block recently ... earlier this year, a Chicago Bulls stub from Jordan's 1984 debut (one of 23 available) sold for $99,000.

As for Jordan's career at UNC, it was legendary ... during his three seasons, he averaged 17.7 points per game and shot 54% from the field. He also won the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984.

Of course, MJ's most memorable Tar Heels moment was when he made the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship against Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.

Rapper Obie Trice was busted in Michigan for allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend ... and cops say he told her family he was going to harm them too.

The "Got Some Teeth" rapper was booked Thursday afternoon in West Bloomfield for using a telephone to harass or threaten someone ... according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Curt Lawson, the deputy chief at the West Bloomfield Police Department, tells TMZ ... Obie was dating a woman, and after they split he allegedly sent threatening messages to her and also started texting threats to some of her relatives.

Police say they were told Obie showed up uninvited to his ex's family home on multiple occasions ... and cops got involved and told him to stop.

But, we're told Obie didn't listen and allegedly continued with the threats, so police got a misdemeanor warrant ... leading to his Thursday arrest.

Lia Thomas' participation in women's swimming has reached a breaking point -- because the world's governing body for the sport has weighed in ... and their ruling is against her.

FINA -- French for the the International Swimming Federation -- came down with their decision this weekend regarding transgender athletes (specifically trans women) partaking in elite women's swimming ... and they say it's a no-go going forward, with caveats.

The org's new policy says male-to-female swimmers who transition before age of 12 or before the Tanner Stage 2 of puberty -- whichever comes later -- can compete in women's events. The reason ... they say there's no question a trans female athlete that has already gone through male puberty has an unfair physical advantage over cisgender females.

They reached this conclusion based on multiple studies, reports and presentations by 3 specialist groups, who offered their findings to FINA -- made up of members from 152 national federations -- which then voted ... with a 71% majority in favor of this decision.

In the wake of this coming down, a rep for the Prez of FINA told AP, "This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair."

The spox adds, "They’re not saying everyone should transition by age 11, that’s ridiculous. You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage." They clarified there are no trans women currently competing in elite levels of swimming ... presumably, meaning international competition.

One thing FINA is considering to be inclusive to trans swimmers ... an "open competition" category. It's ill-defined at this point, but they're tasking a team to investigate it further.

It's unclear if FINA's new rules are going to be adopted by agencies like the NCAA, which currently permits people like Lia to compete in collegiate swimming. She made history this year by winning a national title in women's swimming, the 500-meter freestyle.

In any case, some people are welcoming the news ... including Caitlyn Jenner, who's been advocating for such change for a while now -- saying trans female athletes have an undeniable physical advantage over their cisgender competition, as have many others.

She wrote, "It worked! I took a lot of heat - but what’s fair is fair! If you go through male puberty you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period."

Nick Cannon is a busy man on Father's Day -- with 6 kids already out of the oven, and 2 more cooking -- but he's only getting love (publicly) from a couple baby mamas.

Indeed ... the television host and media personality was shouted out Sunday, explicitly, by just two women who are currently carrying his children. That would be Johnny Manziel's ex, Bre Tiesi, who's very pregnant with a boy at this point, and Abby De La Rosa ... with whom Nick already shares twins, and has another baby with him on the way as well.

ADLR posted a couple of old videos/photos of her, Nick and their kids, with a caption that read, "Happy Father's Day @nickcannon - we are so grateful for you papa!"

Abby also appears to have actually been with Nick himself this weekend, or at least on Saturday anyway. In addition to the old videos/photos, she also threw up what seems to be a new clip of them celebrating with a Father's Day-themed bash, and she calls Nick "babe."

Meanwhile, Bre -- who announced she was expecting with Nick via a gender reveal party at the beginning of the year -- posted personal shots of her and Nick as well ... where she, too, is giving him praise as a great dad-to-be, and seems to be all in on their relationship.

Bre's caption reads, "Moments like this with you are everything. You are the most gentle loving present human. I dk how you do it we are just thankful you do. Happy Father's Day to baby C's super daddy we love you so much can't wait to celebrate u @nickcannon."

She posted yet another photo of the two of them during a shoot, where she calls Nick "my love" and further wishes him a happy Father's Day. What she doesn't have that Abby does ... Nick there with her, or so it seems.

Another woman with whom Nick had a child -- which unfortunately passed away at a very young age -- is Alyssa Scott, who said Happy Father's Day ... but without naming Nick.

Their son, Zen, died at just 5 months old after a battle with cancer, and was NC's 7th child ... something Nick addressed on his show and which left him torn up. It doesn't appear he's hanging with AS right now either.

His other baby mamas -- Mariah Carey and Brittany Bell, with whom he shares 4 children between the two women -- have been relatively mum thus far on Father's Day ... at least as far as mentioning Nick is concerned. Brittany hasn't posted any Father's Day tributes at all ... meanwhile, Mariah just threw up a post honoring Juneteenth and FD, without naming NC.

Ya gotta imagine the guy's making the rounds today for all his little ones, but out of all of the mothers ... it appears Abby is the one who's staking a claim as his current SO, at least that seems to be the case. It's unclear if Nick's monogamous with anyone these days.

The more the merrier, though, we suppose. Happy Father's Day!!!