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Ne-Yo just dropped his first album in 4 years, and he says the hiatus is largely because COVID took a massive toll on his emotional state and creativity.

The R&B singer joined "TMZ Live" to talk all about his 8th studio album, titled "Self Explanatory" ... an album that was put on the back burner when the pandemic hit. Ne-Yo says music was not on his mind nearly as much as survival -- the survival of his family.

He says even after quarantine was lifted, it took time getting the "funk" removed from his psyche.

The album does not reference COVID ... he says he has nothing new to offer since we all went through it. Ditto the Black Lives Matter movement ... he says it has been so well-documented that the album would not move the ball forward.

The album is much more about his personal life ... especially the ups and downs he experienced with his marriage. We get into all of that, and more, in the full interview, which airs on Monday's "TMZ Live."

Ne-Yo has been in an on-again, off-again marriage to his wife, Crystal Renay. You'll recall, the two got remarried in Vegas back in April ... nearly 2 years after she filed for divorce and then withdrew the petition.

American medium and psychic Allison DuBois was 38 years old when she lit up her electric cigarette and sparked up the verbal brawl on season one of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Accompanying Allison to the 'Dinner Party From Hell' included the leader of the pack, Kyle Richards, Kyle's partner in crime, Faye Resnick, the intelligent restaurateur, Lisa Vanderpump and the 'queen of Malibu,' Camille Meyer (formerly known as Camille Grammer).

Allison's professional success landed her the television mystery series 'Medium,' starring Patricia Arquette which ran for 7 seasons.

Drake's kinda doing an about-face after his team denied he was busted in Sweden -- confirming he did have some sort of run-in with cops ... but the details are still hazy.

The rapper posted a series of photos Sunday, apparently documenting his recent adventures -- one of which was a shot of a print-out he'd been given by Swedish authorities ... addressing the mass speculation from the past few days that he'd landed in trouble.

The document was issued by Swedish authorities, aka Polisen, and it's titled ... "Information for Those Suspected of a Crime and Subsequently Detained." Well, at least it's thorough.

It goes on to explain Drake's rights under Swedish law -- which are pretty similar to Miranda rights someone received when they're taken in by cops here in the States. As you can see, Drake has the right to know what he's being detained for, and the right to legal counsel.

He actually has a few more rights, it seems, than the average American ... or even Swedish citizen. The doc notes he can contact his country's consulate and have messages sent and received on his behalf. However, it doesn't appear things got that serious in this matter.

The rumor was that Drake was arrested on marijuana related charges while partying at a Swedish club this week ... and it sounds like he's since been released in connection to that -- hence him posting this update. Unclear if he'll have to go back and deal with this in court.

The strange thing ... Drake's team denied there was any truth to this story, amid speculation and the hashtag #FreeDrake going viral. Maybe they were splitting hairs over semantics -- like whether he was arrested or detained -- but it's obvious something did in fact go down.

Brad Pitt says he might be bowing out of movies -- or at least appearing in them, anyway -- which could be a big mistake, 'cause the guy's still as magnetic as ever ... just look at this!

Here's the legendary A-lister hobnobbing on a boat while cruising the Seine River in Paris this weekend ... the first stop for his latest press run to plug his new film, 'Bullet Train' -- a high-voltage action flick that sees Brad fighting bad guys in and out of transit in Tokyo.

While the movie looks great -- it's actually just the second flick he's headed up as a straight-on lead in at least a few years. Yes, he had a supporting role in 'The Lost City,' which was hilarious, but before that ... it was 'Ad Astra' way back in 2019 when he got top billing.

As fans of his have certainly noticed, he's been doing a lot less films in recent years -- picking and choosing roles wisely ... which paid off with an Oscar 2 years ago.

But it's also a sign of his movie stardom slow-down. He addressed this recently in a GQ interview ... saying he figured he was on his "last leg" of acting, going on to say he was in the final stretch of that particular chapter -- and musing on what might be next for him.

The dude's got his Plan B production co., which continues to crank out great films with accolades to boot ... but on the thespian front, this might be one of his ultimate go-arounds.

He's got a few more gigs on the horizon, it seems -- but if this is, in fact, a closing glimpse of him doing the Hollywood thing ... we gotta say, he's going out with a bang. These shots are emblematic of what many have said about Brad's on-screen presence -- home boy's just got it, even at his age now. Take a gander through these pics ... they're gold.

Shaquille O'Neal has returned to form -- at least in the EDM sense -- because the dude is out here in Europe head-banging with a bunch of normies ... at a festival he's performing in.

The NBA great was spotted moshing at Tomorrowland in Belgium -- where he's slated to hit the stage as his music persona, DJ Diesel, in a set that's sure to rock the crowd. Seems Shaq wanted a head start though ... 'cause he immersed himself in the crowd beforehand.

Check out this awesome video, shot by photojournalist Adam Glyn, in which Shaq is being mobbed by festival-goers ... this as he towers over them and matches their energy.

It's pretty surreal to see -- but then again, maybe not ... SON has proven time and again that he's very much so of the people, and Tomorrowland seems to be no exception. Of course, Shaq has done this before -- but not for a while ... last time he was out there was 2019.

We already know Shaq is a renaissance man -- with his hand in a lot of different ventures, business and otherwise -- so him in a setting like this really isn't all that crazy if you think about it.

Kanye West is out, and Kid Cudi is in at Rolling Loud Miami -- an interesting swap, considering the two have been beefing these past few months.

Festival organizers made the announcement Sunday, saying that -- for reasons beyond their control -- Kanye wouldn't be performing at their event later this month as one of the three headliners ... and in his place, Scott would be stepping in to take up the mantle.

Rolling Loud Co-Founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler further tell TMZ ... "We were looking forward to Ye headlining Rolling Loud Miami 2022. We spent months working with him and his team on the performance. Unfortunately, Ye has decided that he will no longer be performing. This is the first time a headliner has ever pulled off our show and though we don’t take it lightly, we wish him the best."

They add, "We look forward to welcoming Kid Cudi as a headliner in Miami and we can’t wait to see what he has in store."

Kid Cudi himself confirmed the news, posting the new lineup on his IG story. It's unclear why Ye bailed, but that's kinda his M.O. lately -- you'll recall, he also pulled out of Coachella last minute, with no explanation. There, too, they had to scramble last minute for a new act.

The backdrop to this latest news, of course, is the fact that Cudi has officially disavowed Ye ... publicly declaring that their friendship is over, this after Ye took some swipes at him for being friends with Pete Davidson.

He even clarified afterward that he and Kanye still weren't cool, despite the fact they collaborated on a song of Pusha T's -- which KC said would be the last time they worked together. So, him being the guy to fill Kanye's shoes is almost coming full circle on all that.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are married -- and wouldn't you know it ... they did it like a couple of kids looking to elope, saying "I do" out in the desert.

According to court records, obtained by TMZ, the couple got a marriage license in Clark County, NV -- which was taken out and processed on Saturday, July 16. It's in both of their names -- their legal ones at that ... Benjamin Geza Affleck and Jennifer Lynn Lopez.

A source connected to Bennifer tells TMZ ... they did, indeed, get hitched ... and the license is a signal they are now man and wife.

TMZ broke the story ... earlier this year, J Lo was spotted wearing an engagement ring when furniture shopping with her 14-year-old child, Emme.

Soon after, Jennifer shared the news with her fans via a video message on her newsletter, she's teary-eyed and simply says, "You're perfect" before you can catch a glimpse of her beautiful green diamond ring.

Ben and Jen first got engaged in late 2002, but called things off in 2004 before they got married. They both went on to have separate relationships, including marriages and kids, but the exes reunited almost a year ago ... and have been seemingly inseparable ever since.

The signs of them tying the knot have been there all along -- as we've reported ... they've been house hunting together -- often bringing their kids along -- and signaled they were aiming for a blended family situation. Despite some of their real estate deals falling through, the couple seems to have settled down in a Beverly Hills estate.

Last month, Jen's car was spotted at a massive estate in Beverly Hills. There were also 4 moving trucks outside the estate -- plus, moving trucks at both Ben and Jen's current homes in the L.A. area.

The house was not listed for sale -- we're told he bought it for around $60 million. It was previously owned by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. Now, they're moving in as bride and groom.

Congrats!!!

Billie Eilish might be responsible for crystalizing what you could call "sad girl" pop in this day and age ... an argument that's got fans of Fiona Apple, and others, up in arms.

Here's the deal ... a fan account that chronicles Billie music news tweeted Saturday that the Recording Academy -- which, of course, is responsible for the Grammys -- credited BE with creating the above-mentioned genre ... also employed by Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, etc.

They're referencing an article from the Recording Academy that was written a few days ago, titled ... "The Psychology Of "Sad Girl" Pop: Why Music By Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo & More Is Resonating So Widely."

While the Billie fan account isn't quite accurate in characterizing what the article actually says -- namely, that Billie has more or less popularized "sad girl" pop into its own subgenre, especially for a new generation -- it does sorta capture the spirit ... which seems to be giving artists like Billie and all the other Gen-Zers a bit more credit than they perhaps deserve.

That's where Fiona fans are coming out in force against this narrative ... dive into the "Fiona Apple" trend on Twitter right now and you'll see what we mean. They're sour over this.

A lot of them are pointing out that musicians like Fiona and Alanis Morissette are the actual trailblazers that the Recording Academy thinks Billie, Olivia and other young'ns are -- and there are other names getting thrown in the mix too as pioneers.

There's Lana Del Rey ... who's been in this lane for years. Others who've been mentioned as stalwarts of "sad girl" pop -- Michelle Branch, Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Marina Diamandis, Lorde, Hope Sandoval ... and even older acts like Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell.

It's a sign of the times ... a glass door shattering was enough to turn the Vegas strip into full-blown panic.

Tourists heard loud sounds Saturday night on the Strip, which they mistook for gunfire ... and it created a domino effect, sending hundreds of terrified folks running for their lives.

Turns out it was just a glass door shattering, but that was enough to send people scrambling. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said, "There is no evidence of gunfire in the area and the event is under investigation."

People ran out of the MGM Grand and New York-New York. One person suffered minor injuries after falling during the stampede out.

One person was detained ... the one who broke the glass door. That individual was stopped on suspicion of destruction of property. Unclear if there were any arrests.

It's really a scary situation ... you see cops descending on the area with guns drawn as they try to figure out if there is indeed an active shooter.

The World Series of Poker was interrupted by the incident but the gamblers soon returned.

"The Office" star Craig Robinson had to pull the plug on his comedy show moments before going on stage, after a gunman began shooting inside the comedy club.

Gunshots rang out at around 9 PM Saturday night at the Comedy Zone in North Carolina ... and Craig's fans beelined it out for safety.

The gunman flashed his gun as he entered the venue and, demanded that everyone leave, and according to cops, then fired at least one round. Thankfully no one was injured.

Robinson left the venue as well, and headed over to the Metro Credit Union Amphitheater where Big Time Rush was mid-concert. The Amphitheater is a stone's throw from the comedy club.

Craig says, "I’m safe. I’m cool. It was wild I was in the green room and they’re like ‘everybody get out!’ It was a moment for sure."

Kanye West may have been hit by the supply chain crisis, because his floor-to-ceiling renovation of his Malibu home is far from completion.

Ye paid just a skosh over $57 million for the Malibu beachfront home. He's using a famous architect ... Tadao Ando, but even he can't seem to accelerate the process. Then again, Kanye is famous for coming up with a plan and then changing it until it's exactly to his liking.

The home is 4,000 square feet ... which is huge by Malibu standards for beachfront property ... thus the hefty price tag. BTW, when Kanye bought it it was listed for $75 million.

It's pretty austere ... which is Kanye's thing. The house he designed for his family -- which Kim Kardashian now owns -- is also minimalist.

Dave Chappelle getting an Emmy nomination for a stand-up special some call transphobic is emboldening the transgender community -- but not so much in the way you might think.

We spoke to Ashlee Marie Preston in L.A. to get her reaction to the comedian getting a Primetime Emmy nod for Netflix's "The Closer" -- which, as you know, was the subject of much controversy last year ... and even spurred Netflix employee walkouts in protest.

Preston -- who isn't a Netflix employee, but still helped organize the walkout -- tells us she and other members of the transgender and queer community have an action plan ... the details of which she's purposely keeping under wraps, but promises we'll see soon as a response.

Give the clip a watch ... it sounds like Ashlee and Co. are about to roll out a campaign or an announcement of sorts that advocates for LGBT-friendly content -- something she says the industry needs more of to help combat the POVs Dave expressed in "Closer," which she considers harmful.

Preston also tells us that instead of focusing on Chappelle ... she encourages anyone who supports their cause to turn their attention to Emmy nominees who help tell their story -- folks like Bowen Yang and others, who are also up for awards this year.

It's also interesting to hear Preston's approach this time around -- rather than being triggered and reacting in haste, she and her colleagues appear to be going about the response much more strategically.

Amber Rose knows Kanye West, and she opens up about his divorce from Kim Kardashian ... short story, she's not surprised at all.

Amber sat down with Raquel for the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast and Amber -- though circumspect -- seems to know of what she speaks. She makes it clear ... she saw the divorce coming, and it's all based on her experience with Kanye.

Amber acknowledges she had her own issues with Ye, but she's still wished him nothing but the best. Amber, who's always been rock solid, says she's focusing on her own life and not what her exes are doing.

Amber and Kanye dated from 2008 to 2010 ... before he moved on to Kim a year later. So, she had a fresh look at Kanye's new relationship with lots of experience to lay odds. And, her odds are that it just wouldn't last.

Raq makes a point of saying Amber and Kim share the same birthday and therefore they have something in common, but Amber makes it clear ... the birth date is where similarities end.

Kodak Black's weekend is off to an unfortunate start … the "Super Gremlin" was arrested after cops say they found a bunch of oxycodone pills in his car.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Kodak was traveling in a Dodge Durango Friday in Ft. Lauderdale with what cops believed was an illegal window tint.

After pulling the rapper over, cops say they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and eventually searched the car. Officers claim they found 31 oxycodone pills and $74,960 in cash during the search.

Our sources say Kodak's license and tags were also expired.

Kodak was then arrested and hauled off to Broward County jail.

Felice Herrig has turned her tootsies into cash cows -- the combat sports star tells TMZ Sports she's raking in the dough ... by selling her used socks and pics of her feet on OnlyFans!!

Yep, you read that correctly -- the newly-retired MMA fighter and current Bare Knuckle FC fighter tells us she's living very comfortably by snapping shots of her lil bulldogs ... and it's now given her the freedom to fight at her leisure.

Felice tells us all her fans with foot fetishes have asked for some up-close looks for a while now ... and she's more than happy to fulfill their requests.

But, some folks out there even want to possess some of her USED socks ... which she's shelling out for $150!!!

Pretty sweet gig, huh??

The money Herrig is making now has allowed her to fight whenever she wants ... unlike how things were previously in her long career.

As for her new transition over to BKFC, Felice tells us it's the perfect fit for what she's truly passionate about in fighting -- admitting her heart wasn't in MMA.

"Now, it's coming full-circle," Herrig tells us. "I get to go back to doing what I love. And actually, boxing has always been my number one."

This week's Summer Hot Shots is coming from the warm sands of Brighton where European model Jude Guaitamacchi brought some serious heat while hanging shirtless on the shores of the United Kingdom.

When the non-binary hottie isn't baking the beaches of the U.K. with their good looks ... they can be spotted being featured in Vogue, doing TEDx talks, public speaking and raising awareness around equality and inclusion of trans and non-binary people.

Send Judes!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2022 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!