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A new lawsuit accuses Nicki Minaj of straight-up stealing the beat for her song "I Lied" from another artist ... a scenario sources close to Nicki say is impossible considering she didn't handle the song's production.

The rapper, along with mega-producer Mike Will Made It, is being sued by Julius Johnson, who says the music playing under the vocals on Nicki's track from "The Pinkprint" sounds like a carbon copy of a song he created years before she dropped "I Lied."

However, our Nicki sources tell us she wasn't hands-on with the beat, saying, "Clearly Nicki is a lyricist, so the claim in terms of production will obviously have to be addressed by the applicable parties."

As for those applicable parties, it appears Mike Will was the one who brought Nicki the beat.

As for the history, Johnson claims he published his song, called "onmysleeve," on YouTube in September 2011 ... 3 years before "I Lied" came out.

In the docs, Johnson claims he had the beat on a hard drive when he attended the Art Institute of Atlanta ... and he says in 2013 the hard drive was taken from a studio session without his consent.

Johnson claims associates of Nicki and Mike Will Made It were at the Institute around the same time and believes they somehow got their hands on his missing hard drive.

When Nicki released "I Lied" in December 2014 it obviously gained attention ... and Johnson claims when he finally heard her song in 2022, he immediately recognized the similarity to his beat ... insisting that, aside from the lyrics, Nicki's track has basically the same underlying instrumentation and beat as his track.

He's going after Nicki and Mike Will Made It for the profits they earned off his song ... and wants a judge to order them to stop using it or at least give him credit on "I Lied" for his contribution.

Ray Lewis gave a powerful speech at his son's funeral on Saturday ... fondly remembering his child less than two weeks after the 28-year-old's tragic death.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer, wearing all white, spoke for several minutes at the service inside of the Calvary Orlando Church in Florida ... as dozens of mourners listened on intently.

"We will see you again," the ex-Baltimore Ravens star said to his child, Ray Lewis III, during his speech.

Lewis also spoke about how he'd watched his son over the last 28 years ... adding, "The referees thought I was crazy running up and down the sideline."

Lewis' good friend, Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin, was also in attendance ... and he said after the ceremony his "heart bleeds" for Ray and the Lewis family.

"NO FATHER should ever have to bury his son!" Irvin said on his social media page. "There is NOT anything, anyone can say to ease this depth of pain. Just know this MY BROTHER, we love you and God has you."

In his post, Irvin also shared a video from the funeral ... showing that a montage featuring clips and pictures of Ray and his son was displayed.

Following the ceremony, some of Lewis' family members and closest friends gathered at the repast at Lake Mary Preparatory School, where they posed for a smiling photo.

As we previously reported, Lewis III died on June 14 ... after cops say he accidentally overdosed.

Ray hadn't spoken publicly about the death until Saturday's service.

The wreckage from the Titanic submersible tragedy hasn't even settled yet, but some are jumping at the opportunity to get Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet back on screens ... including Netflix.

The streaming giant recently announced James Cameron's 3-hour epic is hitting their service starting July 1. Of course, it's not entirely clear if "Titanic" was already scheduled to be part of their new offerings ... or if this is in response to OceanGate.

If you look online ... people definitely have their opinions, and many believe Netflix added this as a last-minute play to capitalize on all the interest in the story -- and there's a lot.

Indeed ... many are accusing Netflix of doing this way too soon. Despite all the jokes and mockery that's been aimed at the victims of the submersible, it would seem there's still a fair amount of people who feel like their memory should be honored -- at least for now.

BTW, "Titanic" isn't the only deep-sea project they're airing in July -- there's a new doc they're also promoting called "The Deepest Breath" ... and that too is getting a double take.

Now, while many suspect Netflix did this as a way to jump on the submarine saga ... some reports have suggested the licensing deal for "Titanic" was already set -- and that it was actually known it would be part of their July slate even before the sub went missing.

If that is, indeed, true ... another question being posed -- would it be appropriate to yank 'Titanic' for sensitivity purposes??? Something tells us Netflix isn't primed to do that.

As you know -- 5 people onboard the Titan submersible died after authorities said the vessel imploded underwater ... and much sooner than everyone initially thought. There's been a lot of scrutiny about the safety concerns in the lead-up to this ill-fated dive.

The irony of "Titanic" resurfacing for at-home viewing is the fact that its director has been so outspoken about the Titan's voyage ... sounding off and suggesting hubris was afoot.

Madonna has unloaded her beautiful Hidden Hills mansion ... and the Queen of Pop is making a fortune on the sale, TMZ has learned.

Madonna recently sold her ray of light for a whopping $23M. Her estate initially hit the market with a $26M price tag before reducing it to $23.5M. The buyer got her to shave off half a mil, so here we are.

Madonna is still making a sold profit ... TMZ broke the story, she picked up the place from The Weeknd back in 2021 for $19.3 mil.

The stunning estate sits on 3 acres and comes in at over 12.5K square feet ... with 9 beds and 11 baths. It has some great perks, like a glass wine cellar, theater, music lounge (obviously), a study, and a really neat no-edge, saltwater pool out back.

Trevor Wright of The Beverly Hills Estates held the listing.

We reached out to The Beverly Hills Estates, but they had no comment.

Kim Zolciak called the cops on her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, earlier this month -- and it was all because he allegedly accused Kim's friend of kidnapping their young son.

TMZ obtained audio from the 911 call Kim placed on June 16 in Alpharetta, GA. In her chat with the dispatcher, Kim says she's stressed out about her husband flipping out ... claiming he accused her friend of trying to kidnap their son.

The backstory is a little murky ... but essentially, KZ explains that she'd signed off on her girlfriend to take her son on a playdate. However, based on Kim's description, it sounds like when Kroy caught wind of this, he lost it and threatened to file a kidnapping report against the woman who was picking up their son.

Kim says this caused not only her friend to freak out, but also left Kim's son in tears ... and Kim tells the dispatcher she's going to pick up her son. It's a strange call -- obviously, it doesn't seem to be an emergency -- something Kim acknowledges herself.

BTW ... Kim also accuses Kroy of stealing her bag, which she says is full of divorce docs.

Based on police records, it appears nothing came of this at the time. Kim ends the call by telling the operator she'd call them back if she needs further assistance -- but, on its face, she seems to have just wanted to put this on the cops' radar ... which is exactly how the police noted it in their write-up. They didn't follow up on this address in the aftermath.

Now, when it comes to Kroy's side of things ... sources tell us this was just a case of bad communication. We're told Kroy had no idea their son, KJ, had gotten the green light to go to a rodeo with his friend/their mom. Our sources tell us Kroy's deeply distrustful of the woman who took KJ -- for reasons unexplained -- which is why he was on edge.

We're told when Kroy learned KJ was under the supervision of this woman -- he called her up, but apparently felt like he wasn't getting his point across. At one point, our sources say Kroy demanded she brings KJ back ... she allegedly hung up on him -- which is what led to him threatening to file kidnapping charges over it. He never did, though.

Chael Sonnen was talking out the side of his neck when he claimed Mark Zuckerberg personally called him to reveal the Elon Musk fight would go down at UFC 300 ... so says a rep for the Meta CEO, who tells TMZ Sports no such phone conversation ever took place.

The former UFC star made the wild declaration on "The MMA Hour" earlier Monday ... saying Zuck dialed him up to share a major update on his proposed fight with the Twitter honcho during his appearance on the show.

"Zuckerberg contacts me because he saw your tweet that I'm coming on," Sonnen said. "Zuckerberg has told me that he has agreed to fight Elon Musk at UFC 300 and it was a very big deal."

Sonnen swore up and down that he was 100% serious ... adding, "That just happened. [My producer] Ethan is my witness, my son, Thero, my dog, Duke. This is a shoot."

While a Zuck vs. Musk fight could very well happen at UFC 300 next year for all we know, a spokesperson for the Facebook co-founder was quick to shut down any talks of a phone chat with the former contender -- saying, "I have confirmed with Mark that he did not call Chael Sonnen."

Things have been picking up steam after the two billionaires traded public jabs all last week ... and UFC honcho Dana White told us both sides are dead serious about fighting.

In fact, Dana thinks it could be the most successful fight in history ... and has the potential to rake in three times the amount of Pay-Per-View buys than Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

Lindsay Lohan's first little bundle of joy is almost here, and the actress will in fact be havin' a boy ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Lindsay and her husband, Bader Shammas, are expecting the little dude, and pretty soon -- we're told she's very close to giving birth.

As we first reported, Lindsay's mother, Dina, will actually be by her side in Dubai for the birth ... and some of Lindsay's siblings will also be overseas around the same time as the birth to meet their new nephew.

Remember, the "Freaky Friday" star made the expecting announcement back in March ... with a swarm of support from fans and friends online.

Lindsay and Bader spent some time with her family in April -- marking the first time she had been with her mom and other members of her fam all together in at least 7 years.

As for the happy couple, they got married last year after sparking a romance just before the pandemic ... and now the 2 have something very exciting to look forward to very soon.

Dennis Rodman pulled up to Houston's Pride parade on Sunday rockin' a skirt ... a move that apparently didn't sit right with some "fans," prompting the NBA legend to clap back online!

62-year-old Rodman shared several photos from the event along with the caption ... "Love will Always Win🌈Happy Pride #gaypride #loveislove #pridemonth"

The 5x NBA champ was wearing a green, pleated schoolgirl skirt, along with a black t-shirt, featuring a photo of Rodman's head, complete with his rainbow hair.

As you might expect given the current climate, some people weren't thrilled with Dennis' attire at the parade.

The Hall of Famer clearly heard some of the criticism ... and responded online, writing "Do your research guys #beenhim🦍," pointing to other times he's worn women's clothing, including the time he put on a wedding dress in 1996 to "marry himself."

While things were a little testy online, Dennis was all smiles at the Pride event ... taking pics and giving autographs to fans!

In what could pass as an outtake from "Jaws" -- a guy was bitten by a shark and dragged off his boat during a fishing trip in Florida last week ... and the video is wild.

The clip shows a group of fishermen in the Florida Everglades, anchored in a marsh. You see one guy's rod in the water, and another guy (who's on camera) bends down and starts to lean over the side of the small boat they're all in.

As the dude starts to consider putting his hand in the water, one of his buddies tells him it's probably not a good idea. He's incredulous though, saying nothing will happen.

However, as soon as his fingers hit the water, a shark comes up and takes a bite! The fisherman yelps out in pain, getting dragged in and desperately tries getting back on board.

Park rangers responded to the scene, and reports say the guy was airlifted to the hospital -- where he was treated for a hand injury.

Big-time Barbie fans are gonna LOVE the way her IRL Malibu Dreamhouse looks after a pink glow-up ... a renovation completed just before the anticipated flick hits theaters.

This oasis is the real deal -- overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the heart of Malibu -- and the new color really pops ... certainly what Barbie would've wanted.

Aside from the new makeover, the spot has some sweet decor sprinkled throughout the home ... with a theater, hobby room and a luxurious infinity pool.

The mansion took to Airbnb in 2019 with a price tag of just 60 bucks to commemorate the iconic doll's 60th anniversary.

Back then, the home had splashes of pink, but this new look is a completely different beast.

Jake Paul isn't worried one bit about having to go 10 rounds with Nate Diaz in August ... and he made that crystal clear by smoking a heater during a recent training session!!

The Problem Child shared the funny footage to his Instagram page on Monday ... showing him hitting the bag and ripping a cigarette while training in Puerto Rico.

"Getting my lungs ready for 10 rounds," Paul said. "August 5th. #PaulDiaz"

The two sides recently agreed to make the fight longer than the initial eight-round agreement ... which will make it the longest bout in both Paul and Diaz's careers.

Now, it's likely the 6-1 boxer pulled a Bill Clinton and didn't inhale anything ... but the message was still pretty obvious -- he's ready to go all 10 rounds against the former UFC star.

One thing's for sure, though -- Jake's opponent is no stranger to smoking, and he's very open about his love for cannabis ... so it could very well be a shot at Diaz.

The teenager who died aboard the Titanic submersible had high hopes for his future -- including breaking a world record ... which he seemed primed to do.

19-year-old Suleman Dawood -- one of the five passengers who perished in OceanGate's Titan sub last week -- had been on record as wanting to set a new benchmark ... namely, solving a Rubik's Cube thousands of feet below the ocean's surface and being the one to have done it at the deepest depth, around 12,000-plus feet under the sea.

A video that his family shot -- which is now making the rounds -- shows him cracking the toy puzzle relatively quickly ... at about 19 seconds. For the Titanic voyage, he wanted to do that in the sub.

Reports say his father even brought a camera to capture the moment, so it was definitely on his mind.

Of course, his family was incredibly proud of him ... and the guy had a lot of life to live.

His mother, Christine Dawood, recently did an interview with the BBC ... and it's heartbreaking. She says she was nearby when they initially went missing last Sunday and spent torturous days hoping against hope.

Sadder than that ... Christine says it should've been her on the sub instead of her son. She explains that the plan was for her to go with her husband, Shahzada, but she gave up her spot to her son at the last minute because he apparently really wanted to go.

In hindsight, Christine says she regrets that ... and goes on to say she misses her family.

Christine also says she and her still-living daughter have vowed to learn to solve the Rubik's Cube in honor of Suleman.

Lil Uzi Vert and his City Girls girlfriend JT got into a heated argument during the BET Awards ... with many fans believing Ice Spice is to blame for the fight.

Video circulated of JT from the show Sunday night whacking Uzi Vert with her phone multiple times, accusing him of being a "groupie."

Fans speculated she was pissed about Uzi's performance during the BET Awards where he shouted out Ice Spice, rapping, "I got a nice wife/Wig came off twice/She got a little afro, she looks like Ice Spice."

Sources inside JT's camp tell TMZ Hip Hop her blowup with Uzi had nothing to do with Ice  ... she had become frustrated when she lost her seat after the audience shuffled around. We're told JT loves Ice and there's not even a shred of beef between them whatsoever.

A fan recount of the altercation appears to confirm the musical chair's confusion. Ice can also be seen explaining her side of the situation.

Uzi and JT left the building together without another scene ... seemingly confirming they're good.

Alex Graham -- a pro hockey player in England -- tragically died over the weekend ... his team, the Sheffield Steelers, announced. He was just 20 years old.

Graham's org. revealed the sad news in a statement on Monday -- saying it's "devastated" over the passing.

Further details surrounding his death, however, were not released.

"Everyone at the club is heartbroken by the news," team officials said, "and wish to pass on our thoughts and condolences to Alex’s family, friends and teammates."

"It would be appreciated if Alex's family could be provided time and space to take in the enormity of this tragic situation in the days ahead."

Graham first debuted for the Steelers back in 2019 ... and had just signed his first pro contract with the team in May. He was considered by many to be one of the franchise's future stars.

Graham had also played for Great Britain's Under-18s and Under-20s teams ... and in a statement Monday, Ice Hockey UK officials also mourned his passing.

"The news has come as a huge shock to everyone in UK ice hockey, including all of his team-mates," the organization said. "This is a difficult time for so many people and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news."

The paddock just got a bit more crowded -- Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney are hopping on Formula One's massive rise in popularity and investing in the Alpine Racing team!!

Renault, Alpine's parent company, announced the news on Monday ... saying Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments (which includes the trio of actors) are taking a 24% equity stake in the organization ... which is worth $218 million.

Otro Capital's Alec Scheiner will get a seat on Alpine's board of directors as part of the deal.

This is yet another sports venture for RR and RM, who famously bought Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC back in 2020. Reynolds was also recently interested in purchasing the Ottawa Senators, although his bid did not move forward.

Alpine couldn't be more thrilled with the deal ... saying the partnership "will bring successful sports & media experience and operational expertise in building high-growth companies."

Alpine is currently fifth in the Constructor standings this season with drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon ... who are notably covered in the hit Netflix series, "Drive To Survive."

F1 has reached new heights in America in recent years ... with the sport adding races in Miami and Las Vegas.

Tina Turner got the tribute treatment at the BET Awards from Patti LaBelle -- but it seems the R&B legend didn't know the late icon's own lyrics onstage ... and it played out live.

The singer was doing an homage to Tina Sunday night during the broadcast ... undoubtedly a huge moment in the show considering TT passed away last month. Patti was a natural choice to sing her songs -- but in the middle of her performance, she stumbled.

Check it out ... while PLB was cranking out Tina's classic hit "The Best," she paused for a bit and said she couldn't see the words. It got a laugh from the crowd, and Patti carried on as best as she could. However, her confession definitely spurred a lot of head scratches.

On its face, it looked like Patti was reading the lyrics somewhere off in the distance ... and hadn't actually memorized them. That was later confirmed to be true by BET itself.

A rep for the org says, "It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege."

They tried covering for her, adding ... "Due to the crowd's enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment."

Like we said, no true harm or foul -- and it ended up being a funny moment big picture. But, truth be told, some were kinda disappointed in Patti for not being better prepared ... especially in a big tribute to another musical great on such a grand stage.

BTW, this ain't the first high-profile mishap Patti's suffered ... remember back in the '90s when she was singing for the Clinton White House, and her whole "backup singers" fiasco??? Yeah, that one wasn't really her fault ... but this sure does have echoes of that.