YFN Lucci Nabs U.S.'s First 2021 Maybach SUV Thanks to Label Honcho!!!

Talk about speaking something into existence ... YFN Lucci's been gifted the first 2021 Maybach SUV in the U.S. to celebrate his success.

The Atlanta rapper's the recipient of Mercedes' first Maybach GLS whip thanks to his gracious boss, Girvan "Fly" Henry. We're told Fly dropped $200k for the luxury whip.

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BRAND NEW WHIP

We're told Fly -- who is the CEO of Think It's A Game Records -- wanted to celebrate YFN's release of his latest album ... "Wish Me Well 3." The album's getting a lot of buzz already ... especially for the hitmakers who collaborated, including Rick Ross, Yo Gotti, Mulatto and Mozzy.

The Maybach SUV -- brought to market to compete with the likes of Rolls Royce and Bentley SUVs -- just oozes luxury with rear seats that recline and massage passengers.

The whip's also got a wine fridge big enough to store some good bubbly.

Sorry, Dom not included -- but life's still plenty Gucci for Lucci.

Evander Holyfield's Son My Dad's Ready to Whoop Tyson Again ... Put Me On the Undercard!!!

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MAKIN' HISTORY
TMZSports.com

Evander Holyfield's son -- a rising star in boxing -- says his dad is ready to kick Mike Tyson's ass for the 3rd time ... and when it happens, he wants to fight on the undercard!

23-year-old Evan Holyfield -- who's 4-0 as a pro -- says he LOVES the idea of his father running it back with Tyson, especially after Iron Mike's performance against Roy Jones Jr.

As we previously reported, 58-year-old Evander has been training for a comeback ... in hopes of a 3rd crack at his former rival.

Evan -- aka "Yung Holy" -- tells TMZ Sports his Dad looks ready to scrap!

"My dad's lookin' pretty swole right now," Evan says ... "I know he's been training this whole time, even before the whole thing, so I'm pretty excited to see what happens!"

"I don't expect him to lose! The first 2 [fights] went a certain way and I feel like the 3rd -- I know it's all for good sport and for charity and stuff at the end of the day -- but I don't plan on seeing my dad getting beat up."

Evan wasn't born yet when his pops fought Tyson in '96 and '97 -- so the chance to see those guys get in the ring again in 2021 would be special for him.

And, by the way, Evan's a pretty solid fighter himself -- he's got his 5th pro fight coming up on December 12 against Donnis Reed.

After that, Evan says he really hopes Mike and Evander can work out a deal ... because he really wants to fight on the undercard to create memories he can share with his own children.

"At the end of the day, that Roy Jones vs. Mike Tyson fight was pretty historical and I feel like it would be pretty important to me to be part of a historical moment along with my father."

Guess Who This Bottle Baby Turned Into!

Before this happy little lady was a professional angel walking the runway and modeling on magazine covers, she was just another cute kid thirsty for the spotlight in Wilson, North Carolina.

This blonde beauty is a fashion icon known for strutting her stuff on some of the most famous runways around the world ... including Paris Fashion Week and on the popularly televised Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

She has notably been a close friend and member of Taylor Swift's 'Squad', even being featured in her secret agent inspired music video for the pop song "Bad Blood."

Can you guess who she is?

Dr. Anthony Fauci 'To My African-American Brothers and Sisters' ... Black Woman Developed COVID-19 Vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci wants Black Americans skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccines to know a Black woman was at the forefront of creating one of them ... so fear not.

The nation's leading infectious disease expert spoke Tuesday at an event hosted by the National Urban League and, while discussing racism in medical research and how it's created mistrust ... Fauci put a spotlight on the contributions of Black scientists in the historic development of COVID vaccines ... most notably Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.

While it might have sounded awkward, Fauci was simply addressing the elephant in the room -- a new study shows only 14% of African-Americans trust the vaccine will be safe and only 18% trust it'll be effective. That's alarming, considering a large portion of the country needs to get vaccinated in order to beat the virus which has disproportionally affected people of color.

Corbett's a pretty big deal in the medical research world. She's the lead scientist for coronavirus vaccine research at Fauci's National Institute of Health. She was also part of the team that worked with Moderna to develop its vaccine that's expected to get emergency use authorization from the FDA and be rolled out later this month.

Fauci added, "So, the first thing you might want to say to my African-American brothers and sisters is that the vaccine that you're going to be taking was developed by an African-American woman. And, that is just a fact."

Tiffany Haddish Rejected Pre-Grammys Hosting Gig ... All Costs Were on Her

UPDATE

7:28 AM PT -- The Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., says Tiffany's deal was handled by a talent booker, and the specifics -- including her having to pay her own expenses -- happened without his knowledge. Nonetheless, he's still owning up to it and expressing his frustration.

UPDATE
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WRONG & DISRESPECTFUL
UPDATE

Mason says, "I apologized to her personally, and I apologized to her from the Academy. I expressed to her my regret and my displeasure about how this was handled. Again I want to say, Tiffany, we are sorry, and thank you for allowing me to speak on it."

Tiffany Haddish says she turned down an offer to host a Grammys pre-show -- and it's all because the org was trying to make her foot the bill ... for everything.

The comedic actor says she was offered the hosting gig for the Recording Academy's 3-hour pre-telecast ahead of the main show in January, but when she was told she wouldn't get paid ... it gave her pause. Then she was told everything else would come out of her own pocket as well -- including hair, makeup and wardrobe costs -- so Tiff told them to kick rocks.

She tells Variety, "I don’t know if this might mean I might not get nominated ever again, but I think it’s disrespectful." Tiffany is, in fact, up for a Grammy this year for her Netflix comedy special, 'Black Mitzvah' ... she was nominated last year too for a spoken word project.

The Recording Academy tells Variety that because the pre-telecast isn't put on by CBS but, rather, themselves (a non-profit), they say it's normal for the hosting job to be pro-bono -- and apparently has been for a while. They also said Tiff's decision would have no bearing on any future nominations whatsoever.

That still didn't stop TH from openly criticizing them though -- she says, "How many other people have they done that to? It’s like a guy asking you on a date but telling you that you have to pay for it."

This is just the latest controversy to dog the Grammys this year ... coming a couple weeks after The Weeknd's outrage at being snubbed, and his allegations there were shady politics behind it.

Originally Published -- 12/9 5:12 PM PT

SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends with Fiery Crash ... Back to Drawing Board!!!

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COMIN' IN HOT
SpaceX

Elon Musk, we have a problem.

SpaceX's much-hyped high-altitude test flight of Starship -- a spacecraft designed to take people and cargo to the moon and Mars -- ended in a fireball as it crash-landed Wednesday in South Texas.

Video shows the large reusable capsule, which is supposed to land vertically, came down way too hard and instantly exploded. However, even though the footage is crazy ... it was not unexpected.

Musk predicted Starship would likely crash land, but said data gathered in the test flight would be critical in moving the mission forward. SpaceX stated ... "With a test such as this, success is not measured by completion of specific objectives but rather how much we can learn."

Hopefully, the company and its CEO learned a lot from what looks like one very expensive experiment.

Killer Mike Kamala's Race Won't Be Key in 2024 ... It's Progressiveness, for Me!!!

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PROGRESSIVE ABOVE ALL ELSE
TMZ.com

Killer Mike says playing identity politics won't pay off for Democrats and Kamala Harris -- instead, he says she'll have to lean into the progressive movement if she wants the presidency.

We spoke with the rapper and activist Wednesday on "TMZ Live" about the upcoming run-off elections in Georgia that will determine who controls the Senate during Biden's term -- but also about the widely held belief the VP-elect will run for Prez in 2024.

Mike says Dems would be wise to stop worrying about how to frame Harris as a candidate 4 years from now, and focus on the present. He also feels it's clear a progressive agenda -- as championed by his fave candidate, Bernie Sanders -- is actually needed and more widely supported than Dems think.

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HOW IS THIS FAIR???
Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill/Facebook

He tells us the Pineapple Saloon & Grill owner in L.A., whose plea for help went viral, is the epitome of that -- and says he's looking to make things more equal for all.

Speaking of that, Mike also tells us the pandemic has crystallized the need for healthcare-for-all, and Andrew Yang's universal basic income concept.

The Run the Jewels rapper stresses that it's time for Democrats, in general, and Kamala specifically to step up for the Black community on a number of issues -- because that's how she can secure that support when she runs for the top job.

Overall, a great convo with Mike ... and you have to see why he says having a POC in the Oval Office takes a backseat to having one who is "fair and progressive."

NBA's DeMar DeRozan 7-Year-Old Daughter Saved the Day Credited With Foiling Home Intruder's Plans

DeMar DeRozan's 7-year-old daughter is a hero -- because she's the one who spotted an intruder at their L.A. home and immediately sounded the alarm leading to his arrest ... this, according to law enforcement.

Officials say there's video surveillance that shows the suspect -- 22-year-old Justin Bergquist -- peeping inside DeRozan's house on Nov. 19 around 7 PM.

The footage also allegedly shows Bergquist entering the home through a sliding glass door. Officials say he spent 17 minutes inside the home -- shirtless -- until he ran into DeMar's daughter.

According to the police report, "When the suspect saw [DeMar's daughter], he put his finger to his lips and signaled for her to be quiet."

But, DeMar's daughter knew better ... and smartly ran downstairs and screamed for her parents.

That's when DeMar sprung into action -- scouring the house for the suspect, who made a break for it and ultimately fled from the home.

DeMar's GF called 911 -- and the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. responded to the scene. Bergquist was eventually located and arrested.

Law enforcement claims Bergquist said he was trying to find Kylie Jenner's home that night -- but hit the wrong house by accident.

The DeRozans claim Bergquist caused significant damage to one of the sliding glass doors, which will cost $15,000 to repair.

Bergquist is now facing a felony burglary charge -- and he's been ordered to stay away from both DeMar and Kylie.

When asked about the incident earlier this week, DeMar told reporters -- "Yeah, everything good. I grew up in Compton, CA. I've been through worse."

Ex-Third Eye Blind Bassist Jason Slater Dead at 49

Jason Slater -- one of the original members of the rock band Third Blind Eye -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Jason's daughter, Alyssa Carlson, tells TMZ ... the rock musician died Wednesday from liver failure at a hospital in Maui. Alyssa says her dad kept his condition a secret ... telling us she just found out last month when she got a call he had landed in the hospital.

A rep for Third Eye Blind tells TMZ ... even though they had not spoken to Jason since 1996, "when a spirited member of the music scene is taken too soon it is always a sad time."

Jason was the band's bassist and backup vocalist when it formed in 1993. He recorded their first demo, and left the band after the first year. He went on to be a bassist, songwriter and producer with several other bands, including Snake River Conspiracy, Microdot, Revenge of the Triads and the rap-rock project Brougham.

Back in 2008, Jason posted this video on YouTube showing Third Eye Blind's first recording session. The band enjoyed most of its success after Jason left the band, releasing its self-titled debut album in 1997 and it's second, "Blue" in 1999.

The band's had tons of lineup changes -- singer/guitarist Stephan Jenkins and drummer Brad Hargreaves are the only original members remaining today.

Jason was 49. RIP

G Herbo Pleads Not Guilty in Fraud Case ... Surrenders Passport

G Herbo is grounded -- for international travel, anyway -- after handing over his passport and pleading not guilty in his fraud case.

The rapper appeared, via Zoom, in front of a federal judge Wednesday in Massachusetts to enter his plea. According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Herbo posted $75k bail but there are lots of strings attached.

For one, the rapper had to surrender his passport, and even some of his domestic travel will require permission. He also can't sell or give away any assets worth more than $50k. And, get this ... Herbo's also barred from opening any new lines of credit. It's a fraud case, after all.

He's also gotta submit to drug testing. As we reported ... Herbo, along with his associates, are accused of perpetrating a massive fraud to fund their fancy vacations, private jets and even puppies.

According to the federal complaint ... Herbo allegedly conspired to defraud several businesses with stolen credit cards over the course of a 4-year period. The feds also alleged Herbo used the scheme to purchase 2 "designer puppies" at a luxury pet store. He was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 2 counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.

A rep for the rapper told us he "maintains his innocence and looks forward to establishing his innocence in court."

Post Malone Hooks Up His Texas High School With New Custom Crocs!!!

Post Malone's got a new line of custom Crocs, and to test them out ... he put a new pair on the feet of every single kid at his old school FOR FREE.

The Post Malone x Crocs Duet Max Clog II hit the market for the first time Tuesday, and sold out within a few hours -- but one group that was for sure able to snag some before they were swept up was the entire academic body of Grapevine High School in Grapevine, TX.

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CROCS FOR EVERYONE!!!
Grapevine High School

Sources tell us Posty hooked up his alma mater with a new pair of PM Crocs of their own -- and we're talking every single student and every single faculty member. What does that mean numbers-wise??? Well, Grapevine HS has a student body of about 1,900 and with maybe 100 or so teachers ... we're talking somewhere in the 2,000 range.

Grapevine's principal, Alex Fingers, made the announcement to everyone this week ... saying Post had noticed all the good work they'd been doing for the community of late, so he decided to give back a little himself. Principal Fingers even flashed his own set of Crocs.

We're told a Google spreadsheet was distributed throughout the entire school last week, where everyone was told to put down their shoe size ... and then the Principal dropped the news.

He also posted photos of kids on campus opening their bags of PM Crocs -- and as you can see, people seemed pretty pleased. BTW, we're told these were distributed as safely as possible ... clearly, Grapevine's one of the schools in this country that's open right now.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

One last thing -- Post gave away thousands of more pairs of his Crocs all over the world. He partnered with a charity called Musicians on Call -- which brings tunes to hospital bedsides -- and made sure volunteers and frontline workers involved got taken care of too.

Portland Protesters Clash with Cops Over 'Red House' Eviction

A Portland controversy that's been simmering for months is now boiling over ... creating a chaotic confrontation with cops and several arrests ... and the Mayor's fed up.

Protesters gathered at a home dubbed "Red House on Mississippi" Tuesday morning to keep police from allowing fencing to be put up on the property, but it escalated to violence ... including rocks and paint-filled balloons being hurled at the officers.

After the fencing was up, police attempted to leave but the chaos continued when demonstrators removed part of the fence and trespassed on the property, and even created a makeshift barricade to block off the street.

With no sign of the chaos subsiding, Mayor Ted Wheeler authorized Portland Police "to use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation," adding ... "There will be no autonomous zone in Portland."

Cops say 7 arrests were made, and several police vehicles were damaged. Mayor Wheeler is rebuking the demonstrators for their behavior, saying ... "There are many ways to protest and work toward needed reform. Illegally occupying private property, openly carrying weapons, threatening and intimidating people are not among them."

So what's this all about? Well, activists have been protesting at the location since an Afro-Indigenous family -- the Kinneys -- got evicted in September. Their house went into foreclosure and the Kinneys were forcibly removed amid the pandemic and raging wildfires in Oregon ... which did not sit well with people.

The eviction sparked a rally to help the family reclaim their home on North Mississippi Ave, but has also evolved into a larger protest of evictions during the COVID crisis ... which makes the homeless crisis even worse.

So, Portland demonstrators have made the Red House the focal point of their larger message and their efforts have helped the GoFundMe accrue over $100k to fight the eviction -- but the problem is ... cops say there have been more than 80 calls about the property in the past 3 months.

These calls include reports of fights, shots fired, burglary, thefts, vandalism, trespassing, threats and illegally blocking traffic ... and clearly, the City and law enforcement want it to stop.

FaZe Banks Enjoys Hollywood Sign Rager ... DJ Set at 7 AM!!!

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HOLLYWOOD PARTY!
The Host Group

Ain't no party like a Hollywood party ... especially when it's bright and early in the morning at the actual Hollywood sign.

This is pretty wild, but popular pro gamer FaZe Banks and a small group of his peeps got to rage right next to the famous landmark Wednesday morning ... while Israeli DJ Itay Galo pumped the dance music.

Keep in mind, this was all going down just shortly after 7 AM ... amid the coronavirus pandemic and recently renewed L.A. County lockdown orders.

Tomer Shmulevich and The Hosts Group produced and organized the event with FaZe and other influencers, and tells us it obtained all the proper permits and ensured proper COVID-19 precautions were taken.

The entertainment company says everyone involved in the Hollywood sign shindig had to be tested and quarantine beforehand, and there were temperature checks on site.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... some people in the neighborhood called police on the party, but cops did not respond because the event was for a shoot and had acquired all the necessary permits.

As you can see, several cameras were on hand to capture the spectacle, so DJ Galo should have plenty of good footage to use for music vids ... and FaZe can remember the answer to his own question, "Where are we right now?"

Spike Lee Presents Teen with Courage Award ... For Recording George Floyd's Death

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"THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE"
PEN America

Spike Lee praised Darnella Frazier -- the teen who captured George Floyd's death on video, sparking worldwide protests -- while presenting her with an award for courage.

The famed director said he was "proud of my sister" in presenting Frazier with the 2020 PEN/Benenson Freedom of Expression Courage Award during Tuesday night's PEN America Virtual Gala. Spike made note of what everyone's been saying about Frazer ... her courage to stand there for more than 10 minutes to record every minute of George's last dying breath reverberated around the world.

For her part ... Frazer said everything that transpired after posting the video on social media has been a lot to take in and NOTHING she would have ever imagined. She also said she felt honored about Spike presenting the award.

The org noted Frazer didn't set out to change the world on May 25 ... just another teenager looking out for her young cousin heading to a nearby store when she saw Floyd's encounter with cops ... including ex-cop Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on Floyd's neck.

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EXCESSIVE FORCE
Facebook/ Darnella Frazier

As we reported ... Darnella's bravery didn't come without her facing her own consequences in the aftermath of her video. Her family told us they sought therapy to help Darnella cope with the emotional trauma.

Her video would ultimately spark a worldwide movement against racism and injustice, resulting in the Minneapolis cops involved to be fired and face criminal charges, including murder. And, it was Frazier's video that sparked the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ... passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The video also led to police reform in more than 20 U.S. states.

Gabourey Sidibe Slams '2005 Rapper' Twista for Bullying

Gabourey Sidibe didn't need a super offensive photo to check Twista for posting a disgusting, bullying meme -- she just destroyed him with words, and even got him to apologize ... but that may not be nearly enough.

The "Precious" star brilliantly clapped back at the fast-spitting MC after he posted a meme displaying a side-by-side photo of her and model Bernice Burgos. Gabourey's captioned "Option A," adding she's super successful while Bernice is listed as "Option B" ... a couch surfer with no car, 3 kids and 12K Instagram followers.

Twista then asked his 438K followers "Who y'all choosing A or B."

Once Gabourey got word of the meme, she obliterated him, saying ... "Wow. I um…. gee. @twistagmg I only like you as a rapper I forgot about in 2005. But good luck with option B!" She added a kissing emoji ... for good measure.

Twista deleted the post but furious reactions continued, like this one ... "Twista a bitch for this post and you are the lowest of the low."

Twista's now apologized ... telling The Shade Room it was an "honest mistake," adding "I was traveling most of the day when I saw the mistake. I immediately had it taken down. I don't know her directly but my sincere apologies to her."

Looks like someone needs to make an appearance on "Red Table Talk."

Gayle King Follow Ex-Prezes' Leads on Vaccine ... If They Can, You Can

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FOLLOW THE LEADER
TMZ.com

Gayle King says the fact our top former leaders in the U.S. are willing to get a COVID-19 vaccination -- with the world watching -- should be all the proof people need to feel reassured.

We got the CBS News anchor leaving the studio Tuesday in NYC, where we asked what she made of the fact that the 3 most recent former Presidents (plus soon-to-be-former Prez Trump) have said they're willing to get a COVID vaccine live on camera.

She says she's all for it -- anything that gets people to trust the vaccine, in her mind, is a good thing ... and what better way to convince folks than to get a bunch of Commanders in Chief to partake?

We asked if Gayle would be open to having one administered to herself on her own show, and if she'd be courageous enough to take a gamble. The veteran interviewer flipped it on our guy, and asked an even more poignant question ... about bravery and the COVID-19 vaccines. Well played, GK!

Look, it's clear she supports the science -- not to mention Dr. Tony Fauci -- but Gayle acknowledges people will ultimately have to make up their own minds about taking the vaccine. The decision seems easy for her, though.