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Coi Leray says it's going to take music fans time to come around to her, like the zombie crowd she encountered at Rolling Loud ... because she's something fresh and new.

We got the rapper outside The Ivy in Los Angeles and our photog asked about her infamous set at Rolling Loud, when the crowd was mostly just standing around and looking on while she performed with gusto.

Coi says the crowd had the deer-in-the-headlights reaction because she's unlike anything they've ever seen ... and she's blaming the music industry for churning out too much of the same thing.

The way Coi sees it ... artists aren't doing anything new to make fans gravitate to them, and when something new comes along -- like her -- it takes time for people to get used to it, and that's what happened down in Miami.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he's smoothed things over with LeBron James about his hatred for the play-in tournament ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the Lakers superstar now "understands" the purpose for the extra games.

Remember, LeBron went OFF on the idea of the new tourney back in May ... saying, "Whoever came up with that s*** needs to be fired."

But, the Association went forward with the format for the 2022 season ... making things official earlier this week.

So, when we spoke with Commish out in NYC this week ... he told us he personally spoke with King James about the tourney -- and it sounds like things are allllll good.

"We talked about it," Silver told us. "I think at the end of the day, I understand. Especially if you went deep last year and you have that end, you have that many sort of games on your legs."

"You're not looking forward to more games. But, I think he understands the context of the league."

Silver says despite James' initial gripe, it was the NBA Players' Association that ended up voting in favor ... but he's totally down to collab on a common ground to make both sides as happy as possible.

"At the end of the day, the Players Association speaks for the players, and they've approved this format for next season," he added.

"So, I think we wanted to get one more season under our belt that wasn't a pandemic season, so we could really get a sense of how it works."

"But, I'm more open to tinkering with it if necessary."

Carl Lewis has earned these golden good looks!

Here is a 23-year-old version of the Olympic track and field athlete showing off his winning looks after receiving a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA back in 1984 (left). Lewis earned a total of 10 medals during his Olympic career, 9 of which are gold.

And, 37 years later ... The now 60-year-old has since retired from the sport and gone on to star in films such as, "Alien Hunter," "Atomic Twister," "Speed Zone," and several others. The talented fella has recently been sharing snaps of himself staying in shape, and can be seen showing off his charming smile on the 'gram (right).

Hard work pays off!

The question is ...

Ariana Greenblatt's already making some boss moves ... the child actress is raking in a fat paycheck for her voiceover work on the 'Boss Baby' sequel.

The 14-year-old actress scored a nice daily rate of $10,000 for her voice work as Tabitha in "The Boss Baby: Family Business" ... according to her minor's contract.

The contract, obtained by TMZ, guarantees the actress no less than $50,000 for her work on the DreamWorks animated flick.

While $50k is a nice baseline, Ariana could be in line for an even bigger payday ... the docs say she could earn up to 5 different bonuses, up to $250k each, based on how much the film rakes in at the box office.

One bonus Ariana will likely miss out on -- $1,075,000 in additional cash if the sequel grosses $300 million in the United States and Canada. However, a month after its release date, the movie has only made $60 million ... so $300 million seems out of reach.

This week's Summer Hot Shots comes from a top-secret spring where 24-year-old curve model Ella Halikas strung herself up in an eye-popping puka shell bikini and posed for some refreshing photos during a Los Angeles heatwave.

When this Greek goddess isn't collaborating with awe-inspiring artists like Megan Batson to create unique images for Ella's Instagram and TikTok accounts ... Halikas inspires others with their self-love journeys, playing soccer ... and most recently graced the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue with her stunning beauty.

If she doesn't inspire you ... we don't know what will!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2021 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

A white cop mounted a Black teen in Texas, who was being smothered by his body weight and screaming "I can't breathe" ... all this to apparently prevent her from killing herself.

18-year-old Nekia Trigg had 911 called on her Tuesday after she was spotted in a Forney, TX neighborhood partaking in what eyewitnesses seemingly thought was suicidal behavior -- namely, allegedly walking in front of cars in what some took as attempts at self-harm.

A Kaufman County Sheriff's deputy is said to have shown up shortly thereafter, and seems to have physically intervened ... which is where the video starts -- after Nekia's family members showed up to the scene and started recording a chaotic 7-minute plus episode with officers.

At the moment the clip begins, you can see Nekia pinned to the ground by the deputy -- ID'd as Officer Conner Martin -- who's literally straddling her and holding her arms down above her head. She's frantically screaming for help, and yelling out she's short of breath ... and appears to either be vomiting and/or foaming at the mouth throughout the ordeal.

Nekia's family plead with the officer, as well as others who show up not too long after, to let her up and that they can manage things ... but the cops insist on cuffing her to make sure she's okay -- as they clearly believe she's suicidal, saying the word a few different times.

The family disputes the characterization of what Nekia was doing from the outset, insisting she was simply walking across the street -- although, body cam footage the Kaufman County Sheriff released gives some context of what happened before, and Nekia does indeed seem distraught from the get-go ... but things escalate quickly with Officer Martin.

Anyway, they eventually get Nekia up and start to escort her to a police cruiser ... at which point her mom jumps in and appears to get physical with some of the cops as well.

The cops end up restraining her too, and they ultimately arrested her for assault of a public servant, among other charges ... so says the woman's other daughter, who posted this footage. Nekia ended up getting taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Snoop Dogg can seriously commentate on just about anything and make it entertaining -- something he's proved yet again with some Olympics coverage ... which is rated R.

The rapper joined none other than Kevin Hart Saturday for what appears to be a special from Peacock -- NBC's subscription service -- and the two of them were hired to drop some commentary on random Olympics clips from the ongoing games ... totally out of context.

Sounds like a hoot, and that's exactly what it turned out to be ... especially once SD started getting into his bag of NSFW jokes, which were preceded by some gangster comparisons.

You gotta watch for yourself ... in Snoop's eyes, the horse that's trotting around in the clip they're watching looks an awful lot like what he was doing in the music video for "Drop It Like It's Hot" -- namely, Crip walking. That got a huge laugh out of Kevin ... and seemingly out of the rest of the crew on set.

That's nothing compared to a comment he made later ... when the subject of skeet shooting came up for discussion.

Former Vine star and all-around influencer Hayes Grier is facing serious charges out of North Carolina -- including claims that he beat the hell out of a guy, and stole his phone.

The social media star -- who's still doing his thing online after Vine collapsed years ago -- was arrested and booked into jail in Mecklenburg County Friday after a few arrest warrants were issued there to haul him in all the way from Cali, where's he got a home in Encino.

Per the warrants, obtained by TMZ, a judge found probable cause to sic the hounds on him based on preliminary evidence Charlotte police submitted over an attack this past Monday for which they believe Grier is responsible -- and which left the victim seriously injured.

The warrants don't get into the full narrative over what exactly happened, but there's enough there to get a sense of how badly hurt the victim -- William Markolf -- was, allegedly at the hands of Grier ... who allegedly assaulted Markolf and then jacked his $1,200 phone.

The alleged attack is said to have left Markolf with injuries that cops say included a broken left orbital bone (eyeball socket), brain damage, bruised ribs, bleeding from the back of the head, loss of hearing and more. In other words, they're saying it was a major beatdown.

Unclear what exactly led up to this ... but in any case, Grier is now out on bail. Grier was was booked for Common Law Robbery, Felony conspiracy and Assault Serious Bodily Injury ... and also posed for this mugshot on his way in.

There's another person named Luke Foushee that the police claim Grier conspired with to commit this alleged crime -- but it doesn't appear he's been arrested just yet.

Grier's teenager Vine fame has carried over to IG and YouTube of late, where he's got scores of followers and subscribers ... and continues to churn out content as an adult. He's also famous for being the then-youngest contestant on 'DWTS' in 2015, when he was 15.

TikToker Anthony Barajas has died a few days after being shot at a movie theater, and having his date killed in front of him as well.

The social media influencer passed away Saturday morning in a hospital -- where he'd been on life support since Monday ... when he was shot in the eye by whom authorities suspect was someone named Joseph Jimenez ... who's facing multiple charges over this.

Anthony's date, 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich, was shot in the head too ... and died instantly. The shooting happened at a theater in Corona, CA -- and cops say it appears unprovoked, with the suspect seeming to have no connection to either Anthony or Rylee.

Jimenez was facing a murder count, an attempted murder count and robbery -- this after police say he actually stole Rylee's wallet after gunning her down. Amid Anthony's death, the charges are sure to be updated to include two counts of murder.

Rylee's father detailed the story that led up to the date -- apparently, his kid had met the TikToker over 4th of July weekend ... and after warming up to him, said she seemed happy for the date and got herself all dolled up to go out.

Anthony was just 19.

R. Kelly doesn't want the feds to be given a chance to prove he had sex with a male -- because the jury isn't ready for that wrench ... and might take it out on him in a verdict, assuming they're homophobic.

The singer's legal team fired back to what federal prosecutors submitted last week -- namely, a request to have new evidence they say they have touching on several new allegations ... the most shocking of which being R. Kelly groomed and molested a 17-year-old boy.

You'll recall ... prosecutors filed a bombshell just mere weeks ahead of the start of Kelly's Chicago case, the first of his many cases that'll start before any of the others. In addition to bribery, they claimed he started a relationship with a male minor in the mid-2000s -- this after supposedly meeting him at a McDonald's and taking him under his wing.

There was another 17-year-old boy the feds claim R. Kelly met as a result of this relationship -- but it sounds like things didn't turn sexual until years later for that second John Doe, per their filing. At any rate, Kelly's team says NONE of it should be allowed into the record.

Of the many reasons they list in their docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly's attorneys -- Thomas A. Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker -- list timeliness (or a lack thereof), ongoing anonymity, purpose and jury selection as their main concerns for why this stuff shouldn't be heard.

The jury thing is perhaps the most interesting though -- it speaks to what Kelly's team appears to be anticipating in terms of jurors who may or may not have a bias on the issue of same-sex relationships. That's important ... 'cause the jury questionnaire is already filed and submitted, which his lawyers say is messed up considering this late, new development.

Long story short, his attorneys argue the questionnaires potential jurors will see soon are "void of a single question about their opinions or feelings on same-sex relationships" -- which they think is important, since that could end in bigots on the panel who may decide unfavorably against Kelly simply due of the nature of the evidence/allegations ... aka, the implication that R. Kelly is gay and/or bisexual. His attorneys say ... that's not fair.

The 2 attorneys further tell TMZ that it's no secret the issue of sexual orientation is still a lightning rod issue in 2021, and needs to be vetted to give Kelly an impartial jury.

Conor McGregor's healing process just got a lot more fun -- the dude is hobbling his way around Universal Studios while he's on the mend ... and looks to be having a helluva time.

The wounded UFC star was out and about Friday at Universal Studios in L.A., and he wasn't just standing idly by watching his kids and whatnot have a blast -- the guy was straight-up getting on rides as well.

Check out this video we got of CMG at the theme park, where at one point he was boarding "The Secret Life of Pets" ride ... limping his way over with the help of his crutches, and eventually plopping himself down. Not bad for a guy with a broken leg!

This just shows that despite being seriously injured, Conor is still living his best life and isn't letting the rubber bone moment put a damper on his plans outside the Octagon.

Besides this Universal trip, he's been cutting loose -- as much as he can, anyway -- with rehab stints alongside MLB players, poolside bro seshes with pop stars ... all while lugging himself to wherever he needs to go with the help of his trusty crutches.

It looks like he's also gotten some updated footwear too ... rocking a boot at the park instead of just the bandaging he's been wearing of late.

Pretty incredible considering just how gruesome the break was at the time. It speaks to Conor's toughness -- and at this rate, we kind of expect him back sooner rather than later.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck continued their "2021 We're Super in Love" tour Saturday, as they packed on the PDA along the Mediterranean.

Ben and J Lo were all over each other again, as they smooched it up on a dock in Naples, Italy.

They've been on a multi-million dollar superyacht all week, meandering along the coast in the South of France and Italy. The yacht will set them back around $1.1 mil for a week's stay. Seriously.

A-Rod's been yachting in the Med as well, at times in the same area as Ben and Jen. As far as we can tell, there's been no interaction between them.

Since they reunited, they have played with photogs and made it clear they're down with all the PDA pics. It's a seismic change from Ben's M.O. -- he's never been one to play to the cameras, but that was then ...

Unclear when it's back to reality, but it seems they've got some sort of plan together in L.A. She's already scoped out schools for her kids.

Britney Spears is telegraphing a message that has become increasingly obvious over the last few months ... she's done with just about everyone involved -- directly or indirectly -- in her conservatorship.

Britney posted a simple message to her fans ... "If standing up for yourself burns a bridge, I have matches" -- a pretty clear reference to ending relationships, something she's been doing with laser-focus recently. In addition to going after her dad, Jamie, she's zeroed in on her mom and sister ... among many others.

The message seems to be that she's not afraid to torch relationships she says have harmed her over the years.

Britney also posted pics of her recent trip to Maui, talking about "the little things" she enjoys. Maui seems to be her go-to place ... she's been there a lot over the years. The pic shows what appears to be her cocktail of choice, held by BF Sam Asghari.

She also posted another topless video.

Her posts include the image of a statue of a "rare white owl," with the caption .. "Pssss check out the statue of the rare white owl … I saw it this morning !!!! Before I saw it, a beautiful little boy with white blond hair who was two years old screamed at his mamma because he wanted his drink with a straw … it was the most adorable thing ever cause he reminded me of my boys when they were younger."

Gonzoe the rapper -- a friend of Tupac and Ice Cube -- has been murdered.

Police say Gonzoe was shot 3 times in the chest near a gas station in Seattle, Washington. The gunman is still at large and cops are on the hunt.

The 45-year-old rapper -- real name Ronald Moore -- was from Los Angeles. He was a member of the Outlawz and got his nickname from Tupac himself. His albums include "If I Live & Nothing Happens," and he contributed on "Kuruption" and "Godzilla."

After Gonzoe was shot he ran to a Shell gas station that was close by and then collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital where he died overnight.

It appears he was shot while driving ... cops found a vehicle riddled with bullets in the area.

Gonzoe was a member of Kausion ... a '90s group supported by Ice Cube. The group's album, "South Central Los Skanless," rose to #37 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Rapper C-Bo paid his respects to Gonzoe on social media, posting a throwback video of the two of them out together

Gonzoe was reportedly "working on numerous business deals after the high-profile fight with Boskoe, with whom he started a boxing league with after squashing their beef," All Hip Hop explained.

Gonzoe had started a boxing league with fellow-rapper Boskoe100. The 2 of them got in the ring and fought it out to a draw back in April.

Gonzoe was 45.

The NFL Alumni association was paid a whopping $3,500,000 by the CDC to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, TMZ Sports has learned.

U.S. Federal Procurement docs show the CDC and the NFL Alumni assoc. signed the multi-million dollar deal at the beginning of May.

The total value of the contract is listed at $3.5 mil ... with the money earmarked for "NFL Alumni (NFLA) Health COVID-19 Vaccination Community Outreach and Education Project."

FYI, the NFL Alumni was founded in 1967 by a group of retired football players. The organization's current president is former NY Giants lineman, Bart Oates.

The NFL Alumni's website features pro-COVID-19 vax testimonials from former NFL stars like Franco Harris, Rod Woodson and Harry Carson, amongst others.

The site also has a "Vaccination Tracker" and a link to access vax locations.

The group is a separate entity from the NFL ... though you must have played or coached in the league to be a member.

Prior to awarding the windfall of cash, the CDC issued a Notice of Intent, announcing the grant.

"The [CDC] intends to award a sole source firm fixed price purchase order to The NFL Alumni Association (NFLA). The overall purpose of this contract is to facilitate collaboration among NFL Alumni and federal state and local public health officials as well as other local leaders to address vaccine hesitancy through communication and engagement with communities less likely to get vaccinated."

The notice continues ... "The CDC Vaccine Task Force will work directly with the NFLA to promote community-level and national COVID-19 education outreach and vaccination acceptance."

The agreement with former players is interesting, because many current players and coaches are pissed about the NFL's new COVID vax rules

The league has threatened to take away players' game checks and even force forfeitures if unvaccinated players cause COVID outbreaks.

29-year-old superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins tweeted his frustrations with the rules, even hinting at contemplating retirement. Minnesota Vikings assistant coach Rick Dennison was even reassigned after refusing to get the shot.

Bill Maher is back with a vengeance ... and he's making a case that cancel culture and cultural appropriation are destroying America.

Bill's back from a month-long hiatus and he zeroed in on the honchos at the Olympics who were 86'd for decades-old infractions.

He then targeted a subset of cancel culture -- cultural appropriation, and made a case that it's anathema to empathy. In other words, sharing cultures -- rather than walling them off -- is a celebration of diversity rather than exploitation. His example is surfing -- an AP story called the new Olympic sport an indignity to Hawaiians. Bill calls BS ... you gotta watch and judge for yourself, but he's got some solid arguments.