Travis Scott Astroworld Security Pricked in Neck ... W/ Needle, Says Houston PD
UPDATE
1:48 PM PT -- The Houston PD's Chief, Troy Finner, just confirmed what we'd been told ... namely, that at least one person had been injected with something via needle -- and there well may have been more.
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Chief Finner said a security guard working the event felt a prick in his neck by an unknown assailant while he was trying to restrain a citizen -- and he quickly fell unconscious. Finner says the guard was revived by use of NARCAN ... and that medical personnel did, indeed, see something on his neck that indicated he'd been stabbed with a syringe.
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Finner also said some people had been trampled, so it appears there was a mix of reasons why people were injured/passing out ... and perhaps why some died. The total number of people who've passed away remains at 8, and autopsies are underway to determine the causes of death for each.
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11/5/21
UPDATE
The mayor, Sylvester Turner, said something like this has never happened in Houston, and they will leave no stone left unturned to get to the bottom of how and why this occurred.
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Live Nation and Travis Scott's camp are cooperating with authorities, and the investigation continues. Houston PD called on the public's help for those with legit information. One last thing ... Houston authorities insist the concert was shut down in a timely manner -- saying the first reports of people "going down" started around 9:30 PM, and that they closed up shop at around 10:10 PM ... which they feel was efficient considering the circumstances
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1:04 PM PT -- Houston authorities are about to further address the tragedy at Astroworld Friday in a press conference ... and TMZ is streaming live.
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What many will be looking for here is whether there's any evidence to suggest the 8 people who've died thus far might've been triggered into cardiac arrest via outside influence or a third party ... namely, a would-be culprit who was allegedly going around and injecting folks with a syringe.
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Of course, we're also expecting an update on the body count ... and whether it has risen since Friday night.
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12:33 PM PT -- More disturbing videos are surfacing, which clearly show people were attempting to flag down festival personnel in any capacity to get them to stop the show ... including one of the professional camera guys who was filming the action from afar.
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Check out this footage ... you see a girl climbing a ladder up to a platform where a photog is recording Travis' set, presumably from somewhere far out in the crowd. She shouts, "There is somebody dying!" over and over again, and when she can't get the cameraman's attention, she climbs up and forces the issue.
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this hurts to watch... It makes me sick to my stomach. Travis Scott is SICK pic.twitter.com/CgaAPHapBT
— Barb Status (@barb_status) November 6, 2021 @barb_status
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The guy starts to panic, telling her to go back down, but she holds firm ... insisting he get the word out that something was going on down below. A young man joins her to shout the same warning. Meanwhile, you can hear what sounds like Travis Scott continuing to perform.
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Again, this just supports the notion that people were, indeed, trying to raise awareness of the scary situation to who they thought were the right people ... but it's unclear if this message was received by those who could actually do something on the drop of a dime, like halt everything.
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12:23 PM PT -- Travis's team tells TMZ ... "Travis stopped the show. He did see someone being carried out. He thought that person had passed out, as happens in concerts from dehydration or something similar."
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12:02 PM PT -- A new video appears to show Travis reacting to this situation and calling for help.
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— cherliess (@CherlyBonilla) November 6, 2021 @CherlyBonilla
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This is from another vantage point, but it seems to line up with the guy getting carried out. You hear Travis ask for security to jump in and help the man out ... but he continues on singing.
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11:50 AM PT -- More questions about the Astroworld tragedy in regards to what Travis Scott and festival organizers knew about what was going on down below, and when ... which is even more so under a microscope now after a video shows Trav looking down onto the crowd, where an unconscious guy is being lifted up and carried out, seemingly in TS's direct line of vision.
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tw// dead body
— linda JAV DAY (@selankasgomez) November 6, 2021 @selankasgomez
travis is really singing meanwhile looking at a dead body? WHAT TF pic.twitter.com/saQ7UWx1zt
UPDATE
Check out the clip ... you see Travis up on a rafter or elevated platform of some sort, singing to the crowd -- while a lifeless, limp body is being carried off by security personnel. The clip makes it seem like this was right underneath Travis' nose, and presumably something he could see. The caption reads "dead body" but we don't know if this person was dead.
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Of course, we also have no idea if Travis even saw this or not ... although many online are claiming people in the crowd, including some who were near the front of the stage, were shouting at him to stop the show, as there were people falling unconscious in the audience.
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We've reached out to Travis's camp to ask specifically about this video ... and whether he saw or heard any of this going on while he continued to perform. No word back yet.
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10:30 AM PT -- Speaking of ambulances ... here's a disturbing video. Astroworld fans dancing on top of an ambulance that was working its way through the dense crowd.
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— v (@ViralMaterial) November 6, 2021 @ViralMaterial
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It's not entirely clear if they were transporting somebody or not -- you'd figure they'd have sirens going if it was a true emergency -- but either way ... here are some numbskulls who hopped up onto the roof of the vehicle and danced their ass off.
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10:27 AM PT -- Here's Kylie's vantage point from Friday night -- she, Kendall and some friends were stationed toward the back of the crowd, somewhat elevated, where they could see sea of people and Travis and co. all the way up at the front.
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You can see it was an absolutely packed crowd, and one that was hyped too -- jumping up and down together as Travis sings along.
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One moment that Kylie appears to have since deleted from her IG Story is a moment when an ambulance appears to be making its way through the crowd on the ground below ... something that was pretty much right in front of Kylie. Unclear if this was in response to one of the cardiac arrests or another situation -- but it's interesting that medical care started to be rendered right in the thick of the show.
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9:24 AM PT -- Travis says, "I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival." He adds that he is committed to working with authorities to figure out what happened.
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UPDATE
As for the investigation ... our sources tell us at least one of the victims was seen foaming at the mouth before going into cardiac arrest -- further evidence this was not simply a stampede. Houston authorities are planning to hold a news conference later today.
UPDATE
7:30 AM PT -- A source connected to Astroworld tells TMZ, someone in the crowd went crazy and began injecting people with some sort of drug, which caused panic and then a surge. The source says authorities are trying to determine if those who went into cardiac arrest were the ones injected. We're told one of those who died is a 10-year-old. The source says it appears to be a targeted attack. We have not confirmed this report, but the source is a key person involved in the festival.
Travis Scott's first night of his Astroworld concert in Houston turned into a horrific tragedy Friday night ... leaving 8 people dead and more than 300 injured, and there were signs of trouble even before the concert began.
#BREAKING | At least 8 people died & several were injured in a stampede at the #Astroworld music festival in the southern #UnitedStates.
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) November 6, 2021 @kumarsubodh_
Disturbing video shows people jumping on top of the police personal cars while they were trying to get unconscious people out of the crowd. pic.twitter.com/CORFcHNxks
50,000 people filled the sold-out venue, when, at around 9 PM people began surging toward the stage. People started getting crushed and panic ensued. According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, "People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic."
11/5/21
At least 8 people died in the stampede. 11 people went into cardiac arrest and were rushed to the hospital. More than 300 fans went to the field hospital near the venue.
11/5/21
Someone working the festival tells TMZ ... people were hopping on camera platforms, begging concert staff to end the show after the stampede erupted. They said, "Anything climbable was climbed." They also say there were several thousand pairs of shoes left behind as people fled. When the concert shut down, they said a stage manager said the venue was now "a crime scene."
The scene was chaotic ... medical personnel could not handle all the injured. There is video showing some of them performing CPR.
One concertgoer named Madeline, a nurse, tells TMZ, she was there with her boyfriend when Travis took the stage. During the first song, people started pushing toward the stage and she says she began to feel light-headed, telling us, "I passed out from the constant pressure on my chest and was one of the first people to be carried," adding, "They threw me on top of other people and crowd surfed me to other people, who lifted me over a fence where security was waiting." She says "security guards were bringing bodies from that area to the VIP area," as Travis kept performing, adding, "I see security carrying people who are not moving." She says once she regained her senses, she began administering first aid to others.
A slew of ambulances rushed to the scene ... which became direr every minute.
BREAKING: 11 Possible Deaths Tonight At Travis Scott’s #AstroWorld Music Festival. Multiple Cardiac Arrests Reported. (DEVELOPING)
— HeadlineHunter! 🚨 Alerts (@freehumanity911) November 6, 2021 @freehumanity911
pic.twitter.com/44q5j5WfW5
Before chaos erupted, Travis stopped the show several times during his 75-minute set ... after noticing some of the fans in the front seemed in distress. He told security to make sure they weren't hurt. At one point Travis asked for security to help a specific individual.
Shortly before the surge, Drake had performed with Travis ... and there was no indication the crowd would try to rush the stage.
However, there were some signs of trouble even before the show. A slew of fans knocked over barricades and rushed into the venue.
Kylie Jenner was on hand for the festival as the chaos erupted. She was there with her and Travis's daughter Stormi. As far as we know, they're fine. They were not sitting near the crush.
A reunification center was set up at a nearby hotel, so family members of concert-goers could reunite.
The Medical Examiner is in the process of determining the cause of death of the 8 fatalities.
This was the first night of what was supposed to be a 3-day festival. The second night has already been canceled.
Originally Published -- 4:27 AM PT
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Jay-Z Defends Dave Chappelle ... Calls Him 'Brave,' Says Art is Divisive
Jay-Z was trying to walk a fine line while talking about Dave Chappelle's new comedy special -- but it's clear which side of the debate he lands on ... and that would be in DC's camp.
The rapper spoke on the controversy surrounding "The Closer" Friday on a Twitter Space audio conversation -- one that was being hosted by Netflix's Strong Black Lead account, no less. Somebody asked him point-blank about what he thought, and Jay shared.
Check it out ... Jay-Z says Dave is "super brave," going on to say if you spend time with him, you'll see he's "brilliant." Now, Jay does admit Dave pushed a lot of buttons -- ones that apparently made HOV squirm, as he describes -- but in the end, he considers it "true art."
He goes on to say we're in a time now where people can't have discussions with others who disagree with them -- emblematic in the reaction to Dave's stand-up -- and Jay thinks ... that kinda sucks.
Eventually, the person seemingly moderating the convo asks Jay if he thinks the special was divisive -- and Jay tries to dissociate Dave's special with what he considers great art, which he describes as oftentimes being divisive. While he tried to separate the two, it's clear he thinks Dave's show might fall into that "great art" category.
It's also obvious Jay has no real problem with Dave, evidenced in the fact that he invited him to be one of the keynote speakers at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a week ago ... and was more than happy to pose and smile with the guy.
So, while Jay is trying not to comment specifically on the content of the special -- he may as well be cosigning it. Hard to decipher this any other way, really. 🤷🏽♂️
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Mr. Olympia Champ Shawn Rhoden Dead At 46 Years Old ... Reported Heart Attack
Shawn Rhoden, bodybuilding star and former Mr. Olympia champion, has died at the age of 46 years old following a reported fatal heart attack.
Rhoden was one of the biggest stars in the bodybuilding world, winning the Olympia in 2018 -- the Super Bowl of bodybuilding competitions -- defeating 7x Olympia champ, the legendary Phil Heath, who'd won 7 straight years.
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Shawn was 43 years old at the time, making him the oldest to ever win the prestigious title.
According to Generation Iron, Rhoden suffered a heart attack that sadly took his life.
Shawn first got into bodybuilding as an amateur in the early 90s ... where he competed on and off over the years. In 2010 Rhoden turned pro, finishing in a respectable 11th place at his first Mr. Olympia.
Rhoden returned the following year, making a huge jump, finishing 3rd ... before ultimately winning outright in 2018.
The bodybuilder wasn't without controversy ... in 2019, he was accused of sexually assaulting a female bodybuilder in Utah in 2018. Rhoden was never convicted of a crime associated with the alleged incident.
Rhoden last posted on social media 3 days ago, writing what now seems like an eerie caption ... "Brick by brick and patience it will take. See you on the other side."
The fitness world has also flooded social media with an outpouring of love for the late bodybuilder.
Legendary bodybuilder Rich Gaspari wrote ... "I am shocked to hear of the passing of Mr. Olympia @flexatronrhoden It's very sad to hear of his passing. He had always been a gentleman towards me. Shawn had one of the most aesthetic physiques in bodybuilding. My condolences to his family. #rip #ripbrother"
YouTube star Bradley Martyn added ... "Such a kind soul. Rest In Peace."
RIP
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Donald Trump on Alec Baldwin Falsely Suggests He Loaded Gun That Killed Halyna Hutchins
11/6/21
Donald Trump believes Alec Baldwin may have had more to do with the "Rust" shooting case than his obvious pulling of the trigger -- baselessly suggesting he might've loaded it too.
The ex-Prez shared his unhinged thoughts on the "Rust" shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life this past week on the 'Chris Stigall Show' podcast -- where he called Alec a "troubled guy" and then went on to recklessly theorize he may have put the live round in there in the first place ... something we know definitively is NOT true in the slightest.
It's a wild hypothesis, and one that doesn't seem to be grounded in any facts or reality. And yet, DT did it anyway -- while Stigall didn't bother correcting him.
In any case, there's more Trump had to say on the situation ... recounting Alec's past run-ins with paparazzi and reporters -- some of which were tense and leaned toward aggression -- and went on to connect that to what happened here ... again, not really fair at all.
What Trump couldn't wrap his mind around was the idea that Alec, for some reason, thought it'd be okay to point the gun at someone who was not in the scene with him and pull the trigger. That's actually reasonable criticism ... a lot of people don't get it either, as it violates one of the biggest rules of onset gun safety -- keep folks out of the line of fire.
Trump did get the placement wrong on where this happened -- he says it was outside, but it was obviously inside a church, as we've reported.
Still, he notes that whether the gun was improperly managed before it got to Baldwin -- which appears to be the case based on everything we've seen thus far -- DT says it still shouldn't have been aimed at anyone ... let alone a cinematographer who was off-camera.
One thing to keep in mind here ... Trump does not like AB in the slightest, not the least of which being because the guy portrayed Trump on 'SNL,' which 45 brings up here -- acknowledging he thought he did a terrible job, while adding some other distasteful insults.
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Kim & Pete They're DEFINITELY a Thing ... No Hiding Their Affection
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson weren't afraid to get affectionate -- yes, that -- during her trip to NYC, and it's definitely more than a weeklong fling ... TMZ has learned.
Witnesses at both Zero Bond and Campania tell us the two appeared "very comfortable" with each other, smiling, laughing and displaying plenty of PDA. We're told Pete was charming, even with Kim's friends, throughout the week. Page 6 reported Wednesday they were super affectionate at Campania.
A source familiar with the couple's date Tuesday at Campania in Staten Island says the two had the rooftop to themselves, and were personally attended to by the restaurant's owner ... who's a friend of Pete's. We're told staffers weren't allowed upstairs, where the two showed lots of affection.
Then there's this ... our sources say prior to the group outing at Zero Bond Wednesday night -- an exclusive club in NYC -- Pete called ahead with his credit card to cut Kim or anyone else at the table off at the pass.
Reports surfaced Friday saying Kim's friends were doubtful she and Pete will last, but we're told that's just not true ... especially given how he fit in Wednesday with some of her closest friends.
As for their 'SNL' encounters, we've confirmed Pete kept it very professional when Kim hosted the show, and didn't make a move until it wrapped.
While things seem to be heating up fast between the two, we're told Kim will still take her time before jumping into anything serious. She's also excited about dating again.
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Bill Maher Millennials and Gen Z Choose Kylie Over Greta ... Excess Wins Over Progress
Bill Maher delivered a blistering attack on Millennials and Gen Z, essentially calling them hypocrites for pretending to be woke while celebrating excesses that are destroying planet earth.
The "Real Time" host said the youngins have a choice ... Greta Thunberg or Kylie Jenner, and Bill says the choice is clear because the 2 young women are polar opposites. He goes on to say it's no contest, just on numbers alone. Greta has 13 million Instagram followers, while Kylie has an astonishing 279 mil.
Bill's diatribe is blistering ... he says the choice is between a model citizen and a model, and the latter blows the former out of the water.
Maher concedes ... Kylie has built an empire on her own, but she's anything but a conservationist. He goes into her closet, and then says while Greta refuses to fly (to do her part re: the carbon footprint), Kylie refuses to fly commercial.
His point is not to go after Kylie, but instead to call out her followers who act just like the boomers who have f***ed up the planet.
And, wait until you hear his take on crypto and bitcoin.
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SpaceX Are Astronauts Having Toilet Issues? ... It Depends
SpaceX astronauts will be all wrapped up during their flight back from the International Space Station -- in diapers.
Those pesky toilet issues that plagued a previous flight back in September are back with a flourish. Turns out the toilet is broken ... again. So, without a proper receptacle on the Dragon capsule, the crew will have to resort to cruder methods of release.
The NASA astronauts have been in the International Space Station and the plan is for them to return to earth Sunday. Astronaut, Megan McArthur, classically understated the problem by calling the situation "suboptimal."
The ride back to earth is 20 hours, so diapers are essential to avoid a disgusting mess.
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Soulja Boy Kanye's Got Me Confused ... I Thought He Liked My 'Donda' Verse!!!
Soulja Boy was almost, ALMOST, at a loss for words when he heard Kanye West trash a verse he recorded for "Donda" ... telling us Ye previously said he liked it.
The former Mr. West made headlines Thursday during his interview on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs," where he talked marriage, money, fashion and music. One of the more notable moments came when Ye opened up about his recent beef with Soulja Boy.
If you hadn't heard, Soulja was pissed after Kanye released "Donda" without a verse Soulja recorded for the project. When asked why he left Soulja off, Ye not so shyly said it was crap ... and that's why it didn't make the cut.
Well, Soulja tells us Ye's words on 'Champs' stunned him, because in person, Ye had praised his verse ... so to hear the opposite now really surprised him.
It wasn't, however, all bad -- Kanye did give SB some props during the interview, calling him one of the top 5 most influential rappers of all time for modern artists.
8/30/21
We got Soulja in Calabasas a few weeks back after "Donda" dropped ... he said he was mad, but clearly things just escalated. Soulja says he and Ye clearly need to have a one-on-one chat to figure things out so neither wastes the other's time again.
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Stars and Scars You Be the Judge
Well, it's been super fun watching the whole Kim and Pete thing, and Aaron Rodgers sure made it seem he was vaccinated back in August. So, we gotta ask ...
Paris Hilton Kim K Gets An Invite To My wedding!!! Now As For a Plus One …
Paris Hilton says Kim Kardashian is totally invited to her upcoming wedding ... but she's keeping it a mystery if Pete Davidson can roll with as a plus one.
We got Paris leaving Alice + Olivia in Beverly Hills on Friday and our photog asked if Kim got a wedding invite.
As you can see, Paris nods in agreement ... but when we press her about Kim being able to bring Pete as a plus one, Paris gives no indications either way.
Remember, Paris and Kim go way back, so ya gotta imagine Kim was one of the first ones to get an invite ... and the wedding is fast approaching -- it's next Thursday.
10/30/21
As you know, Kim has been hanging out a lot recently with Pete, and after a few dinner dates in New York and a roller coaster ride holding hands in SoCal, they are looking more and more like an item.
Paris might just be deliberating about inviting Pete ... like she is with a lot of other big wedding decisions.
She changed her venue for the umpteenth time recently ... the wedding to fiance Carter Reum is now going down at her late grandfather Barron’s Bel-Air estate and she has yet to pick out a wedding dress ... first reported by Page Six.
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Stay tuned ...
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Baron Davis On Suns' Robert Sarver ... 'He's A Piece Of S***'
Baron Davis seems to believe the troubling allegations against Robert Sarver are true ... 'cause the ex-NBA star tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Suns owner "is a piece of s***."
The former Golden State Warriors guard said he sat next to the 60-year-old at some point during the NBA lockout in 2011 ... and he clearly got a bad vibe from the dude.
"Are you surprised?" Davis said out at LAX on Friday of the racist and misogynistic accusations against Sarver. "God damn, man. Look at that motherf***er."
Sarver has been accused of using the N-word on multiple occasions over the course of his 17 years with the Suns, according to ESPN, and he was also allegedly sexist with employees and others as well.
Sarver has vehemently denied most of the claims against him ... though he did admit to using the N-word one time "many years ago."
When we asked Davis about it all on Friday -- you can see in the clip, the former hooper really despises the guy.
"I don't care about that man," said Davis, who didn't want to go into detail about his interactions with Sarver. "He's a piece of s***."
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Talib Kweli is going all Jack Nicholson on Kanye West ... he says Yeezy doesn't like him because Ye can't handle the truth!!!
The rapper and activist is firing back at Kanye after Ye ripped him a new one, telling TMZ ... the beef is all over Talib's disapproval of Ye's support of Donald Trump and right-wing rhetoric.
Talib tells us Kanye doesn't like hearing from Kweli about how his support for Trump puts a target on the backs of minorities, at least in Talib's mind, but TK says he still loves Mr. West.
Kanye ignited this new back and forth when he went OFF on Talib this week on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs" ... saying Common's a better artist, declaring himself way more popular and clowning Talib for wearing baseball caps.
Talib says he has no bones to pick with Kanye on two of those subjects ... telling us he's honored just to be compared to Common, and explaining why he's not trying to beat Kanye in a popularity contest.
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Sounds like the baseball hat diss might have struck a nerve ... Talib says his headwear is more diverse than Kanye wants folks to believe, and he takes a few shots at Kanye's taste in anything above the shoulders.
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What's The Big Frigin' Difference?
Don't let these two almost identical images of Meadow Walker stop you in your tracks! Put on your best dress and hit the town in order to find the sneaky switches!
The recent newlywed -- who also just celebrated her 23rd birthday -- was on her way to the WSJ Magazine 2021 Innovator Awards in New York City last week ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! Strike now while the iron is red-hot and see if you have what it takes to find the differences between these two super similar snaps!
**HINT -- There are THREE differences in the above photographs!**
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Winey Stars Merlot My God!
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Hip, hip, Chardonnay!
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Henry Ruggs Hit With 5 Charges Over Fatal Crash ... Four Felonies
Henry Ruggs is now facing FIVE total charges stemming from his fatal car crash this week ... including four felonies, TMZ Sports has learned.
Court records show the former Las Vegas Raiders star has been hit with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm (presumably for the injuries caused to his GF, the passenger), and two reckless driving charges -- all felonies.
Ruggs was also hit Friday with a misdemeanor charge of possessing a gun under the influence of alcohol.
If convicted on all counts, prosecutors say Ruggs is facing up to 46 years behind bars.
As we previously reported, Ruggs is accused of speeding in his Corvette while drunk on Tuesday morning in Las Vegas ... all while carrying a loaded gun in his car.
Officials say Ruggs reached a speed of 156 MPH ... and eventually slammed into the back of a Toyota at 127 MPH -- killing a woman and her dog.
NOVEMBER 2021
In video, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see in the moments after the crash, Ruggs was swearing and sobbing just feet away from the wreckage.
Ruggs ultimately showed up to court on Wednesday in a neck brace and a wheelchair -- though he did not enter a plea.
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Fetty Wap GRANTED RELEASE ON $500K BOND ... After Rolling Loud Arrest
Fetty Wap is about to get out of jail as he awaits trial in his federal drug case ... TMZ has learned.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the rapper's bail has been set at $500,000.
When Fetty is officially sprung from jail, he'll have a few conditions for his release. The docs say he must wear a GPS monitoring device, submit to drug testing, surrender his passport and get prior approval from authorities to travel for any professional tours.
As we reported ... the feds grabbed Fetty last month before he was set to hit the stage at Rolling Loud in New York, arresting him on drug charges.
Prosecutors allege Fetty and others distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and crack cocaine across New Jersey and Long Island ... and claim the drugs were first obtained on the West Coast and smuggled East using secret compartments in USPS vehicles.
During their investigation, the feds say they obtained $1.5 million in cash, firearms, 16 kilos of cocaine, 2 kilos of heroin, plus fentanyl pills.
Fetty and the other defendants could face life in prison if convicted.
