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Music journalist Touré says he's uncovered new context to Diddy's downfall ... claiming the rap mogul's drug use fueled him to throw X-rated "Freak Off" parties.

We caught up with the writer Monday on "TMZ Live," where he reflected on his connection with the Bad Boy Records founder, and how he believes drugs changed Diddy's mindset over the years.

As Touré put it ... Diddy was a different person decades ago, describing the rapper as "extremely sharp, motivational, [and] very strategic" in the early days of his career. While Touré didn't get into specifics, he did say he thought Diddy's mind had been "clouded" for the last 15 years.

Diddy seemed to predict his own downfall 25 years ago, talking openly about the wild parties he loved to throw -- long before his recent arrest and indictment last week.

In a resurfaced 1999 interview, Diddy made it clear the whole point of his parties was just to have a good time, and he was determined to keep them rolling -- permits or not -- despite authorities trying to shut him down or even arrest him.

Diddy told ET, "They're going to be shutting them down. They're going to probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time."

Nev Schulman is getting back on the proverbial horse, or in his case, an electric bike ... tooling around New York after breaking his neck in a near-fatal collision.

The "Catfish" star was all smiles Monday in the Big Apple, where he was zooming through a busy Manhattan street on his e-bike ... only 7 weeks removed from his traumatic accident.

Nev looks pretty confident here ... smiling and taking one hand off the handlebars to wave at photogs ... all while wearing a helmet, and with his wife Laura Perlongo holding on.

Bam Margera's sobriety journey is set to get back on track after authorities say he violated his probation last week ... he's still locked up and has been ordered to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Prosecutors tell TMZ ... the "Jackass" star appeared in a Chester County court on Monday, where he faced the music over an alleged probation violation. We're told his wife, Dannii Marie, was in the the courtroom ... though, no other family members were present.

Bam's lawyer Michael T. Van Der Veen tells us Margera is still incarcerated following his arrest and has been ordered to receive an addiction evaluation tomorrow before returning to the Justice Center Wednesday for a follow-up hearing.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck showed up at their WeHo office building Monday morning, along with famed divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, and it's not hard to read between the lines.

Sources tell TMZ Wasser is mediating the divorce ... something that has been going on for several months.

TMZ broke the story ... J Lo and Ben shockingly did not have a prenup, and the 2 have been involved in multiple projects during their 2-year marriage, and deciding who gets what has been tricky.

D.L. Hughley is making Janet Jackson the punchline of his latest roast ... after the singer publicly questioned Vice President Kamala Harris' race.

The comedian took to X as Jackson's controversial remarks picked up steam ... and the funnyman made it clear her comments were no laughing matter.

Initially, Hughley slammed Jackson's rhetoric for sounding like "a Trump rally." For those who may not know, Donald Trump has previously questioned Harris' racial identity ... suggesting this summer that the Democratic nominee "happened to turn Black" for political advantage.

"90 Day Fiancé" star Big Ed is no longer hearing wedding bells ... calling off his 4th engagement a week after announcing his whirlwind romance.

The TLC personality appeared to regret getting down on one knee, taking to social media Monday to issue a big update about his personal life. As Big Ed told his followers... he proposed to now-ex-fiancée Porscha Raemond in a "very impulsive moment."

Per Ed, after "deep reflection and discussions with those closest to [him]" he decided to rescind the proposal ... as he realized he was "rushing into this decision."

The 3 men charged with murdering Young Dolph are now on trial, and it kicked off with a bombshell allegation about who was behind the 2021 shooting.

During the opening statements, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman accused the late Big Jook -- brother of Young Dolph's rival, Yo Gotti -- of being responsible after he offered $100,000 to anyone who would kill Dolph to end their ongoing rap feud.

Hernandez Govan, Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith are all charged with first-degree murder where they plead not guilty.

Diddy's arrest and subsequent indictment have not deterred his fans from listening to his music ... in fact, he's seen a spike in streams in the wake of the controversy.

Luminate, a data and analytics company, claims the rap mogul's expansive music catalog has seen an over 18% increase in streams in the week since he was put in handcuffs at the Park Hyatt in midtown Manhattan.

TMZ broke the story ... the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested last Monday, 6 months after his Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided in connection with a sex trafficking investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A 10-year-old girl who vanished into the Louisiana woods is back home with her family, thanks to a thermal imaging drone that tracked her down ... leading to her rescue.

Dramatic new footage shows the moment the drone locates Peyton Saintignan, who police say went missing around 10 PM on Sept. 14 after sleepwalking into the woods near her home in Shreveport.

Peyton's curled up on the forest floor and appears to be sleeping when the drone swoops in and finds her ... with the help of the thermal tech.

Usher's hitting back hard, saying "No, No, No!" to those speculating he’s hiding something in the wake of his former mentor Diddy's arrest ... especially after his X posts mysteriously vanished over the weekend.

The singer had an explanation for the social media wipeout ... writing on the platform Sunday evening, "Account got hacked and damn y'all ran with it! 😂😂😂."

Usher sidestepped the Diddy drama but seemed to make it clear he’s got nothing to hide. He wrapped up the post by promoting his next show, saying, "See you tonight at Intuit Dome✌🏽👀✌🏽."

Tom Brady looks like he could still suit up on Sundays ... because the retired NFL legend appears to be in great shape ... showing off his jacked bod while riding an electric surfboard.

Tom hit the waves Friday riding one of those eFoil electric boards that basically lets you coast along the top of any body of water ... and TB12 looks like he's been hitting the weights in retirement.

The NFL's best ever showed off his chiseled arms and legs while tooling around on the waterways outside his Miami waterfront mansion.

Mama June just scored a legal win -- a court ordered that she'll retain custody of her late daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell's daughter, Kaitlyn.

TMZ got their hands on the court docs ... a Georgia judge ruled legal and physical custody of Kaitlyn will stay with Mama June ... this after Michael Caldwell -- Anna's ex who was not Kaitlyn's biological father -- tried to obtain custody rights.

As InTouch first reported ... the court ruled that Michael won’t have any visitation rights unless Mama June and Kaitlyn agree otherwise. The legal order mentioned Kaitlyn expressed her wish to keep living with her grandmother during her testimony at a July hearing.

Carly Rae Jepsen is officially off the market -- she's just shared her exciting engagement news on IG, posting a bunch of loved-up pics with her new fiancé, Cole M.G.N.

The "Call Me Maybe" singer couldn't help but flaunt her dazzling new bling, snuggling up with her man in charming pics from their picturesque countryside getaway -- where it looks like the magic moment went down!

If the pics didn’t scream "smitten," her caption definitely did: "Very engaged over here 💍❤️."

J.D. Vance is likely scrambling to fix his latest awkward field trip ... the politician is facing backlash over his claims about the cost of eggs under the Biden administration.

Check it out ... the Vice President hopeful swings by a grocery store in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he laments to locals about the rise in egg costs in recent years.

As Vance puts it ... current Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is responsible for the increase in grocery costs ... claiming eggs are now $4 a dozen thanks to the VP.

12:03 PM PT -- During his federal court appearance Monday, Judge Ryon McCabe ordered that Ryan Wesley Routh be held without bond until his trial.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the alleged would-be Trump assassin, revealed his lethal intentions in a letter he wrote prior to getting arrested ... according to the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors released the troubling note Monday, saying Routh wrote about his plans to assassinate former President Donald Trump, and in it, he also calls on others to make attempts on the Republican nominee's life.

The note even promised a hefty monetary reward to whomever finished "the job."