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Here's the moment Diddy's whole life changed ... TMZ has the first video of federal agents making their surprise arrest in an NYC hotel lobby -- potentially his final moment of freedom for at least the next decade.

The video clearly shows Diddy, clad in a black trench coat, walking into the Park Hyatt New York hotel in midtown Manhattan with his crew of several men -- but the moment he enters the lobby, law enforcement pounces, stops the mogul and separates him from his friends.

You can see from Diddy's team's reaction ... they're unsure of what's happening, walking around the hotel lobby in shock as the rapper's taken away. More on that later.

Diddy's firing back against claims of sexual misconduct ... filing a response in one of the many civil suits he's facing saying his alleged actions are time-barred -- 'cause the statute of limitations ran years ago.

The lawyers for the rap mogul, Bad Boy Entertainment and Daddy's House Recording fired off a letter in response to Crystal McKinney's sexual assault lawsuit ... saying the claims under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law expired in 2010, seven years after McKinney claims Diddy assaulted her.

While her lawyers cited a local government ordinance that created a revival period for claims, Diddy's team says New York State Law takes precedence ... and state law says the time has come and gone for CM to make her claim.

Ryan Garcia's been trollin' Devin Haney heavy for his alleged link to Diddy ... but the boxing star tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, it's no laughing matter.

Garcia -- who is currently suspended from boxing -- spoke with us in Los Angeles just a few days after Diddy was arrested in New York on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

The allegations center around alleged "Freak Off" parties ... and with photos showing Haney with Diddy in the past, Garcia has trolled Devin on social media.

Seems Travis Kelce's going to be just fine in Hollywood after he hangs up his football cleats ... 'cause award-winning actress Niecy Nash, who just worked with the Chiefs star on "Grotesquerie," tells TMZ Sports he's got some very real acting chops.

Nash shoveled the praise on her costar while she was leaving the Emmys earlier this week -- dropping compliments all over Kelce a few days before the duo's big series debuts on FX.

Nash said viewers will be "pleasantly surprised" by Kelce's performance ... before she predicted he will do "very, very well" if and when he makes acting his full-time career.

Saints star Demario Davis is pumped the Super Bowl's coming to New Orleans, but the 5x All-Pro wholeheartedly believes Lil Wayne should be part of the halftime show!

TMZ Sports asked 35-year-old Davis about the controversial SB situation -- which has the internet/music world in a frenzy -- in the wake of the NFL announcing Kendrick Lamar as the halftime show performer, despite Weezy, a legend in the city, wanting the gig.

While DD makes it clear he's not disrespecting K-Dot -- in fact, he called Kendrick and Taylor Swift the hottest acts in all music -- he also talked about the importance of having someone from Louisiana, given the rich music history, be part of the halftime show.

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler ain't happening -- at least not right now -- so, with that fight seemingly on life support, fans have put forth another name -- Justin Gaethje. But, is he interested??

The short answer is yes, according to the 35-year-old fighter's manager, Ali Abdelaziz ... who says the bigger question is whether McGregor would step into an Octagon with Gaethje.

"If this is what [Conor] wants, if this is what the UFC wants, I think Justin Gaethje will like to smash his face. 100%. I would love to see Justin Gaethje smash his face," Ali told TMZ Sports, adding ... "Everybody knows I don't like this guy. None of us like him. But, he brings a lot of unique things to the table. And, Justin is open to it, fighting someone like him."

Diddy's not in a good situation right now ... locked up in the Special Housing Unit of a notoriously tough jail -- but, TMZ has learned his chief concern is his children.

Sources close to Diddy's family tell TMZ ... Diddy's holding up okay -- given the circumstances -- but he's worrying about his kids from his 10 ft. x 8 ft. jail cell, desperately wanting to speak to his kiddos.

We're told people closest to him are trying to process the situation ... but, they all know they have to be strong for the kids' sakes.

Grammy-winning jazz musician Robert Glasper knows a thing or two about jamming with Kendrick Lamar ... and he says his schedule will miraculously be free should he get the call to join him on that Super Bowl 59 halftime stage!!!

We linked with Rob at LAX Friday, and he tells us the chances may be slim, but if K. Dot needs him to key up any tracks from his 2015 monster album "To Pimp A Butterfly," he's the guy -- because he was the guy when it was recorded!!!

Rob worked on smooth songs such as "These Walls" and "The Blacker The Berry" with his homies Terrace Martin and Thundercat ... amazing compositions -- but thinks K. Dot will crank up the energy for the Big Dance and drop "Not Like Us."

Quavo stole the flavor for his modest 2018 hit "Bubble Gum" from a Louisiana rapper who says he actually handed Quay the inspiration in person ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained docs filed by a man named Lamount London -- who goes by L.Mont -- in which he claims he opened for 2 Chainz and Quavo's group Migos at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, LA on February 9, 2016.

Following the concert, L.Mont claims he passed Quavo a CD containing his song, "Bubble Gum" ... a bouncy NOLA-style track he says he recorded in 2015, in hopes of working together down the line.

The FaZe Clan won't have to worry about their subathon getting interrupted by the cops again ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the house that got swatted this week has been placed on a special location list to prevent similar issues in the future.

As we previously reported, cops and an ambulance rushed to the esports organization's current L.A. HQ after receiving a disturbing 911 call on Thursday ... when a man claiming to be 60 years old stated he killed his mother and brother -- and someone was still breathing inside the residence.

After checking everything out, law enforcement determined it was all a disgusting prank ... and all the streamers in the house were free to go about their day.

Consequence is having a hard time wrapping his head around Diddy actually having 3 hots and a cot inside his Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn -- a guy of his stature rarely ends up in a place like that!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Queens MC in Bev Hills this week and he tells us flat-out that taunting and waging war against federal investigations is a big no-no in the streets.

We broke the story ... Diddy was denied bail twice amid the ongoing sex trafficking investigation -- and Cons gives the thumbs down to the alleged "Freak Off" crimes.

Diddy's persona non grata on the airwaves, it seems ... 'cause more radio stations have decided to keep his music off their air -- with the arrest proving a final straw for several of them.

TMZ has reached out to multiple radio corporations ... who tell us many stations have slowly banned Diddy's music, with some making the move after the video of Diddy assaulting Cassie in a hotel surfaced.

Sources connected to radio platform Audacy tell us most of their stations pulled the few Diddy titles they were playing in late May/early June after the bombshell clip exploded.

MC Lyte is back on the scene with her first new album in 10 years and new independent ventures with Grammy winner Warryn Campbell's My Block imprint ... the ideal situation for her, and she's warning other hip hop artists to know the contracts they're signing!!!

On Friday, Lyte released her 9th album "1 of 1" and spoke to TMZ Hip Hop about how she tackled several personal topics across the music.

The track "Lyte Ghost Lil Mama" features Ghostface Killah and Lil Mama, just as the title suggests ... but the NYC rappers dedicate their verses to exposing major label hurdles such as broken distribution deals and fights over ownership a lot of rappers face.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has been slapped with a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend, who claims the rapper subjected her to a long history of physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse ... and says when she broke up with him, he retaliated by posting explicit videos of her on social media.

TMZ has obtained the court docs ... in which reggaeton singer Jorgina Lulu Guillermo Diaz, professionally known as Yailin La Más Viral, alleges the rapper drugged her, abused her, and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from her to fund his own luxury expenses.

Yailin also alleges Tekashi -- real name Daniel Hernandez -- manipulated, shamed, and coerced her to undergo unnecessary plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures.

Kendrick Lamar has plenty of hits to choose from when he hits the Super Bowl 59 halftime stage next year -- and has plenty of options with several of his fellow rappers as well!!!

We caught up with Rich The Kid at LAX this week and he tells TMZ Hip Hop that K. Dot can easily dominate the performance on his own ... but Rich wouldn't scoff at the opportunity to perform their 2017 double-platinum collab "New Freezer."

That said ... RTK admits he would immediately turn around and give that hypothetical slot to Lil Wayne, who was pitted into the Super Bowl convo when Kendrick got picked in Wayne's hometown.

In the wake of Tua Tagovailoa's recent string of head injuries ... Warren Moon is revealing he, too, struggled with concussions during his NFL career -- but, he tells TMZ Sports he's not feeling any real effects from them decades later.

The 67-year-old Hall of Famer played for multiple franchises from 1984 to 2000 -- and he says during that timeframe, he was diagnosed with a concussion on six separate occasions.

Moon, though, told us he still considers himself very healthy ... and is consistently passing all of his medical checkups despite the repeated blows to the head he suffered when he was a star signal-caller.