Amanda Bynes I'm Keeping My Podcast Alive ... Resumes After Brief Pause

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ON SECOND THOUGHT...
Instagram / @amandaamandaamanda1986

Amanda Bynes is bringing her podcast back from the dead ... switching course and soldiering on despite saying she was going to pull the plug after just one episode.

The day after saying her new podcast was going the way of the dinosaur because of a lack of big-name guests, Amanda says she's going to continue the podcast.

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IN NEED OF BIG NAMES

Amanda says her friends convinced her to reconsider giving up so soon ... and she says she's excited to record a new episode.

Remember ... Amanda said she was going to kill the podcast after the inaugural episode because A-list musicians like Drake, Jack Harlow and Post Malone weren't lining up to join her as guests on the podcast, as she hoped.

Now, Amanda says she realizes podcasts need time to grow a following ... and those big-name guests she has on her radar might join down the road.

Of course, no matter who the guests are they won't be talking about her mental health struggles or her Hollywood career.

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WELCOME TO THE POD!
Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast / Spotify

Still, Amanda says she has some guests lined up ... and her "Amanda Bynes and Paul Sieminski: Podcast" is doing well on Spotify early on.

Bottom line for Amanda here ... if you build it, they will come.

Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign We're Dropping The Ball And Our Album ... On New Year's Eve!!!

Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign didn't deliver their "Vultures" album as promised last Friday, but fans won't have to wait much longer ... because they've revealed a new release date.

TMZ Hip Hop can confirm the new dynamic duo will release their album on December 31 a.k.a. New Year's Eve.

Kanye album delays aren't a new concept but this go around, Ye has a couple of hurdles to leap if he wants "Vultures" to come out in its original format.

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SAMPLING HIS NEW SONG

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Kanye failed to clear his Backstreet Boys-sampling single "Everybody" and may have to release an alternate version to cover his bases.

Ye also has another roadblock with Nicki Minaj stonewalling him by not clearing her verse for their collab "New Body" as well.

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Ye Train Has Left The Station

Nicki told her fans the song was a bit dated having been recorded years ago but most importantly, she didn't want to detract from her own "Pink Friday 2" album release success ... so she let Ye down gently.

With or without Nicki, Ye still managed to recruit Lil Baby, Freddie Gibbs, Offset, Quavo, Playboi Carti, Chris Brown, Future, Bad Bunny, Charlie Wilson, and many more.

Billboard was the first to report on Ye and Ty$'s new release date.

Foxy Brown Only Nicki Could Beat My Record ... Putting Bum Chicks On Notice for '24!!!

Nicki Minaj just became the female rapper with the most multiple No. 1 albums ... which created the perfect opportunity for her ace, Foxy Brown, to flex her pettiness on the competition!!!

As you know, last week, Nicki made a splash with her new album "Pink Friday 2" -- it's all set to top the Billboard 200 this week.

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Ye Train Has Left The Station

She wouldn't even let Kanye West get involved in the momentum the album is so hot!!!

The project gives Nicki the record for most No. 1 albums by a female rapper ... she'd previously been tied with Foxy, whose record was set back in 1999.

Foxy collaborated with Nicki on her last album and didn't waste time hopping on IG to congratulate her ... as well as throw sneaky shade at her rivals, such as Lil Kim.

Foxy gloated all over a fan tweet that implied Kim had the same amount of time in her career to snag some No. 1's for herself ... but didn't.

The "Ill Na Na" rapper says she'll also be putting herself back in the history books with a new album next year -- her first since 2008.

Maybe it'll drop the same day as Kim's book and they'll do a Verzuz!!! 👀

Blueface Throws Female Fan Off the Stage ... Orders a Beatdown

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INSTIGATING A FIGHT

A concert for Blueface and Jaidyn Alexis almost turned into an MMA match ... tossing a female fan off the stage after accusing her of throwing something at the performers.

The soon-to-be husband and wife were performing in Utah over the weekend when a piece of ice allegedly whizzed past Jaidyn -- Blueface singled out the female fan he thought was responsible for the ice, pulling her up on the stage.

Then, Blueface tossed the woman off the stage and toward Jaidyn, encouraging his fiancée to beat the woman up.

From there, all hell breaks loose, and Jaidyn throws several punches on Blueface’s orders ... luckily, it didn't appear any connected.

The woman managed to escape thanks to security, but fans are calling for Jaidyn to jump ship from her relationship with Blueface.

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COME ON OUT, SOULJA!!!

Don't forget, Blueface is also trying to set up a fight of his own with Soulja Boy … that’s pretty much his brand these days. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Drake Cheers To The Fans 🎉 Haters, Tweet-And-Deleters, You Make Me Sick!!!

Drake is patting himself on the back for a year well done, admitting he couldn't do it without the love of his supporters -- and the bad intentions of his haters.

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DRAKE'S MESSAGE FOR THE FANS

Drake took to IG Sunday to deliver a PSA to celebrate his 2023 ... he released his thirteenth No. 1 album "For All The Dogs" and closed the year as the top-streamed artist on Spotify.

Drake acknowledged he couldn't have done it without fans driving his numbers up and constantly supporting him.

Drake also lashed out at the "nonbelievers, the underachievers and the tweet-and-deleters" -- and fans instantly remembered Metro Boomin subliminally shading Drake on X a couple of weeks ago.

Metro was upset that Drake and 21 Savage's "Her Loss" was receiving more award show attention than his "Heroes & Villains" project ... although it's not totally clear why.

Both albums are nominated for Best Rap Album at next year's Grammys ... but Drake says guys like that make his stomach turn and dared anyone of them to step to his face.

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GOTTA FOCUS ON ME
Table For One / SiriusXM

If it's the same issues that threatened to have him sit out for a year ... haters will have reasons to hide their feelings ... because Drake will be very visible next year on tour with J. Cole.

Kanye West 1st-Class Flight to L.A. w/ Will Smith ... Quick Trip to Middle East!!!

Kanye West was apparently up in the air a lot over the past 48 hours -- 'cause the dude just landed in L.A. with none other than Will Smith ... this after a quick trip to the Middle East.

This photo of Will and Ye posing together with a woman for a selfie aboard a first-class flight is circulating online, and word is ... it depicts them aboard an Emirates plane that left from Dubai to Los Angeles Sunday, with KW and co. now back in the States.

If that sounds confusing, you're not alone. It's true, Kanye was literally just here in L.A. the other day ... hitting up Disneyland Thursday with his wife, Bianca, and his daughter North.

Of course, he was also just in Vegas the day after that (Friday) where he went on an unhinged rant ... and once again invoked the name of Adolf Hitler, not to mention Jesus.

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RANTING & RAVING

It appears that sometime between then and now ... Ye hopped a plane all the way across the world to do something in Saudi Arabia, where he'd been spending much of his time over the past couple months or so working on his new album. Perhaps he went back for that?

In any case, looks like he ran into Will on his way back home ... and they boarded together.

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Will was noticeably out there himself and documented it all publicly on his IG ... performing at a music fest in Saudi Arabia alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff ... and his son Jaden was there too.

Unclear who else might've been on the plane with them or to what extent they all interacted -- but from this photo alone, it's pretty clear they're at least somewhat chummy/friendly.

As for Ye ... hey, the dude's still filthy freaking rich and can go anywhere he wants at the drop of a hat. He might've lost hundreds of millions last year, but he's still got plenty of Benjamins to his name. That much is clear from this seemingly sudden 8,000-plus-mile jaunt.

Evidently, he also has some allies still in his corner ... Will included.

Anita Baker Accused of Bickering w/ Houston Crowd ... During Live Tour Stop

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GET 'EM OUTTA HERE!
TikTok / @icemamiiii, @_drholmes

Anita Baker's latest live performance is catching a little heat after she apparently got testy with the audience out in Texas -- parts of which were captured on video.

The legendary crooner was doing a show in Houston's Toyota Center Friday night and playing to a pretty solid-sized audience ... but at certain points during the gig, AB appears to have gotten into it a bit with some folks down in the front row.

There are 2 videos, in particular, that are circulating online right now -- one shows Anita telling some people right below her near the stage to stop recording ... in the middle of a song.

There's another moment where Anita could be seen/heard asking for security to boot folks.

Overall, this seems to have left a bad taste in people's mouths -- with some online complaining that Anita was more concerned with arguing with a select few ticket-buyers than doing the best job she could onstage. Others claimed she seemed to miss some lyrics ... and alleged her performance, overall, was relatively short-lived and somewhat sloppy.

Now, there's a good handful of people defending Anita ... saying the folks in the front row were, in fact, acting up and testing AB. Others said the performance, at large, was great.

Of course, the larger backdrop to this is the Babyface feud she was in earlier this year while on the road -- during which she got into it with both him and his fans in the Twitter-sphere.

Anita's got another show tonight in Dallas, then she comes to Cali next for her final two. Here's hoping she can go out with a bang -- sounds like the tour's been a little bumpy.

Cam'ron Finally Gets to Meet (& Greet) Nia Long ... After DM Slide Year-Plus Ago

Cam'ron slid into Nia Long's DMs over a year ago trying to holler, and it looks like he finally got his shot this weekend -- 'cause they linked up at a big shindig ... and took pics!

The rapper-turned-podcaster/TV host has been documenting this saga for a while -- way back in October 2022, he posted screenshots of some messages he sent Nia on IG ... this not too long after her messy split with Ime Udoka and that whole Celtics drama.

Anyway, it was a lengthy shot across the bow, where he's singing her praises ... and eventually just comes out with it and says he thinks they'd make a great couple together.

Apparently, NL never responded to that DM -- something Cam'ron made sure to tell his followers a couple weeks ago -- but now, some 14 months after the fact ... they finally got a chance to meet at Rich Paul's birthday party in L.A., where they hugged, talked and posed.

Here's the thing ... Nia actually posted this photo of the two of them cheesing first, but then took it down from her page -- but Cam'ron most certainly kept his version up, and added some extra ones to boot ... probably just to prove to everyone he had, in fact, seen her.

No word on whether this might lead to anything romantic, or if it's just a friendly hi-bye.

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HI CAM 😏😏😏
TMZ.com

We actually got Nia out somewhat recently and asked her about this whole thing, and all she had to say to us (and to Cam, we suppose) was ... oh, hi there! Sounds like he got his in-person hello too.

Lord knows she's one of the most eligible bachelorettes in town these days -- aging like fine wine -- and has been one of Hollywood's most-coveted dames for a good long while.

Jeezy seemed to have his moment a month ago ... maybe now it's Cam's time to shine.

Atta boy!

Travis Scott Custom Air Jordans Hit Auction Block ... Wore 'Em At Rolling Loud!!!

Travis Scott's custom Cactus Jack Air Jordan sneakers are up for sale ... he wore the kicks at Rolling Loud, gave them to a fan and now they're being auctioned off.

The stage-worn shoes feature blacked-out Nike Swoosh logos and the rapper's famous Cactus Jack logo, plus branding for Air Jordan and Travis' recent "Utopia" album.

Travis wore the shoes for his set at the 2023 Rolling Loud Festival in Munich, Germany, where he brought a fan onstage and gifted him the custom Jordans.

The kicks are up for sale through Goldin Auctions' December Pop Culture Auction ... and the bidding runs through Dec. 20 ... so they could make for a cool Christmas gift. The auction house estimates that they could go for around $10k.

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Auction owner, Ken Goldin, tells TMZ ... "In an iconic moment in pop culture history, we're excited to see these sneakers hit the auction block. As a sneakerhead myself, it's great to offer a rare opportunity for other collectors to own a custom pair of Air Jordans."

Tekashi 6ix9ine Rolls-Royce, Mansion On Chopping Block To Cover $10M Stripper Injury Judgment

Tekashi 6ix9ine's valuable assets could be on the auction block soon ... in order to satisfy a nearly $10 million judgment against him by a stripper who claims he hit her in the head with a bottle of champagne.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, a receiver has been appointed to take control of the rapper's assets -- items like his Rolls-Royce and his Florida mansion -- and sell off whatever is necessary to pay the $9.825 million judgment.

Dancer Alexis Salaberrios got the hefty judgment back in July ... more than 2 years after she initially filed the lawsuit ... but it hasn't been paid, which is why she got the judge to appoint a receiver to liquidate Tekashi's stuff.

The receiver has lots of power-- allowed to "break any locks necessary to gain access to any real property."

TMZ broke the story, Tekashi was sued by Alexis in 2021 after allegedly hitting her in the head inside Gold Rush Cabaret in Miami. Her attorney told us he tried hitting someone else for calling him a rat, but he missed and clocked Alexis instead.

According to Salaberrios, the injuries resulted in a trip to the ER, and she had to get several staples to close the wound.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, scoffed at her claims, saying "It’s an attempt to shake him down."

We've reached out to Tekashi's camp for comment ... so far, no word back.

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The Fight Footage

BTW, Tekashi's girlfriend, rapper Yailin La Más Viral, is now also in hot water. As we reported, she was arrested on a felony charge for allegedly assaulting him, after video showed her smacking him repeatedly with a 2x4.

Travis Scott Cancels Concert In Chicago ... Mystery Swirls

Travis Scott bailed on his show in Chicago Friday night ... and it's still a mystery why it was postponed.

The rapper was supposed to hit the stage at United Center in the Windy City around 8 PM after the gates were scheduled to open for fans to come in about an hour and a half before the event.

But the venue posted a message on X in the afternoon, explaining that the concert had been postponed with no future date announced. Once the show is rescheduled,   all tickets will be honored at the door.

As for Travis, he has yet to weigh on what caused the concert cancellation. We hope it's not too serious. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what he says.

Diddy Wishes Late Ex Kim Porter Happy B'day ... Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Diddy is wishing his late partner Kim Porter a happy birthday amid his growing legal troubles involving multiple sexual assault allegations.

In an Instagram post Friday night, Diddy wrote, “We miss you so much Kim! Happy Birthday Beautiful! Love forever.” He accompanied the caption with an old photo of him giving Kim a big smooch on the cheek.

As you know, Kim died from pneumonia after she became bedridden due to a lung infection at her L.A. home in 2018. She was 47.

Diddy and Kim dated on and off for 13 years, sharing three children: son Christian and twin sisters D’Lila Star and Jessie James. Over the years, Diddy has spoken passionately about his love for Kim and, after her death, he revealed his regret for not tying the knot with her.

Meanwhile, Diddy is dealing with a ton of legal issues around claims that he sexually assaulted several women. His former girlfriend, Cassie, was first to file a bombshell lawsuit against the music legend in November, accusing him of years of rape and sexual abuse. The two quickly settled the matter.

But then Diddy was hit with other civil suits containing similar allegations. Those suits are still winding their way through the courts.

Diddy has denied any wrongdoing.

Gunna Well-Protected in Bev Hills 2 Armed Security Guards!!!

Gunna still isn't taking any chances with his life as Young Thug's YSL trial trudges on -- even for a simple day of shopping, he's got hired guns watching his back and his front.

The "Fukumean" rapper was spotted shopping with his armed bodyguards at Saks Fifth Avenue in Bev Hills this week -- which might sound like the ideal scenario to spend cash and not worry about being robbed. But, Gunna clearly thinks otherwise.

This particular shopping trip went down without a hitch but remember ... he was confronted by a complete rando this year, and he's gotta be thinking more enemies could be lurking just about anywhere.

His former "Drip So Hard" brother Lil Baby dropped a new song titled "350" Friday that appeared to target Gunna ... "I know one day it's gon' hit me/Bro ain't never comin' back/Ain't never say nothin' 'bout it, n****, you know you a rat."

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LEARNIN' THE HARD WAY
TMZ.com

Gunna's heavy-duty security should earn him brownie points with the OGs ... Charlamagne Tha God stressed the importance of having pros while discussing the Nardo Wick disaster with us earlier this month.

A few other rappers have voiced their displeasure with Gunna for taking a plea deal in the YSL case, but he has the majority on his side ... when it comes to music, at least. His latest album went gold and the song "Fukumean" went platinum in October.

'L&HH' Star Vonshae Officially Over Gunplay ... Wealthy New Boo Treats Me Right!!!

"Love & Hip Hop: Miami" cast member Vonshae Taylor-Morales had a rocky year amid a split from her hubby Gunplay ... but a new relationship has her going into 2024 on Cloud 9.

Fans have noticed Vonshae popping out with a mystery man these past few weeks, and the reality star tells TMZ Hip Hop his name is Franck Njonkou Seudio -- a 26-year-old multi-millionaire businessman from Africa, and they've been dating for one month.

Vonshae tells us she had been depressed during the Gunplay fiasco -- the rapper was arrested for DV back in August -- but says she's now in a great state of mind.

She and Franck first met when he DM'ed her a few weeks after Gunplay got arrested, and their first date consisted of going for pizza and a casual walk in Florida.

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HAPPY WITH MY MAN
Instagram / @lifewithvonshae

Things have been clicking so far -- Vonshae tells us Franck owns multiple businesses that sprawl across media, e-commerce, Airbnb properties and cars. Plus, she says Mr. Lover-Lover is also fluent in French and has already expressed his wishes to marry her and adopt her 9-month-old daughter!!!

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Vonshae says Franck has no issues with her staying at home, raising her child and spending his money -- he's paid for Vonshae's legal bills and also handled her child's medical bills.

Franck was originally studying to be a pharmacist tech after moving to Miami but figured the business route was the best way to get paid.

In the case of her old relationship, Vonshae admits she'll always love Gunplay, but says he's not the same person she married in August 2022, so she's moved on -- even if he hasn't.

Gunplay recently had his bond revoked for attempting to pressure Vonshae not to testify against him ... and was sentenced to 28-36 months for violating the court-appointed restraining order as a result.

Meek Mill Tearjerker Speech At PA Probation Bill Signing

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Not For Clout

Meek Mill's emotions came pouring out while speaking at the signing of a probation reform bill in Philadelphia ... and his tears were clearly related to memories of his own years of legal woes.

PA Governor Josh Shapiro signed the bill inside Philly's National Constitution Center, and Meek recalled the anxiety he had risking his freedom crossing state lines to New Jersey just to take his son to school when he was on probation years ago.

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He then broke down at the podium while thanking Gov. Shapiro and the rest of the committee for signing the bill, which lessens the chances of people on probation being sent back to jail for minor offenses.

Meek says guys like him who come from poor upbringings have to fight twice as hard just for acceptance, and being tossed around the system while labeled a felon makes things much worse.

The "Dreams & Nightmares" rapper was infamously placed on probation for a 2008 gun case, and later ended up having serious beef with a judge who sent him to prison for a 2017 probation violation. So, it's pretty obvious why the cause is so dear to his heart.

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HYPOCRITICAL
Sway's Universe / Sirius XM

It'll be interesting to see if the new laws influence Meek's lyrics going forward -- he was called out last month by Dee-1 for being the face of orgs like Reform while still glorifying street activity in his raps.

Offset Up All Night Celebratin' Bday #32 ... Cardi Upset at Home

Offset partied in Miami until 5 AM to celebrate his 32nd birthday without a care in the world -- while his wife, Cardi B, was back at home clearly upset over the state of their marriage.

Offset had not one but two birthday bashes Thursday ... he and his crew were seen inside the Miami Design District hotspot 'Coco Miami' until 3 AM and then hightailed it to South Beach club 'Playa' until 5 AM.

Offset wore shades all night, looking unbothered at both of the parties as he was surrounded by women -- complete with a sprinter van full of 'em.

Also in attendance at the party was producer Southside, Diddy's son Justin Combs, Ari Fletcher and Miami Heat players Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Thomas Bryant.

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BIRTHDAY WITH THE ENTOURAGE
BACKGRID

We now know Offset was celebrating as a single man ... Cardi went live on IG in an explosive rant that pretty much signaled their relationship is over.

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UNLEASHING ON OFFSET
Instagram / @iamcardib

She accused her estranged hubby of playing mind games and "feeling himself" because of his new solo album -- which she helped him promote.

Talk about a bittersweet birthday. 🎂