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Lil Uzi Vert's decision to add his Young Thug and Gunna collab "Strawberry Peels" to the deluxe version of his last album could prove to be a costly one ... the Generation Now rhymer is being sued over the song.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Uzi, Thug, Gunna, the song's producer Wheezy, as well as the record labels Atlantic and Generation Now are being sued by Sun City Publishing for allegedly stealing samples from Blackout's 1995 song called "Dim Da Lights."

Sun City claims it never gave Uzi permission to sample the track and says "Strawberry Peels" has been a huge success since its release ... amassing over 39 million Spotify streams and more than 4 million plays on YouTube.

Sun City believes the song has raked in well over $1 million dollars and now it wants at least that much in damages.

The suit obviously spells more bad news for Thug and Gunna ... remember, both were tied into the RICO criminal cases in Georgia.

The suspect charged with murdering Migos rapper Takeoff is no longer behind bars.

Patrick Xavier Clark posted $1 million bond and walked out of Harris County Jail in Texas Wednesday night.

His initial bond was set at $2 million, but the court dropped the amount after his lawyers, Carl Moore and Letitia Quinones, argued it was excessive and, therefore, unconstitutional. Texas law requires that bond not be used to hold defendants (i.e. financially speaking) ... but rather to ensure their return to court. Clark surrendered his passport to the judge.

Now that Clark is out ... he must abide by the conditions of his release. According to court documents, he will submit to house arrest and have no contact with certain people connected to the case -- including Takeoff's family and music exec J Prince and his relatives. Clark is also barred from possessing deadly weapons and must wear a GPS monitor so law enforcement can track his movements.

As we reported ... Clark was arrested in December and charged with the murder of Takeoff. Police tied Clark to the crime mainly by using surveillance and cell phone footage to identify him.

TMZ broke the story ... Takeoff and his Migos collaborator, Quavo, were partying with about 30 people at a bowling alley in Houston on Nov. 1. Video shows some of the attendees getting into an altercation, which quickly escalated into violence.

Clark allegedly pulled a gun and squeezed off several shots ... Takeoff was fatally struck in the head and torso. What's worse ... the hip hop star was an unarmed innocent bystander, who had NO involvement in the initial argument.

Jen Shah's upcoming sentence might be stiffer thanks to a woman who informed the feds about a restraining order she once got against the reality star ... and prosecutors want the judge to take it into account.

Prosecutors in Jen's federal fraud case just filed new docs this week asking the court to consider a 2019 restraining order obtained by a woman who claims she once had some trouble with the 'Housewives of Salt Lake City' star.

The feds say the woman reached out to them via a letter and now want the judge to take a look at how she described their interaction.

With Jen's upcoming sentencing hearing on Friday, prosecutors want to make sure the judge sees what the woman had to say, because they believe it to be consistent with how JS interacted with others. In other words, they think the woman's account will back what they claim they've discovered about Jen's character throughout these proceedings -- and it seems like prosecutors are hoping it leads to a harsher sentence.

Now, as for what this mystery woman claims happened, it's quite a tale ... dating back nearly 4 years, when she alleges JS stalked and harassed her.

TMZ has obtained her restraining order docs from back then, which were filed in Nevada, and she details an alleged tryst her husband was having with Jen -- which erupted into a blowout when the woman sent screenshots of texts to Jen's own hubby.

The woman claims when Jen tried confronting her, she ignored her -- which allegedly pissed off Jen to the point of her driving across state lines to try to see the woman in person. She alleges Jen showed up unannounced on her doorstep at 2:30 AM.

She says she eventually called the cops, and in the end ... the woman got her TRO granted. Unclear what came of it after that -- but it seems prosecutors want a judge to hear about it anyway before deciding how many years Shah gets in the fraud case.

Remember, the feds are asking for at least 10 years behind bars.

Bryan Kohberger is flying private to Idaho right now to face murder charges -- and it seems like the teeny-tiny plane he's on needed a break mid-flight... ditto for the suspect himself.

TMZ has obtained photos of Kohberger being led in and out of Flightstar Wednesday -- a fixed-base operator at Willard Airport in Champaign, IL ... where he and a handful of armed officers landed at around 11 AM PT while he was being transported across the country.

Check out the pics ... you can see the aircraft Kohberger and the PA law enforcement officials are traveling in -- a 2015 fixed-wing, single-engine Pilatus that seats 11 ... and which we've learned is actually owned and operated by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Eyewitnesses tell us the plane appeared to be getting refueled ... while Kohberger appeared to be taking a whiz inside. During this period, we're told the entire airport was placed on lockdown -- with everyone being evacuated, including employees -- while he was in there.

A few minutes later, our sources tell us Kohberger was led back to the plane ... and they took off without incident.

If you're wondering why this plane needed to refuel on a flight that typically takes around 4 hours ... well, it has to do with the capabilities of this particular aircraft and the length of this journey. The Pilatus can go about 1,700 nautical miles on a single tank.

Going from Pennsylvania to Moscow is about 1,800 nautical miles ... so they were playing it safe.

In any case, Kohberger's almost there -- as of this post, he's somewhere over South Dakota, so Idaho is just a couple states away. Remember, he agreed to be extradited without putting up a fight ... and now, he'll learn the full scope of the charges and evidence against him.

Video has now surfaced of Bryan Kohberger's first traffic stop in Indiana, and the officer who pulled him over was asking a lot of questions about a "mass shooting."

Kohberger was behind the wheel with his father in the passenger seat, when a patrol officer from the Hancock County Sheriff's Dept. pulled them over for following too close to another vehicle.

The officer begins asking questions about where they were headed. At one point, Kohberger's dad mentions they were coming from Washington State University. Bryan seems to interrupt and talk over him, as if it's not a subject he wants out there. As you know, the University was only 9 miles from the Idaho quadruple murder scene.

The father then brings up what he calls a "mass shooting" that went down at WSU earlier that day. The officer seems curious and asks several questions about it, and then the conversation turns to where Kohberger and his dad were heading.

The officer didn't connect the fact that Moscow, Idaho police put out an alert they were on the hunt for a white Hyundai Elantra ... the same type of car the Kohbergers were in.

TMZ broke the story ... there was a second traffic stop a short time later where an officer from a different agency pulled them over for the same offense and also didn't connect the dots.

The mastermind and architect behind the college admissions scandal is going to end up like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman ... by spending time behind bars.

Rick Singer was sentenced to 42 months -- 3.5 years -- in federal prison for his role in the Varsity Blues scandal.

Remember ... the feds say Singer was the architect of a massive, decades-long fraudulent scheme to get high school students into elite colleges and universities across the country ... including the daughters of celebs like Lori and Felicity.

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors were pushing for Singer to get 6 years behind bars, arguing he profited from the scheme more than anyone and therefore deserved a much longer sentence than the parents, college coaches and others received.

Singer's lawyers, meanwhile, asked for a maximum of 6 months in the big house.

It's worth noting ... more than 50 parents, coaches and associates of Singer's received sentences ranging from 30 months in prison to just probation. Lori was sentenced to 2 months behind bars, while Felicity got 2 weeks.

Singer was initially staring down a maximum sentence of 65 years behind bars ... but he ended up cooperating with the feds and was the key to convicting the parents and coaches. Prosecutors say Singer wore a wire at the government's direction to nail the targets, and also made hundreds of recorded calls.

Bryan Kohberger was just seen for the first time since his arrest ... heading into court to face charges he savagely murdered 4 college students -- in a case that has riveted the nation.

The suspected killer is expected to waive extradition Tuesday and will be returned to Moscow, ID -- where he's charged with 4 counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. He faces a possible death sentence or life imprisonment, if convicted.

The victim's families said they'd be present for the hearings ... and Steve Goncalves -- whose daughter Kaylee Goncalves was one of the four slain victims -- told NBC News, "I want him to be sick of seeing us and sick of knowing that these people won't let it go."

Steve also told "GMA" the arrest came as a huge relief to his family -- saying it's like "seeing sunlight after being stuck in a house for a month."

As for Kohberger, his public defender Jason LaBar told "TODAY" he's acting "very calm" ahead of the hearing ... reiterating the claims Kohberger believes he'll be fully exonerated.

As we reported, Kohberger was arrested Friday by police at his parents' home in Effort, PA, in connection with the murders of Kaylee, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The victims, all students at the University of Idaho, were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Moscow, ID, on Nov. 13.

Kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at nearby Washington State University, drove cross country with his father back to Pennsylvania around Christmas.

Investigators were already hot on Kohberger's trail after tying him to the crimes, in part, using DNA evidence. Cops have not disclosed a motive for the attack, nor have they located the murder weapon, which is believed to be a combat knife.

Kohberger's attorney, Jason LaBar, told TMZ ... his client expects to be "exonerated," suggesting he's innocent of the crimes. LaBar also said Kohberger has not specifically addressed the serious charges against him, meaning he hasn't denied involvement in the slayings or admitted guilt.

His hearing is scheduled to start at 3:30 PM EST ... we'll stream it live.

The Idaho murder suspect has been placed on suicide watch while behind bars, but his time behind bars has been uneventful ... despite reports to the contrary.

Garry Haidle -- the warden of Monroe County Jail in Pennsylvania, where Bryan Kohberger has been held since his arrest on Dec. 30 -- says the 28-year-old criminology student was put on suicide watch from day 1 ... but it's not because they thought he'd take his own life.

Haidle says it's actually standard operating procedure for high-security inmates who face serious charges like the ones Kohberger is up against -- four counts of first-degree murder.

With that said, the warden notes that Kohberger's stay with them was "uneventful" ... and wouldn't elaborate further. Still, it sounds like Monroe County is shooting down any notion that Kohberger was acting out.

There've been reports suggesting Kohberger was taunting guards, threatening to cut/urinate on people, exposing himself, and even rapping violent lyrics.

Former Monroe County inmate Valerie Cipollina told the Daily Mail she was placed in a cell close to Kohberger when he was first brought in. She also claimed Kohberger was saying he didn't care what happened to him.

But, the warden seems to be saying that's not what was happening. If anything, he makes it seem like nothing was out of the ordinary while Kohberger was there -- which jibes with what his defense attorney told us. Jason LaBar says his client has remained even-keeled through all this ... but did say Kohberger thinks he'll ultimately be exonerated.

Joe Exotic is officially single again in the eyes of the law, because his divorce is on the record and in the books ... signed, sealed and delivered.

The "Tiger King" star had his dissolution of marriage from now ex-husband Dillon Passage finalized Tuesday in Santa Rosa County, FL ... with a judge signing off on each dude going off into the world as unattached and unhitched, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.

It's been a long time coming -- Joe and Dillon have been separated for years now, but their divorce wasn't filed until last March, and there've been a few hiccups along the way ... not to mention new romances for both.

As you know ... JE has been on and off with at least a couple other guys while behind bars, and was even set to marry one of his fellow inmates -- that is, before things fell apart in June.

Now that the divorce with Dillon is done, we imagine Joe might pull the trigger in the future. He seems to get smitten pretty easily, and who doesn't love 'em some Exotic in their life? Anyhoo, the only other thing that's noteworthy is that Joe's getting his old name back.

He was previously known as Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, but the Passage is gone ... and he's back to this three-name moniker once more. Of course, he'll always be known as one thing for many. What that is ... well, we suppose that depends on who you ask.

Joe and Dillon had no children, and everything else was hashed out in an agreed-upon settlement. Joe was repped by attorney Autumn Beck Blackledge throughout the proceedings.

YouTube star Jenna Marbles and her new husband had a scary start to their new year ... because cops say an alleged stalker showed up at their home and took some pepper spray to the face!!!

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops were called Monday to the newlywed's San Fernando Valley home after a female fan showed up looking for Jenna's husband, Julien Solomita, and things got heated.

We're told the woman showed up uninvited to the home twice Monday, and Julien pepper sprayed her twice.

Our sources say LAPD came across the woman on their way over to the home, and we're told officers ended up calling an ambulance because she'd been pepper sprayed. We're told she was taken to a local hospital to get checked out.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Jenna was upstairs during the incident and the couple, who just got married last month, are safe and okay and have no clue who this woman is.

The pepper spray may be the least of the woman's worries ... our sources say once she's released from the hospital, she will be taken to jail and booked for felony stalking.

Bryan Kohberger, the man arrested for the murder of 4 University of Idaho students, was pulled over by cops 2 times during a cross-country road trip with his dad ... and soon before Moscow PD named him as the alleged killer.

Kohberger's extradition lawyer, Jason LaBar, filled in NBC about the traffic stops ... saying the 28-year-old and his father drove from Seattle to Pennsylvania over the holidays -- but got pulled over twice in Indiana.

LaBar isn't sure if a ticket was issued ... but adds, "I just know they were pulled over in Indiana almost back to back. I believe once for speeding and once for following too closely to a car in front of them."

He says Kohberger's getting updates regarding his allegations ... and claims he's still planning on waiving his extradition rights, and pleading not guilty.

As we reported, Moscow Police Chief James Fry says they're confident Kohberger is the killer of the Idaho students ... believing he will be extradited from PA, where he was arrested, to Idaho.

Chief Fry said Kohberger acted alone, and believes the community is now safe ... admitting the department was holding some of its cards close to the vest in their investigation. Moscow police came under scrutiny for not revealing any progress, but the chief says they were hot on the trail.

Judge Judy might not have been a fan of Justin Bieber in the past, but now she's singing his praises ... saying she couldn't be happier he's gotten his life on the right track.

We caught up with the famous judge in Bev Hills, and asked about her former neighbor JB, after she recently opened up about their tense relationship over the years ... which she chalks up to him being young and reckless.

Judy tells us, she hasn't spoken to the pop star recently but she's seen him and he looks better than ever ... and seeing him doing so well makes her really happy.

ICYMI, JJ recently put the pop star on blast for his behavior back in the day ... saying Justin was once "scared to death" of her after she called him out, following his DUI bust in 2014.

She told "Access Hollywood" ... "There was a period of time before he grew up, when he was foolish and doing foolish things."

But, now that's all water under the bridge and she seems really impressed with his maturity.

The Idaho murder suspect's family is urging the public to refrain from judgment, and to presume he's innocent -- this as more info about his background starts to surface, including the notion he was a black sheep in his field of study ... understanding the criminal mind.

A statement by the Kohberger family was just released -- and obtained by TMZ -- which both addresses the charges against Bryan Kohberger and the murders that happened in Idaho.

It reads, "First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother."

The Kohberger family adds, "We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process."

In other words, they're standing by Bryan for now ... and, like everyone else, want to see what exactly prosecutors have against him that makes them believe he's the killer. The timing of this comes on the heels of a troubling profile that's emerging ... one of an outsider who was obsessive over dissecting the mind of a murderer, to a T.

The New York Times spoke to a handful of Bryan Kohberger's former classmates and colleagues while he attended DeSales University and Washington State University, pursuing degrees in criminology. By most accounts, he was deeply entrenched in his major, but to a point that it was off-putting and combative ... which reportedly led to conflict in his life.

There are two specific anecdotes that paint a picture of the type of person Kohberger was in academia -- both of which happened at WSU. In one instance, a former classmate of his tells the Times that Kohberger once got into a heated discussion with another fellow Ph.D. student about a criminology concept ... and was accused of mansplaining to the woman. She got so upset over the conversation that she left the class, leaving behind personal items.

Kohberger was also a T.A. at WSU, but a student who was in one the classes he helped teach says he avoided eye contact with them all ... and was supposedly a harsh grader, leaving extensive notes on their papers. It got so bad, the students complained en masse.

This same student also claims that later in the fall -- around the time of the Idaho killings -- Kohberger loosened up on grading, and stopped leaving notes on their papers altogether.

There are other accounts of Bryan being highly engaged in discussions about criminology -- and the NYT piece also notes he was under the tutelage of professors who focused on serial killers and gruesome crimes. The story points out that many at DeSales and WSU viewed him as quiet, awkward and on his own ... while also overly intrigued with the curriculum.

We've already heard other stories about Bryan that make him out to be aggressive and quick to anger -- but clearly, his loved ones want everyone not to jump to conclusions based on any of that.

Bryan Kohberger seems inclined not to fight Idaho authorities wanting him in their jurisdiction ASAP -- but sounds confident he'll beat the charges ... according to his lawyer.

Jason LaBar -- Kohberger's extradition hearing attorney -- tells TMZ his client is, for now, likely to waive his right to have his looming transportation back to ID heard in front of a judge ... which, if it holds true, would mean Kohberger will get shipped back Latah County this upcoming week without any further delay -- where he'd be expected to enter a plea.

While LaBar notes Kohberger has neither denied or admitted to the charges against him -- implicitly or explicitly -- he did say his client told him he felt he would be exonerated, which obviously suggests he believes he's innocent.

We're told Kohberger and his parents are shocked by his arrest -- telling us their home in PA was descended upon by feds very early Friday morning ... where they were surrounded by law enforcement and instructed to comply, which LaBar says Kohberger did without issue.

Part of the reason Kohberger might wanna get this over with quickly has to do with the fact he told his attorney he wasn't on the run. On the contrary, LaBar says Kohberger relayed that he and his father drove a white Hyundai from Washington -- where Bryan currently attends university -- back to PA on Dec. 18 ... a plan they'd apparently had all along.

The implication ... Kohberger was neither in hiding nor fleeing, as the murders occurred in mid-November. Remember, though ... Kohberger was within a stone's throw from the University of Idaho during this time -- pursuing a graduate's degree in criminology at Washington State University -- so this supposedly chill father-son road trip doesn't really clear him one way or another. It simply explains his movements during the holidays.

Of course, Kohberger has time to change his mind on the extradition hearing -- which could jam things up. Otherwise, court proceedings will begin and prosecutors will have to show their cards on what exactly they have that implicates him as the quadruple murderer.

There have been reports saying Kohberger has been getting surveilled for a while now, and that the feds were tracking his whereabouts these past few weeks. Also, the word is that the police have DNA evidence -- putting him at the scene of the crime -- and a match on the Hyundai seen in the area that night ... which they've reportedly traced to Kohberger.

Ice Cube says he's never giving up on the fight to obtain the rights to his beloved "Friday" franchise -- but won't go to court to get the job done.

TMZ Hip Hop recently caught the legendary rapper outside of Dash Radio, asking him about his struggle to own "Friday" and about any potential spin-off opportunities for the franchise.

Cube, clearly amused by the question, reminded us the contracts he's got with Warner Bros for the film have a ton of fine print -- including that using the same characters in any capacity on a new project wouldn't fly.

Cube has been pushing to get the rights back from WB for years now ... and it's been an uphill battle. Several original cast members like Tommy Lister Jr. and Anthony Johnson have passed away and Cube recently scoffed at the suggestion from Mike Tyson to buy his own rights back.

"Supernatural" star Jim Beaver apparently wants to move back in with his estranged wife, but there's a problem ... she says he wants to bring his adult daughter with him and it's a recipe for disaster.

The TV actor's estranged wife, actress and singer Sarah Spiegel, says she's been living in the couple's Studio City home during the divorce ... but in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Sarah claims Jim recently told her he's moving back and plans to bring his 21-year-old daughter Madeline in tow ... and now Sarah wants a court to step in and stop it.

The reason ... Sarah claims Madeline's had beef with her for years ... ever since Madeline returned home from college back in 2019 to find Sarah had cleaned out her room, triggering what she says was a temper tantrum.

Sarah says Madeline seemed "totally unhinged" ... screaming and pounding her fists against the wall ... and ever since, Sarah claims she's been afraid Madeline might physically harm her.

In the docs, Sarah says Jim even rented an apartment for his daughter during the pandemic, rather than have them all live under the same roof in 2020 when Madeline's college shifted away from in-person learning.

Sarah says she eventually tried to give Madeline another chance after college graduation, but says it was a mistake to think they could all live under one roof. Sarah claims when Madeline came home after finishing school at the end of 2021, she would start screaming at her out of nowhere, slamming doors, throwing tantrums and threatening suicide.

TMZ broke the story ... Jim filed for divorce August 25, listing August 14 as the date of separation. Sarah says Jim left the home August 11 and she's been living there alone ever since.

Sarah claims Jim recently told her he and Madeline would be moving back in ... so she beelined it to court this month and filed for a temporary restraining order against Jim's daughter, asking the judge to block Madeline from moving back in.

In the docs, Sarah says she's afraid of what Madeline might do if she moves back in ... and she wants the court to step in and protect her from what she thinks will be "unwarranted abusive behavior" by Madeline.