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Kanye West says his contract with EMI amounts to servitude and claims he's entitled "to be set free from its bonds."

Kanye has just filed new legal docs in his lawsuit against EMI and Roc-A-Fella Records. He says the deal he signed with EMI effectively has no time limit ... it could last the rest of his natural life.

He notes in California, personal services contracts cannot last longer than 7 years because they amount to "servitude."

According to the deal, he's required to deliver a certain number of songs and, until they are delivered, the contract remains in full force and effect. Problem is ... that could last 1 year or 80 years.

Kanye wants a judge to cut off the EMI contract as of 2010, which would revert all of the rights of his songs back to him. The year 2010 is important because that's the 7-year mark of his deal.

Some songs of note Ye released in 2010 and after include megahit "All of the Lights," along with "Power" and "Monster" from his "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" album, "Otis" and "Ni**as in Paris" from the "Watch the Throne" album, "Bound 2" from Yeezus and "Famous" from "The Life of Pablo."

President Trump has been keeping up on the news about the Jussie Smollett attack, and says it's horrible.

The President spoke Thursday morning from the Oval Office and when a reporter asked him about the "Empire" star's case, he replied, "That I can tell you is horrible. I've seen it ... last night. It doesn't get worse, as far as I'm concerned."

It was a pretty brief response ... he didn't elaborate on any details of the case.

Remember, Jussie says his attackers yelled, "MAGA country" as they fled after beating him, pouring bleach on him and putting a rope around his neck.

Unfortunately, Trump was not asked specifically about the MAGA remark.

Meek Mill has a VERY different relationship with law enforcement in Jamaica, 'cause when they stop him there ... all they wanna do is fanboy out and get a photo op.

This is a great story ... Meek was partying down in Kingston this week, where he was enjoying some grub and, of course, the local strip clubs. Basically, soaking in island life.

The Philly MC posted tons of video on his IG story -- most of which is hilarious -- and, apparently, as Meek and co. were leaving Kingston ... they got stopped by officers there. Meek starts recording here, and it quickly becomes clear that no one was in trouble.

Turns out, the cops literally just wanted a picture with Meek! Check out his reaction ... he seems dumbfounded they pulled the car over just for that, but ya gotta imagine he was also relieved.

You'll recall ... Meek had a very rough 2018 while trying to get himself out of prison, which he eventually succeeded in. Now, he's in full-on activist mode ... recently having teamed up with Jay-Z and a bunch of powerful people to launch a criminal justice reform org.

9:45 AM PT -- Police confirm to TMZ they have video of Jussie with rope draped around his neck as he walks through the lobby of his building. That video was captured by a building surveillance camera.

A woman who lives in Jussie Smollett's apartment building told cops she saw a suspicious man -- whom she said looked like a "redneck" -- loitering just outside the entrance to the building an hour and a half before Jussie says he was attacked.

The woman -- who asked us not to use her name -- tells TMZ, she walked out of the building at 12:30 AM Tuesday to take her dogs out and saw the man near the door, pacing between the parking garage and entrance, looking agitated and smoking a cigarette. She says, "He looked out of place." He was a white man with scruff on his face wearing a blue winter beanie, a blue zip-up sweatshirt with a hood and blue jeans that were too short, exposing "thick, grey hunting socks" with camel-colored dress shoes.

She says she noticed what looked like a rope, or a clothesline, protruding from the bottom of his sweatshirt, made of white and blue material.

She says he was staring at another man about 300 feet away, who was standing near another entrance to the building.

She says she got "creeped out" by the man, and after 5 minutes she retreated back into the building.

The woman says she went to sleep and woke up at 4 AM to go to the gym, and noticed a lot of security. She says the concierge told her Jussie was attacked, and when she told him what she saw, the concierge implored her to call a detective and gave her two phone numbers. She made contact that afternoon and downloaded a detective.

As we reported, cops have released photos of 2 persons of interest. We do not know if one of them is the person the woman saw.

Chicago PD sources tell us they have looked at numerous videos in the area in question, but have not seen any footage of an altercation.

Desiigner's gotta pay up for blasting a girl online by claiming she's a scam artist ... and he didn't even fight it.

According to new legal docs ... the rapper's been ordered to fork over $135,777.11 to Jessica Brown for damages after she sued him for defamation and invasion of privacy. It was a default judgment ... meaning the judge sided with Brown because Desiigner didn't contest it.

We broke the story ... Brown filed suit against Desiigner in February 2018, months after he shared an Instagram post referring to her as a "fraud," and warning his followers to stay away from her and her "college scams."

Jessica, president of a company called College Gurl, claimed she educates young people on how to pay for college and helped Desiigner's sister, Siera Shelby, get into Howard University.

Shelby later left school and left some belongings behind, and Desiigner allegedly believed it was all a con job ... and went off on Brown on social media.

We reached out to him ... no word back so far.

Julian Edelman was SO impressed with the way a 7th-grader handled being bullied by her classmates ... he straight-up gave her 2 tickets to this weekend's Super Bowl!!!

Dejah Rondeau is a badass 13-year-old who just so happens to play quarterback for her New Hampshire school's football team.

Problem was ... some of her classmates had an issue with a girl being their signal-caller -- and her parents say she was bullied over it.

"Some people don’t want to accept a female quarterback. She’ll have to put in 110 percent when others are putting in 50," Dejah's mother told Seacoastonline.com.

But, Dejah overcame it all ... and managed to thrive for her team -- and that caught Edelman's eye.

The Patriots and their star WR invited her to the team's facility last week for being so brave in the face of adversity ... and gave her TWO tickets to see them play the Rams on Sunday!!!

"My respect level for you is just through the roof because you just ignored all the noise and you played the game we all love -- and that’s football," Edelman told the girl.

Dejah's reaction??

"That was crazy! I never knew -- I never thought that would ever happen. I was just really excited to go!"

Ariana Grande added a digit to her Japanese tattoo in an attempt to fix a translation faux pas, and the good news is it's slightly better -- but the bad news is it's still wrong. Pretty hilarious.

As we told you ... the "7 Rings" singer copped to messing up her palm tat -- which was meant to spell out the name of her new track, but because the tattoo artist forgot a couple characters, it actually translated to a Japanese style BBQ grill.

Grande shared an updated shot of her ink, though, adding ... "slightly better. thanks to my tutor for helping me fix and to @kanenavasard for being a legend. and to my doctor for the lidocaine shots (no joke). rip tiny charcoal grill. miss u man. I actually really liked u."

But, here's the thing -- Ariana's ink still doesn't say "7 Rings." We're told she added the character for "finger" to it in order to clear things up, but the placement is off. So, it now reads "Japanese BBQ finger."

Not sure if that's better or worse, but Grande's got a history of covering up regrettable tattoos ... so maybe third time will be the charm for her to figure this one out.

Or, maybe it's just time to say thank u, next.

Artie Lange is back in custody ... and his latest mug shot is very sad and disturbing.

The comedian was in court Wednesday in Essex County, New Jersey. We're told he was taken into custody after his hearing after testing positive for cocaine and morphine.

Law enforcement sources say the mark under Lange's nose is a scab that started to bleed.

The same day he was sent back to jail, someone managing Artie's Twitter account announced he would be undergoing a long term treatment program, adding ... "He loves and respects his fans... updates coming soon.. and it’s time."

We broke the story ... Lange pled guilty to heroin possession at the end of 2017 and went to an inpatient drug rehab program after he got out of jail. He was later sentenced to 4 years probation.

The judge also ordered him to complete an outpatient drug program and complete 50 hours of community service.

Lange's latest bust will likely result in a probation violation ... so he's looking at more tough times ahead.

Originally Published -- 10:22 AM PT

11:46 AM PT -- Artie's attorney, Frank Arleo, tells TMZ Artie was "taken into custody so that the Drug Court could re-evaluate him and recommend a course of treatment. Once that is done, he will be released. Artie is committed to getting better."

10:21 AM -- Didn't take long for Lisa to respond to Kyle's comments ... telling TMZ it's funny that someone with 2 shows and a business empire would need to be paid to attend Andy's baby shower.

Lisa tells us she actually met with Andy before the shower prior to hitting up Vegas. She also says where she's headed next ... making it crystal clear Lisa's paying no attention to her castmates reading into her absence.

Kyle Richards is spilling the beans -- there IS in fact drama behind Lisa Vanderpump skipping Andy Cohen's baby shower ... and it might be all about the Benjamins.

Kyle was leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills Wednesday and didn't mince words when asked why Lisa was MIA from Andy's baby shower. As we reported ... a HUGE number of Housewives showed up for the shindig.

As for Lisa ... she was in Vegas on a business trip as she prepares to launch a new restaurant inside Caesars Palace.

But, her absence only fueled the rumors she might bail on the show. Lisa's begged to differ in the past, but her 'RHOBH' castmates have taken notice how she's isolated herself ... and they're pissed.

Check it out ... Kyle also spills tea on any potential replacements should Lisa bounce.

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird appeared in court Wednesday to face new charges that he threatened to murder his GF multiple times during a violent altercation back in September.

As we previously reported ... Bird allegedly brutalized his GF at his Massachusetts apartment during a Sept. 7 incident -- allegedly choking and terrorizing her for hours.

Officials say Jabari roughed her up badly ... and she was only able to escape after Bird appeared to be having "seizure-like" symptoms during the end of the attack.

Jabari was arrested for assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping ... and later pled not guilty to the charges in court.

On Wednesday, prosecutors tacked on TWO additional charges -- threats and witness intimidation -- alleging in court docs Bird told his GF he was going to MURDER her during the altercation.

"If you don’t stop talking I’m going to kill you," the victim alleges Bird said, according to court docs.

She added that Jabari also said while kicking her, “Tell anyone about this, I don’t care where you are, I’ll find you and I’ll kill you."

Bird appeared in Brighton Municipal Court Wednesday to face the new charges ... and once again pled not guilty.

Jabari is due back in court next month.

For his part ... Jabari released a statement shortly after the September incident saying, "I'm taking some time away from the team as I deal with my legal and medical issues. I apologize to my family, the Celtics organization, my teammates, the fans and the NBA for the unnecessary distraction that I have caused."

A wild leopard has an entire village scrambling, quite literally, for their lives in India -- the animal showed up in someone's house and attempts to capture it only pissed it off and made it go on the attack.

The video's crazy ... it starts with Forest Department officials in Jalandhar city trying to throw a net down on the animal from above, but it leaps up on the wall and pounces on one of the guys. Then it's absolute pandemonium -- the leopard hopped another wall and unleashed its fury on everyone in its path.

The crazed cat seemed to go out of its way to maul some of the panicked villagers, and at one point an undersized dog gave chase, but the leopard was already on the move.

Cardi B's family is together again -- she and Offset are under the same roof, and the hip-hop power couple is officially back on ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell us ... Cardi's returning to the Atlanta home they shared before the breakup. We're told this is the first time she's been back to stay there with Offset and Kulture since December ... when she ripped into her husband for allegedly cheating.

There have been numerous signs lately of a reunion. Cardi posted last week, "I wanna go home" -- but our sources say it's a done deal now, because Offset proved himself to his wife.

We're told one of the key factors was Offset changing his phone number, in order to show Cardi he's serious about being honest and faithful. Our sources say the new digits are strictly for Cardi and business calls.

More importantly, there's a new, "no groupies" rule, which will be in full effect this weekend. We're told Offset's not allowing any female fans near him during his Super Bowl appearances in ATL. He wants Cardi to know he's serious about their marriage.

The Rams and Patriots ain't the only ones with a lot to lose this weekend.

Will Kathy Ireland be the one who finally convinces the NFL to green light CBD???

She hopes so ... and now she's in a real position to make it happen.

The former supermodel-turned-business mogul has joined the board of NFL Players Inc. -- a wing of the NFL Players Association.

Kathy has become a real force in the fashion and beauty world over the years -- her kathy ireland Worldwide brand has made BILLIONS of dollars in revenue, landing her on the cover of Forbes twice.

Now that she's working with the NFLPA, her main focus will be advising the org. in matters of marketing and advertising ... but it's obvious she's also passionate about bringing CBD to the NFL.

Ireland has a line of CBD wellness products and, when we spoke with her at LAX, she told us she thinks NFL players could really benefit.

"The CBD that we work with, we're seeing great results," Ireland said.

Ireland says she does NOT use THC in her products -- the property in marijuana that makes people get high -- and says that's a big deal that a lot of people just don't understand.

"I think it's misunderstood by a lot of people so it's fortunate to have the opportunity to educate people on what it's about."

Kid Cudi was the life of the party when some very famous pals gathered around him to celebrate the rapper's birthday.

Cudi was surrounded by Kanye West, Pete Davidson and Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet Wednesday night at Nobu in Malibu in honor of his 35th. Kim Kardashian was also there ... she's the one who snapped the pics.

Odd/diverse group for sure, and super talented. Looks like Pete and Kanye have made nice.

Remember ... Pete trashed Kanye's 'SNL' appearance last October, but the comedian changed his tune on the rapper a few months later, thanking him for standing up for those who suffer from mental health issues.

Kacy Clemens -- son of MLB legend Roger Clemens -- says bouncers at a Houston bar beat him so badly during a New Year's Eve event, they may have destroyed his pro baseball career.

Clemens and his pal, Conner Capel, have sued the Concrete Cowboy in Texas -- claiming they were just hanging out when bouncers singled them out and ordered them to move out of a spot in the bar while they were trying to order their first drink of the night.

Both men are minor league baseball players -- Kacy is a 1st baseman in the Blue Jays organization and Conner is an outfielder with the Cardinals organization.

The guys claim they complied with the bouncers' orders -- but the hired muscle manhandled them anyway, eventually beating them so ferociously they sustained serious damage to their faces and bodies.

In fact, Conner says he suffered a fractured skull -- and took photos of the bloody aftermath.

A lawyer for the alleged victims has suggested Kacy may have injured his throwing arm in the incident. He also claims Conner will have to see a neurologist for at least 5 years.

According to the lawsuit, cops showed up at the bar that night and determined neither Kacy nor Conner were intoxicated. One of the bouncers was arrested for assault.

9:21 PM PT -- According to local reporter Rob Elgas, Smollett was seen on surveillance camera walking on the opposite side of the street from the two persons of interest. Elgas claims both Smollett and the unidentified people then walk off camera (on different cameras). Smollett is unaccounted for on camera for about 60 seconds. He then reappears on surveillance entering a condo building with what appears to be street salt on his sweater and the rope around his neck. Jussie arrives at a friend's place where police arrive to take a report.

We've confirmed with law enforcement sources that Smollett refused to turn his cell phone over to authorities after telling them he was on the phone with his manager during the incident.

5:43 PM PT -- Chicago PD just released this screengrab from the surveillance video but, as you can see, it's virtually impossible to make out a single feature of the "persons of interest."

Cops say the two people in the image were walking on New Street near the intersection with E. Illinois Street between 1:30 AM and 1:45 AM. They're about a block from the Subway restaurant Jussie had gone to Tuesday morning ... and roughly halfway between the restaurant and Jussie's home.

Our law enforcement sources tell us detectives have scoured camera footage in the area and, to this point, haven't seen any sign of the alleged attack or Jussie's assailants.

Cops say they want to speak to the persons of interest to determine if they witnessed or were involved in the incident. As you can see from this image ... they've got their work cut out for them.

Cops investigating the Jussie Smollett attack say they finally have a lead from surveillance video ... but they're gonna need the public's help to locate multiple persons of interest.

Chicago PD says detectives were able to find a camera angle that revealed "persons of interest wanted for questioning" in the assault and battery of the "Empire" star. Cops are careful not to call the people suspects in the case.

Police say they'll be releasing images of the persons of interest shortly.

We broke the story ... Jussie says two men in ski masks jumped him, beat him up, doused him with bleach and left a rope around his neck before fleeing. He says they yelled, "MAGA country" as they got away.

We've confirmed Jussie's manager Brandon Z. Moore told police he was on the phone with Jussie during the alleged attack. Brandon says he told cops he clearly heard the MAGA comment as well as the racial and homophobic slurs.

We know the attack happened somewhere near Jussie's residence in Chicago, and that police were reviewing cameras -- city-owned and from privately owned buildings in the area.

Originally Published 3:11 PM PT