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8:45 PM PT -- We just got Usher leaving the studio ... the singer appeared fine but didn't have anything to say about the shooting.

6:58 PM PT -- Reps for Rich the Kid tell us the rapper is doing okay after the incident.

Rich the Kid and his entourage came under attack Tuesday afternoon at a famous West Hollywood studio, where Usher was also recording ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple shots were fired -- possibly as many as 10 -- during the incident at Westlake Recording Studio ... according to eyewitnesses. We're told the man who opened fire was running away from the studio when he started shooting behind him.

Law enforcement sources tell us Usher was in the studio, but not hurt.

We're told Rich was outside when it all went down, and it appears he was the target of the robbery. Multiple entourage members were also attacked, and at least one bodyguard was badly pistol whipped.

L.A. County Sheriff's deputies are swarming the studio and surrounding blocks right now, searching for suspects and collecting evidence. It's unclear if anyone was hit when the shots were fired, but we're told the suspect or suspects made off with a ton of cash and jewelry.

BTW ... Rich the Kid posted this pic of himself 4 hours ago, flaunting stacks of cash while standing in front of a Lambo. Coincidentally, he captioned it, "For motivational purposes only."

Unfortunately, this is nothing new for Rich. You'll recall he was badly injured during an armed home invasion robbery last summer in downtown Los Angeles.

His GF, Tori Brixx, was also injured during the attack, and the suspects ... once again, made off with cash and jewelry.

Westlake Recording Studio is a famous spot in the music biz -- Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Shakira, Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Quincy Jones have all recorded there over the years.

Smokey Robinson is outraged at all the people who are slamming Jennifer Lopez for representing Motown at the Grammys, and he thinks confining the Motown sound to African Americans is a "stupid philosophy."

Smokey thinks people who think there's something wrong with a Hispanic woman showcasing Motown completely misses the point ... that Motown is about breaking all color barriers. The man who was pivotal in turning the label's sound into a world force acknowledges it represents black culture, but he's quick to add it also represents other cultures ... Hispanic, Asian, everyone.

Smokey posted a tribute to J Lo Tuesday, saying she did an awesome job ... calling out critics, saying, "So now you're gonna try to diminish the scope of Motown and narrow it down to just music for Black people and you call yourself defending the image of Motown. Well you're trying to set us back a hundred years."

He has a big job ahead of him Tuesday night ... he's cohosting the big Motown 60th Anniversary show in downtown L.A.

Don't worry ... this didn't end like the Harambe situation, but it did get extremely tense.

An 8-year-old girl in China was rescued by a courageous security guard who hung upside down in the giant panda living space ... pulling her to safety. And, all the drama was caught on video.

The girl reportedly fell backward off a fence last weekend, dropping more than 6 feet into the enclosure at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Check it out -- the panda bears approach the girl as the guard attempts to pull her up with a bamboo pole to no avail ... and the crowd begins to really panic. He eventually ditched the pole and stretched upside down to reach the girl with his bare hands ... and pulled her up to safety.

Three pandas -- which aren't always super cuddly and friendly -- were creeping closer at the time, but never got to the girl. They seemed more curious than vicious.

The guy who created that freaky King Cake Baby character -- the New Orleans Pelicans mascot -- claims the movie "Happy Death Day" jacked his freaky face ... and now he's suing to get revenge.

The man behind the suit is Jonathan Bertuccelli -- an artist who created the intentionally weird looking mascot back in 2009. It's been seen everywhere from NBA games to Mardi Gras and even "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

In his suit, Bertuccelli claims he was shocked when he saw the killer in the movie "Happy Death Day" and the upcoming sequel "Happy Death Day 2U" wore a mask that looked just like his KCB mask.

Bertuccelli says NO ONE involved in the movie ever called him up to ask for permission -- or even credited him -- and he's pissed at Universal City Studios, Blumhouse Productions and everyone else attached to the film.

"A side-by-side comparison of KCB and Happy Death Day mask clearly shows that the visual attributes and aspects which have made KCB a celebrity mascot were copied and so substantially similar that the two are seen to be the same."

Bertuccelli also cites numerous people on social media who pointed out the similarity over the past few months.

So, what does he want?? Money. Lots of money.

In fact, Bertuccelli believes the movie has made more than $200 MILLION in revenue -- and he feels entitled to at least 50% of the profits.

3:45 PM PST -- Kim's lawyer, Marty Singer, tells TMZ, "The lawsuit filed against Kim Kardashian is ridiculous and absurd. The parties entered into a binding settlement agreement 2014 in which Kim gave up multi-million dollar claims against Mr. Liebensohn and his partners. Mr. Liebensohn waited more than 4 years to claim the agreement wasn't binding on him. Kim commenced an arbitration in December 2018, and after Mr. Liebensohn was unsuccessful in stopping the arbitration he filed this meritless lawsuit. We feel very confident we will get the case dismissed."

Kim Kardashian West launched her popular Kimojis with the help of an app developer, who says she left him high and dry and screwed him out of serious cash ... as in 9 figures!

David Liebensohn claims he and his business partners created an app called CensorOut that caught the attention of Kim, and they eventually agreed to team up on Kimojis ... the animated emojis and GIFs of the Kardashian clan.

According to docs ... Kim agreed to cut Liebensohn and his partners in for 60 percent, and they agreed on a deal in 2014. He claims Kim insisted she would file the trademark paperwork for "Kimoji" to cover the cost and make things simple ... but they were in it together.

That's when it gets weird. In his lawsuit, Liebensohn says in August 2014 -- right around when Kim filed for the trademark -- she informed him one of his partners had shared some of her personal information ... so she was backing out of their deal.

Liebensohn claims Kim and co. lawyered up and tried to pressure him into dropping the case, but he refused. He also says Kim already knew about the alleged sharing of her personal info before they struck a deal ... and simply used it as an excuse to cancel it.

He's suing Kim for at least $100 mil for breach of contract, fraud and for the profits he believes he's lost by being left out of the Kimoji biz.

We reached out to Kim ... no word back yet.

21 Savage is about to be a free man because he'll finally be released on bond pending a deportation hearing.

21's lawyers, Charles H. Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Alex Spiro tell TMZ, "21 Savage asked us to send a special message to his fans and supporters -- he says that while he wasn't present at the Grammy Awards, he was there in spirit and is grateful for the support from around the world and is more than ever, ready to be with his loved ones and continue making music that brings people together."

The statement from 21's legal team ends with, "He will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons, family members, and faceless people, he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated across the country. And he asks for your hearts and minds to be with them."

Savage was arrested on Super Bowl Sunday by ICE. As we reported, he was in the process of attempting to get a U-Visa.

His attorneys say 21 was granted an expedited hearing.

It's unclear why ICE held 21 for so long because, by all rights, he should have been allowed to bond out the day he was arrested. He was neither a flight risk nor a danger to his community, which is the standard for holding someone in jail pending a deportation hearing.

A massive social media campaign titled "21 Ways You Could Be Detained If You're Undocumented in America" just dropped with tons of celebs in support of Savage. Stars like Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, DJ Khaled, Jesse Williams, SZA, J. Cole, T.I., Future, Mike Tyson and America Ferrera lend both their voices and faces to the project. Mic originated the #21Ways campaign and produced the video.

12:33 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources confirm that Klepper was part of a group of 9 people who, just after 10 AM, interrupted a Board of Regents meeting with chanting. When asked to leave, the participants locked arms and refused.

They were all arrested and charged with criminal trespass.

11:54 AM PT -- A rep for Klepper confirms he was arrested while shooting a segment for his show. The rep says it's expected Jordan will be released tonight.

Comedian and former 'Daily Show' correspondent Jordan Klepper just got busted by cops in Atlanta during a protest to support undocumented students.

Klepper and several others disrupted a Board of Regents meeting at the state capitol. We're told Klepper and the others refused to leave the gathering ... so cops stepped in. Someone on scene tells us the comedian was shooting his documentary series, "Klepper," when the incident went down.

As for the protest ... we're told it was against a policy barring undocumented students from enrolling or working on campus.

A video taken from the protest shows Klepper and others locking hands as cops place demonstrators in handcuffs.

Jordan is the former host of Comedy Central's satirical late-night show, 'The Opposition,' which was canceled last summer after its first season. He's also appeared on almost 200 episodes of Comedy Central's 'Daily Show.'

We've reached out to a rep for Klepper ... so far, no word back.

Story developing ...

11:35 AM PT -- The sketch artist in the courtroom caught the moment El Chapo and his wife exchanged thumbs-up after the verdict was announced.

Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is guilty on all 10 counts he was facing in a Brooklyn federal court ... and he's now facing life in prison.

A jury of 7 women and 5 men returned the verdict Tuesday to wrap up a nearly 3-month long criminal trial that included up to 200 hours of testimony about drug trafficking, gold-plated AK-47s, diamond-encrusted pistols ... and an alleged $100 million payment to a former Mexican president.

After 6 days of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Chapo for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs and use of firearms.

Reporters in the courtroom say Chapo looks stunned by the verdict, and his wife, Emma Coronel, fought back tears ... even as she and Chapo gave each other thumbs up.

It's been a wild ride for the Sinaloa Cartel's leader over these past few years. He was captured by the Mexican government in 2014, escaped more than a year later through a mile-long underground tunnel ... but got caught again in early 2016.

He was extradited to the U.S. in 2017, and between then and last November -- when his criminal trial got underway -- there have been a series of weird motions and rulings about his life behind bars. Just to name a few, Chapo has had prison TV woes, prayer problems, love letter recommendations and made a heartfelt promise NOT to kill his anonymous jurors.

Law enforcement sources tell us Chapo is looking at a mandatory life sentence ... without parole. Sentencing will be announced June 25.

Chapo's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman -- who's in the unenviable position of losing the case -- tells us, "We're very disappointed but we fought like hell and left it all on the battlefield."

Wanna see the best high school dunker you've never heard of??

Good ... 'cause cameras captured Eric Gaines in a regional championship game this weekend -- and the dude can FLY!!!!

He's just 6'1", 140 pounds ... but 18-year-old Gaines took over for his Lithonia H.S. squad in a game in Georgia this weekend -- dunking on EVERYBODY.

Gaines threw down a few monster slams that woulda made Zion Williamson jealous ... even, at one point, cocking back a tomahawk that he slammed on some poor kid's head.

Bad news for Eric ... Lithonia still lost the regional championship game he was playing in, 61-59, in overtime.

Good news for Eric ... we're pretty sure you're gonna see him on a DI court sometime soon.

Gaines -- who's still a junior -- says he's got an offer from Georgia State ... but has been hearing from other schools like Georgia and Florida State as well.

Blake Griffin's dog is a violent menace -- so says an L.A. man who claims the Detroit Pistons star's pooch bit the crap out of him at a fancy restaurant ... and now he's suing.

The man behind the suit is Emmanuel Aframian -- who claims he was dining at A Votre Sante restaurant back in June 2018 when Griffin's "vicious" dog attacked him out of nowhere.

Aframian says he suffered real injuries from the attack which required expensive medical care -- and he thinks Griffin should have to cover all the bills ... plus other damages.

And, Aframian says Blake KNEW his dog had a history of biting random people -- so he should have taken proper steps to make sure he protected the public from his ferocious canine.

He's also going after the restaurant -- saying it had a duty to protect customers.

Aside from physical injuries, Aframian says he's also suffered -- and continues to suffer -- from "severe emotional harm."

FYI, Griffin signed a $171 MILLION contract extension in 2018.

11:20 AM PT -- As for the redacted information, the rep says, "Any redacted information was intended to protect the privacy of personal contacts or high-profile individuals not relevant to the attack.

10:15 AM PT -- A rep for Jussie tells us, "Jussie is the victim here, which has been stated by the Superintendent of Police. Jussie has voluntarily provided his phone records from within an hour of the attack and given multiple statements to police. Chicago PD has repeatedly informed us that they find Jussie's account of what happened that night consistent and credible."

The rep continues, "Superintendent Johnson has been clear from day one that Jussie is a victim. We are continuing to work closely with the Chicago PD and remain confident that they will find Jussie's attackers and bring them to justice."

Jussie Smollett's submitted critical phone records to Chicago police, but those records have been rejected because they're not the real deal.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... what Jussie turned in 2 weeks after his alleged attack was a heavily redacted PDF file of his phone bill. Our sources say a PDF is subject to manipulation, meaning numbers can be added or deleted, although police are quick to point out there's no evidence they were in fact manipulated. The problem ... the only solid, irrefutable evidence is either the actual phone bill or a download of Jussie's phone.

As we reported, Jussie says he was on the phone with his manager at the time of the attack and the manager says he heard the racial and homophobic epithets. Chicago PD wants the phone records to authenticate a call was made. They asked Jussie for the records 2 weeks ago and received the PDF Monday.

Police say there are cameras everywhere in the area of Jussie's building, but there is still a 60-second gap in the video where you don't see the "Empire" star. So far there's no video of the attack.

Our sources say police have also retrieved security video from nearby stores to see if anybody bought rope around the time of the incident. Police are reviewing the video.

Police say Jussie remains cooperative and they are treating him as the victim of a hate crime.

As you know, Jussie says his attackers tied a rope around his neck ... police say there's video of Jussie with a rope around his neck in the lobby. They are not saying if the rope is around his neck outside the building because they say that would interfere with the investigation.

Chris Brown got a knock on the door from cops because someone's worried he's losing his mind ... after he challenged Offset to show up at his home ... and revealed his address.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone called LAPD saying they were scared and concerned for Chris' well-being. Friday, he posted his San Fernando Valley address on IG -- instantly giving not only Offset, but his more than 50 million followers, a road map to him.

We're told cops showed up around 10:30 PM Friday and spoke to CB's security, who said the singer's fine and added there have been no issues with Offset. Sources say cops advised Chris' team to remove the post that includes his home address, and it's since been deleted.

ICYMI ... Chris and Offset have been feuding since Chris posted a meme of 21 Savage, making fun of his ICE arrest. Offset said memes ain't funny ... triggering an expletive-laced response from Chris.

Offset -- who is pretty tight with 21 -- then laid down the gauntlet by saying, "coke head don't want" smoke. After a series of DMs, CB sent Offset his address and told him to fight him.

Floyd Mayweather says he doesn't give a DAMN about the Gucci boycott -- telling TMZ Sports no one tells him what to do or what to buy ... and that's why he dropped a FORTUNE at the store Monday night.

The boxer -- along with his entire TMT crew -- rolled into Gucci in Bev Hills ... and when we told him about all of the stars calling for a Gucci ban over a sweatshirt that resembled blackface, Floyd scoffed.

"I'm not no follower, I do what the f*ck I wanna do," Floyd told us.

When we told Floyd that stars like T.I. and Spike Lee would be upset with him, Floyd laughed.

"You said they're gonna be upset with me? I love it, I love it, I love it. See, the thing is this, I live for myself. I do what I want to do."

Outside the store, Floyd and his crew showed off a BUNCH of bags filled with Gucci -- dropping a fortune on clothing and accessories.

"I'm not a follower," Floyd added ... "You know when everybody else they say, 'Everybody gonna boycott?' I say guess what, this boy gonna get on a yacht and live life."

"We all know racism still exists but that's not gonna stop my drive. I've got friends from all walks of life and to me of course, black lives matter first ... but my thing is this, I'm gonna continue to go out there live life and be happy."

He added, "Half of the people that's on social media saying, 'Don't wear this, don't wear that,' I ain't never seen none of them supporting The Money Team."

After the Gucci run, Floyd -- flanked by his bodyguards Jizzy Mack and Badou -- went over to Neiman Marcus -- where the store stayed open past the normal closing time so Floyd could shop.

Mayweather tells us he dropped $200-300k at Neiman. Good times.

KISS is on their final tour ever -- or so they say -- and they kept plugging along Monday by going back in time and playing a club they'd never played before ... the legendary Whisky A Go Go, but the show really started out on the Sunset Strip.

The NYC face-painted boys marched across Sunset, from The London Hotel to the Whisky ... stopping traffic to pose in the middle of the street. Think Beatles on Abbey Road ... with way more makeup, hair and platform shoes.

Once inside, the band ran through a ton of their hits, including "Lick It Up" and "Detroit Rock City." Safe to say the packed house of about 500 loved it, along with the listeners on SiriusXM ... which aired the concert.

KISS cofounder Ace Frehley isn't with his former bandmates for this farewell tour ... something Gene Simmons was tight-lipped about prior to the show. As we reported, Gene claimed Ace got the boot for being unprofessional, but Ace fired back ... accusing Gene of groping his wife and being a sex addict.

Fun fact: If this really is the band's farewell, it's a damn good thing they played the Whisky, which has famously hosted the likes of The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin. Good company to keep.