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The Kidd Creole -- a rap pioneer from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- has been arrested and charged for the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper used a small knife to stab the man 2 times in the chest and once in the head Tuesday night in Midtown. The man allegedly called Kidd Creole a gay slur.

The homeless man -- identified as 55-year-old John Jolly -- died at Bellevue Hospital.

Cops say the 57-year-old rapper was taken into custody Wednesday. They used surveillance footage to identify Creole, and believe his motive was an angry reaction to the gay slur.

Taylor Swift's battle with the Denver DJ she claims grabbed her ass during a photo op finally heads to the court next week -- but getting into the trial will be as tough as scoring Taylor concert tix.

According to new legal docs, jury selection will begin Monday in Colorado for David Mueller's lawsuit against Swift, and her countersuit. Here's the crazy part -- only 32 seats will be held each day for the public, and they'll be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

That means waiting in line -- a long one, no doubt -- if ya want a shot at seeing Taylor in court.

According to docs, Swifties can start lining up at 6 AM and passes will be handed out at 7 to the first 32. An overflow room with TV monitors will be available for 75 more people.

It's a small gamble -- chances are Taylor won't be in court everyday, but as they say ... ya gotta be in it to win it.

J. Cole's visit with San Quentin inmates included deep conversation and plenty of photo ops -- but it did NOT include a walk down the green mile ... TMZ has learned.

Photos of Cole hanging with San Quentin prisoners surfaced this week -- showing him, and his Dreamville team, sitting and talking in the yard, cell blocks and a classroom.

While San Quentin is California's only death row prison, sources close to the institution tell us Cole only took a general civilian tour. That means he only got to see Level 1 and 2 inmates. Everyone above that level, including death row, was off limits.

We're told Cole spoke openly about some of his friends who've been incarcerated, and took an interest in San Quentin's media center ... where inmates host a podcast called "Ear Hustle."

Suge Knight made a death threat against famed "Straight Outta Compton" director F. Gary Gray ... so claims the L.A. County Grand Jury which indicted Suge on felony criminal threats ... TMZ has learned.

We've learned Suge allegedly made the threat during the filming of the movie, but months before he killed a man involved in the production by driving over him in a Compton parking lot.

TMZ has obtained a copy of the Grand Jury indictment, which reads in part, "On or about August 8, 2014, Suge ... threatened to commit a crime which would result in death and great bodily injury to Felix Gary Gray."

Suge was extremely unhappy with his portrayal in the movie and we're told he sent the threat by text.

Suge is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Thursday.

Here's the weird thing ... the indictment is dated February 7, 2017. It's unclear why it took 6 months to arraign him.

"Deadpool 2" is coming in hot and loaded -- literally -- with the unveiling of Domino.

Zazie Beetz -- best known for her role on FX's "Atlanta" -- will star as the savage mercenary Domino, who ultimately joins the good guys. Beetz was filming alongside her stunt double in Vancouver, and buzz about her debut started building after Ryan Reynolds tweeted a photo of Zazie in her costume.

Her look was so on point, even Deadpool comic book artist, Rob Liefeld, roared with approval on Twitter.

Nick Cannon says his and Mariah Carey's daughter is a natural born star 'cause her musical talent runs deep in her veins ... but it's unclear who he thinks passed it on.

We got Nick Wednesday in NYC, where we asked for his take on Monroe's stage performance next to her mom -- and his baby mama -- Mariah. He's not surprised she killed it ... like he says, it's in the genes.

What he's not totally clear on is whose genes he's talking about. As you know ... Mimi's the singer in the fam. And, while Nick raps, he definitely doesn't have her pipes.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin says his department has compassion for the transgender vets whom the President is kicking out of the military.

We got the Secretary Wednesday on Capitol Hill and he spoke with resolve ... if anyone -- transgender people included -- serves in the military, they will get medical and other care for life.

Romeo Santos not only ripped off a musician's song and released it as his own, but he didn't even bother to change the name ... according to a new lawsuit.

Nazim Guity claims he wrote a tune in 2011, titled "Eres Mia," and worked with a music producer and recording studio to mix and record the track ... and copyrighted the song in March 2014.

Santos allegedly collaborated with the same recording studio after they worked with Guity and he jacked the track -- so the lawsuit alleges -- and then Romeo recorded the song and even kept the name intact.

Santos -- who's now CEO of Roc Nation Latin -- released his version of "Eres Mia" in 2014 and it was a smash hit.

Guity's suing Santos, along with Sony and the recording studio.

We reached out to Romeo's team ... so far no word back.

Justin Bieber seems to be reaffirming his dedication to Christ by showing off one of his more recent tattoos -- one that proves his eye is on the prize.

Justin posted an extreme close-up of this tiny tatt of a cross next to his left eye. True Beliebers first spotted it a few months ago, but the fact he's highlighting it now is strong evidence the Biebs is fully committed.

We broke the story, Justin canceled his Purpose tour last week to rededicate himself to his religion.

We'd never proclaim to know what Jesus would do, but WWBD? It frequently involves tattoos.

Floyd Mayweather is expecting to make more than $300 MILLION from his fight with Conor McGregor ... which would break down to more than $8 MILLION per minute in the ring.

The boxer spelled it all out for Showtime's "All Access: Mayweather v. McGregor" -- explaining why no other professional athlete in the world is more bankable.

"I mean, am I the highest-paid athlete out there? And just coming back? We not talking about no contract. We not talking about no contract for no 4 years, or no contract for no 5 years. I can do it in 36 minutes. $300 (million) or better. In 36 minutes."

Not a bad deal.

As for Conor, the UFC fighter is expecting to rake in around $100 mil for the August 26 superfight -- but it'll be largest payday an MMA fighter has ever made ... so he's not complaining either.

Ed Norton has nothing but a glass wall separating him from the Pacific after dropping $11.8 million on an exquisite architectural masterpiece in Malibu.

The modern 5 bedroom, 5 bath home -- called Stevens House - was built back in the late '60s by architect John Lautner, who had an apprenticeship under Frank Lloyd Wright and whose other famed work includes the Goldstein House in Hollywood.

Lautner drew inspiration from an ocean wave for its design. The home, built way before its time, sits in the gated Malibu Colony.

The coolest part is the open-air pool ... plus the 37 feet of beach that come with the property.

Ed got it for a steal too. The home was listed 4 years ago for $22 million ... almost twice what he paid for it.

Chester Bennington's death certificate confirms the details we knew ... that the 41-year-old singer committed suicide with a belt.

According to the doc, obtained by TMZ, the Linkin Park singer died at 9:08 AM in his residence on July 20. The immediate cause of death is listed as hanging.

Chester's referred to as a "rock star musician" on the certificate, and had been in the music biz since he was 14 years old.

We broke the story ... Bennington died in his home nearly 2 weeks ago.

Justin Bieber's helping out a new business, and it has nothing to do with music.

The Biebs is dropping a very limited line of white tees with designer/stylist xKarla at a pop-up shop in L.A ... according to sources connected to the deal. We're told Hanes is also involved and the model pushing the threads is none other than JB.

The shirts will sell for $30 a pop and be available for people to buy in person in the L.A. area. The shirts can be purchased in 1 of 3 ways ... order on the Postmates app, show up at a pop-up store that will surface Sunday in the City of Angels or purchasing them online when they become available on xKarla.com tomorrow.

No word yet if JB will also be hawking all that leftover Purpose tour merch.

Kendall Jenner might finally get some peace of mind -- a judge has ordered the obsessed man writing her creepy love letters to stop and stay the hell away.

Kendall wasn't in court but her lawyer, Shawn Holley, was Wednesday morning in downtown L.A. and presented a declaration from Kendall's head of security. That document was enough for the judge to grant her a permanent restraining order against Thomas Hummel.

He must stay at least 100 yards away and he's forbidden from trying to contact her in any way, shape or form for 3 years. Thomas also can't own any guns during that time.

TMZ broke the story ... back in July, Kendall said she needed protection from Thomas because he was flooding her mailbox with love letters that later turned hostile -- he went from professing his love for her to calling her "an internet whore."