Nicki Minaj & Husband Sued by Attempted Rape Victim ... She Claims Nicki Tried to Pay Her to Change Story
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Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, are being sued by the woman he was convicted of trying to rape in 1995, who claims she's being harassed ... especially after declining Nicki's offers to change her story.
The woman, Jennifer Hough, was the victim in Petty's 1995 conviction for first-degree attempted rape -- the reason he has to register as a sex offender. You'll recall, he was charged with not registering and recently took a plea deal.
Hough claims in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Nicki and Kenneth have directly and indirectly harassed her and threatened her to not speak about the incident, and she says they've inflicted emotional distress upon her as a result.
According to the docs ... Hough says this started after Petty and Minaj began dating in late 2018, with Minaj allegedly making comments about how Petty was "wrongfully accused" and claiming Hough had recanted her story back then ... something she denies.
Then, in March 2020 after Petty was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender ... Hough claims Minaj called her and offered to fly her and her family to L.A. in exchange for recanting her rape claims against Petty and helping him out.
Hough says she declined and within days, she and her family "suffered an onslaught of harassing calls and unsolicited visits." Shortly after, she claims Nicki had people reach out to Hough's brother and offer a $500k payment in exchange for a statement recanting her rape allegations against Petty.
According to the docs ... Hough says this was followed by Nicki sending lawyers to her home to try to pressure her into recanting her story, and she began to panic and feel unsafe because she was being harassed at home.
After one more alleged cash bribe offer of $20k and another alleged threat to her safety, Hough says she moved from her home in August 2020 ... and continues to live in fear.
She's suing Nicki and Kenneth for intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment and witness intimidation ... as well as suing Petty for sexual assault related to the 1995 conviction.
We've reached out to Minaj's rep ... no word back so far.
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Drake Gifts Amari Bailey Iced Out Pendant ... With OVO Owl!!!
High school hoops star Amari Bailey is now part of the OVO family ... 'cause Drake just hooked him up with an incredible iced out chain of his jersey number!!
Of course, Bailey's mom, Johanna Leia, is currently dating the 6ix God ... and the couple has showed up to the young hooper's games together recently to show support.
The 17-year-old is certainly reaping the benefits of his mom dating the biggest rapper on the planet -- showing off his brand new piece on Instagram.
The bling has a #10 pendant -- his Sierra Canyon jersey number -- infused with all types of colored diamonds ... and the famous owl logo of Drake's OVO brand.
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Bailey clearly loves the gift -- he's been posting videos and pics showing off the piece.
It appears Bailey has braced himself for the haters, captioning his post ... "Insert comments below pt.2🤣🤣🤣🔟🌊"
If you forgot, the Toronto rapper was spotted -- by ABC7's chopper -- having a fancy dinner date with the UCLA commit's mom at Dodger Stadium last month.
We found out it was actually a thank you from the Dodgers for Drake's huge donation to their charity ... and the couple had already been together for months.
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Drake's even acted as a mentor for the young hooper ... advising him on fame, wealth and all the things that are coming his way.
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Eminem Authorities Say Ex-Wife Attempted Suicide ... Hospitalized for Evaluation
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Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Scott, was hospitalized following a suicide attempt during which she became combative with law enforcement ... TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell us ... police and emergency workers responded to a call of a suicidal person at Kim's home in Michigan on July 30.
We're told when they arrived, Kim was so combative she had to be restrained by deputies ... and was so violent, paramedics were unable to check her vitals.
Our sources say it appeared Kim had cut herself, as she had several small lacerations on the back of her leg and a good amount of blood was on the floor.
Kim was rushed to a hospital for both medical and psychological evaluation, but is now back at home and is recovering. It's unclear if she's getting additional care.
The rapper and his ex were married in 1999 and divorced in 2001, and briefly remarried for a few months in 2006. They also have a daughter together, Hailie Jade.
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Nicki Minaj's Husband Strikes Plea Deal For Failing to Register as Sex Offender
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Nicki Minaj's husband is taking a plea deal that could seriously lighten his punishment for failing to register as a sex offender in California ... TMZ has learned.
According to docs filed by federal prosecutors ... Kenneth Petty has agreed to plead guilty to one count of failing to register, and in return, the feds say they will seek a sentence at the low end of the guidelines.
The judge will ultimately determine exactly what Petty gets, but in the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the feds note the mandatory minimum sentence is 5 years of supervised release.
If you're wondering why Petty took the deal ... consider that the maximum sentence he could have faced is 10 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release. He still might end up getting some time behind bars depending on how the judge weighs Petty's criminal history.
You'll recall, Petty was charged back in March 2020. He had moved to Cali with Nicki the previous year, and the feds said he never registered with local authorities as a sex offender -- something he was required to do because of a 1995 conviction in NY for first-degree attempted rape.
As we reported, having the federal case hanging over his head meant Kenneth had to get the court's permission to be present when Nicki gave birth to their first child last year.
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Kanye West's 'Donda' Event Down Goes Fan Crashing Stage!!! Tackled by Security Guards
A Kanye West fan tried to join the show during the rapper's second "Donda" listening event ... but got taken down by security before he got too close.
About midway through Ye's performance Thursday night at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- his second in as many weeks -- a man dressed in orange breached security in the stands and made a break for the stage.
As the guy made his way through the large crowd of backup dancers, that's when a security guard came out of nowhere with the big tackle. Unfortunately, it looks like he may have been injured in the collision.
While we hope the guard's okay, the fan was apprehended by several other guards after the take-down and hauled away. However, it seems police were not involved because we're told they have no record of the incident.
As we told you ... Kim Kardashian and all their kids attended the "Donda" listening party 2.0, which was supposed to lead up to the public release of Kanye's 10th studio album after already being delayed.
Turns out, the second time around yielded the same result, as of Friday 7:30 AM PT ... "Donda" is still not out.
#DONDA pic.twitter.com/55tmitK7ha
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) August 6, 2021 @KimKardashian
Some fans have joked it's because Kanye still hasn't come down after levitating out of the stadium to dramatically end last night's show. Or, maybe the third listening event will be the charm.
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Kim Kardashian & Kids Let's Run it Back ... Attend Kanye's 2nd 'Donda' Event
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6:45 PM PT -- Kanye’s kids were spotted getting ready for the album release.
The West kids are now in the audience! #DONDA pic.twitter.com/E9zCt4a0vi
— Photos Of Kanye West (@PhotosOfKanye) August 6, 2021 @PhotosOfKanye
Kim Kardashian and all of her children are showing just how much they love and support Daddy ... they're back in Atlanta for Kanye West's encore "Donda" album release.
Kim and their kids -- North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm -- are on the East Coast yet again to attend Ye's second event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2 weeks in anticipation of the release of his 10th studio album ... scheduled for Friday.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) August 6, 2021 @KimKardashian
Kim and the kids are dressed head to toe in Balenciaga, which sorta makes sense ... the creative director behind the event is the head of Balenciaga.
We're told some family friends are also with Kim -- including KKW's Chief Marketing Officer Tracy Romulus and her kids -- to celebrate the rapper's momentous occasion.
Worth noting -- our sources say this is not some sign that Kim and Kanye are getting back together ... the divorce is still happening, but the family support remains strong.
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As we first told you ... Kim and the family were also in attendance on July 22 when Kanye first debuted "Donda" ahead of its initial July 23 release date. It never came out, though ... thus his need for round 2.
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Our sources say the plan is for Kayne to put a new twist on the second album release event ... which looks like it may involve transforming into a supervillain.
Then again, as Khloe recently told us ... only Kanye truly knows what's in store.
Originally Published -- 6:15 PM PT
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Blueface 6ix9ine's Too Scared To Box Me ... Tekashi Snaps Back
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2:00 PM PT -- Tekashi's calling B.S. ... telling us he spoke with Blueface's manager about a potential fight -- and he is 100% down if they have the money to sponsor it.
A boxing super-fight between Blueface and Tekashi 6ix9ine is NEVER gonna happen ... so says Blueface himself, who tells TMZ Sports the controversial rapper is simply too chicken to step in the ring with him.
Remember, the "Thotiana" MC showed he's got some hands after taking down TikToker Kane Trujillo -- and a spectator who invaded the ring -- at BKFC 19 last month.
When we ran into Blueface at The Highlight Room this week, we had to ask if his rival Tekashi could be his next big opponent ... and the guy shut that idea down FAST.
WE GOT AN EVEN BIGGER FIGHT AFTER THE #BOXING EXHIBITION ENDS!@bluefacebleedem throwing BOMBS!
— FITE (@FiteTV) July 24, 2021 @FiteTV
See #BKFC19 on #FITE
Order HERE: https://t.co/htnOiICcNA pic.twitter.com/3pxMW7kqdC
"He ain’t gonna take that, bro." Blueface tells us. "He wouldn’t take that if his mom was on her deathbed and it was her last breath and she said, 'Tekashi just fight Blueface and they’ll give me a new heart.'"
"He still wouldn’t do it."
Of course, there's quite a bit of history between the two -- Blueface recently called Tekashi a "snitch" for allegedly getting his Instagram account deleted ... as a result of their back-and-forth over the LA native's tattoo shoutout to his favorite jeweler.
Long story short, Tekashi accused Blueface of owing NYC Luxury money due to the ink ... something the tattoo artist flat-out denied.
So, if 6ix9ine's out, who will it be?? We asked if Blueface would take a fight with Jake Paul ... and he doesn't shut it down, saying, "It doesn't matter who it is, bro."
Something tells us Tekashi's gonna get wind of this and want to respond.
Originally Published -- 1:40 PM PT
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Kanye West Spiked Out to Hang with Lil Yachty ... Before 2nd 'Donda' Party
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Lil Yachty's posted up with Kanye West inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and from the look of things, Yachty's vibing on "Donda" ... while Ye's morphing into a supervillain.
The "Hit Bout It" rapper paid Kanye a visit at his makeshift ATL home ahead of the second "Donda" listening party set to go down Thursday evening -- and Kanye was wearing his usual full head cover, plus a jacket covered in giant spikes!
Seriously, looks like something from the "Suicide Squad" wardrobe.
Yachty's the latest rapper to visit him inside his quarters at the home of the Atlanta Falcons. Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa have also popped in to see Kanye.
Apple's launched a stream for viewers to "Watch Kanye finishing Donda in Atlanta," but it's intentionally muted the entire time ... which is why you can't hear any sound coming from the video Yachty posted.
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As we reported ... Kanye and co. had been trying to figure out how to make this experience different from the first, which as we first reported, broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record with 3.3 million viewers.
Kanye, of course, has been living in the stadium as he finishes up the album. At this point, he knows the place inside and out ... so that very well could come into play as he tries to come up with something new for the second event.
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T.I. Amsterdam Arrest NBD ... We Had a Language Barrier Issue
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T.I.'s still super chill about his recent bust in Amsterdam ... which he's now calling "a slight kerfuffle" with a dash of "lost in translation."
We got the rapper and his wife, Tiny, Wednesday as they returned to the States, flying into LAX. We asked him to shed some light on the run-in with cops in the Netherlands, and he said the whole thing was a slight miscommunication.
That checks out, 'cause T.I. says he didn't even realize he was talking to a cop! He says the guy's dialect -- a mix of Dutch and English -- totally threw him off.
All good though ... T.I. didn't seem stressed about it then -- he posted video while in custody -- and still doesn't now, saying all's well that ends well.
As we reported ... Tip said he was riding a bicycle when his handlebar broke off the side mirror on a cop car. It's still unclear how the collision happened ... and T.I. couldn't recall any further detail when we asked at LAX.
Moments after he was released, T.I. he went on Instagram Live and chalked up the whole to the cop having a bad morning.
He and Tiny had been in Europe celebrating their 11th wedding anniversary, and despite the arrest ... they told us the trip was phenomenal.
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Khloe Kardashian Kanye's Still Family, I Support Him ... But I Can't Help Ya on 'Donda' Release!!!
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Khloe Kardashian isn't letting on if she has the inside scoop on whether Kanye West will actually release "Donda" this week ... but she still has his back no matter what.
Khloe was at The Grove in L.A. Wednesday with her daughter, True, and mom, Kris Jenner -- along with nieces and nephews Chi, Psalm, Dream and Stormi -- for what led to a rather large ice cream order.
We asked Khloe if Kanye's upcoming 10th studio album's finally coming out Friday -- after already being pushed a couple weeks -- and her answer's pretty telling.
Still sounds like it could go either way, as far as she knows, but she tells us he's family ... so she'll be supporting him no matter what.
Ye's holding a second "Donda" listening event Thursday night in Atlanta in anticipation of the updated August 6 release date, with plans to make it different from the first.
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As you may recall ... the initial release date was scheduled for July 23 and he packed ATL's Mercedes-Benz Stadium the night before to debut the album, but it was never made available to the public.
This time around it might be the real deal, but like Khloe says ... only Kanye knows for certain.
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T.I. 'They Arrested Me' Over Bike Incident w/ Cop
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T.I. says cops in Amsterdam busted him over a bike incident involving an officer -- but he says they never put handcuffs on him, and he's already out of jail after posting bail.
The rapper recorded a video Tuesday while he says he was in custody in Amsterdam. According to T.I., he was riding his bicycle and didn't stop when crossing the street. He says instead ... he kept going and his handlebar broke off a cop's side mirror.
What are the chances??? Still, Tip's taking it in stride ... you can tell in the video, it's probably the chillest anyone's ever been while dealing with the police. He says the cops were chill too, and escorted him to the backseat of their car without ever taking out their cuffs.
It seems he was quickly released ... 'cause T.I. later went on Instagram Live and said he wasn't even tripping about the incident. When a friend of his called the incident "bulls**t" ... T.I. quickly responded saying it wasn't and that "everybody has a bad morning."
Some fans sitting outside a nearby joint recognized him and asked for a picture. The rapper pulled up and sat right next to them and ordered drinks.
The rapper and his wife, Tiny, had been in Italy celebrating their 11th wedding anniversary ... and seems they kept the party going with a trip to the Netherlands.
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DaBaby Apologizes to LGBTQ+ Community ... for 'Hurtful,' 'Triggering' Comments
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DaBaby's finally doing a mea culpa ... he's apologizing for the third time over his homophobic rant that led to him getting 86'd from various music festivals and his hit song with Dua Lipa being dropped from playlists.
The rapper apologized with a lengthy statement Monday saying he's educated himself and knows better now following the vile comments he made at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. He said, "I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important. Love to all. God bless."
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The rapper suggested he's a victim of high-speed social media, saying, "Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes. As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me -- knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance -- has been challenging."
He went on to thank those who came to him "with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That’s what I needed and it was received."
As we've reported ... Lollapalooza organizers yanked him from Sunday's lineup. Ditto for the UK's Parklife festival ... swift action was taken after DaBaby went on stage at Rolling Loud and said, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n***a d**k in the parking lot."
The rapper tried to explain himself ... but instead made things worse. The vile comments drew outrage ... from Dua Lipa saying she was horrified to Leslie Jordan slamming DB's rant as stupid and clueless.
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DaBaby Cut Outta Lollapalooza!!! We're About Love, Inclusivity and He's Not
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DaBaby just got the hook -- Lollapalooza organizers are yanking him out of their Sunday night lineup, which he was supposed to headline ... due to his ignorant and homophobic comments.
The legendary festival, going down in Chicago this weekend, announced Sunday morning ... "Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love. With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight."
DaBaby was supposed to perform at 9 PM Sunday for more than 150,000 fans, as the final act of the 4-day festival -- instead, he'll be sidelined, and Young Thug has been moved up into that slot.
The 11th-hour change is in response to the rapper's onstage rant last weekend at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. ICYMI ... DaBaby told the audience to put their phones up, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n***a d**k in the parking lot."
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He attempted to explain away the vile comments on social media when he posted a video claiming his words weren't directed at his gay fans because they're not "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies" and they take care of themselves.
In other words ... he just made it worse.
As we've reported ... the clothing company, Boohoo, stopped working with DaBaby soon after the heinous comments. Also, Dua Lipa -- who has a huge hit with DaBaby, "Levitating" -- denounced his remarks ... and their song has reportedly been removed from multiple Apple Music playlists.
In addition to Young Thug getting the spotlight Sunday night, Lollapalooza added G Herbo's on an earlier stage to fill the void.
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Snoop Dogg gives peacock olympics commentary ... Jokes Fly (Cover Your Ears)
Snoop Dogg can seriously commentate on just about anything and make it entertaining -- something he's proved yet again with some Olympics coverage ... which is rated R.
The rapper joined none other than Kevin Hart Saturday for what appears to be a special from Peacock -- NBC's subscription service -- and the two of them were hired to drop some commentary on random Olympics clips from the ongoing games ... totally out of context.
Snoop Dogg and Kevin Hart commenting on the Olympics is the best content NBC Peacock has put out yet pic.twitter.com/EBaJtgaRpb
— Lights, Camera, Pod (@LightsCameraPod) July 31, 2021 @LightsCameraPod
Sounds like a hoot, and that's exactly what it turned out to be ... especially once SD started getting into his bag of NSFW jokes, which were preceded by some gangster comparisons.
You gotta watch for yourself ... in Snoop's eyes, the horse that's trotting around in the clip they're watching looks an awful lot like what he was doing in the music video for "Drop It Like It's Hot" -- namely, Crip walking. That got a huge laugh out of Kevin ... and seemingly out of the rest of the crew on set.
Snoop over on Peacock WIDE OPEN! 😂 pic.twitter.com/MvzZfl2HFz
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) July 31, 2021 @roywoodjr
That's nothing compared to a comment he made later ... when the subject of skeet shooting came up for discussion.
We'll let Snoop speak himself on this one -- but let's just say he considers himself familiar with the practice ... but under a different spelling. Hide the kids, and cover your ears -- things are getting raunchy on Peacock!
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Kanye West Bringing ‘Donda’ Party Back to ATL … But It Needs New Twist
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4:29 PM PT -- Kanye's team just sent out an official release for the event, it'll happen Aug. 5 at 9 PM with creative direction from Demna Gvasalia. Tickets will run from $30-$75.
Gvasalia's name might ring a bell, he's currently the creative director of Balenciaga and the founder of Vetements.
Kanye West is hosting another album release for his upcoming "Donda" album at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta ... but he's still brainstorming on how to make the event unique to fill new seats.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Yeezy and his production team locked down Aug. 5 at MBS for another "Donda" album release on the eve of the album drop. We're told stadium employees have been hired on ... and plan to work it the same as last week.
However, we're told Kanye and co. are working to figure out how to make this experience different from the first, which as we first reported, broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record with 3.3 million viewers.
Our sources say CAA and Live Nation are putting pressure on Ye and his production company to make the second "Donda" event different ... because some fear it won't be easy to sell tickets in the same market if this show's a carbon copy of the first.
We're told it's unclear what Kanye plans to do the second time around -- he could go with a new stage or new musical arrangement -- and Yeezy is known to change his mind at the last minute ... so right now, anything is possible.
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There's a lot of directions Kanye could go ... while many felt his first "Donda" event was innovative, some say it was essentially just Ye standing around and playing the album for his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian.
As you know ... Kanye's been living in the stadium as he finishes up the album, so ya gotta think he knows the place inside and out, and that could come into play as he tries to switch things up for this event.
Stay tuned ...
Originally Published -- 4:29 PM PT
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DaBaby Drops Out of UK's Parklife Festival ... Rep Says Homophobic Comments Not to Blame
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1:34 PM PT -- A rep for DaBaby tells us the rapper wasn't dropped from the festival because of his homophobic comments. The rep says he pulled out of the festival months ago when events were being canceled because of COVID.
The festival had promoted DaBaby as a performer as recently as 7/14, but the rep says that was solely a mistake made by the festival, the rapper was already out.
DaBaby's social calendar for mid-September just opened up ... 'cause he's been dropped from a music festival across the pond.
The rapper was originally slated to perform at Parklife 2021 in Manchester, England where he was supposed to be one of the headliners ... along with Megan Thee Stallion and Young Thug. But, that's not the case anymore.
You can see DaBaby's name -- which used to practically be front and center -- has now been removed from the lineup card on the festival's website.
It was just 2 weeks ago when the festival was proudly showing off its lineup on Instagram, featuring DB. They seemed pretty excited about it ... with the caption saying, "PARKLIFE 2021 🔥 TWO MONTHS TO GO 🙏🏼."
The excitement over DB headlining the event has quickly dissipated following his controversial comments at the Rolling Loud Festival. And, his removal from Parklife is just the latest in a series of dominos falling.
As we've reported ... the clothing company, Boohoo, stopped working with DaBaby soon after the ignorant comments about HIV/AIDS. Sure, he attempted an "apology," but only made things worse.
Dua Lipa's just one of the many stars who were horrified by the comments. In fact ... her collab with DaBaby -- the "Levitating" remix -- has reportedly been removed from multiple Apple Music playlists.
Originally Published -- 12:05 PM PT