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Woodstock 50's investor pulled the plug on the festival cause the company was fearful of financial disaster.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Amplifi Live -- the investment arm of Dentsu Aegis Network -- pulled out after it got word capacity for the concert venue shrunk by 50% -- from 150,000 to 75,000. The reason for the change -- Watkins Glen city officials said a big chunk of the land needed to be used as campgrounds to accommodate concertgoers.

We're told Amplifi Live needed a minimum of 100,000 attendees to make a go of it, so the company pulled the plug.

It's kind of weird ... no one seemed to factor in that there aren't a whole lot of hotels or Airbnb's in the small New York town with a population of around 2,000.

Woodstock organizers scrambled to score a mass gathering permit several weeks ago, to no avail.

After Amplifi pulled out, Lang told us he wasn't throwing in the towel, hoping to snag another investor. But, he just ran into even more problems, because we're told the festival's production company, Superfly, will no longer be involved.

We reached out to Lang and his attorney, Marc Kasowitz, got back to us ... saying, "Woodstock 50 is proceeding with the planning and production of the festival. Dentsu has no legal right or ability to cancel it. All stakeholders, including the entertainers, should proceed with the understanding that the event will take place as planned and if they have any questions, they should reach out directly."

Bushwick Bill, one of the founding members of the legendary rap group, Geto Boys, is battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

The 52-year-old tells us he was diagnosed back in February and he's currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatments ... but he says it's too early to tell how his body's responding to the chemo.

The rapper says his diagnosis came as a shock ... because he was getting tests for month for a mass on his pancreas ... a mass doctors said was benign.

Bushwick's been keeping his diagnosis private, only telling close family members, but he's finally ready to share the sad news with the world ... even though he hasn't found it in him to tell fellow Geto Boys founders Scarface and Willie D what's up.

Bill says he's going to keep fighting, but he's not afraid of death ... something he made clear in his old song, "Ever So Clear."

G Herbo is now facing a battery charge for an altercation that went down with the mother of his child ... and prosecutors say the rapper dragged the woman by her hair.

TMZ broke the story ... G Herbo was arrested in Atlanta last month after cops said he assaulted Ariana Fletcher during an argument. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Herbo's been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery.

Prosecutors are accusing him of intentionally hurting Ari by dragging her by her hair and scratching her arm badly enough to leave visible wounds.

Prosecutors tell us the 23-year-old Chicago rapper -- who has a son with Ari -- is now staring down a possible max sentence of 1 year behind bars, if he's convicted.

As we reported ... Ari is now dating boxer Gervonta Davis, and she's pregnant with his child.

This pop star became a global sensation at just 14 years old when a song she originally published on SoundCloud went viral. She was subsequently signed by Interscope Records. The track -- written by her brother and produced for his own band -- has now been streamed more than 109 million times on YouTube.

She's since released hit after hit ... leading her to perform at some of the biggest festivals, including and most recently at Coachella. She was born and raised in L.A. and still not even old enough to vote. Both of her parents also work in the entertainment industry.

Waka Flocka Flame is no longer performing at a free concert for students at UNC Charlotte ... the show's canceled following a deadly shooting on campus.

Waka was scheduled to perform Tuesday night at Jerry Richardson Stadium on campus, but the concert just got scrapped. The University remains on lockdown after 2 people were shot dead and 4 others were injured in the shooting.

Waka says he's praying for everyone affected by the shooting ... and says he wasn't aware of the tragic news until he landed in Charlotte ahead of his scheduled gig. Waka says he wasn't even going to be able to make it to the venue.

Eddie Murphy is totally down for casting real Africans in his "Coming to America" sequel ... and it sounds like he's got one very funny one in mind.

We got Eddie as he was leaving E Baldi Tuesday in Bev Hills, and asked him about the highly anticipated movie ... which started pre-production last month. Outside of Eddie, Arsenio Hall and Shari Headley (Lisa McDowell) ... little is known about who's co-starring in the film.

Akon, who grew up in Senegal, recently told us Eddie should be hiring real deal African actors for the flick, and we brought that suggestion right to the man himself. Good news for Africans, and GREAT news for Michael Blackson -- Eddie's interested!!!

Unsolicited, Ed dropped the comedian's name, telling us ... "There's one funny African. That Michael Blackson." Pretty sure there are more than one, but we get the point.

Eddie didn't let on whether Michael -- who's from Ghana -- is a done deal for the cast, but it definitely sounds like he's interested.

We called Blackson, and he had no idea. As he put it, "That would be life changing!!! Everyone in the world is gonna watch that movie."

The good news for "Empire" fans ... the show is coming back for Season 6. The bad news for Jussie Smollett -- he's not coming back.

Fox just issued the following statement ... "By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett's option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to 'Empire.'"

Yep ... sounds weird, that Fox wants to keep Jussie hanging just in case, but that's the deal. It could be ... Fox is hedging its bets, to see what happens in the civil case in which the City of Chicago is suing the actor for the costs of the investigation. The upshot of that case -- Jussie will be tried for allegedly faking the "attack." Perhaps if he wins, Fox will reconsider.

As we reported, Jussie has had lunch meetings with "Empire" execs, and for a time it looked like he may come back, but now it seems Jussie needs to find other employment.

Here's the loose end ... by picking up/extending Jussie's option, it would seem they have to pay him something per the contract. After all, he couldn't really accept another gig if he could be called back to "Empire." So, is Jussie getting paid for not working on the show?

Both Don Cheadle AND Jonah Hill showed up to watch Kevin Hart box a poker champ ... so says Antonio Esfandiari himself, who tells TMZ Sports his fight with the comedian was EPIC!!!

We spoke with 40-year-old Esfandiari just hours after Hart released footage of their scrap in Santa Monica earlier this month ... and he told us all about how he prepped for the fight.

After the battle, both fighters kept it professional -- giving props to each other for getting in the ring.

"It was by far the most challenging thing ever," Hart said ... "I gotta give [Antonio] credit because he didn’t let me fight the fight that I wanted to."

So, what's Antonio's breakdown of Hart's boxing game? Esfandiari tells us the little guy's got POP -- saying Kevin's right-hand carries KO power!!

As for the result ... Antonio won the fight via decision -- and ya gotta hear who he's thanking for the victory.

We had no idea Barbara Corcoran from "Shark Tank" was THIS twisted ... but ya gotta love a birthday party that doubles as a funeral!

Yes, that's Barbara all snug as a bug inside a casket -- her idea of a surprise for her friends and family members who had shown up to celebrate her 70th birthday last weekend. Once the shock wore off ... it looks like everyone was in on the creepy and totally morbid bash thrown in Manhattan.

Her fellow Sharks, including Mark Cuban and Daymond John and Robert Herjavec, gathered around her casket to pay their respects. Daymond even gave her a kiss!

Barbara eventually popped up to join the party ... in a Carolina Herrera gown no less. Think "Finnegans Wake" (look it up) -- she IS part Irish, after all.

As funerals have often been described as the best party you don't get to attend, BC decided to design a workaround. As she put it, "What the heck, you only die once, you might as well be around for it!"

Okay, we admit it ... we're dying to see what she does for 71.

Barack Obama is remembering John Singleton as a trailblazing director who opened doors for filmmakers of color, and showed Hollywood there were stories that needed to be told.

The former President tweeted his condolences to the late director's family on Tuesday and took a moment to remember John's work and everything he did for minority filmmakers.

Obama said, "His seminal work, Boyz n the Hood, remains one of the most searing, loving portrayals of the challenges facing inner-city youth. He opened doors for filmmakers of color to tell powerful stories that have been too often ignored."

As we reported ... John died Monday after being taken off life support following a massive stroke. He was just 51.

John was the first African American nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director ... for "Boyz n the Hood." John was only 23 when he directed the groundbreaking film.

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are springing into action to help the mother of the Alabama teen who recently died from suicide after he was mercilessly bullied for being gay.

Sources tell TMZ ... the actress and NBA star are part of a group of celebs -- which also includes Ludacris and Janelle Monae -- donating money to help cover Nigel Shelby's funeral. Nigel is the 15-year-old who took his own life nearly 2 weeks ago.

We're told the effort was spearheaded by Pinky Cole -- owner of the popular ATL restaurant Slutty Vegan -- and "Master of None" star Lena Waithe, who enlisted their famous friends to help out.

Nigel's mother, Camika, had said Nigel suffered from depression and struggled with his identity. Our sources wouldn't say how much money was raised, but we know it was enough to cover the expense of Nigel's tombstone, funeral service ... and a separate amount to support Camika.

Nigel's memorial was held over the weekend at Rock Family Worship Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He was laid to rest in a colorful casket wrapped in rainbows and butterflies.

Nipsey Hussle's sister has filed for legal guardianship of one of his children ... TMZ has learned.

Samantha Smith filed legal docs in L.A. County Superior Court asking for guardianship of 10-year-old Emani Asghedom.

Sources say Samantha believes the child's biological mother is unable to care for the child.

We're told Nipsey cared for Emani before his death March 31 after being gunned down at his L.A. clothing store.

Samantha says she has assisted in the care of Emani throughout her life and wants "to ensure the continued stability for Emani and ensure that she will be able to maintain her current and ongoing relationship" with Nipsey's family.

Nipsey had another child, 2-year-old Kross, with Lauren London. Kross is not the subject of the conservatorship. Kross lives with Lauren.

On April 2, Samantha posted in her Instagram account a tribute to Nipsey, and in it she says, "I got Emani."

11:21 AM PT -- We've obtained the dispatch audio where police seem to identify the possible suspect as a Hispanic male in shorts and a t-shirt. They identify the reporting person -- possibly Jonze -- was waiting in the middle of the street for cops to arrive.

Director Spike Jonze came face-to-face with a home intruder who was armed with a knife ... setting off an intense standoff with police.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Jonze arrived at his Los Feliz home around 6 AM Tuesday and discovered a man inside. Jonze was able to get out of the house and call the cops. We're told the man was armed with a knife and refused to come out once police arrived.

LAPD and SWAT officers swarmed the home for several hours before the man finally surrendered just before 11 AM.

Our sources say at this time, it does not appear anyone was injured during the standoff. It's unclear how the man got inside Jonze's home or if he has any connection to the director.

12:28 PM PT -- The World Surf League has confirmed Garcia was hospitalized after a suicide attempt.

In the past, Garcia has talked publicly about his struggles with depression and even asked fans for advice on treatment.

Surf legend Sunny Garcia -- a 6-time winner of the Triple Crown of Surfing -- is fighting for his life in a Portland hospital, the World Surf League has confirmed.

The 49-year-old was admitted to the hospital in Oregon on Monday. Details about his condition were not made public.

WSL says Garcia is currently in intensive care.

Garcia is one of the most beloved people in pro surfing. He grew up in Hawaii -- and became close friends with fellow surf stars like Kelly Slater and Jamie O'Brien.

He's an absolute STUD in the water -- winning the World Surf League's world championship in 2000. He was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Garcia also became the 2nd pro surfer in history to win more than $1 million in prize money -- which is a HUGE accomplishment.

Outside of the water, Sunny had some issues over the years -- he served time in prison in 2007 in a tax evasion case.

Years later, Garcia said the takeaway from that experience was "never trust your CPA ... don't trust anybody for that matter."

Garcia has talked about how much he loved his family and how one of his biggest fears would be to lose them.

He's also a religious guy who attends church "every once in a while."

Garcia has also pushed hard for people to come and surf in Hawaii over the years -- but he's big on people having respect for the Hawaiian culture.

"Come, enjoy and be respectful, yeah -- if you can be that then we welcome you with open arms. But, if you're gonna come and piss in my backyard, you might get a slap in the head."

Soulja Boy was just smacked with a sentence of 240 days in jail and 265 days of community service for violating his probation.

Soulja was in court Tuesday -- and while his attorney said the rapper's had an "awakening" during the last 20 days he's been locked up -- it clearly wasn't enough to convince the judge to let him go easy. Soulja will start the sentence right away ... and has credit for 40 days served.

The judge told Soulja he was originally considering sentencing him to 2 years in state prison but decided to give him some leniency. The judge also acknowledged that Soulja's missed out on business opportunities while behind bars.

As we reported ... the rapper was taken into custody earlier this month after the judge said he failed to do his court-ordered community service and even conspired to falsify evidence he had completed it.

Not helping matters ... Soulja's crib in Agoura Hills was raided in February and cops found ammunition during the search. Cops had initially gone there to investigate a claim by one of his ex-girlfriends that Soulja tied her up and held her captive in his garage.

The ammunition turned out to be the start of Soulja's real troubles. Having possession of ammo is a huge no-no 'cause Soulja's on probation for a weapons case that dates back to 2014.

He bragged about not going out like Tekashi 6ix9ine but the laughter didn't last long ... 'cause he's been held without bail since the April 11 arrest.