Trial Begins in Young Dolph's Murder, Prosecutors Allege Big Jook Ordered Hit
The 3 men charged with murdering Young Dolph are now on trial, and it kicked off with a bombshell allegation about who was behind the 2021 shooting.
During the opening statements, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman accused the late Big Jook -- brother of Young Dolph's rival, Yo Gotti -- of being responsible after he offered $100,000 to anyone who would kill Dolph to end their ongoing rap feud.
While testifying Monday, Cornelius Smith admitted he was indeed the man seen firing the semi-automatic weapon in the November 2021 surveillance footage that captured the Memphis rap superstar's murder.
According to Smith, he had no emotions at the time he took Dolph's life, he was simply attempting to line his pockets with cash -- $100,000 to be exact, paid by Yo Gotti's now deceased brother Big Jook, who, himself was murdered in January.
Hernandez Govan, Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith are all charged with first-degree murder where they plead not guilty.
PnB Rock Killer Sentenced In Los Angeles Court
The man found guilty of murdering rapper PnB Rock learned his fate in court today ... and it will be a long time before he has any chance of getting out of prison.
Freddie Trone, who was convicted on one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of second-degree robbery, was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday where a judge sentenced him to 31 years to life in prison. Another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Trone was painted as the murder mastermind by prosecutors ... prosecutors said he sent his teenage son inside the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant to rob PnB Rock and drove the getaway car after the deadly burglary.
Usher Claims He Was Hacked After X Posts Disappear Amid Diddy Arrest
Usher's hitting back hard, saying "No, No, No!" to those speculating he’s hiding something in the wake of his former mentor Diddy's arrest ... especially after his X posts mysteriously vanished over the weekend.
The singer had an explanation for the social media wipeout ... writing on the platform Sunday evening, "Account got hacked and damn y'all ran with it! Usher sidestepped the Diddy drama but seemed to make it clear he’s got nothing to hide. He wrapped up the post by promoting his next show, saying, "See you tonight at Intuit Dome
Dame Dash Accuses JAY-Z Of 'Poisoning' Sale Of Roc-A-Fella Shares Amid New Legal Filing
Dame Dash has accused JAY-Z of attempting to disrupt the public auction of his one-third ownership stake in Roc-A-Fella Records.
The City of New York has requested a stay in the auction following comments made by Hov about the copyright ownership regarding his seminal debut album Reasonable Doubt. Jay claimed that the copyright to the album reverts back to him in 2031, but the City is now alleging that is, in fact, false and deliberately damaging to the auction process.
The City has claimed that the album’s copyright will continue to be held by Roc-A-Fella until 2098 and have accused the label of not providing proof of royalties that the album generates. The City has claimed that the album’s copyright will continue to be held by Roc-A-Fella until 2098 and have accused the label of not providing proof of royalties that the album generates.
“In fact, he has no such termination right and RAF is entitled to the renewal term, which is now 67 years meaning it will own the copyright rights until the year 2098. In other words, the highest possible auction price could be more than ten times higher than is likely now, given Jay-Z’s and [Roc-A-Fella’s] actions. [Roc-A-Fella] is complicit by its inaction in pushing back against such false statements.”
Boosie Badazz Wanted On Texas Warrant For Failing To Pay For Services In Austin
Boosie Badazz is now a wanted man in Austin, TX, after skipping out on a bill for three days’ worth of services during a visit to the city earlier this summer.
According to NBC affiliate KXAN, an arrest warrant affidavit was issued for the Louisiana rapper on Friday (September 20) in Travis County, where he now faces charges of theft of service greater than or equal to $2,500 and less than $30,000.
The charge, which was filed on August 29, stems from a trip Boosie took to Austin between June 5 and June 7. On the day of his arrival, the rapper’s manager reached out to a chauffeur service to request a sprinter van to pick him and his crew up from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
As part of the complaint filed by the company, the driver provided a detailed run down of their three-day itinerary, which included trips to Walmart; a trampoline park; a visit to urgent care, where one of Boosie’s children was treated; a trip to the Round Rock Outlet Mall; and a stop at the federal courthouse in Downtown Austin so he could check in with a federal parole officer.
Per the affidavit, Boosie was so pleased with the chauffeur, that he posted a video to social media to promote their business. At that point, the driver told him that he would give him, “a good price, just like I told your manager,” and the “Set It Off” rapper suggested the video he’d shared with his followers could be used to offset the price.
The limo service driver made it clear to police at no point was there “a circumstance, prior to the promotion video, where they agreed that the promotion video would fully cover the cost of services.”
Once he left Austin, he company says they reached out to Boosie BadAzz and his manager several times to secure payment before eventually sending an $8,800 invoice. A hearing has been scheduled for October 25.
KXAN reached out to the rapper’s team for comment, but had yet to hear back as of this writing.
Nick Cannon Gifts Rich Homie Quan’s Family $25K Donation During ‘Wild ’N Out’ Show
Nick Cannon has honored Rich Homie Quan and helped the recently deceased rapper’s family in a very direct way: by giving them $25,000.
Atlanta’s WSB-TVreported that during a Wild ‘n Out live show in Atlanta on Thursday (September 19), Cannon stopped the normal routine of rap battles and comedy sketches in order to perform some of Quan’s hits. After that, he brought up a few of Quan’s family members, including the rapper’s father Corey Lamar and his brother Rich Homie Dre, to give them a $25,000 gift.
Ten thousand dollars of the money, Cannon explained, came from Wild ‘n Out fans; another $10,000 from him personally; and the final $5,000 from partners at the venue, State Farm Arena. Cannon’s Atlanta show was just two days after Quan’s funeral.
Held on Tuesday (September 17) at World Changers Church International in South Fulton, the open-casket ceremony was packed to the brim with well wishers. This was the decision of Quan’s father Corey Lamar, who decided to do a large service to celebrate his son’s life.
Diddy's Music Sees Increase in Streams After Arrest & Indictment
Diddy's arrest and subsequent indictment have not deterred his fans from listening to his music ... in fact, he's seen a spike in streams in the wake of the controversy.
Luminate, a data and analytics company, claims the rap mogul's expansive music catalog has seen an over 18% increase in streams in the week since he was put in handcuffs at the Park Hyatt in midtown Manhattan.
Ray J Says He Never Saw Any Crimes Take Place At Diddy's Parties
Ray J is coming clean about Diddy's notorious parties, but he says there's nothing to see in terms of criminal behavior.
The singer was interviewed by Chris Cuomo on NewsNation's "CUOMO" — and he gave a window into his decades long relationship with Diddy, zeroing in on what the feds say were illicit soirees.
Ray J told Cuomo he and other entertainers frequently attended Diddy's gatherings, yet he never saw any sex trafficking or other serious crimes as detailed in the federal indictment against the music mogul.
Ray J put it this way, “We’ve never seen the stuff that’s being said and the stuff that people are finding out, like, I’ve never been in rooms that people are talking about and I never knew they existed."
Diddy White Party Photos Resurface In Wake of Arrest, Indictment
Diddy's arrest and subsequent indictment are bringing a renewed look at some of his famous White Parties from back in the day in the Hamptons ... where the champagne flowed and women lost their tops.
Check out these images from Diddy's White Parties in 1998 and 1999, which he hosted over Labor Day Weekend in the Hamptons.
Dr. Umar's Take on Diddy's Situation
