At the beginning of the year, Shundale Barnett and Justin Johnson were arrested together in Indiana for the murder of Young Dolph, but shortly after, authorities in Indiana released Barnett, who was charged with being an accessory to helping Johnson flee Memphis. Now, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is searching for Barnett and he cannot be located.
Clay County Sheriff Paul Harden said in a statement, “On Jan. 11, Mr. Shundale Barnett was brought to the Clay County Jail by the Indiana State Police from an arrest on I-70. He was booked in the Clay County Jail on an outstanding warrant from Shelby County, Tennessee. We held them (Barnett), contacted Shelby County, and held him on their warrant and we were contacted on Jan. 21 and they told us that they were no longer wanting to come up and pick up Mr. Barnett and that we were to release him at that time.”
Cornelius Smith the first person to be charged in Young Dolph’s death, was charged with auto theft in connection to the Mercedes used as the getaway car in the murder.
According to a report from Vlad TV, Jamal Edwards, the founder of UK Youtube Channel SBTV, has died from unknown causes. He was only 31 years old.
A statement from Vlad read, “Jamal and I started our Youtube channels around the same time 14 years ago. I was a big fan of what he was doing overseas and we would catch up every few years to compare what we were doing with our companies. He was always pushing the envelope of what a Youtuber can accomplish and really inspired me to set my goals higher. He always had happy energy and was really passionate about the music and his role in UK Hip Hop. I still can’t believe he passed away so young. My condolences to his family, friends, and fans worldwide.”
Edwasrs’ cause of death is unconfirmed at this time, but TheSource.com will update the story as details develop.
On this day in 1995, Compton’s own DJ Quik released his third album entitled Safe + Sound. Released on Profile Records, it peaked at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA by July 11. Executive produced by Suge Knight, the LP featured the singles “Dollaz & Sense” and “Safe + Sound”.
The previously no-way-it-would-happen Martin television show reunion is really on the way. Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Carl Anthony Payne II have reunited for the 30th anniversary tv special set to air on BET+.
Unfortunately we will all be missing the presence of Tommy, the funny best friend of Martin, Thomas Mikal Ford, who passed away in 2016 at age 52.
“Martin is one of the most beloved sitcoms in our community, both because it is hugely entertaining and because it played a pivotal role in changing the narrative of Black voices in entertainment and in culture through the portrayal of young, ambitious Black leads and healthy Black relationships,” said Scott Mills, CEO of BET.
Thirty years after it’s premiere the new special, as reported on Deadline, will look at the show’s origin and evolution. It will feature interviews with the cast and original directors. As well as musical performances and behind the scenes commentary. It will highlight the importance and impact of the show that shaped a generation.
“To be able to sit here thirty years later with this amazing cast that has had such an impact on pop culture is truly a blessing,” Martin Lawrence shared. “I am always humbled that the fans still want more of the show and its characters. I am looking forward to the reunion special.”
Martin and Gina back together on your television for the good of mankind. Tisha Campbell echoed the excitement in an instagram post captioned “Y’all ready?! We ARE!!!”
The Martin reunion is executive produced by Martin Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, Rae Proctor and Stacy Lyles through his company Run Tel Dat Entertainment.
The reunion special, hosted by Affion Crockett, is tapping today, February 20th. While a specific premiere date has not been confirmed by BET+ but is slated to air later this year. All five seasons of Martin are currently streaming on BET+.
Some say he was 50 Cent before 50 Cent. Some called him “the Robin Hood of The Ghetto”, while the establishment dubbed him “the crack city terminator.” In the hood, his solution is considered the only possible answer to a continuous epidemic of police brutality. Some of your favorite rappers from French Montana to Lloyd Banks to Jay-Z have name-dropped him on their tracks and BET felt he was so important to American culture that their American Gangster series had to open with him, but only an educated few know why the name Larry Davis continues to ring bells more than three decades after that fateful night in November of ’86.
On February 20, 2008, Adam Abdul Hakeem aka Larry Davis, was stabbed to death in Shawangunk State Prison in New York by a fellow inmate after serving 23 years for an illegal weapons charge. Most would say that people die in American prisons daily, so what’s the big deal about another dead prisoner? Well, it must first be explained why Mr. Davis was in prison for so long on a mere gun charge in the first place.
As he said on camera after his capture in 1986, “the police gave me the guns!”, that Davis was finally charged with after being acquitted for shooting 6 NYPD officers. The then 21-year-old BX native’s defense was that he shot the officers in self-defense. Davis exposed that he sold drugs for these Bronx precinct officers, claiming that they wanted to kill him because of what he knew about the drug operation within the department and a Bronx jury believed him. This case was the first and very possibly the only time in American history that a civilian was cleared of all charges in the shooting of a police officer.
The NYPD and then-Mayor Edward Koch were outraged at the outcome. After Larry’s death, the former Mayor Koch was quoted as saying, “The prison system did what the criminal justice system could not.” It’s safe to say that with the endless accusations against the NYPD and other police departments around the country for brutality against Black and brown people, the sentiment of sympathy for Larry Davis has been met with fierce opposition.
With the recent killings of Black youth by police and civilians becoming the norm, the question in the urban community is whether or not Larry Davis’ solution to police brutality is the only option left. With normal citizens being given the option to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to Black youth and the prison industrial complex as the penalty for defending yourself, the bare truth is that it has become the only option to some. With landmark cases from Emmitt Till to Botham Jean, history reveals that people such as Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and even Larry Davis will always be heroes. We’ve heard Larry’s name come from the mouths of everyone from ATCQ to Jay-Z.
Check out Larry’s story on Troy Reed’s Street Stories Larry Davis: A Routine Typical Hit, BET’s American Gangster series and is also rumored to be in the hands of several filmmakers, which could possibly spawn the story on the silver screen.
The Asian American judge Regina Chu who sentenced former officer Kim Potter to two years in prison for killing Daunte Wright choked up as she described the difficulty deciding on a sentence for Potter. Chu cited the difficult job that police face — and Potter’s remorse — as justification for giving her a light sentence despite the state’s recommendation of between six to eight years.
Officer Kim Potter, Judge Chu, and Daunte Wright
Potter, who said she meant to use her Taser but mistakenly fired her handgun into Wright’s chest as he tried to drive away from a traffic stop in April.
Wright’s family and attorneys angrily condemned Chu for going well below prosecutors’ recommendations. They pointed out that a Black former officer convicted of shooting a white woman in 2017 in a different Minnesota case got no such mercy despite his expressions of remorse.
Katie Wright, who is white, told reporters that Potter “murdered my son,” and that, with this sentence, “the justice system murdered him all over again.” She accused Chu of being taken in by a performance that was coached, and wondered why her own tears didn’t get such a sympathetic response.
“This is the problem with our justice system today,” Wright said. “White women tears trump — trump — justice. And I thought my white woman tears would be good enough because they’re true and genuine.”
The phrase “white woman tears” has gained national attention on race, suggesting that white people weaponize their emotions against people of color to protect their privileged positions.
Potter cried in testimony at her trial in December and sobbed again Friday as she directly addressed Wright’s family in the courtroom.
“Katie, I understand a mother’s love and I am sorry I broke your heart,” Potter said. “My heart is broken for all of you.”
Daunte Wright’s parents
Wright’s family had called for the maximum possible sentence. The state attorney general’s office originally laid out a case for a stiffer-than-normal sentence, then argued Friday for the presumptive sentence of just over seven years recommended by state guidelines.
But Chu said Potter’s conduct over an otherwise exemplary 26-year career “cries out” for a shorter sentence. Welcome to ameriKKKa!
A recent report from The New York Post has confirmed that the federal prosecutors have charged almost a dozen “Woo Gang” members and affiliates from Brooklyn for illegally obtaining COVID-19 relief funds, which the feds believe amassed over $4 million.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York says that the gang allegedly flaunted the money in a music video titled “Trappin” as well as their individual social media pages.
The $4 million was obtained through a government program between March 2020 and October 2021. Part of the alleged scam involved a man buying identity information for $150, which turned out to be a pivotal part in how the federal authorities uncovered their scheme.
Court dates have yet to be set for the group, but TheSource.com will bring you updates to the story as details develop.
Today we celebrate the birth of one of the most influential figures in Hip-Hop. Not only was this man the first rap billionaire, but he was also an instrumental part (literally and figuratively) in the creation of a new sub-genre of rap known as G-Funk. The living legend is described is none other than Dr. Dre.
Andre Romelle Young was born in Compton, California on February 18, 1965. He was the first child born to Theodore and Verna Young. His father had a history in music and was a member of an amateur R&B group called The Romells from which Dre gets his middle name.
In 1986, Dre met O’Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube while collaborating on some music for Ruthless Records. Ruthless Records was a famous record label founded by N.W.A. member Eazy-E and west coast rapper Ice-T. These two are widely credited with starting the gangster rap movement on the West Coast. This meeting and the addition of MC Ren birthed one of the greatest music groups of all time, N*ggaz With Attitude.
After a disagreement with Eazy-E, Dre decided to leave N.W.A. to build his own musical empire. Due to advice given to him by his close friend and fellow rapper, The D.O.C., and his bodyguard at the time, Suge Knight, Dre became the flagship artist of Death Row Records, a label started by Knight in 1992. On Death Row Records, Dre released his first solo album titled The Chronic. This album cemented Dr. Dre’s place as one of the top rappers out of California. While working with Death Row, Dre produced the majority of new artist Snoop Dogg’s music helping him in his rise to superstardom, along with tracks for 2Pac who was also a label member.
In ’96 due to a disagreement between Knight and Dre, Dre left Death Row to build his own label called Aftermath Records. This changed the path of Dre’s career forever. The growth began when the head of Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine, suggested that Dre sign white rapper Eminem. The success of Eminem’s music made Dr. Dre not only one of the most respected rappers/producers in the game but also one of the more powerful moguls.
Dr. Dre was set to release his third album Detox in 2007 but decided to not and instead produce for other artists. Since then Dre has been mostly behind the scenes shaping the current state of rap music. Most recently he produced the uber-successful N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which has created a rise in N.W.A. support from a new generation. His third studio album, Compton, was released shortly after the film and finally ended the long wait for more work from Dre.
The life and career of Dr. Dre is one that has been able to make Rap and Hip Hop what they are today. Without his influence, who knows where rap music would be today. From everyone at The Source, Happy Birthday Dr. Dre, may you have many more success filled years.
R. Kelly has cut ties with his Chicago-based legal team in order to hire the attorney who appealed Bill Cosby’s conviction.
In a telephone conference on Wednesday with U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, Kells said he wanted Jennifer Bonjean to represent him in the case, which is set for a jury trial August 1, 2022.
In Chicago, Kelly is facing charges of federal child pornography and obstruction of justice. There’s also separate aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges in Cook County, Illinois. He has two co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, whom are long time associates.
Earlier this month, Kelly’s three trial attorneys from the New York case also withdrew their appearances.
Bonjean was already working on an appeal for the 12 Play singer’s New York case and is due to file post-trial motions before U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly this week.
The convicted R&B singer is still awaiting sentencing in a New York City federal jail after being convicted of racketeering. He was also found guilty of crimes including sex with underage girls.
His original Chicago-based attorneys, Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard told ABC Chicago, “The Chicago case, unfortunately for Robert, is far more serious.” “The Chicago case actually carries much more severe penalties than the New York case,” Greenberg said.
His sentencing for the Brooklyn verdict is set for May 4. He faces between 10 years and life in prison.
(@GoatedsReserve) 
