Memphis Archives - Page 2 of 10

Rick Ross Reacts To Big Jook’s Murder, Wants Peace In Memphis

January 16, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Rick Ross is calling for peace in Memphis after Yo Gotti‘s brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, was shot and killed in the city over the weekend. Taking to social media on Tuesday, Ross called on his followers to “put the guns down.”

“We gotta empower the brothers. While I’m speaking on this: our brothers in Memphis, I need y’all to know there’s only one way to wisdom and wealth, and that’s through each other,” Ross said. “Put the ski masks down, put the guns down. Let’s embrace each other. Let’s show that love. Rest in peace to all our good brothers.”

Rick Ross Performs On “Legendz Of The Streetz” Tour

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 04: Rick Ross performs during Legendz Of The Streetz Tour at Smoothie King Center on February 04, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

The shooting occurred around 4:15 PM on Saturday outside Perignons Restaurant & Event Center after Jook attended a funeral service. Authorities rushed him to the hospital alongside a second victim, where he died. The second victim arrived in critical condition but has since stabilized. Police said afterward they believe Jook was the target of the attack. “We do feel that the individual that was shot was possibly targeted by the suspect,” Memphis Deputy Police Chief Paul Wright said. Rumors circulated on social media after that Gotti’s mother was in the car prior to the attack, although it had yet to be confirmed.

Rick Ross Speaks Out

Rick Ross calls for peace in Memphis after Big Jook’s murder: “Put the guns down” https://t.co/52WCdDsvQr pic.twitter.com/5j3mhafX1W

— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) January 16, 2024

Police have shared photos of a white Ford Explorer that they believe the attackers used in the shooting. They’re offering a $4,000 reward for anyone with information on the vehicle. Several CMG artists have shared tributes to Jook on social media, including Big Boogie, GloRilla, as well as Est Gee, and more. In Jook’s final Instagram update, he wrote: “They don’t want to face you they wanna snake you. Stay alert 2 stay alive watch your back at all times.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Rick Ross and Yo Gotti on HotNewHipHop.

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Big Jook, Brother Of Yo Gotti, Killed In Memphis

January 14, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Per a report from TMZ, Big Jook – the brother of Yo Gotti – has been confirmed to have been shot and killed in Memphis. Jook was reportedly killed on Winchester Road in the southeast neighborhood of Mendenhall Estates. Furthermore, Jook was killed soon after attending a funeral in the area. No further details about the shooting are available at the time of writing. Videos and pictures appearing to show people attending to Jook have circulated by not been substantiated.

Not only was Jook close to his brother, but he also appeared to play a pivotal role in the business side of Gotti’s label, Collective Music. However, wild speculation has begun to emerge online ever since Jook’s death was announced. Many people believe that the death could be related to the murder of Young Dolph. Dolph and Gotti were feuding consistently before Dolph’s death. However, no substantiated link between Jook’s death and Dolph’s murder.

Yo Gotti Speaks On MLS Ownership

It’s a shocking moment for Gotti and his family, especially given how well things had been going with for the rapper. Last year, he gave a glowing interview about his ownership of the MLS’ DC United. “It was a few years ago when I joined the club as an owner, part of the ownership club. I think diversifying growth as an entrepreneur, I mean, whoever thought we would own part of a professional sports team? I try to show to the young guys in my city by action, what we can do and what we can become if we stay determined and disciplined and on top of what we’re trying to do as young hustlers and entrepreneurs,” Gotti told Ebro Darden of Apple Music. He also teamed up with the First Lady to promote the 2023 All-Star Game.

However, 2023 was a disappointing season for the DC team. They finished 23rd in the overall MLS standings. United have not finished higher than 16th since 2019, when they finished 10th. It also marked the first full season of England soccer legend Wayne Rooney as head coach. However, Rooney left after the season for an unsuccessful coaching stint with English club Birmingham City.

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Mikey Williams Transfers To UCF After Legal Battle

January 13, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Former Memphis prospect Mikey Williams has transferred to UCF after entering the transfer portal earlier this week. “All I need was a chance,” Williams wrote on Instagram while announcing the transfer. The No. 49 player in the 2023 recruiting class, Williams never played a game for Memphis after being charged with nine felonies in March 2023. The ensuing legal battle, in which Williams would plead no contest to a lesser charge of making criminal threats, sidelined the San Ysdiro-raised guard. Williams does still have to fulfill several conditions before he is sentenced in August.

“We can confirm Mikey Williams has chosen to enter the transfer portal. The University process for him to join the men’s basketball program was underway, but Williams elected to explore his options at this time,” Memphis said in a statement earlier this week. It is unclear if Williams will be immediately available for UCF, or if he will have to wait until the 2024/25 season to play. The Knights picked up a huge win this week, knocking off one-loss No. 3 Kansas in a chaotic week of college basketball.

Mikey Williams Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Offense

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As mentioned, the transfer comes after Williams pled guilty to a lesser charge in his legal battle in November. Prosecutors announced that Williams would have his nine felony charges reduced to a single misdemeanor. However, he must meet a number of conditions by his sentencing date in August 2024. These conditions include the completion of 80 hours of community service and the completion of both gun safety and anger management courses. Furthermore, Williams is prohibited from owning a firearm for 10 years. Prior to his plea deal, Williams was facing up to 28 years in prison if found guilty.

Despite Williams’ highly-touted potential, Memphis has shown that they are able to contend without him. The Tigers are 14-2 to start the season, with their only losses coming to Villanova and Ole Miss. Furthermore, their 14 wins include matchups against four ranked opponents (Arkansas, Texas A&M, Clemson, and Virginia).

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GloRilla & Moneybagg Yo Attend Ja Morant’s Memphis Homecoming

December 23, 2023 by newhiphopnews

GloRilla and Moneybagg Yo were two of the famous faces in attendance for the Grizzlies’ December 21 game. The matchup against the Pacers also marked Ja Morant’s first game back on his home court since his 25-game suspension ended. Moneybagg was seen linking up with Morant after the game while Glo got very vocal from her courtside seats.

Morant had 20 points in the 13-point win, meaning that the Grizzlies are now 2-0 since Morant returned. However, the Grizzlies’ dismal start to the season means that the 2-0 run has only elevated the team to 8-19 on the season. However, Morant was arguably not the star of the show. Desmond Bane had a team-high 31 points. The Grizzlies are next in action against the Hawks on Saturday.

Lil Wayne Taps Ja Morant To Be The Next “Face Of The NBA”

Moneybagg Yo & GloRilla support Ja Morant in first game back on the court in Memphishttps://t.co/3Yh0bOWXIA pic.twitter.com/LwIM3d5c3q

— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) December 23, 2023

Meanwhile, Lil Wayne said he wants Ja Morant to be the face of the NBA following the retirement of LeBron James. “To me I think the obvious answer is Ja,” Wayne said in the video below. “Because the NBA is entertainment. What I mean by that is there was always a Michael Jordan, just like, you know like God. You gonna watch these Atlanta Hawk games just to see what Dominique, just to see if he gonna get ’em one off. I’m going to watch these Portland games to see if Clyde gonna get him one. Ja’s teams are actually competitive when he’s there and he’s doing his thing,” Wayne told Bleacher Report‘s Taylor Rooks.

However, it’s not the first time that Wayne had spoken in support of Morant. “Do y’all know that boy? ‘Cause I don’t. I know him from dunking and jumping, and I only started knowing him when I started paying attention to him around his last year of college. He come from like a town with 3,000 people. Like, what? What y’all expect? Y’all gave him $200 million,” Wayne told the All The Smoke podcast while defending Morant’s actions earlier this year.

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Mikey Williams Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Offense

November 30, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Highly touted basketball prospect Mikey Williams has pled guilty to a single misdemeanor offense. Prosecutors announced that Williams, who is a freshman at Memphis, will have his nine felony charges reduced to a single misdemeanor. However, he must meet a number of conditions by his sentencing date in August 2024. These conditions include the completion of 80 hours of community service and the completion of both gun safety and anger management courses. Furthermore, Williams is prohibited from owning a firearm for 10 years.

Prior to his plea deal, Williams was facing up to 28 years in prison if found guilty of the nine felonies he had been charged with. The charges stemmed from an incident in April. Williams reportedly discharged a firearm at a vehicle containing six people that was leaving his home in California. No one was injured by police came down on hard on the basketball star. However, the deal means that Williams only pleads guilty to one count of making criminal threats.

Does Mikey Williams Have A Future At Memphis?

However, the legal victory for Williams does little to change his status within the Memphis basketball program. While Williams attends online classes at the school, he is not permitted to engage in team basketball activities until his legal situation is resolved. As his plea is conditional, his status will remain unresolved until he is sentenced. Barring an unforeseen turn of events, this means that Williams will miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season. Furthermore, Memphis will likely wait until his sentencing hearing in August of next year to make a call about his future with the team.

However, even without Williams on the floor, Memphis has gotten off to a strong start to the season. They are 5-1, including major wins over Michigan and then-No. 20 Arkansas. Despite this, their unbeaten start was ended in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship Game. A late rally by the Tigers was not enough to overcome Villanova. Memphis is next in action on Saturday. However, they have at least one more ranked matchup before the end of the year. On December 10, they take on Texas A&M, currently ranked at No. 14.

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Dame Dash “Saved” Memphis Bleek, He Claims While Recalling Label Stories

November 26, 2023 by newhiphopnews

The history of Roc-A-Fella is a long and complicated one, and it hasn’t gotten any easier to navigate as the years draw on. However, we have seen multiple of its key members- whether executives or artists- reflect on some alleged misconceptions on its downfall. That’s not where Dame Dash began his recent breakdown of it, though: he started off on a new episode of The CEO Show by talking about Roc member Memphis Bleek’s career. It started off as an assessment of the rapper’s relevance today, then went into the gossip around all the members’ fallings-out, and then moved to the executive’s claim that he “saved” Bleek from robbery.

“No disrespect to Bleek,” Dame Dash began his statement. “But I don’t feel like he would not want to still be making current records and making a lot of money doing new records. You know, I didn’t want him to be– no disrespect, but no one wants to be on the ‘Oldies but Goodies Tour.’ You want to be known for new s**t.” Then, he started to push back on Memphis Bleek’s explanation of how the Roc fell.

Dame Dash Addresses Memphis Bleek’s Tale Of The Roc’s Downfall: Watch

“The misconception about Roc-A-Fella is they kicked me out; I left,” Dame Dash claimed. “When ‘Change Clothes’ came out, I had already had an office at Rocawear. I was already done, I didn’t wanna run Roc-A-Fella no more, I still don’t wanna run a music [company]. I had retired from Roc-A-Fella long before this so called split.” Furthermore, he used Memphis Bleek as an example of him pushing the Roc’s affiliates to take care of themselves, not their higher-ups.

“People close to him were taking his publishing,” he went on. “When he was signing his record deal, someone had his– he was signed to a production deal. And, I’m not going to say nobody’s name. I’ll let them deal with that. He talks about it. All his publishing was getting taken. They were getting a piece of his royalty. He was getting robbed. So, I went and got him a lawyer. I went and got him a real accountant and it really caused a lot of friction internally.” For more news and the latest updates on Dame Dash and Memphis Bleek, come back to HNHH.

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Big Mota In Critical Condition After Memphis Shooting: Report

October 28, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Local Memphis rapper Big Mota is currently fighting for his life in a hospital following a deadly shooting, AllHipHop reports. Moreover, the incident took place on Thursday night (October 26) in the city’s Oakhaven section, and local police provided more details and elaborations. Upon their response, they found a car with more than a dozen bullet holes in it, which the rapper and the other victim were assumedly in at the time of the altercation. Unfortunately, the other victim did not recover from their wounds, and authorities pronounced them deceased the following morning. On the other hand, Big Mota went to Regional One Hospital in critical condition, in which he supposedly remains as of writing this article.

However, there are conflicting reports on his status online, so take this report with a tiny grain of salt. At press time, law enforcement officials previously declared that a motive behind the shooting is still unclear. During their investigation, they will hopefully understand if someone targeted Big Mota or if this was a more impromptu situation. Unfortunately for the city of Memphis, the worlds of crime and rap music have had far too much fatal crossover, resulting in a lot of pain around the community.

Big Mota Shooting: Watch Local News Coverage & Updates Below

Regardless, Big Mota certainly made his mark in the local scene before this, a legacy and impact that hopefully doesn’t fade and that, more importantly, he will be able to return to if all goes well concerning his status. Through his mixtape Mota This, Mota That!, he caught some steam and started to build some recognition through more high-profile collabs, too. The Tennessee artist worked Kevin Gates, Snootie Wild, and other stars. We wish him a speedy recovery, no further violent incidents, and more success, satisfaction, and safety in his life and career.

Meanwhile, this is sadly the latest in a series of violence that results in lost lives within the Memphis scene. The same can be said in other areas, of course- and that’s not meant to minimize any city or state’s experience with this- but it seems like this community is particularly pained. Whether it’s Blac Youngsta’s brother’s tragic passing or the void left behind in Young Dolph’s wake, we hope that events like these undergo, if not a complete disappearance, at least a conversation about what needs to be done to prevent this from continuing. For more news and the latest updates on Big Mota and Memphis rap, stick around on HNHH.

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Curren$y Says Memphis Isn’t The Same Since Young Dolph’s Death

October 16, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Curren$y says that visiting Memphis isn’t the same since Young Dolph died in 2021. He explained how not being able to reach out to his “potna” has changed the experience for him on Twitter in a post from last week. “Landing in Memphis and not reaching out to my potna to get the fire is crazy man. Long live flipper [dolphin emoji],” he wrote.

Young Dolph was shot and killed while visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies where he would often frequent while in town. An autopsy later revealed that he suffered 22 gunshot wounds in the attack. Dolph was just 36 years old at the time of his death.

Curren$y Performs At Rolling Loud

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 25: Curren$y performs on stage during 2022 Rolling Loud New York at Citi Field on September 25, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Two men have been charged in the killing of Young Dolph, Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith. They have pleaded not guilty to charges and will stand trial on March 11, 2024. Authorities have not confirmed a motive for the killing. Check out Curren$y’s post referencing Young Dolph below.

Curren$y Reflects On Loss Of Young Dolph

Landing in Memphis and not reaching out to my potna to get the fire is crazy man. Long live flipper

— Spitta (@CurrenSy_Spitta) October 13, 2023

In addition to not being excited about traveling to Memphis, Curren$y recently explained on Drink Champs that he doesn’t like performing abroad either. “I only went overseas on one run, bro,” he said at the time. “Yeah, one run and then we came back and we bought some cars and I was just like, ‘I’m straight.’ All the ketchup didn’t taste like ketchup. Everything was fucking crazy. It was tough to be happy with weed. It was bad, bro. In every coffee shop I went in in Amsterdam, it was all just not good weed.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Curren$y on HotNewHipHop.

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Mikey Williams To Stand Trial For Gun Charges

October 12, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Memphis freshman Mikey Williams will face trial on felony gun charges. The decision was made at a hearing earlier this week, with Williams scheduled to be arraigned on October 24. The lone victory for Williams is that Judge Sherry M. Thompson-Taylor declined the prosection’s motion to raise Williams’ bond to $500,000. Williams is currently enrolled in online classes at Memphis but is prohibited from training with the basketball team or accessing the athletic facilities.

Williams is accused of discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle following a disagreement at his home in California. While bullets did hit the car, no one inside was injured. Furthermore, while there are no primary witnesses to Williams firing the gun, Thompson-Taylor ruled that there was probable cause to move forward with the trial. However, she also warned the courtroom that she would not hesitate to clear members of the public out of the room. This came after reports that someone was making hand gestures and facial expressions that could be construed as witness intimidation.

Memphis Preparing For Season Without Williams

With Williams set to be arraigned, it’s likely that he will miss the start of the college basketball season. Williams did not join the team for their summer trip to the Dominican Republic and missed the first week of official practices. Memphis open their season against Jackson State on November 6 and have two exhibition games in late October. The future for Williams remains unclear at this time. However, he could face up to 28 years in prison if found guilty on all counts. Head coach Penny Hardaway and other team officials have declined to comment about the matter at this time. However, while he is their best recruit, he is not Memphis’ only recruit. Furthermore, the Tigers have a bevy of transfers also joining the program.

Also joining the Tigers this season are several other top-tier recruits. There is Williams’ high-school teammate Javonte Taylor, who is ranked #67 by ESPN. Furthermore, there is Ashton Hardaway, son of Tigers’ coach Penny and ESPN‘s #92 recruit. Last season, Memphis won the AAC tournament but crashed out in the first round of the NCAA tournament against #25 Florida Atlantic. Williams’ case remains a developing story and we’ll have any updates as and when they emerge.

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Mikey Williams Not Practicing With Team Amid Gun Charges

September 27, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Memphis freshman Mikey Williams remains away from team practices as he awaits a court hearing on gun charges leveled at him earlier this year. While Williams is enrolled in online classes at the university, he does not have team facilities or is participating in team activities. The university has stated that this will remain the case “until his pending legal process is complete. The process to assess and determine his status with the team will be initiated at that time.”

Williams is the #49-ranked recruit in ESPN‘s Class of 2023 and had millions of followers on social media. However, the 6″2 shooting guard out of San Ysidro, California made headlines earlier this year when he reportedly shot at a vehicle leaving his residence. He now faces five charges of assault with a weapon and one charge of firing into an occupied vehicle. After pleading not guilty in April, his preliminary hearing was postponed three times and is currently scheduled for October 10.

Memphis Preparing For Season Without Williams

SAN DIEGO, CA – JANUARY 28: San Ysidros Mikey Williams plays during a high school basketball game against Las Vegas Bishop Gorman Jan. 28, 2023 in San Diego. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Williams did not join the team for their summer trip to the Dominican Republic and missed the first week of official practices. Memphis open their season against Jackson State on November 6 and have two exhibition games in late October. The future for Williams remains unclear at this time. Penny Hardaway and other team officials have declined to comment about the matter at this time. However, while he is their best recruit, he is not Memphis’ only recruit. Furthermore, the Tigers have a bevy of transfers also joining the program.

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