An unspecified number of officers were placed on administrative leave after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man by Akron, Ohio Police, who they say refused to stop his vehicle after they attempted to pull him over for a traffic stop.
25-year-old Jayland Walker has been the center of racial controversy around the country after he was gunned down by officers, who fired more than 90 shots at the Uber Eats driver, hitting him at least 60 times.
Protests have erupted in Akron following the release of the video footage, which shows Walker exiting his vehicle and fleeing on foot, unarmed. The family lawyer, Bobby DiCello, said of the footage to be released, “I’ve been a trial lawyer for 22 years and I’ve never seen anything remotely close to what that video is going to show.”
n initial police statement, which was released on Tuesday, said officers tried to stop Mr. Walker for an unspecified traffic violation while he was driving at around 12:30 a.m. After Mr. Walker did not stop, officers pursued his vehicle. The police said Mr. Walker fired a gun while he was driving, but the statement did not state how that was confirmed After a few minutes, Mr. Walker slowed down his car and exited it while it was still moving; officers then chased him on foot into a parking lot.
The statement said officers opened fire after “actions by the suspect caused the officers to perceive he posed a deadly threat to them.”“I’ve met personally with the chief and he has told me that he hasn’t found that evidence,” Mr. DiCello said. He said that the police chief told him that moments before the shooting began, two officers tried to use stun guns on Mr. Walker and missed.
According to a report from IG page @saycheesetv, Windy City rapper Boss Top was among five people that were shot on 4th of July morning in Chicago’s Parkway Garden Homes, most commonly known as O Block.
The shooting took place not long after midnight in the 6500 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, with all five victims taken to a local hospital after the brazen attack.
The victims include a teenager, who was shot in the arm, a 30-year-old man was shot multiple times, two 19-year-olds who were treated for gunshot wounds to their legs and a man around 25 was also treated for a gunshot wound to the knee. According to authorities, all five men are in fair condition.
TheSource.com will update this story as more details develop.
On this day in Hip Hop history, one of the culture’s most influential musical masterminds was born. Wu-Tang Clan frontman Robert Fitzgerald Diggs a.k.a. RZA was born today (July 5) in Brooklyn, New York, 49 years ago. Since stepping on the scene in 1989, RZA has done more than just create an outrageously successful career for himself and his affiliates but has also forever shaped and changed the way a lot of things are handled in the music industry. From branding to merchandising to mastery of one’s craft, RZA stands as a pillar example of how someone given nothing but their own mind can rise to be a titan in the entertainment industry.
In honor of his birthday, we’ve compiled a list of five of RZA’s most important power moves that helped to build and strengthen his empire. Spanning from music to video games, RZA’s influence can be felt across culture, color lines and international borders.
-Signing With Tommy Boy Records
RZA signed with the famous Tommy Boy Records in 1991 under the moniker Prince Rakeem and released one EP, Ooh I Love You Rakeem. Although this may not have been the most eventful or productive period of RZA’s career, his tumultuous relationship with Tommy Boy is what helped RZA to formulate his own plan to monopolize Hip Hop. His time at Tommy Boy allowed him to build vital connections with artists and executives that can been seen lasting throughout the remainder of his career. Tommy Boy gave RZA a necessary first glimpse of how the music industry works as a whole, which helped him to finesse it into something that worked for him.
-The Five-Year-Plan
In his autobiography The Tao of Wu, RZA detailed a majority of the events surrounding the ridiculous success of Wu-Tang Clan, the most prominent of these being his “Five Year Plan.” This plan, enacted in 1992 following the success of the RZA-produced Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, was RZA’s scheme for his group to become the most powerful figures in Hip Hop as a whole and individually. In an analogy, RZA explains, “I want all of y’all [Wu-Tang] to get on this bus. And be passengers. And I’m the driver. And nobody can ask me where we going. I’m taking us to No. 1. Give me five years, and I promise that I’ll get us there.”
At the end of the five year period, Wu-Tang Clan had released the Grammy Award-winning, number one Wu-Tang Forever LP (which sold four million copies in its first six months on shelves), GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, ODB and Ghostface Killah all had Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, and Wu-Tang Clan had a successful comic book, clothing line and video game under their belt.
-Wu-Tang Clan Record Deals
As Wu-Tang’s popularity continued to grow exponentially, major labels were breaking down the door to get a piece of the action. For a short while there was a question of where the group and its members would sign. In an attempt to divide and conquer the corporate music world, RZA came up with the idea to have the majority of the members sign with competing record labels. Although from the outside this plan may seem risky and convoluted, RZA was again right on the money with this decision. Having Method Man sign with Def Jam, Raekwon sign with Loud, Ghostface Killah sign with Sony, ODB sign with Elektra and GZA sign with Geffen/MCA allowed for maximum promotion of each artist. No one company had to divvy out the funds to try and support the promo of each of these rap icon’s solo work. This also allowed record labels to work together like never before when pushing Wu-Tang Clan (who remained under Razor Sharp Records) albums because of the number of companies involved with its production. Never before or since has there been a group to sign a deal of this nature.
-Wu-Wear
In 1995 Wu-Tang released their clothing line Wu Wear, which quickly became one of Hip Hop’s most coveted streetwear brands. The brand’s importance, however, doesn’t come from its popularity but its pioneering. With Wu Wear, Wu-Tang became the first rap group to be laced from head to toe in their own gear. This again gave the group another step ahead of their competition. Even today, Wu Wear is international worn and recognized as a prominent Hip Hop streetwear brand and can be found in stores across the globe and online on various outlets.
-Hollywood Takeover
RZA’s most recent and ambitious endeavor to date is his dabbling in acting and filmmaking. As an actor, RZA has appeared in 21 films and has written and directed three. His popular The Man With The Iron Fists Kung-Fu series has proven he can successfully take his love for traditional Asian martial arts films and put his own spin on them to create something of his own. His partnership with famed director Quentin Tarantino only further validates his abilities and potential as a filmmaker and opens the door to the possibility of future projects.
RZA has yet to stop shaping Hip Hop’s culture and sound over the years, although he may not be as visibly active as he once was. His prominence in this culture is known and felt by anyone with knowledge of Hip Hop, its origins and its success as a genre. From everyone here at The Source, happy born day RZA, thank you for building such a godly culture.
A July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois erupted into chaos when a man positioned on the roof of a business opened fire on the crowd with a “high-powered rifle.”
According to the Sun-Times, six people were killed and over 25 were injured in the shooting. The suspected gunman was apprehended on U.S. 41 in Lake Forest, Illinois, following an 8-hour manhunt, which asked for citizens to shelter in place.
Eyewitness footage captures the moment the 22-year-old person of interest in the Highland Park, Illinois, mass shooting that left at least six people dead was taken into custody. https://t.co/o47sHDmjp6pic.twitter.com/omLOOxsj0a
The arrested suspect is Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III. He is 22 years old and was arrested without conflict after a brief chase occurred. Crimo was spotted by a North Chicago police officer leading to the chase. After the arrest, Crimo was taken to the Highland Park police station. As of 7 p.m. Monday no charges were filed as confirming of Crimo as the shooter still needed to be done.
The gunman climbed to the rooftop using a ladder. The rifle was recovered at the scene.
Illinois Gov. Pritzker on Highland Park mass shooting: “It is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague.” https://t.co/aPqcpqx9TYpic.twitter.com/cuvH2TOKea
Highland Park Shooting: image of arrest of Robert Crimo in Lake Forest on Rt 41 and Westleigh Ave. Photo courtesy of Highland Park resident #NBCSky5@nbcchicagopic.twitter.com/GOtY4sYbzG
At the scene of the parade, five people were pronounced dead. A sixth died in transportation to the hospital. A majority of those wounded but still alive had gunshot sounds. Others were injured by the chaos of people scrambling for their lives. Victims ranged from as young as eight to 85.
Additional coverage of the shooting in Highland Park is available below.
On Independence Day in 1986, Daryl McDaniels, his partner in rhyme Joseph Simmons and their DJ Jason Mizell, who are best known as the legendary Hip Hop group Run-D.M.C., released one of the most successful singles of their career; “Walk This Way”, which guest stars rock n’ roll vets Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.
The rap version of the single, which appeared on Run-D.M.C.’s third album Raising Hell, was a very groundbreaking track that helped pioneer the fusion of rock n’ roll and Hip Hop. The original song of the same name appeared on Aerosmith’s 1975 Toys In The Attic album.
On July 2, 1996, Nas unleashed the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, 1994’s Illmatic entitled It Was Written, the album featured production from DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and Havoc.
This time around, the fresh-faced, 22-year-old Brooklyn-born emcee consciously pushed the album in a more mainstream direction, hoping to secure a wider fan base. It worked.
The album proved to be Nas’ most commercially successful release, debuting at #1 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It’s viewed by music critics as one of Nas’ strongest records and remains his best-selling release, with over four million copies sold in the U.S. alone.
One of the album’s standout singles, “If I Ruled the World,” featured Lauryn Hill, who (at the time) was riding the wave of her recent success with The Fugees. Other guests included Foxy Brown, Dr. Dre, and Mobb Deep.
According to a recent report from TMZ, the alleged shooter who pulled the trigger shooting Bronx rapper Lil TJay several times, which landed him in the hospital to undergo emergency surgery, has now been apprehended and charged with attempted first degree murder.
Mohamed Konate has been charged with three counts of first degree attempted murder for his alleged involvement in the shooting that stemmed from an attempted armed robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. TJay, whose given name is Tione Merritt, was shot multiple times and one of his acquaintances was shot once.
Both of TJay’s acquaintances were also arrested and charged with second degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
As originally reported, Lil TJay was shot several times Wednesday night in New Jersey and remains hospitalized following an emergency surgery to save the rapper’s life. The surgery was reportedly a success, as TJay appears to be doing better, however, the extent of his injuries are still unknown.
TheSource.com will update this story as details are still developing.
The Microphone Fiend and his silent cohort drop their fourth and final album together on this date.
On this hot summer day in 1992, Rakim, who is widely recognized by some as the greatest MC of all time, released his fourth studio LP with William “Eric B.” Barrier entitled Don’t Sweat The Technique. This was the long-awaited follow-up to Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em, which was a critically acclaimed album, but that was not reflective in record sales.
This album was also the last LP that Eric B. & Rakim recorded together as a duo. Produced by Eric B. with some production assistance from an up-and-coming producer by the name of Large Professor, Don’t Sweat The Technique solidified Rakim as THE best lyricist in Hip Hop.
Tracks such as “What’s On Your Mind”, which appeared on the House Party II soundtrack, “Know The Ledge”(theme from Juice), and the title track are eternal lyrical masterpieces that are unparalleled to this day. Even songs like “Casualties Of War” depicting the mentality of a conscious Black male during the era of Operation Desert Storm and the war in Iraq were instructive as well as entertaining, while virtually predicting the 9/11 tragedy almost a decade before it happened.
Salute to Rakim Allah and Eric B. for this classic album!
OneOf has announced Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection, a first-of-its-kind NFT in partnership with The Christopher Wallace Estate. Bringing music to Web3 in a way that only OneOf can, the platform will host a generative profile picture (PFP) NFT collection that honors and celebrates The Notorious B.I.G. as one of the most influential rappers and cultural figures of all time.
The Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection features unique 3D NFT characters inspired by his life, style and lyrics, and crucially gives each NFT holder the right to collectively license the audio of Biggie Smalls’ most famous freestyle, filmed on a street corner in Brooklyn when he was just 17. Despite its legendary status, the freestyle has never been officially released or made available for other musicians to sample and use in their own songs. Until now.
All NFT holders automatically become part of a revolutionary new Sky’s The Limit collective, with Web3 putting fans in the driver’s seat of this piece of hip hop history. With the approval and oversight of the collective (and estate), musicians can license and include Smalls’ iconic freestyle in their own recording. The song can be released on music streaming services with a “featuring The Notorious B.I.G.” credit in the song title.
The Sky’s the Limit: The Notorious B.I.G. NFT Collection will be available at: http://oneof.com/biggie
Today on OneOf, fans are able to sign up for the allow list. The collection will be available to purchase on July 26. NFT holders will also have first access to The Brook, a lifestyle, fashion, culture, music, entertainment metaverse experience launching soon with BIGGIE’s hyper realistic avatar as a character.
“We named this collection ‘Sky’s The Limit’ because we believe this is a watershed moment in NFTs where seminal artists like Biggie and their truest fans can drive culture and drive value together,” said Joshua James, OneOf Co-Founder & COO. “We’re thrilled to work with The Christopher Wallace Estate to honor Biggie’s enduring legacy, in web3 and beyond, and we have some amazing surprises for NFT holders along the way.”
“Biggie’s music is a very important part of hiphop culture and it’s global impact,” said Wayne Barrow, Manager of Voletta Wallace/BIGGIE’s estate. “Our business partner, Elliot Osagie of Willingie Inc, came up with the concept of coming together with OneOf to share the infamous freestyle that showcased to the world the icon that Biggie would soon become through an NFT, and sharing it with his fans in this way we are certain would make him proud.”
As previously reported, two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Slim 400 in Inglewood, California in December and now the mugshots of both suspects have been released.
Michael Lanell Terry, 33, of Los Angeles, and Tamra Lynn Bell, 42, of Inglewood were both taken into custody at the Inglewood City Jail and booked on murder charges on June 9. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Offices filed criminal charges against the pair, which includes a murder charge against Terry. His bail was set at $3,025,000. Bell was charged with being an accessory to the murder after the fact and her bail was set at $1 million.
Vincent Cohran, known as rapper Slim 400, was shot and killed while exiting his car in the 8600 block of South 7th Avenue in the city of Inglewood shortly before 8 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2021, according to the report from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office.
