Young Dolph was killed in an alleged hit put out by Yo Gotti's brother, prosecutors claim
Late rapper Young Dolph was killed in an alleged hit taken out on him, according to prosecutors and one of the alleged hitmen.
Cornelius Smith, one of the people charged in relation to thekilling of the rapper, testified in a Tennessee court Monday afternoon, saying he participated in the hit on the rapper because of the promised payout.
Smith said he and Justin Johnson, another suspect in the shooting whose trial started Monday, were set to receive $40,000 each, with Hernandez Govan, the man prosecutors say was the mastermind behind the killing, receiving $20,000.
Young Dolph, born Adolf Thorton Jr., was shot and killed on Nov. 17, 2021. The rapper was known for his feature on O.T. Genasis' 2015 song "Cut It" and the singles "Get Paid," "100 Shots," "Major," featuring his cousin and fellow rapper Key Glock, and "RNB" featuring Megan Thee Stallion.
'Couldn't tell you how many times I shot' Young Dolph, Cornelius Smith says on stand
Smith said Johnson picked him up, noting the initial plan was to shoot Thornton at a Thanksgiving "turkey drive" but spotted the camouflaged-wrapped Corvette the rapper was known to drive.
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When they saw Thornton's car, they started following him and watched him pull into the parking lot of the cookie shop where he was killed, Smith said.
Smith, who said he was the first to exit the car when they pulled into the parking lot of Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis, Tennessee, said Monday he "couldn't tell you how many times I shot (Thornton)."
Smith said he was shot in the arm and leg by Marcus Thornton, Young Dolph's brother who was present at the cookie shop, and needed to have a "wound kit" to clean up his injuries. Johnson was grazed by a bullet on his back, Smith said.
Smith also said the duo ditched the white Mercedes in a driveway at a home in Orange Mound, Tennessee, directly after the shooting. They then drove a different vehicle to an apartment in South Memphis, Tennessee, where they changed their clothes and cleaned their wounds.
Smith was later asked about his payment and said, in total, he received $800 before he was arrested.
Smith is also facing a slew of charges related to Young Dolph's killing.
Yo Gotti's brother Big Jook put $100K hit on Young Dolph, prosecutors say in opening statements
During opening statements in Johnson's trial on Monday, Tennessee prosecutors alleged that Anthony "Big Jook" Mims, the brother of fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti and a member of Yo Gotti-founded record label CMG, put a $100,000 hit out on Young Dolph.
Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman outlined the involvement of both Big Jook and Johnson, who has gone by the stage name Straight Drop, in the murder of Thornton almost three years ago.
Hagerman said Johnson was invited to Atlanta by Big Jook and Govan to get signed to the CMG, rival to the label established by Thornton, Paper Route Empire.
Big Jook suggested to Johnson that killing Young Dolph was necessary to secure a recording deal with CMG, Hagerman alleged.
The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network, has reached out to CMG for comment.
Young Dolph shooting video: Prosecutors and defense share differing views of surveillance
Johnson's attorney, Luke Evans, said during his opening statements that Johnson did not kill Thornton and the evidence against him does not tie him to the killing.
Though Hagerman talked specifically about photo evidence and the clothing Johnson was wearing tying him to the act during and in the hours after, Evans pushed back, saying that similar clothing like a Bass Pro Shop hat does not mean Johnson is the man in surveillance videos and in photos.
Hagerman played the surveillance video outside of Makeda's, which showed the moment when a white Mercedes car pulled up to the shop and two men exited the vehicle. Hagerman said that the man in the video holding a handgun was Johnson, the other man who was seen holding a semi-automatic weapon was Smith.
Yo Gotti, Young Dolph beef: What happened?
The theory put forward by prosecutors offered the first confirmation by authorities that Dolph's murder was the result of an ongoing hip-hop war between Gotti's CMG camp and Dolph's Paper Route Empire organization.
The roots of the Dolph-Gotti feud began more than a decade ago. In 2014, Dolph — then just emerging as a mixtape artist — began saying publicly that he'd turned down an offer to join Gotti's CMG record label.
The rappers traded diss tracks and targeted references over the years, including Dolph's 2016 full-length debut "The King of Memphis," seen as a direct challenge to Gotti's claim on that position.
Then on Feb. 25, 2017, while on tour in Charlotte, North Carolina, a vehicle Dolph was riding in was shot at. Allegedly more than 100 rounds were fired into the car, which was bulletproof, and Dolph was unharmed, performing a concert that night. Dolph's LP, the fittingly titled "Bulletproof," following the shooting featured the single "100 Shots."
In May 2019, Gotti associate Blac Youngsta was one of three men who surrendered to authorities in Charlotte for their alleged involvement in the Dolph shooting. Youngsta was released on bail, and charges against him were eventually dropped.
Things escalated further in September 2017, when Young Dolph was shot in Los Angeles outside the Lowes Hollywood hotel.
The Los Angeles Police Department denied to The Commercial Appeal at the time that Gotti — who was staying at the same hotel as Dolph — was a person of interest in the investigation. A few days after the incident, Corey McClendon of Memphis was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
On Nov. 17, 2021, Young Dolph was shot and killed inside Makeda's. Dolph, 36, had about 22 gunshot wounds scattered around his head, back, chin, neck and arms, according to an autopsy report.
In January, Big Jook was shot and killed outside a Memphis, Tennessee, restaurant. The Jan. 13 murder of the 47-year-old appeared to be a targeted assassination-style killing.
Though photos of a car believed to have been involved in the murder were released immediately after the incident, no suspects have been identified or charged in Mims' killing. Officials have not publicly stated if they believe Big Jook's death is connected to Young Dolph's death.