Crime and Justice
New Details Emerge In The Shooting Death Of Takeoff
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jeff Hahne / Getty Takeoff, one-third of the beloved Hip-Hop trio Migos, was fatally shot in Houston, Texas on Nov. 1. While many are still processing the senseless death, new details are emerging in the case along with a coroner’s report highlighting how the talented rapper died. TMZ spoke exclusively with law enforcement officials speaking under the cloak of anonymity who shared with the outlet the moments leading up to the shooting outside of a bowling alley in Texas. Takeoff was with his uncle, Quavo, and the pair was with a crew of men shooting dice according to reports. The outlet shared in its reporting that Quavo was apparently losing badly at the dice game and voiced his frustrations by arguing with a group of unnamed individuals. The argument sp...
Battle Rap Star Tsu Surf Arrested In NJ On RICO Charges
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Tsu Surf, one of the standout talents in the vast battle rap scene, is currently facing a legal battle after an arrest last week. According to reports, the New Jersey rapper was arrested last Thursday (Oct. 13) at a residence in Jersey City. According to a report from Fox 5 NY, Tsu Surf, real name Rahjon Cox, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service NY NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force over a RICO charge connected to a DEA case. Cox was at the residence with a woman who has not been identified and the pair reportedly tried to exit the home via the rear but law enforcement officers surrounded the place. The outlet adds that Cox and the woman remained in a standoff with the officers for over an hour after barricading themselves...
Rapper Half Ounce Shot & Killed, 3rd Rapper In Under A Month Killed In L.A. County
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Family Of Half Ounce / GoFundMe Half Ounce, a rapper who put out a number of projects over the past seven years, was shot and killed this past Monday (Oct. 3). The shooting death of Half Ounce, who hailed from Inglewood, adds to a chilling tally of rappers killed in Los Angeles County in under a month. Half Ounce, real name Latauriisha O’Brien, was shot while sitting inside an SUV in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, O’Brien was 36 although another report from NBC News lists his age as 32. According to the NBC News report, O’Brien was a father of three who held a day job at UPS as shared by the rapper’s family with the outlet. O’Brien was signed to San Diego record label Wrongkind Records, which has released music w...
Relatives Of Jeffrey Dahmer Victim Blast Netflix For New Series
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Marny Malin / Getty The latest Netflix series focusing on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has received criticism, some coming from relatives of those he murdered who feel “retraumatized” by the project. DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story series was released Sept. 21 and it has encountered a wave of mixed reactions, with many expressing their anger and disgust over the way the streaming platform put the series together. Eric Perry, who is related to Errol Lindsey, one of Dahmer’s numerous victims, voiced his displeasure in a post on Twitter: “I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and ov...
Shakira Facing Trial In Spain For Alleged Tax Fraud
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Gisela Schober / Getty Pop superstar Shakira will be put on trial in Spain for alleged tax fraud after a judge approved the motion by prosecutors. According to reports, a judge in the town of Esplugues de Llobregat formally confirmed that the trial can proceed on Tuesday, (Sept. 27). The singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is facing six counts of tax fraud. Authorities have accused her of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 to 2014, a time that the 45-year-old claimed she was “leading a nomadic life.” They first made the allegations in 2018. If found guilty, the singer could face a prison sentence of eight years along with a weighty fine. Her case is the latest in the country’s cra...
Ginni Thomas, Wife Of Justice Clarence Thomas, Will Speak With Jan. 6 Committee
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Ginni Thomas, the wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is slated to speak before the House committee for their probe of the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Thomas is expected to be asked about her attempts to get the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned. NPR reports that Ginni Thomas, 65, has agreed to appear before the House select committee for its ongoing investigation of the Jan. 6 matter. What lead to the agreement has yet to be made public, but a public hearing is due to take place next week on September 28. It hasn’t been confirmed that Thomas will be present for the hearing. Considering the explosive nature of the claims made against Thomas involving her alleged political...
Mystikal Pleads Not Guilty To Latest Rape Charge
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Stephen J. Cohen / Getty Mystikal has pleaded not guilty to his latest rape charge and his legal team is defiantly stating that their client is innocent. If convicted, the artist born Michael Lawrence Tyler could face up to life in prison. According to local outlet WBRZ, Mystikal, 51, pleaded not guilty on Monday (Sept. 19) after charges of rape, assault, and drug possession were levied against him. The alleged incident took place at the veteran rapper’s home in Ascension Parish near Baton Rouge, La. Related Stories “My client is innocent of all charges,” attorney Joel Pearce said in a text message last week to the outlet. Pearce has been firm in stating that his client will be vindicated once he has his day in court. The attorney also aims to present evi...
Tiffany Haddish Reaches Deal With Sexual Assault Accusers
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty Tiffany Haddish has reached an agreement with the two individuals accusing her and fellow comedian Aries Spears of sexual assault by way of a filmed comedy skit. According to a new report, photos of evidence connected to the lawsuit against Haddish will be sealed from public view and a settlement might be looming. Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears found themselves in a pit of controversy after an explosive piece from The Daily Beast revealed details of a lawsuit brought on by a Jane and John Doe pair of siblings accusing the comedians of sexual assault. Spears has largely been mum but did frame the lawsuit and the story as “extortion” while Haddish has opted to allow her legal team to handle the matter behind the scenes. Related Stories ...
LAPD Puts Pawn Shops On Alert After Murder Of PnB Rock
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty PnB Rock was senselessly shot and killed while dining inside a known Los Angeles soul food establishment, and the assailant reportedly made off with some of Rock’s belongings. LAPD put out a call to local pawn shops and stepped up their investigation to bring PnB Rock’s killer to justice. TMZ reports that LAPD officials put out an alert to local pawn shops to keep an eye out for anything that was previously owned by PnB Rock. According to the outlet, police obtained surveillance footage of the robbery and shooting from inside Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in South Los Angeles. More from TMZ: Related Stories We’re told investigators contacted numerous pawn shops in the area, asking them to alert cops if anyone tries to make a buck of...
Las Vegas Public Official Arrested In Murder of Reporter, Allegedly
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal / Getty A city official in Las Vegas, Nevada has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the killing of a reporter days after the individual was found dead at his residence. According to reports, Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday evening (September 7th). His arrest was in connection with the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German. German, whose investigative reporting of Telles put him in an unfavorable light which led to his third-place showing in a Democratic primary in June, was found stabbed to death outside of his home in a northwestern neighborhood of Las Vegas on Saturday morning(September 3rd). In a press confere...
Mystikal Faces Prison In Life After First-Degree Rape Indictment
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Stephen J. Cohen / Getty Mystikal, having endured similar charges and serving time in the past, faces up to life in prison after a first-degree rape indictment was handed down. The charge is tied to an alleged July 30 incident at the Louisiana rapper’s home and other charges were levied as well. Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, was indicted by an Ascension Parish grand jury this past Tuesday and the 51-year-old veteran rapper remains in the Ascension Parish Prison according to a report from the New Orleans Advocate. Mystikal’s previous attorney shot down the allegations but he has since retained new counsel in Joel Pearce, who represented the rapper in 2017 in another rape case that Mystikal served 18 months in prison over. Related Sto...
Fulton County DA Fani Willis Doubles Down On Her War Against Violent Rap Lyrics
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Megan Varner / Getty Fulton County DA Fani Willis came to prominence after her office brought charges against Young Thug and his fellow YSL members, and recently went after a group of alleged robbers known as the Drug Rich. During a reading of the 220-count indictment against the Drug Rich crew, Willis shot back answers at reporters regarding her tough stance on violent rap lyrics and the debates her actions are sparking. In a clip provided by local Atlanta Metro outlet 11ALive, DA Fani Willis addressed a throng of reporters to read off the charges regarding the Drug Rich collective. The RICO charges laid out in the press conference involved 26 individuals and it appears that the alleged gang has been in operation since 2016 according to an Atlanta Journa...
