The man who admitted in court he pulled the trigger to take the life of rap star Young Dolph said he did so to get a $100,000 payday from the brother of Yo Gotti.
Defendant Cornelius Smith took the stand on the first day of the murder trial on Monday, Sept. 23, and confessed to killing Yung Dolph in Memphis on Nov. 17, 2021, to get enough money to throw a great birthday party for his daughter — to “make it rain” — that same day.
The 36-year-old Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was best known for being featured on O.T. Genasis’ 2015 song “Cut It” and the singles “Get Paid,” “100 Shots” and “Major.”
According to USA Today, Smith testified that he and another alleged accomplice, Justin Johnson, agreed to carry out the contract to kill Young Dolph. Meanwhile, Hernandez Govan, the alleged mastermind of the killing, would get $20K, leaving the two alleged shooters with $40K apiece.
During the opening day of the trial, Tennessee prosecutors said Yo Gotti‘s brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, was the man who put out a contract to kill Young Dolph.
Big Jook is no longer able to refute or confirm evidence that prosecutors presented in court because, on Jan. 13, 2024, Big Jook was shot and killed outside a Memphis restaurant. The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis reports that police have declined to connect the two high-profile killings as of Sept. 23, 2024.
Suspect said he only received $800 of the $100K promised to him
Smith said that after he and Johnson successfully carried out the hit, he only received a lump sum of $500, followed by another payment of $300. He testified that he did not receive more money after that.
Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman told the court in his opening statement that Big Jook and Govan told Smith that carrying out the hit on Dolph’s life was necessary to secure a recording contract with CMG, the label that Jook ran and was founded by Yo Gotti.
Prosecutors state Young Dolph’s killing was tied to his beef with Yo Gotti
Prosecutors claim that the alleged contract killing was the result of a beef between Big Jook’s brother, Yo Gotti, and Young Dolph that dates back about 10 years. The Commercial Appeal reported that Dolph said publicly that he turned down an offer to join Gotti’s label. Instead, Dolph founded a rival label called Paper Route Empire.
After the rap rivals traded diss tracks over the next few years, the first attempt on Dolph’s life took place prior to a concert in Charlotte, N.C., in February 2017. A total of 100 rounds were fired at Dolph’s vehicle. But since the automobile was bulletproof, Dolph escaped without being harmed — and actually performed in a concert later that night.
In September 2017, Dolph was shot outside of the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. Ironically, Yo Gotti was reportedly staying at the hotel at the same time, though the Los Angeles Police Department told the newspaper that Gotti was not a person of interest in the shooting.
Then, in November 2021, Dolph was assassinated inside the Black-owned Makeda’s Homemade Cookies shop in Memphis.
