Memphis has one of the nation’s worst track records when it comes to rappers being the targets of premedicated or targeted shootings as Sauce Walka and his artist Sayso P were gunned down on Saturday afternoon.
The two were reportedly standing outside the Westin Hotel in downtown Memphis, one of the busiest areas of the city, when shots rang out and sirens echoed throughout the area.
Shooting in Memphis kills one rapper, injures another
Sauce Walka, whose real name is Albert Walker Mondane, is reportedly in stable condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. However, one of Sauce Walka’s artists, The Sauce Factory’s Sayso P, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sauce Walka’s father, Albert Walker, who is also known by fans as “Poppa Sauce,” told KHOU 11 News that his son is coherent and expected to survive his injuries.
“Had it not been for God, my son would’ve been dead,” he told the station.
Memphis police believe the men were targeted
During a press conference Saturday night, Memphis police indicated that their CSI Investigators are probing the double shooting as a targeted hit job.
“This was not a random act of violence,” the Memphis Police Department wrote on X. “We understand the concern and reiterate that this was not random.”
Memphis police describe shooting of Sauce Walka and Sayso P
According to the Houston Chronicle’s press conference report, police gathered that Sauce and Sayso were walking while shopping in the downtown area near the NBA basketball arena, FedEx Forum.
Meanwhile, a white four-door sedan suddenly cruised up close, and several men began shooting at the two rappers. There was no conversation before, during, or after the shooting. The sedan then raced away. The car is from downtown, but police did not disclose how they got that information.
This shooting marks a grisly turn in what was a fruitful beginning of 2025 for Sauce Walka. He had dropped six singles since the start of the year, with the latest track, “Beat It Freestyle,” which drops on Tuesday. Sauce said on his Instagram Story that he was in town to put in work and link up with other artists for features.
The violent episode, the latest in a string of shooting deaths of rap stars in Memphis in recent years, leaves the community stunned.
Rap legend Willie D of Gheto Boys fame is dumbfounded
“Sauce Walka is in stable condition. But hip-hop is anything but stable,” lamented rapper Willie D from the legendary group Gheto Boys. On his eponymous podcast, the iconic spitter said, “It has become a scene that’s all too familiar: Yellow police tape, blood on the pavement, sirens echoing down a city block, and social media, once again, flooded with rumors and hashtags. Once again, hip hop is about wondering what’s happening to our culture.”
Willie D continued, asking rhetorically, “Why does tragedy keep happening to young, Black men with dreams and microphones in their hands?”
