Young Dolph‘s long-awaited murder trial is underway and has already yielded some shocking revelations. On Day 1 of the trial, the prosecution claimed Yo Gotti‘s late brother Big Jook offered to pay Dolph’s murder suspects Justin Johnson, 25, Cornelius Smith Jr., 34, and Hernandez Govan, 44, $100,000 to kill murder Dolph as part of an ongoing feud.
While the trial is still in its early stages, it’s worth exploring who exactly Big Jook was, for those not familiar.
Who Was Big Jook?
Anthony “Big Jook” Mims was the older brother of Yo Gotti, and played a big part in Gotti’s CMG label, which has notable artists under its roster including Moneybagg Yo, EST Gee, GloRilla and others. While his official title at the label was unknown, Jook often served as a project manager and talent scout. Big Jook was usually spotted at various industry events and was always spotted alongside Gotti. His Instagram was almost solely dedicated to promoting CMG artists and events as well as his brother’s new music.
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How Did Big Jook Die?
Big Jook was shot and killed outside a Memphis restaurant back on Jan. 13, 2024. News outlets reported that an officer in the area of 6385 Winchester Road heard gunshots around 4:15 p.m. When he approached the location, which was outside of Perignon’s Restaurant and Event Center, he found two men with multiple gunshot wounds. Big Jook was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, and the second male victim recovered. Jook and the other man had been in the area for a family friend named Eric Bovan. Bovan was known as a Memphis cocaine kingpin in the 1980s and was a former partner of Yo Gotti and Big Jook’s aunt.
Jook and another man were specifically targeted in the shooting. Investigators obtained surveillance footage, but as of June a suspect still has not been identified.
Why Would Big Jook Want to Kill Young Dolph?
It’s unclear exactly why Big Jook would want Dolph dead, but Yo Gotti’s dislike of Dolph was well-documented. As the prosecution on Monday’s trial explained, their beef stemmed from Dolph refusing to sign to CMG during the early days of his career. As Dolph’s independent label began to prosper, Gotti felt threatened. The prosecution explained they began trading numerous diss tracks, followed by “highly publicized incidents of violence” including Dolph’s previous shootings.
Most notably, the prosecution brought up Dolph’s “100 Shots” diss track that he dropped after his car was riddled with bullet holes back in 2017 in North Carolina. Then, Hagerman mentioned Big Jook, and said the feud got so volatile Jook felt inclined put out a hit on Dolph’s life for $100,000.
“Big Jook, the person I told you about before, that number two guy at CMG,” attorney Hagerman said in court during opening arguments. “He’s put out a hit, $100,000 to whoever kills Dolph. He has met with Justin. He has met with Cornelius, and they think they’re ready to do it. They’re definitely willing to do it. For Cornelius it would be, $50 grand I guess that he can waste away on Percocets and ecstasy. For Justin, it’s 50 grand but also a chance to make it big with CMG. To become the next famous Memphis rapper.”
While this all has yet to be proven, Young Dolph’s murder trial is already proving to be incredibly unpredictable.
Justin Johnson, Cornelius Smith Jr. and Hernandez Govan have been charged with first-degree murder and other felonies in connection to Dolph’s killing. Smith and Govan will be tried at a later date.
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Revisit Day 1 of the trial below.