Charges Dismissed Against 2 Men Indicted For BTY YoungN’s Murder

New Orleans, LA – After New Orleans rapper BTY YoungN was shot and killed last September, two suspects were indicted for his murder. Now, charges against the two men — Darryl Bannister Jr. and Kyron Williams —  have been dropped. According to Nola.com, their second-degree murder charges were dismissed on February 23.

A spokesman for the New Orleans district attorney said, “Based upon the totality of evidence available, we decided it was not prudent to proceed to trial at this time.”

BTY YoungN was killed last April outside of a gas station in New Orleans’ Hollygrove area just days before he was meeting a lawyer to discuss signing with Cash Money Records.

The investigation “remains open and ongoing.”

(The original version of this article was written by D.L. Chandler and published on May 14, 2017. It can be found below.)

The shooting death of rising New Orleans rapper BTY YoungN last month sent shock waves throughout the region with many scrambling to make sense of the killing. City police have identified a suspect in the murder of the 27-year-old Rich Gang affiliate and are currently on the lookout.

BTY YoungN, born Desmone Jerome, was shot several times and killed while at a gas station on the night of April 29 in the Hollygrove section of town. NOPD are on the hunt for 31-year-old Daryl Bannister Jr. and are looking to charge the man with second-degree murder when located, reports the Times-Picayune. According to the court records obtained by The Advocate, Bannister admitted to an unrelated shooting during an investigation which resulted in a guilty plea to a state racketeering case involving a Pigeon Town street gang known as “The Taliban.”

BTY, who possessed a criminal record, left his street ties behind to focus on a music career according to a mentor who spoke to local outlets last month. Things were improving on that front for BTY, this after winning the “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the 2016 Nola Music Awards.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.43412/title.new-orleans-police-id-murder-suspect-in-bty-youngn-shooting

DJ Carisma Hopes Women Win More Than Just Female Category Hip Hop Awards

Los Angeles, CA – With each passing year, the Global Spin Awards are picking up steam in its efforts to give shine to the DJ, turntablists, producers and melody makers who help propel Hip Hop right along.

The 2018 honorees included Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland and Real 92.3 Music Director/Mixshow Coordinator DJ Carisma, who skated away with the Female DJ of the Year Award. It makes the Young California co-founder’s third dubya in the category.

?? Brought the trophie back home to the Weeeeeeeest!! ???? #YoungCalifornia #Blessed

A post shared by djcarisma (@djcarisma) on Feb 15, 2018 at 10:22pm PST

Carisma’s past 365 days boasted countless live appearances (which included a weekly residency at Ace of Diamonds L.A.), a debut EP and breaking dozens of records live on air.

When asked if she felt her accomplishments weren’t a shoe-in to win the award, Carisma told HipHopDX, “I honestly had no idea.”

This year’s nominees for the Female DJ of the Year also featured DJ Kiss, DJ Duffey, DJ Diamond Kuts, Vashtie, and DJ Poison Ivy, so the competition was stiff.

“The other ladies had a great year as well,” she said. “Plus I lost last year, so I had no idea. It feels great to win and with my 6-year-old daughter by my side, it made it more special than ever. But like I said [when I accepted my award], I hope to next year see female DJ win something other than female DJ.”

Between breaking future hits from the likes of YG, Joe Moses, Vince Staples and others, expect to see Carisma also make a push for new-age RB this year.

After all, to be the best, you have to align yourself with the best.

For more Carisma updates, check out her official Instagram here. More clips of the 2018 Global Spin Awards can be found on YouTube.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46158/title.dj-carisma-hopes-women-win-more-than-just-female-category-hip-hop-awards

Countdown To HipHopDX At SXSW: M A E S T R O

Southside Chicago rapper M A E S T R O is no newcomer when it comes to the entertainment industry. With more than two decades of experience in the business, the 26-year-old has made a buzz in almost all of his artistic endeavors. He has acting credits from shows such as The Wire (where he played Randy), Cold Case, and more recently the Comedy Central show Drunk History where he played Louis Armstrong.

But he didn’t start out in the music industry as a rapper. He has earlier experience with creating EDM music such as club hits “For You” with Dzeko Torres, which has more than 5 million Spotify streams. With producing being one of his many talents, he created “Groovy” for Famous Dex and Dice Soho and even played piano on rap legend Nas’ song “Life is Good.”

In 2017, M A E S T R O’s creative talents directed him to the world of rap when he released his singles “Which One Which” and “Woke Up.”

His forthcoming debut mixtape, Wav God, will be released this year.

HipHopDX chatted with M A E S T R O before he hits our Rap Rising showcase at SXSW stage this year.

HipHopDX: Have you performed at SXSW before? 

First time performing at SXSW. Excited and appreciate HipHopDX for the opportunity.

 What are you most excited about performing at the festival?

I’m mostly excited to see how the crowd reacts to the new music also connecting with other artists who I might not have had the chance to connect with if it wasn’t for SXSW.

Do you plan on watching other performances? 

Def wanna check out Buddy, J.I.D, the homie Kodie Shane, Madeintyo, Maxo Kream, Smokepurpp just to name a few. But also keeping my eyes open to discover any new artist who out there also.

What’s been the best and/or worst part of preparing for the performances?

I’d say just making sure you get the flow of the show right is most important. Performing new records for people who might not be familiar yet ain’t always easy lol so you gotta find a way to lock in the crowd early and I think song selection is a big part of that.

What was your first paid gig?

It’s crazy — I been in entertainment so long I don’t really remember what my first paid gig was lol. Just know it probably came around the age of 5 and I ain’t slowed down since.

What was the best article you’ve ever read in HipHopDX? Did you agree or disagree with it?

Shameless self-promotion my fav article gotta be the one you guys wrote on my last video release. Def agreed with everything on that one.

If you’ve watched The Breakdown, what was your favorite episode? Did you agree or disagree with it?

I love Real Hip Hop vs. Fake Hip Hop part one and part two. I like them because not only did I learn a lot about Hip Hop from watching it, but it also addresses a lot of stereotypes about different artist and the genre as a whole. Def feel like this is something more people should watch before commenting on Hip Hop and the culture.

If you could let your fans know one interesting fact about yourself what would it be?

I started piano lessons at 4 so I’m classically trained. Also, Maestro is my birth name.

Check out M A E S T R O at DX’s Rap Rising showcase at SXSW on March 16 at The Parish.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46152/title.countdown-to-hiphopdx-at-sxsw-m-a-e-s-t-r-o

Phonte Has No Interest In Little Brother Reunion

Fans hoping for a Little Brother reunion are out of luck. In a new interview with Billboard, Phonte explained why he’s not interested in reuniting with 9th Wonder and Rapper Big Pooh for another album.

“I understand people will always ask for it,” he told Billboard’s Andreas Hale. “Personally, it’s not something that I have interest in doing because I enjoy the peace that’s in my life right now. It’s not something that I have a desire to do in that way.”

Phonte made it clear there’s no ill will between him and his fellow Little Brother members though. In fact, he noted how both would’ve been ready and willing to contribute to his new album No News Is Good News if he asked.

“Me, Pooh and 9th are good,” he said. “They know that anything they need me for, I got them. I could have called Pooh or 9th and asked them to be on every song on this album and they would have done it. I would do the same for them. My main concern is that we are good with each other on a personal level.”

The majority of the conversation is focused on Phonte’s recently released LP, covering everything from the reason for the project’s brevity to the revealing nature of the song “Cry No More.”

Check out the entire interview here.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46153/title.phonte-has-no-interest-in-little-brother-reunion

Meek Mill’s Arresting Officer On List Of Allegedly Corrupt Cops

Philadelphia, PA – As Meek Mill continues to serve his sentence in a Pennsylvania prison, his lawyers just secured a small victory in his case. Earlier this week, Philadelphia district attorney Larry Krasner disclosed a reported list of 29 allegedly corrupt cops who are on the “Do Not Testify” roster.

Meek’s original arresting officer, Reginald Graham, is on the list. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Graham was being “investigated by federal authorities for several alleged acts of corruption” after an incident in 2013. He retired before his hearing.

Joe Tacopina, Meek’s attorney, is hopeful this new information will lead to Meek’s release.

“The release of the so-called ‘Do Not Testify’ list – which includes Meek’s arresting officer, Reginald Graham – supports everything in the motions filed by Meek and others wrongfully arrested by Officer Graham for post-conviction relief,” Tacopina said in a press release. “We are hopeful that this is the final step in the process to get Meek and the other defendants released on bail and to have their convictions overturned.”

#Repost @djkhaled#FreeMeekAlert ? @meekmill God is the greatest!! #TopOff ?? STILL #1 All Genres Overall and #1 Hip Hop and Overall on iTunes @djkhaled Featuring #JayZ @future @beyonce @wethebestmusic @rocnation @epicrecords ?????☔️ My 11 studio album #FatherOfAsahd soon come ! Executive prod by @asahdkhaled

A post shared by Meek Mill (@meekmill) on Mar 3, 2018 at 12:42pm PST

On February 28, Meek’s attorneys filed a petition on behalf of the Wins Losses rapper to have his original 2007 weapons conviction overturned under the Post-Conviction Release Act (PCRA). At the time, Tacopina was waiting on Krasner’s secret list to be revealed. Meek’s attorneys believe the high profile case has given other inmates the courage to file their own petitions.

“Meek filed a petition to have his original conviction overturned and to be released on bail while his application is considered by the court,” Tacopina explained to HipHopDX. “Other defendants have also filed for similar relief based on the existence of the list, claiming violations of their rights and also seeking to have their convictions overturned. We are hopeful that this newly discovered evidence will result in the immediate release from prison of all of the people convicted based on the wrongful conduct of the officers at issue, and the overturning of their convictions.”

In addition, Krasner released a second list of 37 other Philly officers who “have been charged with lesser offenses or have been involved in other legal conflicts, often while off duty,” according to another report by The Inquirer. Under prosecution policy, the second batch of officers can testify but prosecutors must be aware of their offenses.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46154/title.meek-mills-arresting-officer-on-list-of-allegedly-corrupt-cops