The brutal symmetry of a decade-long rap feud has been laid bare in a Memphis courtroom, with prosecutors alleging a fatal chain of events that began with a rejected record deal and ended with two men executed on camera. The murder trial for the killing of rapper Young Dolph has directly implicated Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, the older brother of rival Memphis icon Yo Gotti, as the alleged financier of the hit, only for Big Jook himself to be gunned down months later in a stunning act of retaliation.
Shelby County prosecutors stated in open court that Big Jook, described as the number two at Gotti’s CMG label, ordered the murder of Young Dolph for $100,000. The alleged motive was retaliation for years of diss tracks and Dolph’s refusal to sign with CMG a decade prior. This testimony has provided a grim narrative backbone to a conflict that has now claimed multiple lives.
Young Dolph, born Adolph Thornton Jr., was shot at least 20 times outside a Memphis bakery on November 17, 2021. Surveillance footage captured the attack. In the subsequent trial of Justin Johnson, one of the alleged shooters, prosecutors detailed a plot they say was orchestrated by Big Jook, who promised cash and a record deal for the hit.
The star witness, confessed triggerman Cornelius Smith, testified that the shooters Facetimed Big Jook immediately after the killing to confirm the job using hand signals. Phone records presented at trial showed numerous contacts between the accused and Big Jook’s number in the days surrounding the murder.
This allegation cast a stark new light on Big Jook’s own very public death. On January 13, 2024, Anthony Mims was shot multiple times outside a post-funeral repass at a Memphis event center. He was pronounced dead on arrival. Disturbing footage of him bleeding on the ground circulated on social media within hours, a grim echo of the viral video of Dolph’s murder.
Memphis Police have released only one lead in the two years since: surveillance images of a white Ford Explorer fleeing the scene. No suspects have been named, no arrests made, and the case remains cold. The department has repeatedly stated there are no updates, leaving the investigation publicly stagnant.
The parallel killings have ignited conversations about an inescapable cycle of violence within the hip-hop community. “Dolph got killed on camera. Jook got killed on camera,” observed commentator Trap Lore Ross, highlighting the tragic irony. Both men were caught on surveillance video; both deaths spread virally online.
The feud’s origins trace back to 2014, when Yo Gotti, an established Memphis star, pursued a label deal with the fiercely independent Dolph. Dolph publicly refused, later claiming Gotti disparaged his own artists during their meeting. This professional simmered for years before exploding into public diss tracks and escalating violence.
By 2016, Dolph released “Play With Yo,” a scathing track that mocked Gotti. Shortly after, Dolph’s bulletproof SUV was ambushed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and sprayed with over 100 rounds. He survived. Months later, he was shot multiple times outside a Los Angeles hotel, again surviving. Associates of Gotti were investigated in both attempts but never convicted.
Throughout, Yo Gotti maintained a public stance of non-engagement, calling the beef “marketing.” His brother, however, was allegedly operating differently. After Dolph’s murder, clips surfaced of Big Jook on live video seemingly celebrating, saying, “CMG don’t miss twice.”
The trial revealed more than just the alleged plot against Dolph. Testimony suggested Big Jook had a “price list” for other individuals, placing bounties on several other local figures. This alleged pattern of ordering violence ultimately culminated in his own targeting.
The tragedy is deepened by the success both principals had achieved. Yo Gotti, with a net worth estimated at $100 million, has long preached the gospel of economic escape. “Getting money, move to a better place, move your people out the hood… that’s the real street to me,” he famously stated. He and Dolph had both transcended their origins, yet the street conflict they originated in proved inescapable.
For Yo Gotti, the personal cost is incalculable. He has lost his brother, and the court record now permanently links his organization to the murder of a generational talent. He has memorialized Big Jook with a large back tattoo and was gifted a custom diamond portrait chain by labelmate GloRilla.
The Memphis Police Department continues to seek the white Ford Explorer. With no official motive confirmed and no suspects named, the question of who killed Big Jook—and whether it was direct retaliation for Dolph’s murder—hangs over the city. Two of Memphis’s most consequential rap stories have ended in similar, devastating footage, leaving a community to grapple with a cycle that continues to turn, unchecked by fame or fortune.