State Champ Radio

by DJ Frosty

Current track

Title

Artist

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm


Buffalo

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA / DOJ
It’s been just over two years since white supremacist murderer Payton Gendron gunned down 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, for no other reason than because they were Black.

Now, in Atlanta, another aggrieved, violent and vehemently anti-Black white man from Arizona has been indicted after his alleged plot to murder innocent Black people at random was discovered, fortunately, before it was carried out. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, 58-year-old Mark Adams Prieto of Prescott, Arizona, was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, and possession of an unregistered firearm.

The indictment came after Prieto, who is—get this—a vendor at a gun show venue in Prescott, had discussions between January and May with two people who, unbeknownst to him, were working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, which most certainly made it inconvenient that Prieto was allegedly discussing plans to commit a mass shooting at a rap concert in the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, which he allegedly targeted due to the city’s large Black population.

From Fox 5:
While authorities do not say what concert, the dates provided in the indictment are the same as two nights of performances by the popular singer Bad Bunny at the venue.
Officials say their investigation began when Prieto told a man at a gun show that he wanted “to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election.”
Prieto, a vendor at the Crossroads of the West gun shows in his hometown, allegedly would trade his personal firearms, using cash deals to avoid any interference from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
On Jan. 21, officials say Prieto discussed with the source and an undercover FBI agent that he wanted them to help him carry out a shooting at a rap concert in Atlanta, specifically targeting the city because of its Black population.
As reported by the indictment, Prieto said he wanted to target a rap concert because “there would be a high concentration of African Americans” and planned to leave confederate flags after the violence and to shout phrases like “KKK all the way.”

So, just to recap: A white supremacist who is a vendor for gun shows—those places where Second Amendment enthusiasts often go to get around state gun restrictions and regulations—felt comfortable enough at the gun show to openly discuss his desire to gun down Black people for no other reason than because they’re Black, and he planned on targeting a random rap concert in Atlanta because Atlanta has a lot of Black folks and Black folks love rap music. He also planned “to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election,” and, if we’re keeping it real, one doesn’t have to stress their brain out too much coming up with guesses as to who Prieto was likely planning to vote for if he got the chance. (Hint: It’s the candidate who is also no stranger to federal indictments.)
On May 14, Prieto was pulled over in New Mexico and seven firearms were found in his vehicle. Later, officers searched his home and found more guns, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle. When he was questioned by investigators, Prieto denied he was headed to Atlanta, and, instead, claimed he was going to visit his mother in Florida. However, he did admit to discussing the mass shooting, and admitted to selling an AR-15 to the FBI agent and telling him that it “would be a good gun to use in the attack.”
If Prieto is convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for each charge of firearms trafficking and transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, up to 10 years for having an unregistered firearm, and he could face fines of up to $250,000 for each charge.
We have to be safe out here, Black people. Violent white supremacists are still out here, they’re armed, and they’re clearly feeling emboldened in the era of MAGA.

Stay vigilant, good people.

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Westside Gunn, alongside his Griselda outfit, helped transform the landscape of modern Hip-Hop with several high-quality releases over the past few years as the empire expanded. The Buffalo, N.Y., mastermind has curated what is rumored to be his final studio album in And Then You Pray For Me, and the early returns are in on X, formerly Twitter.
Westside Gunn has threatened retirement from music several times to focus on his other growing businesses but it appears that he’s still very much into releasing music and doesn’t intend to stop. That said, And Then You Pray For Me is the latest collection of art from WSG and some of the usual suspects appear on the drop.
Gunn and his family members Conway The Machine, now the head honcho for Drumwork Music, and Benny The Butcher, the top captain of the Black Soprano Family, show up early in the project. We’ve also got Syracuse, N.Y.’s Stove God Cooks, along with Rick Ross, past collaborators Estee Nack and Rome Streetz, Boldy James, Jeezy, and Ty Dolla $ign among others.
It has been written that this release is a sequel to WSG’s celebrated Pray For Paris album although it is a departure in sound with several trap-heavy sounds present. Gunn is aware that core fans aren’t going to love it and has a message for them below.

Producers include the talented Conductor Williams, Tay Keith, Beat Butcha, RZA, Denny LeFlare, Daringer and plenty of work from Miguel Da Plug. It isn’t known if Westside Gunn intends to release the highly-anticipated Michelle Records project that he teased for much of 2022, but for now, this platter will have to hold folks over.
Check out the reactions, some of which are mixed, to And Then You Pray For Me from X below along with an X post linking to the project.


Photo: Getty

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Claire Melendez, a woman who was featured on the cover of WWCD, the studio debut album of Griselda, has died. Westside Gunn, the co-founder of the Griselda collective, shared news of the passing of Claire Melendez, showcasing a number of photos within the process.
According to a report from Syracuse.com, Claire Melendez, also known as Claire Mel, was an unhoused woman who was known across the Buffalo, N.Y. region. While a cause of death wasn’t shared in the article, the chatter online appears to put to a hit-and-run incident.
Melendez graced the cover of WWCD (What Would Chine Gun Do), an album released in 2019 on Eminem’s Shady Records imprint that featured no samples. The production was handled by longtime Griselda cohort Daringer and Beat Butcha, using live instrumentation throughout the project.
“My fav Buffalo Kid. You’ll be Loved Forever,” Gunn wrote via Twitter with a brief collage of photos and the hashtags “#IMMORTAL” and “#RIPCLAIRE.”

Melendez was referenced on the track “Connie’s Son” from Gunn’s HWH7 project with production from King JBY B. According to a Facebook post, Melendez graduated from Burgard High School in Buffalo back in 1993.

Gunn referred to Melendez as a beloved figure in interviews, and there has been an outpouring of love and respect occurring across Twitter. We’ve got those reactions listed below.
Rest in powerful peace to Claire Melendez.

Photo: Instagram/@crackheadclaire__