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Justin Johnson, one of the suspects in the November 2021 murder of Young Dolph (Adolph Thorton Jr.), was found guilty on first-degree murder as well as charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, per FOX13.
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A jury reached the verdict during a court hearing in Memphis on Thursday (Sept. 26) after about four hours of deliberation.
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Following the fourth day’s closing arguments, Johnson was sentenced to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge by Judge Jennifer Mitchell and he will learn his fate when it comes to the additional charges during a November court date. Johnson never took the defense stand.
“Every murder’s a tragedy, and we take them all seriously,” said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “This one generated extra public interest because Young Dolph was a prominent and beloved member of the community. We will continue to fight hard to make sure that all of those responsible for his death are brought to justice.”
Johnson and fellow alleged gunman, Cornelius Smith, ambushed Young Dolph on Nov. 17, 2021, at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in his hometown. They allegedly fired 22 shots while striking and killing the Paper Route Empire CEO.
Smith took the stand on Monday (Sept. 23) after pleading guilty to murder charges. He implicated himself along with Justin Johnson as well as Hernandez “Quett” Govan and Yo Gotti‘s brother Anthony “Big Jook” Mims in Dolph’s murder.
Smith claimed that Big Jook put a $100,000 bounty on Dolph and explained that he and Johnson were each supposed to collect $40,000 after killing the Memphis rapper.
However, Smith testified that he only ended up receiving $800, but Big Jook did step in to pay $50,000 in lawyer fees once he was apprehended. Although, Jook was murdered while leaving a funeral in January.
The same day Dolph was killed also happened to be Smith’s daughter’s birthday. Smith said he had no money and wanted to make sure she had a “beautiful birthday” if he got his hands on the cash.
“Man, I was trying to make it right for her,” he told the court on Monday. “I ain’t have no money, I’m trying to get some money that day. So I’m trying to make sure my baby girl have a beautiful birthday.”
Dolph released seven studio albums while he was alive and a posthumous LP, Paper Route Frank, arrived in 2022. He also has four Billboard Hot 100 hits to his name. The Memphis trailblazer is survived by his fiancée Mia Jaye and their two children. Young Dolph was 36 years old.
Wedding bells seem to be on the horizon for Lana Del Rey! The “Summertime Sadness” superstar and boat captain Jeremy Dufrene reportedly obtained a marriage license on September 23, People confirmed with the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court. Once a marriage license is obtained, the couple has 30 days to tie the knot. Billboard has […]
Karol G tallies a second week at No. 1 spot on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” holds atop the ranking (dated Sept. 28). She is just the third woman in a solo role to rule the chart in 2024, after Tini and Nicki Nicole, whose “Pa” and “Ojos […]
Pink is speaking out about a rumor that’s spread online this week linking her to Sean “Diddy” Combs following his recent arrest. The rumor in question began with people noticing that the pop singer had wiped her account clean on X. In light of the Bad Boy Records founder readying himself for trial on charges […]
During a conversation with Bootleg Kev, Consequence was asked about a rumor involving Ye and Kendrick Lamar having “an album’s worth of unreleased songs together” and if he’s heard them. Not only did the Queens rapper confirm that said songs exist and that he’s heard them, he also said that the tracks were produced by […]
Hayley Williams is sending love Lady Gaga‘s way, from one alternative fashion queen to another. Following the pop superstar’s Harlequin listening party in London on Wednesday (Sept. 25), the Paramore frontwoman shared a picture of Gaga’s look at the event on Instagram Stories and wrote, “When Gaga serves up this specific flavor of punky indie […]
Omar Courtz’s journey is a resonant tale of a superfan turned rising star, whose deep admiration for the icons of Latin music inspired his career — from back when he was just a fervent listener right up to performing on the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico (a.k.a. El Choli) alongside those very idols. His debut album, Primera Musa, which dropped on September 20 via Mr. 305 Records and Rimas Entertainment, is both a nod to his inspirations and a showcase of his exploratory urbano sounds.
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The Puerto Rican artist arrives at the New York Billboard office a few days after releasing his LP, sporting Tims, a beige baseball hat with pink accents, and a gigantic diamond-encrusted chain featuring a huge open heart that revealed bone ribs. It had engraved the names of his grandmothers on each side, and a Bible verse in the back: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.” He was thrilled to discuss the essence of Primera Musa, a title that symbolizes the multitude of influences that have propelled his artistic journey.
“Primera Musa can be many things,” he explains. “I leave it to the people to interpret it as they wish. It can be something you’ve lived, an experience, or it could be a woman.”
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The album is a personal odyssey that weaves his past, his family’s influence, and an homage to the pivotal women in his life. Its extraordinary diversity spans trap, reggaetón, R&B, Jersey club and house — each track showcasing Omar’s skill in melding diverse styles to forge a colorful listen. From the potent “Intro” with Kendo Kaponi to the introspective finale, “Luces de Colores,” his debut is a masterclass in both musical versatility and deep connection to his fans and foundation.
The rapper/singer detailed the special allure found in debut albums, which often capture the pure essence of an artist’s sound. “What happens is that for me there is a magic in artists’ first albums,” he expresses, citing Myke Towers’ El Final del Principio (2016) and Bad Bunny’s X100Pre (2018) as examples. “There’s something special that fans always say: ‘I want to hear that artist, their first delivery, their first muse.’”
Raised in Carolina, a famously tough neighborhood of Puerto Rico that also produced figures like Almighty, Anuel AA, and Rauw Alejandro, Omar reflected on the extraordinary local talent. They emerged “in my very street, literally,” he says. “There really must be something there, something duro, a kind of magic, because superstars come out of it.”
The spirit of Omar’s music is intrinsically linked to his experiences as a fan who lived through the anticipation and thrill of music releases. He highlights the pivotal role of SoundCloud in his early career, a platform that immensely facilitated the rise of new artists, particularly in the then-emerging Latin trap genre. “SoundCloud gave us the opportunity for ease, for speed, for you to create a song today and send it out to the world,” he recounts, also reminiscing about the early days when artists like Alvarito Díaz and Myke Towers would release new music every Thursday, cultivating a fervent community of listeners eager for fresh sounds.
“One of my biggest inspirations is Myke Towers,” Omar admits with a look of reverence. “His musical consistency, his delivery, his concepts are inspiring. I think he’s a lyrical genius. He just takes a notebook and starts throwing verses as if it were a string of them.”
Omar’s journey is saturated with humble beginnings and diverse experiences: “I’ve done everything from selling clothes in my uncle’s shop to washing cars, mowing lawns, and operating a pressure washer.” Amidst these hard-knock jobs, he found his true calling, starting to publish his own tracks on streaming platforms in the mid-2010s — and during the 2020 pandemic, he began to release a string of material, putting himself on the map with his Latin trap and reggaetón tracks armed with his distinctive flow.
By 2019, a significant professional relationship was forged when he met his current manager, Orlando Dávila of OD Entertainment. They bonded over a shared taste in music and artistic vision. “Omar Courtz was an artist who caught my attention from our first conversation without even knowing him […] I could see his intentions and the vision he had for his musical career right from the start, partly because we share similar musical tastes, including a fondness for R&B,” Dávila tells Billboard Español. “Omar is deeply committed to his craft, very demanding of himself, and a perfectionist.”
Omar Courtz’s hard work and artistic integrity paid off when he landed a feature on Tainy’s 2023 hit “Pasiempre,” a track that saw him holding his own among Latin trap titans Myke Towers, Arcánge, Jhayco and Bad Bunny, also starring Venezuelan producer Arca. This song not only put him on the charts, but also symbolized his arrival in the music industry’s spotlight, peaking at No. 28 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and marking his entry on the Billboard Global 200. His collaboration with Daddy Yankee, “Beachy,” also affirmed his status, doing exceptionally well on the Latin Airplay (No. 27) and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts (No. 7).
What is particularly striking about Omar’s path is how he melds his deep-seated fan experiences into his music’s DNA, striving to incite the same fervor among his listeners. He operates with a fan’s heart, tailoring his creations to meet their expectations. “I put myself in a fan’s position,” he explains, “and I ask myself, ‘If I were a fan of my music, what artist would I want to hear these songs with?’ This is how I thought when I enjoyed other artists’ albums, wishing for certain collaborations.” This creative empathy informs his choices in the studio and guides his collaborative strategies.
This synergy between artist and fan is key in his collaborations, such as with Jhayco and Arcángel during Tainy’s concert, where Omar — once a fan in the crowd — stood alongside his musical heroes. Recalling the release of Bad Bunny’s first album, he remembers how everyone gathered, eager for the first play: “We were all in the court at midnight, waiting for a sound system to come out so the whole world could listen. This communal excitement is what he seeks to replicate with his own releases, evident when he saw Primera Musa being celebrated on social media in the same way.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Omar Courtz and his incredible achievements. His debut album topping multiple global charts is a testament to his raw talent, hard work, and the unique sound he’s introducing to the industry,” Robert Fernandez, CEO of Mr. 305 Records, tells Billboard Español. “Omar’s music is resonating with fans worldwide, and this is just the beginning of his journey to greatness.”
Name: Joshua Omar Medina Cortes
Age: 26
Recommended Song: “I wanted to bring a song that refreshes every 30 seconds rhythmically. Since there is so much music [out there], people listen to the intro, chorus and verse and that’s it — they listen to very little of the theme. I wanted to renew the rhythm often bring another new color. I got together with Karbeats, my producer, and we made “Goddess.”
Biggest Accomplishment: “I’m excited that I’m reaching other countries. Puerto Rico was already very important to me because it’s my island, but to see the support from other countries, that excites me as I was excited when they supported me in Puerto Rico as well.”
What’s Next: Omar Courtz will be a panelist at Billboard Latin Music Week alongside Saiko and KBaez, presented by Cheetos.
On Thursday (Sept. 26), just two days before the third annual Soundside Music Festival, headliner Foo Fighters dropped off the lineup. “Foo Fighters will no longer be appearing at this weekend’s Soundside Music Festival,” read a statement on the band’s official Instagram account. The cancellation comes just two weeks after frontman Dave Grohl revealed on […]
Conventional wisdom says getting down on a dance floor can be a healing experience. In this case, that’s literally true.
In the spring of 2011, Teddy Raskin was a sophomore at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Student life was treating him and his friends well until a close buddy of his, Luke (who requested his last name not be used to protect his privacy), broke his neck in a boating accident after jumping off and hitting a sandbar, fracturing two vertebrae.
The friend group was devastated by the accident. The good news was that with rehabilitation, Luke could relearn how to walk. The problem was that the machine he needed to do it cost $90,000 and wasn’t covered by insurance. But Raskin saw a way to make it happen: a splashy dance set on the campus lawn.
“Instead of just asking people for money for this machine,” says Raskin. “I thought we could put on a concert to raise the money and do it in the spirit emblematic of Luke, ourselves and the University and turn tragedy into a celebration of life.”
Raskin had already been hosting events around town and had always wanted to put on a dance show in Nashville, a city not necessarily known as an electronic music hotbed, especially in 2012.
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So he started hustling, asking fraternities at the school to each pitch in between $500 and $1,000 for the event and also agree to not throw their own party on a fall Friday night set aside for the show. While Raskin says Vanderbilt was “a bit terrified” about letting a bunch of fraternity brothers throw a dance show on the Alumni Lawn, the chancellor and other officials ultimately agreed to let it happen, even making it possible to purchase tickets through student ID cards.
Meanwhile, through friends of friends, Raskin made connections at the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which focuses on curing spinal cord injuries.
They just needed a DJ. Raskin’s sister worked in the mail room at WME, and a good friend worked at NUE agency. With their help, he reached out to agents. “I was asking for Afrojack for like, $10,000 and Swedish House Mafia for $20,000,” he says. “These agents were like, ‘Did you leave a zero off the offer letter?’”
Ultimately, the house duo White Panda signed on to play. On Oct. 18, 2012, more than 1,500 students gathered on the Alumni Lawn to see them play, with the show making $96,000 through ticket sales and donations. Within the year, Luke was walking again.
With this, Lights on the Lawn was born. Taking place each year since that 2012 debut, the show is now a staple of the Vanderbilt events calendar. Over the years, it’s hosted marquee dance acts including The Chainsmokers, Diplo, Afrojack, Oliver Heldens, Two Friends, Loud Luxury and Louis the Child, simultaneously expanding to become a training program that teaches student organizers from Vanderbilt the ins and outs of the live events industry.
This year’s Lights on the Lawn happens tomorrow (Sept. 27) with headliner Gryffin, who was originally one half of White Panda and has since gone on to have a massive solo career. The lead up to the show now includes Lecture on the Lawn, which this year featured execs including Kris Lamb of Big Machine, Az Cohen of 300 Entertainment and Alessi Nehr Alessi Nair, the general manager of Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheatre speaking to students about getting into the business.
More than 500 students have gone through the program, with many of them getting jobs at Live Nation, Wasserman, WME, CAA and Spotify, along with banking firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America.
“Vanderbilt’s a very competitive university,” says Raskin. “If someone’s passionate about music, this gives them a path to [learn about] producing, promoting, marketing, putting on an educational series, then going to get a job at one of these places.”
With the original need that inspired Lights on the Lawn solved with the first show, in 2013 the event started sending 100% of its profits to East Nashville’s Mary Parrish Center, which provides domestic abuse survivors short- and long-term housing. The organization was chosen in the wake of a case that rocked the Vanderbilt campus in 2013, when four football players were accused of raping a student, which ultimately resulted in each of them being sentenced to prison time.
Donations over the first three years made it possible for the Mary Parrish team to purchase the building they’d been renting. “This was in 2015, right before things started getting insane as far as the cost of housing in Nashville,” says the Mary Parrish Center’s executive director Mary Katherine Rand. “It was such a gift that we were able to purchase it at that time.” The organization, which was founded in 2002, has been able to completely renovate the facility with subsequent donations from Lights on the Lawn. Other donation money has paid salaries for the facility’s resident therapists, with Vanderbilt students also volunteering at the facility. Rand says that annually, Lights on the Lawn is one of the biggest donors to Mary Parrish.
Over its first 11 years, the event has raised roughly $850,000. And this year, even those who aren’t attending can make donations through the Event’s GoFundMe.
After graduating from Vanderbilt in 2014, Raskin himself went on to work in the resale department at Ticketmaster for three years, starting in 2017. That year, he thought to ask the company to sponsor Lights on the Lawn, and it was suggested to him that he email Michael Rapino directly to ask for the money. He did.
“I didn’t expect a response,” says Raskin. Within 48 hours, however, Rapino wrote back. Raskin can still recite the email word for word.
“Dear Teddy on behalf of myself and the entire Live Nation family, we’re so proud of you,” the note went. “However, we are in the business of getting partnership checks, not writing them.”
“My heart went through the floor. I thought I was going to get fired,” Raskin recalls. But Rapino’s email continued.
“He said, ‘This show is so amazing. We are so happy to support. [COO Mark Campana] will reach out to you, and we will be writing a check for $50,000.”
The email came through when Raskin was with his parents on the way to a Lady Gaga concert at Wrigley Field. “I started crying in the cab,” Raskin says. The $50,000 sponsorship from Live Nation helped propel Lights on the Lawn to its best year ever, yielding $171,000 in proceeds and driving 2.1 million digital impressions and nearly 4,000 tickets sold.
In terms of music, agencies and DJs have also generally been generous, with artists typically playing for discounted or highly competitive rates. “No one’s out there trying to win over their top offer with us,” says Raskin. “If you’re coming to play Lights on the Lawn you know three things: One, it’s going to be a well-produced, well-attended show. Two, it’s an unbelievably impactful show. And three, you’re not going to get your Lollapalooza booking fee.”
Raskin, who now lives in New York City and is the CEO at KOACORE, the supply chain company he founded during the pandemic, says he’d love to expand Lights on the Lawn to other college campuses, a move he foresees being beneficial for nationwide charities and student bodies at large.
“You have all these educational experiences, you have this blowout concert, you raise a bunch of money, you have a sick time, and you get to learn,” says Raskin. “That’s what our deal is.”
Nelly Furtado is reflecting back on some of the more toxic aspects of the entertainment industry.
The star sat down with People recently, where she recalled “a lot of airbrushing,” during the early 2000s, when she released hits like “I’m Like a Bird.” “I have olive skin, and they’d kind of lighten my skin a lot in photos,” Furtado, who is of Portuguese decent, explained, “and kind of take my hips down all the time — they would always kind of cut off in editorials.”
She noted that by the time she released her sophomore album, 2003’s Folklore, she was “kind of angry about” the way beauty was portrayed. However, she always had a good group of people around her for support. “I felt so lucky and blessed. I always had such a good team around me, that was family,” she said. “My team around me felt so solid and really looking out for my best interests. And I think I was just raised right. My mom was really strong, and so is her mom, and her mom, and her mom — a very matriarchal family, in general, on both sides, all my grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. So I was given a really solid kind of sense of assertiveness, I’m going to call it. So that was a good tool for me to navigate the music industry. And I was given really solid advice from a young age, luckily, from very paternal sort of people around me. So I was lucky, I was one of the lucky ones.”
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Furtado is fresh off the release of her seventh album, fittingly titled 7. “The key for me, with this new album, is just getting back into the craft,” she said of the project, which she worked on with her daughter Nevis. “It’s like a whole new me, who’s stronger, braver, more confident.”
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