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The main suspect in the Sauce Walka shooting that killed rapper Sayso P (real name Letorian Hunt) has been found dead, according to Memphis Police.
The Memphis Police Department announced Monday (March 31) that 21-year-old Jayden Dandridge was found deceased in Houston. However, a second suspect, 22-year-old Kevin Brown, remains at large, and an investigation is ongoing.
A warrant was issued for Brown, charging him with first-degree murder, attempted murder, employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony and theft of property. Dandridge’s warrant is no longer active.
Sauce Walka was the victim of a shooting outside the Westin Hotel near the FedEx Forum in Memphis on March 22. Walka was transported to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg while his artist, Sayso P, was pronounced dead at the scene. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
TMZ obtained footage that appeared to show Dandridge in the stolen 2021 Dodge Challenger that was used in the drive-by shooting of Walka and Sayso P.
TMZ also reported that Dandridge was found executed with multiple gunshot wounds in an abandoned Houston warehouse on March 27. No arrests have been made.
Last week, Sauce Walka said he didn’t have any plans of avenging Sayso P’s murder.
“If I wanted to, I could have mother—-ing four or 500 different men — good men — down here from different cities and states, including mine, around here ready to do whatever by snapping my finger in retaliation to what happened to me and my little brother,” he told Wikid Films.
Walka continued: “But as much as it hurts my soul, and it really break me down — I’m damn near getting emotional about the sh– — I can’t retaliate because that’s not righteous. My brother had his own dealings as a man that a n—a got to respect and a mother—-er had an opportunity to make me 100 percent accountable for the same thing… and took my life for no reason.”
Sauce Walka posted a heartfelt tribute to Sayso P to social media in the days after his murder while reflecting on some of the good times they enjoyed together. “Words or tears can’t explain the loss I feel!” he began.
Young Scooter died Friday night (March 28) on the rapper’s 39th birthday, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and details from Atlanta Police.
Atlanta Police Lt. Andrew Smith led a news conference late Friday night to share details about what reportedly led to the death of Young Scooter (real name: Kenneth Edward Bailey). According to Smith, police responded to a call about a dispute with a weapon at a home and then set up a perimeter outside the house after a man shut the door on officers. Two men fled from the rear of the house, Smith said, with one returning to the home and the other jumping two fences as he was fleeing.
According to the AJC story, Young Scooter was the man who jumped the fences, and Smith said, “When officers located him on the other side of the fence, he appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg.”
Atlanta Police say the man was taken to Grady Marcus Trauma Center and died there.
During the news conference, Smith denied widespread reports spreading on social media that Scooter had been fatally shot by Atlanta PD officers. “Just to be very clear, the injury that was sustained was not via the officers on scene. It was when the male was fleeing.”
Young Scooter’s peers mourned the late rapper on social media, with Playboi Carti sharing the news on Instagram Stories with the caption “SMFH.” Quavo took to X with broken-heart and prayer-hands emojis, writing, “ion understand,” alongside a video of Scooter performing. The late rapper’s Instagram Stories shared dozens of posts wishing him a happy birthday throughout Friday.
While Scooter was born in South Carolina, his family moved to Atlanta when he was just 9 years old, and his music career has been based in the rap mecca ever since. He broke out locally with the song “Colombia” in 2012 before joining forces with hip-hop heavyweights Future, Juicy J and Young Thug for “DI$Function” in 2014. He hit the Billboard charts as a featured artist on Young Thug’s “Guwop,” also featuring Quavo & Offset of Migos, in 2016 (peaking at No. 45 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart) and on Future & Juice WRLD’s “Jet Lag” in 2018 (his only Billboard Hot 100 appearance, peaking at No. 72).
Billboard has reached out to the Atlanta Police and a rep for Young Scooter for further information.
Find Quavo’s X post about Scooter below:
Rapper Yella Beezy was released on bond Friday morning (March 28). According to The Dallas Morning News, Beezy (born Markies Conway) posted a $750,000 bond to secure his release after being reduced by a judge from $2 million on Thursday. After being indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on March 18, Beezy was arrested […]
After winning her first Grammy and being named Billboard‘s Woman of the Year for 2025, Doechii is adding another piece of awards hardware to her shelf after Thursday night (March 27).
Doechii took home the GLAAD Media Award for outstanding music artist at the non-profit organization’s ceremony. Presented the award by former GLAAD Award recipients Lil Nas X and Maren Morris, Doechii took to the stage to express her delight.
“I am thrilled at being recognized with such a prestigious award by GLAAD and to be joining prior honorees such as Renee [Rapp], Lady Gaga, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith and Janelle Monáe,” she said. “This is a huge and special moment as well because GLAAD is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, which is super fab.”
As she continued, laying out the organization’s principles of “acceptance, inclusiveness and empowerment,” Doechii took a moment to reflect on where we are in this politically charged moment for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Those are the same things I strongly believe in and advocate for and that continue to propel me forward — especially now that hard-won cultural change and rights for transgender people and the LGBTQ community have been threatened,” she said. “And I am disgusted. Disgusted. But I want to say that we are here and we are not going anywhere.”
In closing her speech, Doechii gave a special callout to up-and-coming queer artists in the audience, offering them some sage advice: “[Do] not let anyone ever block your dreams … I just want to encourage you guys to stay connected with one another. Stay passionate. Stay focused. Keep your chin up. Be kind, and be fab!”
Doechii was far from the only winner at Thursday’s ceremony. Rising R&B star Durand Burnarr took home a trophy for outstanding breakthrough music artist during the ceremony, while Cynthia Erivo was honored with the organization’s Stephen F. Kolzak award for her work in raising visibility for queer people in 2024 and beyond.
“I know this event is to celebrate the work and I am endlessly grateful for that honor and for this celebration, but the real work is making the ground we leave in our wake level enough for the next person who finds their way to the path we have made,” the Wicked actress said in her speech. “For the person who is searching and searching and has not found it yet. This room is full of people who can and will … be lanterns to light up your journey and your path on your way to showing the world who you are.”
British singer Duffy has been off-the-radar for much of the past decade after revealing in 2020 that she was the victim of a terrifying assault and kidnapping in 2015. The Grammy winner took her latest tentative step back into the spotlight this week when she made a brief cameo in a TikTok video posted by […]
Alleged Rollin’ 60s Los Angeles Crips gang leader and music executive Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr. has been charged as part of a 107-page sprawling indictment that compares his “Big U Enterprise” to a “mafia-like organization,” the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday (March 19).
According to the DOJ, Henley, 58, remains at large and is considered a fugitive as he faces conspiracy charges related to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. He and his associates are accused of racketeering, extortion, human trafficking, fraud and the murder of a 21-year-old aspiring rapper who signed to his Uneek Music label, among other charges.
Henley is credited with helping launch the career of rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was a member of the Rollin’ 60s in South Central Los Angeles prior to his death in 2019.
Two others named in the indictment, Sylvester “Vey” Robinson and Mark “Bear Claw” Martin, have been arrested on the same criminal complaint in which Henley was charged; both were expected to appear in U.S. District Court in L.A. on Wednesday afternoon. Overall, 10 Rollin’ 60s members have been arrested in the past 24 hours, while another four were already in custody. Law enforcement is currently tracking down five other defendants, “three of whom are expected to be in custody shortly,” according to the DOJ press release. In addition to Henley, one other unnamed defendant is considered a fugitive.
“The allegations in the complaint unsealed today reveal a criminal enterprise that engaged in murder, extortion, human trafficking, and fraud — all led by a supposed anti-gang activist and purported music entrepreneur who was nothing more than a violent street criminal,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally in a statement.
McNally continued: “Eliminating gangs and organized crime is the Department of Justice’s top priority. Today’s charges and arrests target the leadership of this criminal outfit and will make the neighborhoods of Los Angeles safer. I am grateful for the work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners.”
According to the DOJ, Henley was involved in the murder of rapper “R.W.” — the victim’s initials — who signed to his Uneek Music label in January 2021. While recording at a studio in Las Vegas, R.W. allegedly recorded a diss track taking shots at Henley. According to the DOJ, Henley and Robinson then confronted R.W. in Vegas, with Henley allegedly later shooting R.W. in the head and leaving his body in a ditch off Interstate 15. He also allegedly had the studio’s security camera footage scrubbed and ordered any witnesses not to speak with authorities following the murder.
The indictment states that Henley rose to prominence with the Crips gang in the 1980s and has remained a leader within the organization. The feds accuse him of leveraging his relationships with the Rollin’ 60s to the benefit of his Big U Enterprise, which allegedly used violence, fear and intimidation tactics to increase its power.
While associated with the Rollin’ 60s, Big U Enterprise is being treated as an independent organization tied to various crimes also including robbery, exploiting sex workers and illegal gambling.
Per the Los Angeles Times, athletes, celebrities and musicians were among Henley’s extortion victims, who were required to “check-in” for “protection” when visiting Los Angeles. He allegedly defrauded companies, donors, athletes and celebrities, including former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Henley allegedly took donations from both men that were meant for charity and transferred the funds to his personal bank account.
Pop singer-songwriter Sia has always been keen on keeping her personal life private — so private, that according to a new report, the singer welcomed her third child almost a year ago. According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, Sia welcomed a baby named Somersault Wonder Bernad with her now-estranged husband, Daniel Bernad, on […]
Attorney Tony Buzbee is withdrawing from more than a dozen sexual abuse lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs in New York federal court two days after telling a judge he had “made an error in judgment” by failing to disclose that he was not admitted to practice law in that court.
Buzbee, who’s filed more than 20 cases against Combs and has fought an acrimonious battle with Jay-Z after filing a lawsuit by a woman who briefly accused him of rape, filed motions Wednesday (March 19) to withdraw across 15 different civil lawsuits in the Southern District of New York, the federal court district covering Manhattan.
The moves came two days after Buzbee told Judge Ronnie Abrams in one of those cases that he’d “made an error in judgment by failing to inform you that I was not admitted to the Southern District” and would “remedy this error by withdrawing my representation” until he was admitted.
In the same filing, Buzbee stressed that he was “in good standing of the New York State Bar” and would still be “eminently qualified” to continue handling the case, but said he would step away “as I sort these issues out.”
“My admission status has become a distraction that has shifted the focus of the matter away from where it should be, which is securing justice for the plaintiff,” Buzbee told Judge Abrams in the Monday letter.
The lawsuits against Combs will proceed with other attorneys at the helm, and Buzbee will remain in cases filed in New York state courts or other jurisdictions. Buzbee did not return a request for comment from Billboard, but in a Tuesday statement to the Houston Chronicle, he said: “Until that administrative issue is sorted out, my colleagues who are formally admitted in the SDNY will continue to push those cases while I continue to march forward in the New York State cases.”
Combs is facing a flood of abuse accusations, including dozens of civil lawsuits and a sweeping criminal indictment from federal prosecutors. He faces a jury trial on those charges in May; if convicted, he’s looking at a potential life prison sentence.
Buzbee, a well-known plaintiffs’ attorney in the Houston area, announced in October that was representing 120 individuals who had been victimized by Combs and would soon begin filing civil lawsuits on their behalf. He’s since filed more than 20 such cases, mostly repping anonymous Doe accusers who say the star sexually assaulted or raped them.
In December, Buzbee added Jay-Z as a defendant to one of those cases, accusing the star of joining Combs in raping an unnamed 13-year-old girl in 2000. The star vehemently denied the shocking allegations and has subsequently sued Buzbee and the accuser for defamation. In February, Buzbee’s client voluntarily dropped the case against Jay-Z without a settlement.
50 Cent is never one to shy away from just about anything these days, but even he’s distancing himself from Ye (formerly Kanye West).
While West sniped at plenty of his peers — from Drake to Playboi Carti and Kendrick Lamar — he actually showed some love to 50 Cent.
“50 Cent is one of my favorite people,” Ye wrote to X on Tuesday (March 18). “He will be one of the people who brings back Black economic independence.”
However, 50 was hesitant to associate with the rapper, who has been criticized for his repeated hate speech. “Damn it Ye ya dangerous right now, what you say about the kids man,” 50 replied with a repost to his Instagram hours later.
Fans had plenty to say about the interaction between the hip-hop titans. “50 the only n—a who Ye didn’t crash out on this week,” one person wrote in the “In Da Club” rapper’s comments section.
Another chimed in: “50 like ‘leave me out this ish ye, not the time.’”
During a 2024 interview with Billboard, 50 said nobody’s been through more or had as many reasons to crash as Ye, but credited him for powering through to have one of the most decorated careers in rap.
“I don’t think anybody’s been through more or have more reasons to fall apart than Kanye,” he said at the time. “The success of his project comes, and his mom passes away. So what you been praying for — the gift is a curse. You lose that, and he had real reasons to f–king be out of it. He did the right thing. He went to work.”
While representing different pillars of hip-hop, 50 and Kanye have been pop-culture fixtures for more than two decades. They famously matched up for a memorable 2007 sales battle, which saw them face off at the MTV Video Music Awards and join forces for the cover of Rolling Stone.
Kanye’s Graduation ended up throttling 50’s Curtis (957,000 versus 691,000 first-week album sales), which elevated West’s superstar status in music to another level.
“We made the highest sales week for hip-hop culture, doing that and being competitive,” 50 told Billboard when looking back at their battle. “People that were participating as fans were buying more than one copy of it, because of the competitive side of it. When you look at it… we had to stand together to face off, but we never had an issue.”
Cardi B also seemingly responded to one of Ye’s X messages, in which he broke down how he sees the hierarchy of female rap and claimed Megan Thee Stallion replaced the Bronx native. “WHERE CARDI B GONNA BE 10 YEARS FROM NOW THEY USED HER,” he wrote.
The “WAP” rapper appeared to respond on X, flexing her staying power even without dropping an album going on seven years now. “7 years 1 album… STILL being a topic and STILL being asked about my music,” she wrote. “I’m anointed and I have a real fanbase. They come and go but The Brim is still here and will stay!”
Ye has been embroiled in controversy again in recent weeks due to his repeated antisemitic rants and willingness to engage in beef with just about any of his collaborators outside of 50 and A$AP Rocky. However, he did drop his Bully album as part of a short film starring his son Saint on March 19.
Ye (formerly Kanye West) surprised fans with the leaked release of his Bully album early Wednesday (March 19), which became available on a file-sharing app through a short film directed by the rapper himself.
The 30-minute wrestling-themed flick was edited by rap video dignitary Hype Williams and stars Ye’s eldest son, Saint West.
There are 11 tracks showcased in total, including previously teased records such as the Kden Drip-sampling “Preacher Man,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Highs and Lows” and “Close to You.” Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla $ign are the lone features on the album closer “Melrose.”
The project drew a polarizing reaction due to Ye’s antisemitic tirades and hate speech, as well as his support for Diddy and since-deleted attacks on Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s children. Others were willing to overlook his recent behavior and enjoyed the project, as he recalled some of his 2000s brilliance chopping up soul samples and themes from 808s & Heartbreak.
“Of course BULLY is sonically the greatest s–t Kanye has worked on in years lmao,” one person wrote to X. “This clown is so annoying dawg.”
Another replied, “I will never listen to his crap let alone support it. You don’t have to intentionally hurt folks to promote your music. Time out for rewarding bad behavior.”
Don’t expect the project to land on streaming services anytime soon. “I may stop using DSPs cause streams are fake and the French and Jewish record labels treat artists like prostitutes,” he wrote.
However, it appears West will be turning his focus to his next solo effort, which looks to be Donda 2 — a sequel to his 2021 album named after his late mother.
Find more fan reactions to Bully below.
Yeah Kanye ain’t gonna be able to clear no samples off BULLY but that shit sounded nuts— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) March 19, 2025
BULLY IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE— Kent Escobar (@yzyscholar) March 19, 2025
Listening to Bully, the album Kanye West leaked himself after working on it for a year, it is so clear musically nobody is even close to him. Its so sad he is in this state, knowing we won’t get this from him. So much talent and nobody around to help him. Hope he gets it together— O (@ashahzy) March 19, 2025
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