Young Dolph’s entourage of artists are not happy with the release of a song by the man alleged to have shot and killed the Paper Route Empire (PRE) boss in 2021.
Last week, the suspected gunman, Justin “Straight Drop” Johnson, released a new track called “No Statements” while incarcerated for his alleged role in the shooting.
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The song finds Johnson maintaining his innocence, claiming he’s “a rapper,” but “the state say that I’m a paid killer.” He also seemingly targets his opposition with the line: “No statement/ Got to be patient/ Might make it home before you blink.”
The song’s release came when Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced Hernandez Govan as the third suspect arrested in the case.
Two of Young Dolph’s Paper Route Empire artists, Paper Route Woo and Snupe Bandz, reportedly issued statements addressing the new track.
“It seem like somebody giving up some statements. It can’t be no statements. Somebody constantly getting pulled in so somebody giving some statements up,” said Paper Route Woo.
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Snupe Bandz added: “They just rapping about it, somebody talking in real life.”
The timing of the song has fans believing Johnson is using the moment to boost his rap career. However, despite giving “no statements,” as the song title suggests, people feel he’s actually giving one, especially now that Govan is in custody and believed to be the mastermind behind Dolph’s murder.
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Things haven’t been going smoothly for Johnson while he awaits his fate in Young Dolph’s murder case. In March, he was reportedly assaulted while using the phone and was involved in another undisclosed altercation with a different inmate.
Young Dolph was shot and killed while shopping for cookies for his mother at Makeda’s Cookies in Memphis, Tennessee in November 2021. According to the coroner’s report, the murder suspects opened fire on Dolph and struck him over 22 times.
U.S. Marshals arrested Johnson in January 2022 in Indiana, but he was eventually transferred to Memphis, where he pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder. Two other men are in custody and have been charged for their alleged roles in Young Dolph’s murder.
Cornelius Smith has been charged with first-degree murder along with weapons possession and theft charges. Shaundale Barnett, who is accused of helping Justin Johnson evade police during a week-long search before he was caught, was charged with being an after-the-fact accessory.
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Thursday (November 17) marked the one-year anniversary of Dolph’s death. To celebrate his legacy, the Dolph estate unleashed a posthumous new single titled “Get Away.”
Paper Route Empire’s Key Glock also paid tribute to Dolph’s legacy with the release of the five-track PRE5L EP — listen to it here.
