Young Dolph: A timeline of events following the Memphis rapper’s shooting death
Rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 17, 2021. Here is a timeline of events following his death.
Ray Padilla, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Shelby County prosecutors allege that Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, the late brother of rapper Yo Gotti and a figure in Gotti’s record label CMG, set up a $100,000 hit on fellow Memphis hip-hop artist Young Dolph that led to his murder in 2021.
The revelation came on September 23 during opening statements in the trial of Justin Johnson for his alleged involvement in the murder of Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr.
Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman detailed the alleged involvement of Big Jook and Johnson, known by the stage name Straight Drop, in Dolph’s murder in November 2021. According to prosecutors, Big Jook offered Johnson the murder of Dolph in order to get a contract with CMG.
Johnson’s attorney Luke Evans stated in his opening statement that Johnson did not kill Thornton and the evidence against him did not link him to the murder.
The Commercial Appeal has contacted CMG for comment.
Here’s a closer look at Big Jook and his shooting death in January 2024 in Memphis.
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Who was Big Jook?
Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, 47, was the older brother of well-known Memphis rapper and record label mogul Yo Gotti, aka Mario Mims.
Anthony Mims was actively involved with Gotti’s record company, the Collective Music Group or CMG label. It is unknown what Anthony Mims’ official title at the label was or if he had one, but he was often seen alongside the label’s artists at various events, and industry sources state that he was involved in talent scouting and helped manage and promote projects for the company.
Following Big Jook’s death, The Commercial Appeal made several attempts to reach representatives of CMG, a label affiliated with major label Interscope, but they did not respond to requests for comment.
Yo Gotti has not commented publicly on his brother’s death.
When and where was Big Jook killed in Memphis?
According to a Memphis police department, an officer was in the area of 6385 Winchester Road around 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, when he heard gunshots. The officer went to the scene and found two victims with numerous gunshot wounds, both of whom were taken to the hospital. Anthony Mims was identified as the victim, who was pronounced dead at the hospital. The second male victim was in stable condition, police said.
The officer spotted the victim – Mims – in a vehicle, MPD said. The shooting scene was outside Perignon’s Restaurant and Event Center, where Mims was attending a ceremony following the funeral of a relative, Eric Bovan. Bovan – a well-known Memphis cocaine lord in the 1980s and head of the Bovan crime family – was a former associate of Yo Gotti and Big Jook’s aunt. He died on Dec. 31 at age 63.
Memphis police have not announced any arrests in connection with Big Jook’s death.
Big Jook’s last social media post
Anthony Mims’ own Instagram account offers a colorful insight into his life and career in the music business. The various posts on the account show Mims at music industry events, video shoots and concerts with his brother Yo Gotti and other acts from the CMG label.
Mims’ final Instagram post appeared just one day before his death. A photo of Mims is accompanied by a caption that, in retrospect, sounds ominous: “They don’t want to face you, they want to betray you. Stay alert to stay alive, always take care of yourself.”
Reporter Brooke Muckerman contributed to this report.
