“It was pretty evident that this was not just a random road rage or robbery attempt,” Barnes testified during Kewon White’s murder trial, according to AllHipHop. He said the evidence convinced investigators that whoever was following Mo3 had waited for him to leave the apartment and intended to kill him. Surveillance later captured a gunman chasing the rapper down I-35 with an assault-style rifle after Mo3 abandoned his vehicle in traffic.

Read More: Friend Of Mo3’s Alleged Killer Claims He Bragged About Murdering Rapper On Highway

What Investigators Believe Led Up To Mo3’s Murder

Barnes said investigators learned that Mo3, whose legal name was Melvin Noble, had returned to Dallas from California on Nov. 10 and spent the night with Jocelyn Jackson at an apartment complex in Oak Cliff. The Camaro allegedly arrived there and remained until Mo3 left the following day. Additional surveillance introduced during the trial has become central to prosecutors’ effort to identify White as the man who tracked him from the complex. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reports that jurors have heard from apartment residents and law enforcement while reviewing video evidence tied to the hours before the shooting.

The detective also described how quickly investigators considered the possibility of retaliation. Barnes already knew Mo3 as both a prominent Dallas rapper and someone whose name had surfaced in investigations involving violence between local artists. He testified that Mo3 had ongoing problems with Yella Beezy and Trapboy Freddy. After arriving at the hospital, Barnes instructed staff not to immediately announce Mo3’s death because he feared additional violence could follow. Investigators later determined that Beezy was in California when the shooting occurred and that Freddy was caught in traffic behind the crime scene, shifting the focus toward the people prosecutors now accuse of carrying out the alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Read More: Mo3’s Mother Reacts To Yella Beezy Getting Arrested And Charged With Murder

White is the first defendant to face a jury in Mo3’s killing. Prosecutors accuse him of being the gunman who followed the rapper from the apartment before chasing him onto the interstate and opening fire. Devin Brown is separately accused of helping coordinate the attack, while Yella Beezy has been charged with capital murder over allegations that he financed it. All three have pleaded not guilty.

Additionally, White is already serving a federal prison sentence unrelated to Mo3’s death. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas said he received 105 months in 2022 after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. His current trial will determine whether prosecutors can convince a Dallas jury that the 18-hour wait outside that apartment ended with White carrying out the killing they say had been planned before Mo3 ever pulled onto the highway.

The post Detective Says Mo3 Was Watched For 18 Hours Before His Death appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Some of the names carry obvious significance in the murder-for-hire case now before the jury. Quando Rondo is the alleged target of the August 2022 Los Angeles shooting that killed his cousin Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab. Prosecutors contend that the attack was retaliation for the 2020 killing of King Von, who was fatally shot after a fight involving Quando outside an Atlanta nightclub. Durk has pleaded not guilty and denied ordering the hit. The government has spent much of the trial introducing messages and social media evidence it says help establish his anger following Von’s death.

Read More: NBA YoungBoy Mentioned In Alleged Lil Durk Texts As OTF Vonni Takes The Stand

The Legal Drama With Witherspoon

Alexander Witherspoon brings a different piece of Durk’s past into the same message. Witherspoon was shot outside The Varsity in Atlanta in 2019 during an incident that led to attempted murder charges against Durk and King Von. Prosecutors initially alleged the two rappers were involved in robbing and shooting him, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. The case against Durk was ultimately dropped in 2022, with his attorney saying there was insufficient evidence to continue the prosecution, per Revolt.

Meanwhile, online reactions to Durk’s alleged list quickly held on “Trina,” with some users assuming Durk meant Miami Rap veteran Trina. The courtroom updates available so far do not establish who that reference was actually about, making the memes considerably more certain than the evidence. The same caution applies to several of the other nicknames unless prosecutors identify them more clearly during testimony.

Durk’s defense has consistently argued that prosecutors are assigning criminal meaning to communications and music that do not establish he orchestrated Robinson’s killing. The jury will ultimately have to decide how much weight to give this newly public message alongside the rest of the government’s case.

Read More: OTF Jam Calls Lul Pab Murder “Sloppy” During Lil Durk’s Trial

The post Lil Durk’s Alleged “Enemies List”: Quando, Trina, YoungBoy, 6ix9ine & More appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

This pair honors Michael Jordan’s final game at Madison Square Garden as a Bull. On March 8, 1998, he dropped 42 points wearing the “Chicago” Air Jordan 1. That shoe was already over a decade old at the time.

Fat Joe actually gave this release its name after getting an early pair. The Knicks superfan called it the “Last Dance At The Garden” himself. Jordan Brand ran with the nickname from there.

The build leans into a classic black, red, and white scheme. Red floral embroidery covers the toe, lace, and heel panels. Also white leather fills out the rest of the upper cleanly.

Gold outlines the black Swoosh for a subtle premium touch. Orange and blue hit the tongue tag and insoles too. Those colors are a quiet nod to the Knicks and their 2026 title run.

Read More: Clippers Hit With Sweeping NBA Penalties Over Kawhi Leonard Scandal

Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Last Dance At The Garden”

Jordan Brand skipped the obvious route with this one. Instead of loud graphics, the tribute comes through fabric and finish. Woven textile and full-grain leather do most of the storytelling here.

That approach fits the story behind it too. MJ’s 1998 game came near the end of his Bulls career. The shoes were already too small for his feet by then, and they made him bleed.

Despite that, he still dropped 42 points that night. This release channels that moment as a closing chapter rather than a beginning. It’s meant to feel like legacy already secured.

The Knicks tie-in adds another layer for New York fans specifically. Orange and blue rarely show up on a Bulls-colored Jordan 1 like this. It’s a small detail, but it connects two very different fanbases.

Full-family sizing means kids’ pairs will be available too. For Knicks fans and Jordan collectors alike, this one covers a lot of ground.

Read More: Air Jordan 3 “Utility” Confirmed For January 2027 Release

The post Retailer Look At The Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Last Dance At The Garden” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Prosecutors have not presented the withdrawal as proof that the full $40,000 went to White. Their theory involves an alleged payment chain. Barnes testified that investigators believe Beezy later met with Trapboy Freddy and Jerry Johnson, whom prosecutors have described as a middleman. Jurors were shown a text message that investigators say referenced that meeting. During opening statements, prosecutors separately alleged that cellphone evidence supports their claim that White ultimately received $20,000 to kill Mo3, according to NBC 5.

Read More: Yella Beezy Songs To Be Used In Mo3 Murder-For-Hire Trial

Prosecutors Are Carefully Piecing Together Their Timeline

Barnes also placed Trapboy Freddy near the top of what investigators believe was the structure behind the alleged plot, but the case against him is notably different. The detective testified that investigators believe Freddy contributed money, although they have not located financial records documenting a payment from him. Freddy has not been charged in Mo3’s killing. Barnes told jurors he was not surprised investigators failed to find a conventional paper trail because Freddy was known to police as a drug dealer. That testimony remains part of the prosecution’s theory rather than a finding that Freddy participated in the murder.

The financial evidence gives prosecutors something more concrete to place beside the feud they say motivated the shooting. Beezy and Mo3 had publicly traded shots before Mo3’s death, and investigators have spent years examining music and social media posts they believe speak to that hostility. A Dallas judge ruled this summer that some songs could be played at trial, although other lyrics prosecutors wanted to use as evidence of motive were excluded. Beezy’s attorneys have argued that Rap lyrics are performance rather than literal admissions. Detective Barnes previously testified that investigators turned to music and social media because people connected to the dispute were unwilling to cooperate, per FOX 4.

Read More: Yella Beezy Trial Puts Rap Lyrics Back At Center Of Courtroom Debate

White is the first defendant being tried in the alleged murder-for-hire plot. Prosecutors accuse him of following Mo3, whose legal name was Melvin Noble, before chasing him on foot and fatally shooting him on the freeway in Nov. 2020. Devin Brown is also charged in the case and is accused of helping coordinate the killing. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Beezy is not currently the defendant facing White’s jury, but testimony at White’s trial is already previewing the evidence prosecutors intend to use when Beezy eventually faces his own trial.

The post Detective Testifies Yella Beezy Paid Into Alleged Mo3 Murder Plot appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

This marks the first time the Air Jordan 3 gets a “Utility” makeover. Jordan Brand has done this before with the Air Jordan 1 and Air Jordan 12. Now the classic silhouette is finally getting its turn in the rotation. The style code is IX0198-001. It comes in an all-black leather build with fire red accents. Red hits the laces and a new pull tab at the heel.

That heel tab is a first for this model entirely. The traditional lace setup also gets swapped for a bungee-style cord system. A toggle lace lock finishes off the more functional, grab-and-go feel.

The elephant print overlays stick around at the toe and heel. This version reportedly gets a metallic treatment on those panels. A translucent outsole rounds out the whole updated look.

Utility drops tend to split opinion among purists every time. Still, Jordan Brand seems intent on pushing the model somewhere new. This one leans hard into that outdoor, ACG-style direction fans have seen before.

Read More: Air Jordan 16 “Ginger” Receives Confirmed Release Date

Air Jordan 3 “Utility”

Utility releases exist to modernize classic silhouettes for everyday wear. The idea started with the Air Jordan 1, adding a strapped zip pouch to the heel. The Air Jordan 12 followed with a stealthier, workwear-inspired build built for colder weather.

The Air Jordan 3 has mostly stayed untouched since Tinker Hatfield designed it back in 1988. Aside from the usual color updates, the shape has barely changed since then. That makes this Utility version a bigger swing than usual for the model.

Pull tabs and bungee laces aren’t small tweaks either. They shift the shoe further away from its basketball roots. For some collectors, that’s exactly the kind of experimentation worth paying attention to.

Jordan Brand hasn’t shied away from reworking the 3 before this. The budget-friendly Air Jordan Ultra proved that earlier this year already. This Utility drop just takes that same attitude even further.

Read More: Suge Knight Called Out By Lead Tupac Prosecutor: “Why Did You Have Biggie Killed?”

The post Air Jordan 3 “Utility” Confirmed For January 2027 Release appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The investigation found a broader problem than the endorsement deal that originally put the Clippers under scrutiny. According to Wachtell Lipton, team officials helped create endorsement opportunities for Leonard with companies that were doing business with the franchise. Investigators said the Clippers also used their own business relationships to encourage some of those companies to reach deals with Leonard. The report separately found that the team paid personal expenses on behalf of Leonard and people around him without properly accounting for them under league rules.

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Read More: NBA Blocks Kawhi Leonard Trade To The Toronto Raptors…For Now

More About The Investigation

The probe began after Pablo Torre reported in 2025 that Leonard had a four-year, $28 million agreement with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt sustainability company in which Ballmer had invested. Torre alleged Leonard was not required to perform meaningful work under the deal and that the arrangement was designed to get money to him outside his NBA contract. The independent investigation eventually expanded outside Aspiration and concluded that the Clippers had improperly facilitated multiple outside opportunities for Leonard.

Investigators also focused on Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle and former business manager. The report says Robertson expected the Clippers to help generate roughly $10 million a year in off-court income for Leonard and repeatedly pressed team executives for better opportunities. Rather than report those requests to the league, as NBA rules required, investigators found that Clippers officials continued assisting him. Ballmer was specifically faulted for knowingly trying to help Leonard secure outside income and for approving a Clippers agreement with Aspiration after he knew the company had tied that business to Leonard’s endorsement deal.

Read More: Clippers Honor Kawhi Leonard Signing With Hilarious “We Got ‘Em” Meme

The lost draft capital makes the punishment especially painful for a franchise that already spent heavily to build around Leonard. When the Clippers acquired Paul George from Oklahoma City in 2019, they sent out five first-round picks as part of the blockbuster deal that helped secure Leonard’s commitment in free agency. Now another five first-round selections, covering one pick in each draft from 2029 through 2033, have been forfeited because of conduct tied to Leonard’s tenure.

Neither side is accepting the findings quietly. The Guardian reports that Leonard said he entered the agreements in good faith and denied knowing about any effort to evade the salary cap. The Clippers were more combative, accusing the investigation of being biased and saying they intend to challenge the findings through arbitration.

The post Clippers Hit With Sweeping NBA Penalties Over Kawhi Leonard Scandal appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The latest exchange started after Jay addressed criticism over his partnership with Target during a July performance at Yankee Stadium. While defending himself, he referenced Kaepernick’s 2019 settlement with the NFL and suggested the former quarterback had taken a check that came with a non-disparagement agreement. Kaepernick disputed that claim in an interview with NBC News, saying he never signed one.

Kaepernick had even stronger words for why Jay mentioned him at all. “The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people’s interests in 2019 was a major problem for him, so much so that he’s still bringing it up in 2026,” he said. Kaepernick argued that the continued need to defend the deal points to a “guilty conscience” and an attempt to “reposition or reframe the conversation.”

Read More: JAŸ-Z Targets The Haters And Mentions Colin Kaepernick In New Freestyle

They Were Once A United Front

That criticism cuts directly into the history between them. Jay was once one of Kaepernick’s most visible celebrity supporters. He dedicated a 2017 performance of “The Story of O.J.” to the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and later wore his jersey on Saturday Night Live. Their relationship changed after Roc Nation announced its 2019 partnership with the NFL, which gave the company a major role in the league’s entertainment strategy and connected it to social justice initiatives. Jay defended the agreement at the time, arguing that the protest had already drawn attention to injustice and that the next phase required action.

Kaepernick remembers that shift very differently. In his upcoming memoir, The Perilous Fight, he writes that Jay told him about the NFL partnership only after the deal had already been made. Kaepernick says he warned Jay that the league wanted a prominent Black figure attached to its response to the protests and told him, “You’re serving the culture up to a bunch of racists.” He also accused the NFL of viewing Jay as “the music guy” who could provide the Black face it needed.

Read More: Colin Kaepernick’s GF Denies Jay-Z Reached Out To Him Before NFL Deal

His latest NBC interview shows that resentment has not softened. Kaepernick called Jay “another player” in what he sees as repeated efforts to discredit him since Roc Nation aligned with the NFL. “He has built the alignment with the NFL, the NFL that has blackballed me,” Kaepernick said. The league has long denied that it blackballed him. He also accused Jay of doing “reputational recovery” rather than confronting why the partnership drew so much criticism in the first place.

Target has now created another point of contrast between them. Jay partnered with the retailer for an exclusive anniversary edition of Reasonable Doubt after the company drew backlash for rolling back some diversity initiatives. Kaepernick has chosen not to sell The Perilous Fight in Target stores and is instead working with the National Association of Black Bookstores for his tour.

The post Colin Kaepernick Has Strong Words For Jay-Z appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

James, 63, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. Chico, 60, was booked on the same allegation and on an outstanding warrant, though police have not publicly detailed what the warrant involved. Both SUVs were towed from the scene. It was not immediately clear whether either brother had entered a plea or retained an attorney.

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Read More: R&B Singer Chico DeBarge Impersonates Brother, Charged With Drug Possession & DUI

Similar Incident Happened 5 Years Ago

The Burbank setting carries some unusual history for Chico. In January 2021, police pulled him over in the same city after they said he was driving at night without headlights or license plates. Chico allegedly identified himself as James when officers asked for his name. Police later said they found methamphetamine and heroin during the stop, and he was charged with drug possession, DUI, and false impersonation, according to TMZ. He had also been arrested on a drug allegation in Burbank in 2019.

Substance abuse and legal trouble have been publicly documented for both brothers well beyond those incidents. Chico served prison time after a 1988 federal cocaine-trafficking conviction and later spoke openly about becoming dependent on prescription painkillers after being stabbed in 2003. That experience informed his 2009 album Addiction. James has faced his own drug-related cases. The Los Angeles Times reported after his 2014 narcotics arrest that court records showed a 2011 drug-possession conviction and 2012 convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and drug possession.

Their names remain closely tied to the DeBarge musical dynasty, although their careers followed different paths. James performed with DeBarge during the group’s Motown run, which produced classics including “All This Love,” “I Like It” and “Rhythm of the Night.” Chico pursued a solo career and scored R&B hits including “Talk to Me” and “Give You What You Want (Fa Sure).” James’ history also became intertwined with another famous musical family through his brief 1984 marriage to Janet Jackson. In her 2022 documentary Janet, Jackson spoke about the difficulty of that relationship and said James’ drug use contributed to its collapse.

Read More: Chico DeBarge Grieving Loss Of Son Following Stabbing Death: Report

The post Chico And James DeBarge Arrested On Drug Charges In Burbank appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

One of those assets was his life rights. Dame Dash is an important person in the history of hip-hop, and there is money to be made on his story. Whether that be through a documentary, a biopic, or even a book.

Just last month, the trustee behind Dame Dash’s bankruptcy presented a plan in which his life rights would be auctioned off. On Tuesday, Judge Roberta A. Colton agreed to the plan, putting the auction in motion.

According to Complex, the auction will last until September 23, and creditors will be receiving the final payout. The opening bid is $37,000, with Everlasting Films, LLC getting the party started. The winner of the auction will go home with “100 hours of video content, photographs, and memorabilia.” Additionally, they get  “an unreleased, in-development documentary/film project.”

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

Dame Dash Life Rights Bidding Begins

All of the bids must go up in increments of $10,000. Therefore, if you want to become the current highest bidder, you will need to bid $47K. At this time, it is unclear what the interest will be in the life rights, although $37K is doubtful to be the final closing price.

Charlamagne Tha God had previously expressed interest in buying the rights to Dame Dash’s story, although there was certainly a bit of trolling being done with those comments.

Ultimately, the Dame Dash situation is a sad one and a cautionary tale at that. The fact that he cannot profit from the story of his own life is tragic in many respects.

Read More: Kanye’s Katrina, George Bush Criticism Hits Differently 21 Years Later

The post Dame Dash’s Life Rights Are Officially Going To Auction appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

This marks the first-ever retro for this colorway. The “Ginger” colorway was originally released back in 2001. It’s never gotten a proper rerelease since then, despite steady demand from collectors. Now that the pair is finally making a return, hype is building.

The style code is IX7269-700. Jordan Brand is keeping the Light Ginger, Dark Charcoal, and white color scheme intact. That’s the same buttery suede look fans have wanted back for years.

Michael Jordan actually wore this pair on court. He laced them during his time with the Washington Wizards and it’s that connection has only made the colorway more desirable as the years passed. Adding history like this to a sneaker is going to excite fans for sure.

Rumors about a “Ginger” retro have circulated on and off for over a decade. A sample pair even surfaced back in 2012, sparking hope that never panned out. This time, the date looks locked in for real.

Read More: Suge Knight Called Out By Lead Tupac Prosecutor: “Why Did You Have Biggie Killed?”

Air Jordan 16 “Ginger”

The Air Jordan 16 stood out from the moment it dropped in 2001. It introduced a removable shroud that covered the laces entirely. No Jordan model before it had really tried anything like that.

The “Ginger” colorway leaned into that unique design with an all-leather build. Some fans have compared its look to premium Timberland boots. That’s a big part of why it still feels fresh today.

Despite that reputation, the Air Jordan 16 rarely gets retro attention. Its first-ever rerelease didn’t come until 2008, years after launch. Collaborations have been just as rare, with only a couple ever happening.

That scarcity is exactly why this “Ginger” return feels significant. A colorway this overlooked finally getting its due says something. For longtime Jordan 16 fans, this one’s been a long time coming.

Read More: JAŸ-Z Announces Virtual Listening Party, Speculation Ensues

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