In the six days that have followed the tragic shooting at New York City’s Irving Plaza that left one man dead and several others injured, details have slowly begun leaking out. One of the shooting victims is a model who is suing the NYPD, we know that a 33-year-old Troy Ave affiliate, Ronald McPhatter, died from the injuries he suffered during the incident, and of course, Troy Ave himself has been arrested and charged. Furthermore, his bail was denied last night after he pled not guilty to attempted murder charges.
However, a main detail of what transpired the night of May 25th has gone unspoken: Why? What led to gunfire erupting between apparent foes, and why did Troy Ave emerge from a backstage green room limping, firing into a crowded venue?
A new report from DNAInfo suggests that the raucous was sparked by not a beef between rival crews, but between Troy Ave and a music writer that wrote unfavorable things about him in the press.
According to sources, the dispute started when Troy Ave became enraged at the sight of a music industry writer who had recently criticized him.
“It was someone who covers the rap industry and gave Troy Ave a bad rap that started it all,” one source said.
Words were exchanged and then members of Troy Ave and Maino’s entourages, and Maino himself, joined in. Punches were thrown and a full-blown brawl broke out.
Authorities and investigators have not release details that either substantiate or discredit this report, but should it be true, it wouldn’t be the first time we would’ve witnessed Troy Ave cry foul about a music writer’s assessment of him. Infamously, back in 2014, former Noisey/Vice music writer Drew Millard penned an op-ed on the Brooklyn rapper titled “Troy Ave: Rap Game George W. Bush,” that enraged Ave and his camp so much they began trolling Millard on social media, and Ave denounced Millard in several subsequent interviews.
