New testimony on an alleged murder-for-hire plot, with one of the admitted gunmen claiming that Big Jook, brother of Yo Gotti, was behind the deadly order that killed Young Dolph.
On Monday, August 18, Cornelius Smith took the stand and gave graphic details of the setup that led to the Memphis rap star’s death. Smith identified Hernandez Govan as the “middleman” in the scheme, describing him as the connection between the shooters and those who wanted Dolph gone.
Smith testified that he first met Govan in 2021 through Bobby Carter, who introduced Govan as a drug supplier. What started as dealings over ecstasy and oxycodone escalated when Govan allegedly began discussing bounties. “He was telling us who had the most money on his head. Young Dolph had the most money on his head. If you kill Young Dolph, you getting $100,000,” Smith told the court.
Get this, he added that the bounty was allegedly ordered by Big Jook, an executive at Cinematic Music Group and Yo Gotti’s brother, who had been tied to Dolph’s long-running feud with Gotti. Smith also claimed other artists connected to Dolph’s Paper Route Empire label had bounties placed on them as well.
Smith recalled how opportunities were scouted, including Dolph’s annual Thanksgiving giveaway. “That’s our opportunity to make something shake,” he said. Though not familiar with Paper Route Empire’s inner workings, Smith admitted he knew Dolph’s music. “I don’t know nothing about what Paper Route do.”
On the day of the shooting, Smith testified that Justin Johnson, also known as Straight Drop, received a tip about Dolph’s location. The two began tailing him. “Anything could shake right now. We going to get somebody. Tomorrow is our day. We going to strike somebody. We going to get lucky tomorrow,” Smith recounted.
He described the moment they spotted Dolph’s vehicle. “They come, driving across the light and we spotted the car. We were like, there they go. We proceed the trail Young Dolph,” Smith said. “Once we saw him, we didn’t say nothing. We knew it was go time.”
Smith painted a chilling picture of the ambush. “Once we pulled in, that’s when I saw Young Dolph closest to the glass,” he testified. Gunfire erupted, striking Dolph fatally.
Smith himself was wounded during the attack. “Once we left the cookie shop, I was telling Justin I was hit. He like ‘I was hit too,’” Smith said. “Justin was driving at the time. I was asking him cause he was driving, so he wouldn’t crash.”
They eventually fled to a house near Govan’s residence. “I jumped out the Mercedes Benz, jumped into a Suburban truck, and moved out the way,” Smith recounted. “I was bleeding incredibly bad. We were trying to get cleaned up. And we were trying to find somewhere to go.”
Horrible all around.