Who killed Big Jook?

Big Jook was allegedly involved in the Nov. 2021 murder of Young Dolph, according to statements from Justin Johnson’s trial on Sept. 23, 2024. Does this mean someone from Dolph’s Paper Route Empire killed Jook in revenge?

Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman alleged during the trial of Dolph’s murder that Big Jook had reportedly put a $100,000 hit out on his fellow Memphis hip-hop musician Young Dolph, triggering his murder in Nov. 2021. However, Jook himself was also tragically killed in a shooting outside a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, in Jan. 2024.

The latest development in Dolph’s case has once again brought both the murder cases to media attention. And people are wondering — was Jook’s death a shoot-out for vengeance?

What happened to Big Jook?

Anthony Mims, known popularly as Big Jook was a Memphis rapper heavily involved in the operations of his younger brother and rapper Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG). His connection to the CMG made him an influential figure and the target of rivals. However, he was well-respected within the local rap community regardless.

On Jan. 13, 2024, Jook had just attended the funeral of Eric Bovan — a well-known Memphis cocaine kingpin in the 1980s, when he was suddenly gunned down. The incident occurred outside Perignons Restaurant & Event Center, and although another victim was injured, Jook was pronounced deceased at the hospital while the other victim survived. But who shot him?

Big Jook’s murder mystery and its link to the Yo Gotti and Young Dolph feud

Eight months after the shooting and Jook’s death, the investigation into the murder case is still ongoing. The police do not have any suspects as of Sept. 2024, but the deep-rooted rivalry between CMG and Dolph’s Paper Route Empire is considered a possible driver behind his cold-blooded murder. This rivalry stemmed from personal and professional tensions that soon escalated into a public feud, resulting in diss tracks, social media spats, and possibly, real-life violence.

The murder of Young Dolph in Nov. 2021 further fueled this rivalry, and though no direct link to Yo Gotti or CMG has been confirmed in his murder, speculations are that the rivalry played a part in both Dolph and Jook’s murders. Though two men, named Cornelius Smith and Justin Johnson have been identified and arrested in Dolph’s murder using surveillance video as evidence, the police have yet to make any arrests in Jook’s murder case, which means his killer remains unknown.