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Lil JoJo

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Lil JoJo
Lil JoJo in Englewood, Chicago
Born
Joseph J. Coleman

(1994-04-06)April 6, 1994
DiedSeptember 4, 2012(2012-09-04) (aged 18)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of deathDrive-by shooting
Burial placeMount Hope Cemetery
Chicago, Illinois U.S.
OccupationRapper
Years active2010–2012
OrganizationGangster Disciples
MotherRobin Wilson

Joseph J. Coleman (April 6, 1994 – September 4, 2012), known professionally as Lil Jojo, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois who garnered distinction in Chicago's early drill music genre. He was affiliated with a faction of the Gangster Disciples that was a rival of factions of the Black Disciples. He rose to prominence in the local drill scene with his single 3HunnaK and its accompanying music video, which was a diss song to rival members that exacerbated already hostile intergang disputes. Amidst that time period of escalating feuding and heightening tension, Lil JoJo was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago at the age of 18.

Lil JoJo's death was highly publicized, and the circumstances surrounding his murder are remembered by Chicago residents as a landmark instance of the city's intensifying gang violence problem. To date, law enforcement has not made any arrests in connection to the event and the case remains open.[1]

Early life

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Coleman was born in Chicago, Illinois as Joseph Coleman[1] on April 6, 1994, to his mother Robin Wilson. His father's identity has not been disclosed publicly. Joseph Coleman was raised by his mother after his father was sentenced to 13 years in prison for attempted murder.[2] Lil JoJo grew up at 69th and Parnell Avenue.[3] His older brother is rapper Swagg Dinero.[4]

At some point, Coleman was initiated into a set of the local Gangster Disciples gang. His membership has been confirmed by law enforcement.[5]

Rap career

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Coleman's rap music was primarily of the drill music variety that at the time was gaining a newfound popularity amongst Chicago locals. Coleman's music started gaining more widespread attention after posting the music video song titled "3HunnaK" on August 31, 2012. The title of the song is exemplary of the gang rivalry that he was entrenched in at the time. The '3Hunna' portion of the title refers to Chief Keef's song 3Hunna and the 'K' letter of the title stands for 'killer'. The song's alternate title is BDK which is a lyrical focal point of the song's chorus, which repeatedly reiterates

"These niggas claim 300, but we BDK"

BDK is an acronym that stands for 'Black Disciple Killer', which expresses the oppositional stance against rival members of the Black Disciples gang, of which Chief Keef is a prominent member. The music video for the song is noted for its extreme shock value, depicting teenage Lil JoJo and his enterouge with guns poised in an intimidating fashion. Garry McCarthy, the Chief of Police of the Chicago Police Department, at the time reported that the reciprocated diss songs between rivals exacerbates conflict:

"That's all part of the problem, they go back and forth. Tit for tat. On social media and in these raps the kid [Lil JoJo] does he's talking about violence and really taunting people."

The rap feud between Lil JoJo's clique and Chief Keef clique, had sparked concerns about the condition of Chicago's rap scene and the blurring of the lines dividing musical entertainment from authentic gang adversarialism.[6]

Death

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Coleman was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago on September 4, 2012, not soon after posting the music video for his song 3HunnaK to YouTube.

In the days prior to the shooting, extensive vitriol was exchanged via social media, particular Twitter, between Lil JoJo's camp and rival members of other sets. Among this exchange were insults from Lil JoJo directed towards Chief Keef's camp.[7][8]

Drive-by shooting

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On the day of the shooting, Coleman and his clique traveled via car to Parkway Garden Homes, a low-income residential building complex near to where the rapper Chief Keef lived. En route passing by the area, Lil JoJo and companions recorded themselves taunting Chief Keef's clique in a contentious quarrel.[5] Speaking from the car vehicle, Lil JoJo and passengers trade derisive remarks with rapper Lil Reese and his companions who were outside at the time. The exchange concludes with Lil Reese retorting "Jo, I'ma kill you".[9]

Later that day, at 6:13pm, Lil JoJo shared on his Twitter account that he was on the 6900 block of South Princeton Avenue on the Chicago's South Side. Police reports state that at approximately 7:30pm, shots were fired out of the front driver seat of a sedan vehicle at Lil JoJo on 70th and Princeton Ave as the vehicle was riding eastbound on 70th Street, west of Princeton Avenue. Video surveillance footage from a private residence captured the onset and endings of the event. Lil JoJo is seen on video riding on the pegs of a friend's bicycle. Upon the attack, he attempted to flee northbound on Princeton Avenue, but collapsed on the sidewalk. The unidentified bicycle rider companion of Lil JoJo is seen running in the opposite direction of the shooting on the camera footage. Coleman was transported to University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Six 9mm shell cartridges were found at the crime scene. [4][5][10][3]

Investigations

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Subsequent investigations by the Chicago Police Department found not leads or viable persons of interest in the murder of Lil JoJo. Initially, the Chicago Police Department stated that there was a chance that Chief Keef, Lil Reese, or Lil Durk was involved.[11] Police logged into Chief Keef's Twitter account but found no evidence warranting an arrest.[12] Notably, a few hours after the incident, Chief Keef tweeted

"Hahahahahahaha… It’s sad cuz ... JoJo wanted to be jus like us #LMAO,"

This tweet sparked controversy. However, Chief Keef later backpeddled this statement claiming that his Twitter account had been hacked.[13] Coleman's mother expressed suspicions that Chief Keef's clique may have been involved in the shooting. In a 2012 BET TV interview during the show "Don't Sleep" hosted by T. J. Holmes, she purported that Chief Keef possibly hired a hitman in order to kill her son. She also expressed her disbelief in Chief Keef's claim that his account was hacked when the tweet mocking the death of Coleman was made and that she feared she would've been killed herself.[14][15] Chief Keef has firmly denied any involvement with the murder of Lil JoJo.[16] He tweeted after the news coverage of Lil JoJo's murder grew:

Man, been thinkin bout this chicago street shit a lot.My prayers go out 2 Jojo's family on their loss. i didn't know him but he young jus like me. i can assure everyone that i had nothin 2 do with this tragedy tho. my twitter acct was hacked.

Rappers such as 50 Cent and Waka Flocka Flame made comments discouraging scapegoating Chief Keef for the murder. Waka Flocka Flame suggested that Chief Keef was being "vilified".[17][18] Chicago police have hypothesized that Keith “Keke” Bonds. Bonds was a 26 year old member of Black Disciples. He was fatally shot on September 17, 2012 near a tree on the west side of Normal Boulevard a territorial area of the Black Disciples.[19][20] In 2013, Lil JoJo's older brother claimed that Lil Jojo's killer was dead, tweeting

"Even da opps know da mf who took my bro aint walkin dis earth nomore"[4]

In 2022, Chief Keef started getting involved in an online confrontation with another Chicago rapper called Lupe Fiasco which came after Chief Keef made mocking tweets of Coleman which subsequently caused local authorities to investigate these tweets as evidence of his involvement in Coleman's death.[21]

Funeral

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The funeral for Joseph Coleman was held in the Southwest Side funeral home. The police had to arrive due to a group of teens at the funeral disturbing the event. One of the teens was reportedly yelling "Get the fuck out".[22] A crew of the teens surrounded and almost toppled the casket with Coleman's body in it.[23]

He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.[24]

Legacy

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Lil Jojo's grave pictured in September 2024

A few months after the death of Coleman, a teenager by the name of Joshua Davis also known by his alias, JayLoud, was murdered for, supposedly, wearing a hoodie in commemoration of Coleman using his rapper name, Lil JoJo, on 2000 block of West 69th Street at 11:30 PM in west Englewood, Chicago.[25] The hoodie that David one said the words "JoJo World".[26] Davis was taken to the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois where, an hour later, Davis was pronounced dead.[27] This and the death of Coleman showed a rise in the escalation of the feud between the Black Disciples and the Gangster Disciples in Chicago.[28]

In 2013, a Chicago play named "Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology" used the death of Coleman in the play in which Scott Baity Jr. played Coleman.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Rap panic! Hip-hop may be No. 1 but it's not the enemy". Chicago Sun-Times. 2012-09-10. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  2. ^ Cardoso, Paul (2022-04-07). "Lil Jojo – Biography, Age, Net Worth, Brother, Death". Naija News. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  3. ^ a b Mauli, Chad (August 6, 2023). "The Final Hours of Lil Jojo DOCUMENTARY". Raptology: Rap News - Rap Music - Rap Contests - Rap Articles. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Swagg Dinero Says Brother Lil JoJo's Killer Is Dead". Welcome to Kollegekidd.com. November 18, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Daly, Michael (2012-10-07). "Chicago Rapper Lil JoJo Went to His Grave for Taunting a Rival Gang Member". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  6. ^ McVeigh, Karen (2012-09-13). "Chicago hip-hop feud deepens after death of Joseph 'Lil Jojo' Coleman". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  7. ^ Trykowski, Tyler (2013-07-10). "Lil Durk: For Better or Worse, Still Signed to the Streets". VICE. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  8. ^ "Trap Lore Ross on "Gangs of Chicago – 300 vs JoJo World"". HipHopCanada. 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  9. ^ Poe, Tef (2012-09-21). "The Demonization of Chief Keef and Lil JoJo". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  10. ^ "Lil JoJo Dead: Teen Chicago Rapper Joseph Coleman Fatally Shot, Police Investigate Chief Keef's Tweets". HuffPost. 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  11. ^ Grossberg, Josh (2012-09-06). "Rapper Lil JoJo Shot to Death—Police Probing Possibility of a Hip-Hop Feud or Gang Involvement". E!. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  12. ^ Gilmer, Marcus (2012-09-14). "While feuds simmer, no charges in Lil Jojo shooting". WBEZ. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  13. ^ "Chief Keef Laughs Off Rival Rapper's Death". WMAQ-TV. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  14. ^ Meara, Paul (2012-12-04). "Lil JoJo's Mother says Chief Keef is to Blame for Her Son's Death". Complex Networks. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  15. ^ Francis, Marquise (2012-12-03). "Lil Jojo's mother blames rapper Chief Keef for her son's murder". TheGrio. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  16. ^ "Did Chief Keef Admit To Ordering Lil JoJo's Murder? [VIDEO]". Urban One. 2012-12-30. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  17. ^ Bark, Theo (2012-12-28). "Waka Flocka Flame Defends Chief Keef: 'They Make a Kid Look Like a Villain'". The Boombox. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  18. ^ Gaynor, Gerren Keith (2012-09-06). "Cops Look into Chief Keef's Twitter in Murder of Rapper Lil JoJo". Black Enterprise. ISSN 0006-4165. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  19. ^ Gorner, Jeremy; Tribune, Chicago (June 18, 2014). "Memorials become a familiar sight in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Black Disciple Gang Member Killed in Retaliation for Lil JoJo's Murder?". Welcome to Kollegekidd.com. October 29, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Lilah, Rose (2022-11-21). "Chief Keef Under Investigation Involving Lil JoJo's Death". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  22. ^ Gorner, Jeremy (2012-09-14). "Funeral home cleared during slain rapper's service". Chicago Tribune. ISSN 2165-171X. OCLC 7960243. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  23. ^ "Video: Lil' JoJo's Casket Photo Leaked, Hip-Hop Funeral Turns Violent". rollingout.com. 2012-09-16. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  24. ^ Daly, Michael (July 14, 2017). "Chicago Rapper Lil JoJo Went to His Grave for Taunting a Rival Gang Member". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  25. ^ Ford, Quinn (2012-12-26). "Teen Rapper JayLoud Shot Dead While Wearing Lil JoJo Hoodie, Family Says". DNAinfo. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  26. ^ "Family: Teen Rapper Shot For Wearing Hoodie". WMAQ-TV. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  27. ^ "Family Believes Teen Killed In Ongoing South Side Rap Feud". CBS News. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  28. ^ Lilah, Rose (2022-11-21). "Chicago Rapper JayLoud Killed Wearing Lil JoJo Hoodie". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  29. ^ Hauser, Alisa (2013-02-12). "Lil Jojo Death, Bucktown Beating Part of 'Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology'". DNAinfo. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
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