Yella Beezy, best known for his breakout trap hit “That’s On Me,” has been arrested in the 2020 shooting death of fellow rapper MO3.
Authorities apprehended the 33-year-old emcee, born Markies Conway, and booked him into the Dallas County Jail Thursday afternoon after a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to jail and court records obtained by USA TODAY. On Friday, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the rapper remains in custody on a $2 million bail.
The arrest came two days after a grand jury charged Beezy with felony murder in the death of MO3, who was shot and killed in the middle of the day on a Dallas highway.
On Tuesday, a jury indicted Beezy on a charge of “capital murder while remuneration,” alleging that the Texas-born rapper “intentionally and knowingly” participated in the death of MO3 (real name: Melvin Noble) by hiring Kewon White to kill him for payment and the “promise of remuneration,” according to a copy of the indictment.
“Pursuant to said agreement, Kewon White did then and there intentionally and knowingly cause the death of (Noble) by shooting (him) with (a) firearm,” according to the charge.
According to Dallas news outlets KDFW and WFAA, White was arrested a month after MO3’s death and is now serving a nine-year prison sentence for firearm charges related to the shooting.
How did MO3 die?
Following MO3’s death on November 11, 2020, police told USA TODAY that the shooting suspect, an adult Black male, exited his stopped dark sedan armed with a firearm and approached MO3, who exited his stationary vehicle and began running southbound on the highway.
The suspect, now identified as White, chased MO3, shooting multiple times and striking him. According to a police report obtained by USA TODAY at the time, the rapper was taken to an area hospital and died as a result of injuries. MO3 was 28 years old.
White also struck an innocent bystander, an adult male sitting in a separate vehicle. The second victim was also taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were described as non-fatal.
Who is Yella Beezy?
When Beezy was a teenager, he began releasing his own mixtapes, which launched his musical career.
His breakthrough came with the 2017 mixtape “Lite Work, Vol. 2,” which included the single “That’s On Me.” The trap track reportedly peaked at No. 25 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and reached No. 56 on the Hot 100.
A star-studded 2018 remix included appearances by 2 Chainz, T.I., Rich the Kid, Jeezy, Boosie Badazz, and Trap Boy Freddie.
In recent years, Beezy has worked with top hip-hop artists such as Chris Brown, Ty Dolla Sign, Young Thug, and Gunna.
Beezy’s last album, “Bad Azz Yella Boy,” was released in August 2022.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY.
