7) Lorenzo Fat Cat Nichols, Queens, New York In 1976, the group was formed by a small bunch of Detroit neighborhood friends all in their late teens at Birney Elementary School's playground. Some of the retail districts such as Grand River near Joy Rd, Mack Vandyke area, and 12th St never recovered from the riot of 67. While there are other sections, like the Southwest, Highland Park, and the North End, the East Side and West Side hold the majority of the population, which means the two sides hold the majority of the streets. His story has been covered in numerous DVDs and books like Copshot. 11. In the Chocolate City, things were going down by any means necessary and Silk took this attitude to new extremes with broad daylight killings. Before 50 Cent became a megastar its alleged Supreme has him shot and rumors allege he had a hand in Jam Master Jay from Run DMCs demise also, but this has never been proven. Detroit Even today, that area is better-than-average. In the chronicles of gangster lore and hip-hop legend some gun thugs, drug barons and crime bosses have stood the test of time and their mythologies have towered above their contemporaries. magazine and profiled in Queens Reigns Supreme and The Dope Game Misadventures of Fat Cat and Pappy Mason. 1) Wayne Silk Perry, Washington DC Wershe rise to fame blew peoples minds and created frenzied news coverage. I can also say most of Brightmoor was lily white and was one of the worst areas of the city. Unlike the Buttrum brothers and their Pony Down crew who looked to challenge top dog YBI at every opportunity or DFG which did an end-around and went out of state to move the bulk of its drugs, the Curry brothers were content to play second-fiddle to Butch Jones and his Young Boys empire. Kid Kingpin Historians have blamed the crack storm that engulfed DC on Rayful. As a teenager he did business with Colombian cartels and ironically destroyed the same Northeast neighborhood he grew up in, but at the same time helping residents by paying rents and buying clothes and food for them. Chapman claimed that he first encountered Sgt. DETROIT - The former drug kingpin at the center of the "White Boy Rick" Wershe saga said he's got nothing against the man who ratted on him to police . After almost two decades in prison Ross got his case overturned and is now back in the real world, using his expertise to change lives and make his fortune. The movement eventually led to 8 Mile Road to become the racial dividing line between the Detroit ghetto and the suburban communities of Oakland County. No matter how much we love our modern life in the Motor City, theres something uniquely exciting about checking out vintage photographs of Detroit. Jones cooperated with federal authorities for a lesser sentence. As the population is decreasing, the number of vacant properties are increasing. Do you mean, you weren't around because you weren't possibly born yet [[ 1982 ) or because you grew up someplace else? Nice brick homes. Usher, with another founder, Harold Morton, led the Muder Row Gang, the "most feared drug conglomerate in Detroit," from its founding in 1975 to 1979, according to Gangster Report, a website founded by Detroit crime historians Al Profit and Oakland Press reporter Scott M. Burnstein. Most neighborhoods were still intact in the 70s. After being buried in the BOPs Supermax prison in ADX Florence for almost 20 years, Wayne is now in the Washington State system serving out his life sentence. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Annes, Dates Back To The 1700s And You Need To See It, 11 Vintage Photos Of Detroits Streets That Will Take You Back In Time, This Is What Detroit Looked Like 100 Years Ago And It May Surprise You, 6 Historic Neighborhoods In Detroit That Will Take You Back In Time, Wikimedia Commons/Library of Congress/John Margolies, Wikimedia Commons/Historic American Buildings Survey. They're calling it . When Little Man married Cathy, he went from just another big time dealer to being practically untouchable. It was a spoon specially designed to stir steaming brews, a spoon with no bad intentions. Many owned small businesses and garnered community tolerance through donations, loans, and gifts. Detroit, Michigan Check out his story in Rayful Edmond: Washington DCs Most Notorious Drug Lord. 4) Howard Pappy Mason, Queens, New York Him and Maserati Rick were childhood friends with pro-boxing champion Tommy Hearns and would travel with him and his entourage to fights. Many gangs, such as "Best Friends", "Pony Down", "Black Mafia Family", and "The Chambers Brothers", rose to prominence in the wake of the YBI and were featured together in a Black Entertainment Television documentary series entitled American Gangster. 16 Meanwhile, a week after Orr declared bankruptcy, city officials announced that the Detroit public would cover more than half the cost of the Detroit Red Wings' $450 million new stadium, Little Caesars Arena, to be built in Most of these connections were consummated the day Johnny married Cathy Volsan, a favored niece of longtime Mayor Coleman A. The most famous were the two brothers from the West Sides Puritan Avenue, Big Meech and Southwest T. From the West Side of Detroit, to becoming a nationwide crew, BMF was one of the largest groups of righteous hustlers to ever come out of the urban communities of any American city. Claim to Fame: Pistol Pete acquired a reputation as a ruthless killer, who made millions in the drug game in the late 80s and early 90s. At his peak, DEA records estimate he was moving hundreds of kilos per week across the Midwest. I say practically because he wound up getting busted, but only after he stayed around probably a good five years longer than he should have. Cathy testified under oath in 1992 that Hill tipped her and Curry off in 1986 about their home telephone being bugged by federal surveillance experts. Fox 2 reports ATF agents and Wayne County sheriff's deputies arrested Usher Thursday morning after searching his large home in Southfield. Story: Now serving a life sentence in the BOP at USP Lee, Supreme remains a legend in hip-hop and the streets. His story has been profiled in Don Diva magazine, Street Legends and Random Family. He was known for busting his guns with no conscious, a modern day Billy the Kid. Detroit's Neighborhoods in the 70s SINCE 1997 Where all things great and small regarding the Fabulous Detroit-Windsor International Metropolis are Discussed. It was said that when Wayne was on the streets, certain hustlers wouldnt even drive nice cars because they didnt want Wayne to think they were getting money and take their shit. Amphetamine, popularly known as speed or uppers . DeFauw said the feds considered several possibilities regarding where the Miltons got the order from to kill Holloway, including Kincaid and his camp, the two remaining Brown Brothers, Rocking Reggie and Boogaloo, and the Black Ed Hanserd crew. We notice that you are using an, Where all things great and small regarding the. *Note: All information is provided through people of the community, outside sources, and research. Story: An epic and controversial figure, Freeway Ricky has single-handedly been blamed for the crack epidemic. African-American As a curious kid I rode buses all over the city, and once i had my drivers license and a car around 1976, went exploring everywhere. Always having a private jet on standby, Holloway frequently went on lavish gambling-spree weekends in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, famously winning or losing millions at the dice and blackjack tables in single sittings. Wonderful Wayne), Bernard Boykins (aka Bone Man) and Charles Lindsey (a.k.a. Mafia 1. His cars were straight out of a James Bond flick and his illicit wealth attracted the wrong kind of attention from law enforcement with led to his downfall to the tune of a life sentence in the feds. He has been connected to rap stars Eminem and Kid Rick who are attracted to his infamy and iconic status. Dwayne Davis (a.k.a. The members of the organization would deposit large amounts of cash derived from the sale of drugs into various bank accounts; purchase cashier's checks and money orders; and wire transfer these funds. Umm, no, not Grandmont. Big Boy) was paroled from prison and joined the organization. Cass corridor and some midtown downtown areas looked worse than many of the neighborhoods in Detroit. Mob Hits He made too much money and had too big a profile. Watching "The Wire" gives an example of the streets of Baltimore from the 1970s to the early 1990s, but only in a modern-day perspective. FBI records allege Holloway was feuding with Benji Kincaid at this time too. The Detroit Drug Wars (Part 1) 9 years ago Scott Burnstein You are unauthorized to view this page. Not even close to Grandmont. He had a deep understanding of street politics and he knew how to exploit certain very complex and dangerous angles and use them to his advantage.. After about a year, the crew, along with new members from Boston, took over most of that city's heroin trade. Ghost and Wizard Brown were killed within days of each other in December 1986. Outside of the West Side and the East Side, there is the Southwest section of Detroit. They liked it that way. Currently, the city of Detroit has been losing residents year by year. He was the namesake of the gang and the alleged mastermind behind the Carol City organization that left a trial of bodies on Miamis streets. And big time guys, with lots of juice already without her in the picture. Led by twin brothers, Johnny and Leonard Curry, the gang was centered on the Eastside, conveniently stashed away from primary YBI and Pony Down sales districts further west. Hoyt, who worked the late . Two years later, Butch Jones (a.k.a. After the trial was finished but before the verdict was returned by the jury, the three men, Carlos Ellis Powell, age 39, of Washington Township, MI, Eric Jerome Powell, age 36, of Franklin Farms, MI, and Earnest Lee Proge, Jr., age 38, of Detroit, MI, fled the courthouse. When the curtain finally came down on the gangs tenure in the late-1980s, cocaine was the product being pushed, specifically crack. Demetrius Holloway Black Mafia Family boss Demetrius (Big Meech) Flenory, born and raised in Detroit and America's most notorious dope boss of the last three decades, is alleged to have taken his. Within a matter of months of walking free, Holloway planted his flag, building a mammoth wholesale cocaine operation with reach into every nook and cranny of the business in the state of Michigan. He was eventually tied to the murder of the New York police officer with Pappy Mason that shocked the nation and ushered in the current War on Drugs. I couldn't believe it when I saw that name out of the deep, distant, and unmissed past pop up here. He put fear into the hearts of people in DC like no other during his run. Drug Lord In the car with him was Bobby Brown. The press called him the Puerto Rican James Bond due to his fleet of cars and all the gadgets he accessorized them with. The industry was pioneered in Ferndale when Fred and Margaret Cohen opened the first F&M in 1955. Black Mafia Family boss Demetrius (Big Meech) Flenory, born and raised in Detroit and Americas most notorious dope boss of the last three decades, is alleged to have taken his nickname from Demetrius Holloway, who was the king of the coke game in Motown during the late 1980s. Registration is free and required for posting. Detroit's . both drug dealers, had been friends for a year. Share old school and new school stories and pics and promote Detroit Culture. Supreme was one of the most notorious street figures out of Southeast Queens and his name has transcended New York City due to the countless namedrops of his crew, the Supreme Team in hip-hop and popular culture. That was fine by them. Murder Row imploded in the early 1980s in the aftermath of the Michigan Federated Democratic Social Club Massacre and the beheadings of two members and a members girlfriend. Associating with a colorful cast of drug and gun thugs that held sway in the city like Maserati Rick, the Chambers Brothers, Best Friends and D. Holloway. They were convicted of the hit a decade later. The drug ring, which was one of the largest in metro-Detroit history, also laundered in excess of $21 million in U.S. currency. Cathy wasnt arrested, but named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, which mapped out her husbands airtight control of numerous Eastside drug houses and increase in power and territory acquisition after the incarceration of Butch Jones and Le Roy Buttrum. He recruited the four towering and brutish Brown brothers (Rocking Reggie, Boogaloo, Ghost, & Wizard,) and their Best Friends crew to be his enforcement wing. Harold Chapman, a heroin and cocaine dealer given immunity for his testimony, stated that Sgt. Map of Chicago Gangs (Full Tour of Chicago Hoods), Map of Bay Area Hoods (Full Tour of Bay Area Streets), **All Lists Are Currently Being Updated**. Archives They have been mentioned in countless rap songs, interviewed in magazines like Don Diva and had documentaries like MIYayo put out by the rapper Rick Ross, glorifying their exploits in the drug game. Check out his story in The Dope Game Misadventures of Fat Cat and Pappy Mason. New York He got in the game as an informant, turned into a legend and is now serving life because of his notoriety in the Michigan State system. Sending out the chilling message from prison, We lose one, they lose one. He was tried and convicted on all counts. Bham you lack of knowledge of the city is beyond astonishing. They operated for about another six years, taking the group to another level until crack cocaine quickly surpassed heroin as the inner-city drug of choice.