Gotti mostly stayed on the sidelines and in September of that year, in a video, downplayed any animosity between himself and Dolph.Īt the start of 2017, it seemed possible that the whole affair might have been a winking feud manufactured by both men for publicity. Through 2016, the bickering was largely between Dolph and members of Gotti’s camp, namely CMG-signed artist Blac Youngsta, who threw a Dolph diss into one of his tracks and filmed a video of himself prowling Dolph’s South Memphis neighborhood heavily armed.

The title alone was incendiary, seen as a direct challenge to Gotti’s claim on that position. He subsequently released his full-length debut “The King of Memphis”, which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard chart. In the winter of 2016, Dolph again alluded to Gotti and his decision not to sign to his CMG label on Twitter. The record also earned the support of his peers, from Lil Wayne to Pusha T, who guest on the project, to Kanye West, who performed with Gotti during a release party in Los Angeles. The album would go on to spawn a top five rap and top 20 pop single in 'Down in the DM' that has been certified platinum. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, and quickly proved a breakthrough for the veteran MC. Still, the Dolph-Gotti beef remained a background issue as Gotti’s star began to rise. Gotti, who got his start in the mid-'90s as one of the city's quintessential street rappers, released the breakout LP 'The Art of Hustle' in 2016. ► More: Memphis man Corey McClendon arrested in Young Dolph shooting

Though it’s never been confirmed - by both parties, anyway - the roots of the feud likely began in 2014, when Dolph - then just emerging as a mixtape artist - began saying publicly that he’d turned down an offer to join Gotti’s CMG record label. Gotti associate, Blac Youngsta (real name, Sammie Benson), was among the men charged in that incident. In February, he was fired at in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s the second time he’s been shot this year.

In Tuesday's shooting, Dolph was critically injured, but is expected to survive. The charges against Gotti were dropped in the 2010 brawl due to a lack of witnesses. However, McClendon and Gotti were both arrested in 2010 after five people were shot in the parking lot of Level II nightclub on American Way. Police said they do not know if McClendon and Gotti are associates.

Play yo gotti music