Lil Baby, who was born Dominique Jones in Atlanta, is in trouble with authorities who have implicated his Four Pockets Full (4PF) record label in violent crime and various deaths. The allegations have caused a stir in the music industry and beyond about the connection between rap life and crime. Under scrutiny is an act of brutality that allegedly began over an argument during production work in May 2024 in an attempt to film a music video before leading to the deaths of two teenage victims.
Lil Baby is one of the most influential names in modern hip-hop, with his chart-toping hits and powerful story lines. As an owner of 4PF, an organization that has brought about several stars to fame, he has built an empire in rap music. However, law enforcement officials have been investigating the organization since before his rise to prominence, citing potential associations to gangs.
In 2022, 4PF was described as a street gang in leaked Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) reports that alleged certain rap labels were fronts for criminal gangs. In 2022, a convicted murderer named Jayden Myrick testified in court and claimed he was a member of several gangs, including YSL and Nine Trey, and also claimed to be an affiliate of 4PF. The testimony continued to fuel rumors of the label being associated with criminal activity.
The rivalry reignited in May 2024 when shots were fired at the filming of a Lil Baby music video in northwest Atlanta. The video was being filmed in a location that was familiarly visited by a rival gang, which led to violent altercations. The deadliest consequence of this gang rivalry occurred on July 2, 2024, when 13-year-olds Lamon Fremon and JaKody Davis were shot dead outside an apartment complex in southwest Atlanta. An 11-year-old boy, Dontavious Davis, was also wounded in the process.
The police have arrested seven in relation to the murders: Quiyontay Sanders, Richard Hollis, Reginald Thomas, Dekeitheon Mobley, Markus Crawford, Tradon Crawford, and Ali Caldwell. The Atlanta Police Department (APD) blamed the violence on a long-standing feud between the “Four Pockets Full” (4PF) crew and “Only My Family” (OMF) gangs in claiming that the music video shooting sparked a string of retaliatory attacks.
Despite the growing allegations, Lil Baby has strongly denied engaging in criminal conduct. His representatives have described the allegations as “complete and utter nonsense” while pointing to the fact that he was not in command where the music video was being shot. On his social media handle, Lil Baby instructed his fans not to be deceived by “fake news” by saying, “Thanks For All The Concerns. Please Don’t Be Misinformed By Fake News !! I’m Overly Good.”
The allegations have polarized opinion. Numerous fans have stayed behind the rap artist, citing an established pattern whereby police unfairly target hip-hop artists. But others have been wary about increasingly frequent links between rap music and violent crime. Hip-hop individuals remain divided between standing behind Lil Baby as an unfairly targeted businessman entangled in gangs scandals and acknowledging threats in street associations in the music scene.
During an announcement in February of 2025, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and APD Homicide Commander Ralph Woolfolk renewed their promise to pursue to the fullest extent those who should be held accountable. Woolfolk described the homicides as “acts of cowardice” and chastized an unidentified rap artist for choosing to film a rap video in an area “where he should not have been.”
