Y&R Mookey was one of the hottest rappers coming out of Jacksonville.
But just when his career was picking up steam,
his crew was targeted in a major investigation
and now Mookey has been hit with a ten year sentence.
Here’s what’s going on.
I'm gonna judicate you guilty
I sentence you to 10 years,
in the Florida department of corrections.
Y&R Mookey is from an area of Jacksonville known as A-Block.
He’s affiliated with the Young and Ruthless crew,
whos known to beef with Yungeen Ace and the ATK gang.
Y&R is also allied with Foolio’s gang 6 Block,
and both of them fall under the KTA umbrella.
Mookey was convicted back in February for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,
and on April 12th he went back to court for sentencing.
His fans were hoping for a short sentence, or even just probation-
but unfortunately that’s not how it went down.
Before the judge sentenced him, Mookey took the stand to plead his case.
He told her “I am not the person that the state is trying to make me out to be.
I’m not a violent person.
I don’t have any violent charges or a violent criminal background.
I’m not no gang member, nor have I ever been a gang member.
I have no criminal history as an adult,
and I do my best not to have any encounters with law enforcement.
I am an aspiring artist,
and I’m trying to make a career out of what I love and have a passion for doing -
which is music.”
I'm not a violent person.
I don't have any violent charges,
or a violent criminal background.
I'm not no gang member,
nor have I ever been a gang member,
or been guilty by association to any gang.
I have no criminal history as an adult,
and I do my best to not have any encounters with the law enforcement.
I am an aspiring artist,
and I am trying to make a career out of what I love and with passion for doing,
which is music.
The prosecutors used Mookey’s own social media
and his involvement in Y&R to build a case against him.
In January 2019,
he was arrested with other alleged gang members
who used social media and music videos to promote violence.
Mookey tried to convince the judge that his music
and image were all just an act to help his career.
He said in court “Music is my craft and how I make my livelihood
and should not be taken literally.
I’m an entertainer who gives his fans what they want to see and hear.”
After Mookey’s statement,
his lawyer brought up the fact that major labels like Capital Records and Atlantic Records
were in a bidding war over him.
They wanted to prove that Mookey is a promising artist
who has the opportunity to change his life, but the judge wasn’t hearing it.
The state wanted a 20 year sentence based on Mookey’s past crimes,
and the judge told him
“I’m stunned when you take a look at the defendant's criminal history…
it shows a consistent pattern of not learning from mistakes.”
Then she listed off some highlights from his rap sheet,
which includes domestic battery, weapon possession, and burglary.
The state also used his music videos as evidence,
which allegedly showed Mookey rapping about other Jacksonville gangs,
and holding weapons.
The judge said “I’ve watched the music videos and I have to say
I’m appalled at the content of them.”
Then she criticized Mookey for keeping one foot in the streets
instead of using his music to get out.
She said “One thing really sticks out is Mr. Jackson is a talented young man
who could do anything he wanted with his life if he made the right choices.
I don’t find Mr. Jackson’s assertion he’s not a member of the Young & Ruthless credible.”
But one thing that really sticks out is Mr. Jackson is a talented young man,
that he could do anything he wanted with his life, if he made the right choices.
Back in the original trial, the prosecutors used Mookey’s video for the track Murder 1
to prove he’s gang-affiliated and promotes violence.
In the video, Mookey can be seen holding what looks like a Draco.
The whole case was really about whether the gun was real or not,
and the prosecution said
“You’re not going to rap those lyrics with a fake firearm in your hand.
You see him burning the ace of spades card.
That refers to Yungeen Ace, the most prominent member of ATK.”
The war between Foolio’s KTA crew and Yungeen Ace’s ATK gang
is the most high-profile beef in Jacksonville.
But it all allegedly started because of a shootout between Y&R and ATK at a party.
It ain’t clear exactly what happened,
but at some point both sides started letting off shots
and Mookey was grazed while his homie Y&R Slugga Tee shot back.
Ace was allegedly the dude who shot Mookey, and they’ve been beefing ever since.
Y&R is under the KTA umbrella,
so that night is allegedly what really kicked off the war in Jacksonville
that’s still going on today.
Mookey even talked about the shootout on his track Dead Opps, where he rapped
“They popped out the cut and tried to leave a n***a dead
I got grazed, Slugga shot back
Bree shoulda left them dead.”
Then a dude from ATK named Ksoo
shot back on his track Bang it Out, rapping
“Mookey what you on boy?
We don’t really know yo ass
I ain’t gone speak too much
But yo ass was almost ******’ grass
KTA boy yo ass better be safe
We had Slugga on the chase Almost ate that n***a face.”
Over the next couple of years, both sides sent shots back and forth in their music
and in the streets.
Foolio’s cousin was allegedly murdered by an ATK member,
then Ace got caught in a drive-by that left his brother and two friends dead.
The tracks that both sides dropped after this is what really made the beef go viral.
Ace came out with Who I Smoke,
where he dissed several dead opps, including Foolio’s little brother Bibby
who was killed in 2019.
Then Foolio dropped When I See U Remix,
where he dissed Ace’s dead brother and friends who were killed in the drive-by.
He even printed out a news banner from the shooting
and used it in the video for the track.
By this point, everyone knew about the deadly war going on in Jacksonville.
It seemed like the violence was about to get even worse,
but then Mookey and Slugga both got hit with charges that put them behind bars.
In 2018, Mookey got booked on a burglary charge for breaking into cars.
He got out in 2019, but then he and Slugga Tee both got arrested
in an investigation called Operation Rap-Up.
The police monitored social media and music videos
to prove that Jacksonville gangs were using their online presence to promote violence.
Slugga Tee was charged with possession of a weapon by a juvenile delinquent
found to have committed a felony act,
and was sentenced to seven years back in January.
That was already bad enough for the Y&R crew,
but then Mookey got sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of probation.
After his arrest,
rumors started flying that his homie SpotemGottem snitched on him.
SpottemGottem is another Jacksonville rapper
who blew up with tracks like Beatbox and Beatbox Pt2.
He’s from the same area as Foolio and is affiliated with KTA,
which automatically makes him an enemy to Ace and ATK.
A leaked police report allegedly proved SpotemGottem spilled info on Mookey,
but Mookey hopped on social media to clear the air.
He wrote “ion know who falsifying documents
but spot em got em never snitched on me
that’s my Brother 4L y’all stop reaching
I’m incarcerated cause the state don’t wanna see me prosper no other man is the reason.”
The report was leaked by Yungeen Ace’s brother ATK YBeezy.
SpottemGottem’s house was raided back in the day, and the police found drugs and guns.
Mookey was allegedly there at the time,
and YBeezy claimed that Spottem told police the guns were his.
But according to Mookey, it’s all cap and SpottemGottem kept it solid.
Fans even got Kodak Black to talk about the situation on IG Live,
but he don’t seem to be convinced that Spotem ain’t snitch.
The leaked paperwork looks legit,
but Mookey probably wouldn’t be sticking up for his homie if the accusations were true.
Another reason the judge decided to give Mookey such a long sentence
was that she thought he was a danger to the Jacksonville community
and would probably commit more crimes.
She brought up a 2015 weapons charge where he violated his probation,
and a burglary charge from the same year where he violated it again.
Mookey got hit with more charges after 2015,
and the judge told him
“My concern is this is now the third firearms offense
for which you’ve been held responsible.
And it just seems that you’re intent on -
rather than becoming that successful artist you could be,
with all the potential in the world -
just making the decision you would rather be associated with a criminal gang
and make videos that promote the criminal gang.”
The judge then told him
“So I find that you are a danger to the community.
And I find that the only way to protect the community from you is to put you in prison.”
Luckily she gave him time served for the 739 days he already spent in jail,
but it’s still crazy that he got such a long sentence
just for holding a gun in a music video.
When he took the stand in the sentencing hearing,
Mookey tried to convince the judge he was turning his life around.
He told her “Life is about choices,
and the choices we make make us.
I choose to be productive and successful in my life,
and I’m not so old that I can’t change the course of my life.
I ascribe to be a positive influence in my community
and to young people that look up to me…
I have made mistakes in my life your honor,
but I’m trying to get this behind me so I can move forward in a positive direction.”
Unfortunately the judge straight up told Mookey
that she ain’t believe he wasn’t a gang member.
In her eyes, Mookey and the rest of Y&R are a threat to Jacksonville,
so she hit him with a 10 year sentence.
Mookey and Slugga Tee both getting long sentences at the same time
is a major blow to Y&R.
And to make matters worse,
Mookey was ordered not to associate with any criminal gang members during his probation.
Since the police have documented Y&R as a criminal organization,
Mookey won’t be able to link up with any of them even after he gets out.
Hopefully Mookey can stay out the way while in prison and get an early release,
but allegedly his homie Slugga Tee already had problems on the inside.
Back in May, a rumor came out that Slugga got stabbed in prison
and was in critical condition.
Slugga’s mom allegedly posted a picture of him on social media,
then took it down immediately.
This led some fans to believe that Slugga had actually been murdered,
but luckily that wasn’t the case.
Even though they’re both going to be away for awhile,
hopefully Mookey and Slugga will keep working on their craft
and have a chance at continuing their career.
Before they got wrapped up in all of the legal issues,
they were already two of the hottest rappers in Jacksonville.
In 2021, Pooh Shiesty remixed their track Murda Twinz,
but it’s hard to capitalize on your success when you’re locked up.
If Mookey stays out of trouble on the inside he could end up getting an early release.
But since his rap sheet is already so long,
he needs to do everything he can to avoid any more issues.
The judge in his case obviously thinks that he’s a threat to society,
but if he can turn it around and prove he’s working on changing his life -
hopefully she’ll show him more leniency in the future.