THF Zoo also known as Bayzoo or OTF Bay Bay
is a rapper signed to Lil Durk’s OTF label.
But before the music, Zoo was well respected in the streets
and beat a murder charge that would have put him behind bars for life.
Let’s take a look at the come-up and career of THF Zoo.
THF Zoo grew up in the Cabrini Green Houses
– the notorious projects on the North Side of Chicago.
The building was created to provide low-income housing to working-class residents of the city.
But it eventually became overrun with crime and violence
and was known as one of the worst areas in the city.
In 1995, the Chicago Housing Authority began demolishing the project
with the final building being torn down in 2011.
This led many residents to move to other parts of the city, including THF Zoo.
His family eventually relocated to the Woodlawn neighborhood,
where he spent most of his teenage years.
He jumped off the porch at a young age and was in the streets at just 12 years old.
He joined a set called THF 46 or Trigger-Happy Family,
which is made up of Mickey Cobras and Black Disciples.
They are allied with other BD sets nearby, including O’Block and 600.
At just 18, the rapper got involved in a murder case that almost cost him his freedom.
But police ain’t catch up to him until years later.
On July 5th, 2009,
a 21-year-old man named Dominic Barnes from the 600 Block of East 51st Street
was shot and killed in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.
The victim was walking down the street around 10:15 am
on the 4700 block of South Forrestville Avenue when two suspects ran up on him and opened fire.
Police were on the lookout for multiple people believed to be involved in the shooting,
but no arrests were made.
In January 2014 THF Zoo was arrested for unlawful use of a weapon.
Around that time, police began to connect him with the murder of Dominic Barnes
from five years before.
Not long after being released on bail, Zoo was arrested for murder.
Because of his pending gun charge, he was not allowed to post bail for the murder.
So he was forced to sit in jail and await trial.
When they picked him up for the murder,
THF Zoo was staying at the Orland Park home of Durk Banks aka Lil Durk.
Durk was also brought into custody after police found 2 illegal weapons in the home.
Police seized a Glock .45 caliber handgun and 11 rounds,
as well as a Springfield .45 handgun and 13 rounds.
The guns were in plain sight near Durk on the kitchen island when police officers arrived.
So, both men got arrested.
According to police reports, Durk admitted to possessing the weapons and told officers that
“I got those pipes cause niggas always be tryin to take my bands”.
Durk was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and denied bail
because that was his third weapons charge within a few years.
But his lawyer claimed that there were nine other people in the home
and the weapons could have belonged to any of them.
He also pointed out that Durk had spent more than 150 hours doing community service for CureViolence
at the University of Illinois at Chicago
and used his platform to speak out against gang violence in Chicago.
So, he was eventually let off with 18 months of probation
and ordered to do an additional 50 hours of volunteer work.
But his homie THF Zoo aint get off as easy
and had to stand trial for the murder of Dominic Barnes.
In court, prosecutors claimed the victim was standing outside
when THF Zoo approached him and asked what hood he was from.
When Barnes answered, Zoo pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times.
The rapper and his unknown codefendant then went through his pockets,
while he lay injured and took some money, before fleeing the scene.
Multiple witnesses identified him as the one who fired the kill shot
and at least one reported seeing him with a gun immediately after the shooting.
But the evidence presented by the prosecutors was not enough to convict him of murder,
so the charges were eventually dropped and he got out in 2018.
While he was in jail, he allegedly ran into some opps
and got into a fight that left him with a broken jaw.
He later confirmed this rumor on IG Live with MUBU Krump
– a rapper from King Louie’s Man Up Band Up crew.
MUBU Krump was also cool with 051 Melly, one of the main shooters from 051 Money Gang -
who THF was known to beef with.
On the Live, Krump tried to claim that THF Zoo had his jaw wired shut
because of what they did to him in jail.
Your shit was in a wire in the county bay bay
I never wore a wire
I don't have wires in my jaw
Zoo denied the allegations that he had to have his jaw wired shut
but confirmed he did have a broken jaw.
So what was wrong with your jaw? Your jaw went broke?
Cause your jaw broke.
I never had wires in my jaw
Was your jaw broke *****?
Yeah my **** was broke but I never had a wire tho
In another live with 051 Melly,
Zoo claimed that it was Shawty 4 from the East Side of Chicago who broke his jaw.
According to Zoo, Shawty 4 sucker-punched him from behind while he was brushing his teeth.
But after he did it the whole deck went crazy and beat his ass.
THF Zoo and 051 Melly had a strange relationship.
Even though they was opps who both lost homies in the war between their gangs,
they also had mutual respect for each other.
They often appeared on live together, talking about what was going on in the streets of Chicago.
THF and 051 had been beefing for several years
with both sides losing many members in the war.
One of the most high-profile killings was the murder of a rapper from 051 named Lil Marc.
Lil Marc dropped a diss track aimed at several members of the BD’s
and was murdered just three days later.
No one was ever arrested for Lil Marc’s murder,
but it was supposedly committed by members of 600 and THF.
After Lil Marc’s death, 051 Melly allegedly went on a killing spree
that took the lives of several members of OTF and 051, including Durk’s manager Cheno
and his cousin Nuski, as well as a 15-year-old named THF Raheem.
THF Raheem wasn’t just in the same gang as Zoo, he was actually his stepson.
Zoo and Raheem’s mom had been seeing each other and at first,
Raheem was against it.
But eventually, he started to like Zoo and looked at him like a role model.
So, Raheem’s death hit Zoo extra hard.
A dude named Aierius Finch aka 051 Ario from 051 Young Money
was later arrested for Raheem’s murder.
But it’s been rumored that Melly was the one who actually pulled the trigger.
But even though Zoo and Melly was sworn enemies, they still chopped it up from time to time on IG Live.
After Melly was murdered in 2019, Zoo went on Live and said he missed Melly,
cause he was a real one.
I miss melly man (unintelligible)
I miss my boy that was a real ***** right there
On May 24th, 2018,
Melly and MUBU Krump were both at a house party in the 6800 block of South Morgan Street
in the Englewood neighborhood in the Southside.
They were standing outside when shots were fired from a car driving by.
Krump was shot twice in the arm and twice in the torso
and rushed to the University of Chicago hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Melly also got shot in the left arm and grazed in the head, but he survived.
Leading up to his death, MUBU Krump was dissing members of THF and OTF.
May 24th was the anniversary of THF Raheem’s death,
and supposedly members of THF were looking for revenge that night.
It just so happened that they caught two of their main opps in the same location.
Not long after that THF Zoo got picked up for an outstanding warrant
for an unrelated charge and spent about a month locked up.
While he was inside, he met up with King Von who was fighting a murder charge.
Zoo knew exactly what Von was going through, having just beaten his own case,
So they became good friends in the pen.
Von was already writing raps while locked up
and it was around that time that Zoo started taking music more seriously.
Von ended up beating the murder and Zoo was released around the same time.
Not long after that, they collaborated on the track Beat that Body,
where they trade bars about their experience of beating a murder charge.
The track racked up millions of views and exposed the world to King Von for the first time.
THF Zoo got arrested again in April 2019,
for reckless conduct and for having a weapon near a school or park.
Police caught him with a rifle and a shotgun on South Kostner Avenue
and he spent a few days locked up before bonding out.
Less than a month later, Zoo was arrested again
for charges connected to the same 2009 murder of Dominic Barnes.
Police must have gained new info and thought they could make the charges stick this time.
But after spending close to a year locked up, he was eventually released on March 22nd, 2020.
Almost losing his freedom for a second time
must have made THF Zoo start thinking about his priorities.
Because as soon as he got out, he started taking music more seriously
and began dropping tracks more consistently.
Songs like Streets Bleed Murder, Safe, and Do It for Von
have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
Plus, he’s been featured with other members of OTF on songs like Sip Again and Get Backers.
Since being released from jail, THF Zoo has kept a low profile
and avoided drama in the streets.
But that don’t mean he’ll sit back and be disrespected, even when it’s from his own homies.
While Zoo was locked up, another rapper from his set named THF Billa
did an interview where he spoke on the beef between Zoo and MUBU Krump.
In the interview, Billa made it seem like he had to step in and defend Zoo
because Krump was bigger than him.
He claimed Zoo was only 5’3” 130 pounds and Krump was a big dude,
so Billa stepped up to help out his homie.
He-
-5'3" 130 pounds
This ***** my size, you tryna get into it with him ***** get into it with me
Zoo ain’t appreciate the way that Billa phrased it and clapped back as soon as he got out.
He accused Billa of sneak dissing and claimed he was 5’10 200 pounds
and could handle his own beef.
He also told Billa to take the THF out of his name
and accused him of speaking on his beef just for clout.
He also posted a message on IG where he took shots at Billa
and accused him of being a rat who never touched anybody in the hood.
Billa clapped back accusing Zoo of eating out of Durk’s garbage
and claiming that he only sided with them because of the fame.
But other than that,
THF Zoo has stayed out of trouble and focused on his music career and his kids.
He made it a lot farther than many OGs in Chicago.
So Hopefully, he can stay focused
and avoid any more petty beef that may threaten his life or freedom.