The man who served as an inspiration for Paid In Full reportedly passed away early Sunday morning.
According to multiple reports, including the Daily News and OnSmash, Alpo Martinez was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting in Harlem on Oct. 31st after being struck in the chest with bullets. Police said the shooting took place around 3:20 a.m. near W. 147th St. near Frederick Douglass Blvd. Reports said that Martinez was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. No suspects have been arrested.
Martinez rose to prominence as a notorious drug dealer during the mid-80s in New York City before expanding his operations to other cities. He, alongside Rich Porter and Azie Faison, had worked together to build the enterprise.
Martinez was later arrested for drugs and murder charges in 1991. Martinez was accused of being behind the murders of two drug dealers.
The charges leveraged against Martinez led to the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty. Martinez turned into an informant which brought down the organization and he was later given 35 years in prison. Martinez was released in 2015. He was reportedly supposed to be in the federal witness protection program.
We'll keep you posted on more information regarding Alpo Martinez's death.
About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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