A man accused of organizing the hit that killed rapper Young Dolph in 2021 has been found not guilty of criminal charges.

Hernandez Govan was acquitted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after a weeklong trial on Thursday (Aug. 21), according to court records obtained by Billboard. Govan was charged with helping hire two men to fatally shoot Young Dolph (Adolph Thorton Jr.) in broad daylight at a bakery in the 36-year-old rapper’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

One of Dolph’s alleged shooters, Justin Johnson, was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison. The second, Cornelius Smith, is cooperating with Memphis prosecutors in the hopes of getting a more lenient punishment.

Smith testified at the trials of both Johnson and Govan, saying they all conspired to commit the murder after Anthony “Big Jook” Mims – the brother of Yo Gotti, another Memphis rapper who had a public feud with Dolph – put up a $100,000 bounty.

Big Jook, who was never charged in the case, was killed in a shooting last year.

Govan has maintained that he did not direct anybody to kill Dolph. His defense attorney Manny Arora cast Smith as a liar and accused investigators of botching the murder investigation, citing shoddy cell phone records to missing DNA evidence. This appears to have swayed jurors, who acquitted Govan after deliberating for three hours on Thursday.

“Govan was never in on any of it,” Arora told Fox 13 Memphis after the verdict on Thursday. “This was all garbage, and I’m grateful that he’s out.”

Govan himself addressed the media as well, calling the prosecution “corrupt.”

“I feel like I’ve been born again,” added Govan. “I get a chance to restart my life and do some positive things.”

Reps from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office did not return a request for comment.

Dolph was a fast-rising star in the rap world before his 2021 murder. He had three albums reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200, with his 2020 LP Rich Slave peaking at No. 4. He founded the independent record label Paper Route Empire, which continues to put out music from Dolph’s protégé Key Glock and other rappers.

Dom Dolla headlines the 10th anniversary edition of Beyond The Valley, one of Australia’s biggest multi-day music festivals.

The superstar Australian DJ and producer is joined on the NYE lineup by pop culture phenom Addison Rae, hip-hop veteran Kid Cudi, who returns to the land Down Under for the first time in over a decade, plus US hardcore punk act Turnstile.

Also on the bill is Spacey Jane, I Hate Models, KETTAMA, Chris Stussy, Ben Böhmer, The Temper Trap, Luude, JoJo (Australian exclusive), 070 Shake, DJ HEARTSTRING, VTSS, SWIM, Pegassi, Channel Tres, Balu Brigada, Fcukers, Jane Remover, Miss Kaninna, and others.

“Ten years ago, what BTV is now, we’d never have thought possible,” comments Nicholas Greco, co-founder and managing partner of Untitled Group. “It’s become a rite of passage for so many, and we’re proud to create a space where people can discover new artists, share unforgettable moments, and ring in the new year with friends.”

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When Dom Dolla gets to work on the wheels of steel at BTV, it’ll been seen as the return of the prodigal son.

Dolla has a career-long relationship with UNTITLED Group, the Melbourne-based independent events team behind festival, and has knocked up eight editions as a performing artist.

This year has been one highlight after the next for Dom, during which he headlined two sold-out Madison Square Garden shows (where he collaborated on stage with Kid Cudi), played Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, EDC Las Vegas, Ultra Miami, covered Rolling Stone AU/NZ, and launched a 10-week Hï Ibiza residency, which is ongoing.

Last year, Dolla (real name: Dominic Matheson) smashed the record for a homegrown DJ’s tour of these parts, selling more than 170,000 across a four-date lap, produced by UNTITLED.

He’ll set the bar once again this December, when he’ll perform his biggest-ever Australian headline show at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, from which he’ll bounce into the BTV lineup.

Presented by Untitled Group and triple j, the festival returns to Victoria’s picturesque Barunah Plains from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1.

The “BTV Besties” presale begins Thursday, Aug. 28 at 11am AEST, with the official presale launching the following Thursday, Aug. 28 at 6pm AEST, and general on sale starting Friday, Aug. 29 at 12pm AEST.

Beyond The Valley
28 December 2025 – 1 January 2026
Barunah Plains, Wadawurrung Country, Victoria

Lineup

Dom Dolla

Addison Rae

Kid Cudi

Turnstile

Spacey Jane

I Hate Models

KETTAMA

Chris Stussy

Ben Böhmer

The Temper Trap

Luude

JoJo (Aus Exclusive)

070 Shake

DJ HEARTSTRING

VTSS

Patrick Mason

SWIM

Prospa

Josh Baker

NOTION

Pegassi

Cassian

Channel Tres

Mallrat

Balu Brigada

Fcukers

glaive

Jazzy

ZULAN

sim0ne

TEED

Bad Boombox b2b mischluft

Clouds

bullet tooth

KILIMANJARO

Narciss

not without friends

Juicy Romance

Ollie Lishman

Chromeo (DJ set)

RONA.

Bella Claxton

DICE

Jane Remover

Julia Wolf

Young Franco

Kaiit

Miss Kaninna

49th & Main

Dombresky

BL3SS

Torren Foot b2b Airwolf Paradise

ATRIP

Linska

CYRIL

HoneyLuv

Larissa Lambert

Inside Kru

Tyson O’Brien

SYREETA

Tv Rock

Willo

Sex Mask

BOY SODA

The Tullamarines

EGOISM

Chloe Parché

Brent Honey

Emma Moon

Morphena

MAD.DAY

Mell Hall

Tina Disco

Séarlait

House Mum b2b Haus of Ralph

Loosie Grind

Afrodisiac b2b Baby G

Cooper Smith

Mon Franco

Bertie

Shanti

With more to come

As Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the 11th non-consecutive week, Billboard has learned that his team will not submit the album, any of the 37 songs on the voluminous set, or Wallen for consideration for the 68th Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 1, 2026.

Hits Daily Double broke the news earlier Tuesday (Aug. 19) that the album would not be submitted, but Billboard understands that the action goes further and includes not putting Wallen forward in any category, such as best country solo performance, or any of the seven songs that he co-wrote in any song categories in any genre or general field.

However, Wallen and his camp are not stopping the other songwriters from submitting their works from the album, which has already spawned four No. 1s on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and three chart-toppers on the Hot Country Songs chart. It has also generated one No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Wallen’s duet with Tate McRae, “What I Want.”

Wallen, whose 2021 Big Loud/Republic album Dangerous: The Double Album is Billboard‘s No. 1 album of the first 25 years of the 21st century, is removing himself from consideration from an awards body whose voters have almost totally ignored his musical contributions.

The only nominations that the country superstar has received in his nearly 10-year career were for his work on Post Malone’s F1 Trillion album. Their chart-topping duet, “I Had Some Help,” received nods for best country duo/group performance and best country song for the awards presented this past February. Wallen has never received any nominations for any works from his solo albums.  

As of this week, Wallen has logged 40 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — a total matched or exceeded by only eight artists in the chart’s nearly 70-year history. All eight of those artists have won multiple Grammys.

Additionally, Wallen is one of only 19 artists to log 30 or more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Wallen and The Monkees are the only artists with 30 or more weeks at No. 1 who have not won a Grammy.

First-round voting for the Grammy Awards runs Oct. 3-15 with nominations due to be announced Nov. 7.

Wallen’s action is not unprecedented among superstars. Both The Weeknd and Drake previously decided not to submit in the Grammy process. Their actions also followed years of feeling under-recognized.

The Weeknd decided to boycott the ceremony following his controversial shut-out at the 2021 ceremony. The R&B superstar was thought to be a strong contender for album of the year for his fourth LP After Hours, which spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as well as for record and song of the year for his smash hit “Blinding Lights,” which became Billboard ‘s biggest Hot 100 song of all time. But when the 2021 Grammy Award nominations were revealed, The Weeknd’s name was nowhere to be found.

The Weeknd initially expressed his frustration toward the Recording Academy by tweeting, “The Grammys remain corrupt.” In his second Twitter missive, he wrote that he went from planning a Grammys performance to being “not invited.” The Weeknd later stated in a Billboard cover story that his snub in the top categories felt like “a sucker punch.”

Like The Weeknd, Wallen may find himself nominated despite his decision not to submit, for example, if McRae’s team submits their duet. The Weeknd was up for three awards at the 2022 ceremony thanks to his contributions to recordings by Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Doja Cat.

Drake blasted the Grammys following The Weeknd’s surprising shut-out at the 2021 Grammys. “I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after,” he wrote on Instagram. “This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up over time and pass on to the generations to come.”

Leading up to the 2022 Grammy Awards, Drake was initially announced as a nominee for best rap performance (for “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug) and best rap album (for Certified Lover Boy), but asked to have his name withdrawn from contention for both awards on Dec. 6, 2021. The Recording Academy honored his request and officially removed his nominations for both awards.

Since then, Drake has received eight nominations – all for collaborations with other artists.

Wallen’s representative declined to comment. Representatives from Big Loud, Republic and the Recording Academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.