Court documents filed by the government have unmasked Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, co-founder of the notorious Black Mafia Family (BMF), as the drug supplier of the late Hip-Hop legend Jam Master Jay.
The information came to light as the government opposed Karl Jordan and Ronald Washington’s attempt to secure a new trial after being convicted of Jam Master Jay’s murder.
Southwest T founded BMF with his brother, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory. They operated the notorious drug trafficking organization operation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Southwest T was a significant part of the narcotics conspiracy that ultimately led to Jam Master Jay’s untimely demise.
Jam Master Jay, whose real name is Jason Mizell, had become embroiled in the cocaine business in the early ’90s to supplement his earnings with Run-DMC.
Jay acted as a middleman between his supplier, Southwest T and various distributors.
AllHipHop.com’s “Grouchy” Greg Watkins broke the news in 2003 that yes, Southwest T—only known as “Uncle” at the time—supplied Jam Master Jay with cocaine on consignment.
Jam Master Jay would then distribute the drugs to others for further distribution, including Karl Jordan and Ronald Washington, who were later convicted of his murder.
Jam Master Jay, Jordan and Washington had plans to distribute 10 kilograms of cocaine in Baltimore with the assistance of a man known as Yakim, a trusted associate of JMJ.
Yakim was a major player in the trade. At the time, he moved about 40 kilos a week and operated a crew of as many as 25 people. However, Yakim wanted to avoid working with Washington due to his unpredictable nature.
“He [Jam Master Jay] wanted me to involve another guy I grew up with named Tinard [Washington],” Yakim explained. “We both grew up with Tinard. He wanted me to work with Tinard and I told him no. He was a problem.”
Yakim despised Washington so much that he threatened to kill him on sight if he caught him with Jam Master Jay. Tensions arose between Washington and Yakim, leading to the cancelation of their drug deal partnership.
Jam Master Jay continued with his plans despite the setback with Yakim. He met Southwest T at Wyndham Hotel in August 2002 to discuss the terms of their drug deal.
Southwest T allegedly gav them several options. If they received the drugs in Washington, D.C., it would cost $18,000 per kilo. If they went to Texas to get the drugs, the price would drop to $12,000 per kilo. And finally, if they made the trip to Mexico, they could get the cocaine for $8,000 per kilo.
They decided to get the drugs in Washington, D.C. There was no evidence that Jordan and Washington withdrew from the ongoing narcotics conspiracy with Jam Master Jay and Flenory.
However, Jam Master Jay eventually cut Jordan and Washington from being involved in the scheme, which led to the legendary DJ’s murder. Witnesses Uriel Rincon and Lydia High identified Washington as the gunman guarding the studio exit during the murder, while Rincon identified Jordan as the shooter.
The jury also heard testimony from witnesses who recounted how Jordan and Washington admitted to committing the murder. Physical evidence, including ballistics reports and DNA evidence, also supported the eyewitness testimony and identifications.
The revelation of Flenory’s involvement as Jam Master Jay’s drug cocaine supplier adds another layer of complexity to the case. It was Jam Master Jay who discovered a young 50 Cent, who’s now telling the life stories of Southwest T and Big Meech on the series BMF.