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[Scott] Meech wanted to be
bigger than Detroit.
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00:00:06,528 --> 00:00:07,659
He wanted to control
the whole country.
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[gunshot]
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00:00:09,357 --> 00:00:10,923
[person] Atlanta's to the point
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00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:13,970
where the S-H-I-T is
about to hit the fan.
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00:00:14,101 --> 00:00:16,103
[Scott] So, at the same time,
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00:00:16,233 --> 00:00:19,715
the Caribbean cocaine route
had been completely dried up.
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00:00:19,845 --> 00:00:23,762
Meech and Terry needed to find
new supply lines really fast.
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Green Eyes--he brought me
1,500 kilos in one day.
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The dam broke. [laughs]
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00:00:28,071 --> 00:00:29,725
And the floodgates are open.
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[Chad] Money just was coming
from everywhere.
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00:00:31,596 --> 00:00:33,033
We love to spend our money.
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We can't take none
of this shit with us.
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Meech is like,
"Man, we Black Mafia Family."
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[person] Now you got a title.
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Police want to know,
who the fuck is that?
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[Chad] We was at the club.
I look down.
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00:00:42,825 --> 00:00:45,828
I see, like,
five guys drinking they beer,
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00:00:45,958 --> 00:00:47,525
looking at us like this.
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From that point on,
I knew it was problems.
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[chill music plays]
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[person, echoing] Ev-everybody
move like brothers.
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♪ ♪
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00:01:08,068 --> 00:01:11,723
[echoing] Everybody shining
like new money.
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♪ ♪
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[echoing] It ain't nobody cool
like this in the world
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and never will be.
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00:01:23,474 --> 00:01:26,477
♪ ♪
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[Scott] By the early 2000s,
there were 23 branches
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of BMF operating
around the country.
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00:01:45,931 --> 00:01:49,326
And each one of those cities
had stash houses,
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cut houses, packaging houses
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that were headquartered
in Atlanta.
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00:02:07,736 --> 00:02:10,173
At the height
of the BMF movement,
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00:02:10,304 --> 00:02:14,003
well over 400-plus members.
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00:02:14,134 --> 00:02:17,354
And that's just the ones
that I saw.
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00:02:17,441 --> 00:02:19,139
We were everywhere--
in California,
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00:02:19,269 --> 00:02:21,228
St. Louis, Detroit,
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00:02:21,315 --> 00:02:24,187
Miami, Texas.
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00:02:24,318 --> 00:02:25,580
There were members everywhere.
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00:02:27,538 --> 00:02:29,410
When these guys started
to come together
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00:02:29,497 --> 00:02:31,934
from these different cities,
it was all about
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00:02:32,021 --> 00:02:35,285
that opportunity that Meech
was making available to them.
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00:02:35,416 --> 00:02:39,202
And then you go out,
and you can see
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00:02:39,333 --> 00:02:41,030
the greatest show on Earth.
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00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:42,901
[all] Coming to a camera near
you,
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00:02:42,988 --> 00:02:44,599
death before dishonor,
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00:02:44,729 --> 00:02:46,340
the greatest show on Earth!
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[bass-heavy beat plays]
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♪ ♪
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00:02:51,693 --> 00:02:53,912
BMF!
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BMF!
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00:02:56,393 --> 00:02:59,788
[Cavario] It was definitely
bringing a level of opulence
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that was
only fantasized about prior.
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00:03:03,270 --> 00:03:04,662
[Curtis]
What I have experienced
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00:03:04,793 --> 00:03:06,403
during that time period
from hustling
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00:03:06,534 --> 00:03:09,319
and coming up
the way I came up is,
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00:03:09,450 --> 00:03:12,148
like, page three
in the drug dealer pamphlet
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00:03:12,235 --> 00:03:13,802
tells you not to show everybody
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00:03:13,932 --> 00:03:15,630
how much money
you actually have.
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00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,546
And they did it
exactly the opposite.
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They did it way bigger
than everybody else.
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00:03:21,897 --> 00:03:25,248
[Chad] We going out
six days out of seven.
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Ten-plus cars pulling up,
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bottles everywhere,
girls everywhere.
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And we spending
people's salaries for a year
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00:03:33,169 --> 00:03:35,040
in one night.
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It just was--
it was unbelievable.
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[Meech] When we go out
at night, whatever we spend,
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50,000, 100,000
in the motherfucking club,
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00:03:42,526 --> 00:03:43,658
we can afford to do it,
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'cause we ain't bring it all
with us.
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[Kialana] Everybody was eating
off of them.
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Every business,
every hairdresser,
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every restaurant, every club.
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Everybody was eating,
every stripper.
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♪ ♪
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[T.I.] BMF galvanized
the strip club industry
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00:04:01,937 --> 00:04:03,634
here in the city
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00:04:03,721 --> 00:04:06,681
and made Atlanta a destination
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00:04:06,811 --> 00:04:08,291
for strip clubs.
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00:04:09,379 --> 00:04:10,989
Man, I seen Meech throw
a half a million
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00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,731
in the club one time...
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00:04:13,862 --> 00:04:15,777
just 'cause.
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00:04:15,907 --> 00:04:18,170
This shit is stupid, really,
but, man, it's--
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00:04:18,301 --> 00:04:19,694
it's a part of our culture.
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00:04:19,824 --> 00:04:20,912
It's what we do.
You know what I'm saying?
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00:04:21,043 --> 00:04:23,219
[crowd shouting indistinctly]
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00:04:23,350 --> 00:04:25,917
[Kialana] BMF guys,
they were lit, okay?
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00:04:26,048 --> 00:04:28,006
Fun. They were lit.
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00:04:28,137 --> 00:04:30,966
I mean, I was seeing them
with all the foreign cars--
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00:04:31,096 --> 00:04:33,316
Ferraris, Lambos.
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00:04:33,447 --> 00:04:37,451
They had a oversized T-shirt
with a chain that say "BMF."
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[Maurice] In any other
hustling community
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00:04:41,629 --> 00:04:44,240
where you were doing any kind
of illegal activities,
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00:04:44,371 --> 00:04:47,852
you would remain somewhat
with your head down,
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00:04:47,939 --> 00:04:50,028
because you didn't want
to attract attention.
99
00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:54,859
But that's not the case
in Atlanta with BMF.
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00:04:54,990 --> 00:04:58,210
[T.I.] I could tell
that bro had a vision,
101
00:04:58,341 --> 00:05:01,388
and he had definite intentions
102
00:05:01,475 --> 00:05:05,130
on making a mark in a world
103
00:05:05,261 --> 00:05:08,395
that would have
otherwise ignored him.
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00:05:08,525 --> 00:05:10,135
You dig?
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00:05:10,266 --> 00:05:11,789
[Scott] Meech had become
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00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,183
the biggest cocaine dealer
in America,
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00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:16,838
but to his own detriment,
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00:05:16,968 --> 00:05:18,492
he wants the spotlight,
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00:05:18,579 --> 00:05:20,711
wants all the glory.
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00:05:20,842 --> 00:05:24,236
And this put him on the radar
of law enforcement.
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00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:36,510
[Jack] I'd pretty much
always focused on cocaine,
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00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,729
in the Atlanta area.
113
00:05:38,860 --> 00:05:39,774
I never left Atlanta.
114
00:05:39,904 --> 00:05:41,732
I worked for about 27 years
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00:05:41,863 --> 00:05:45,301
as a DEA agent in Atlanta.
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00:05:45,432 --> 00:05:49,131
I grew up as the son
of an FBI agent.
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00:05:49,261 --> 00:05:52,308
I wasn't intending to be
involved in law enforcement,
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00:05:52,439 --> 00:05:56,443
but I just found that I liked
the challenge of the job.
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00:05:56,530 --> 00:05:58,749
I first heard of an individual
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00:05:58,836 --> 00:06:00,403
who was being called Meechie
121
00:06:00,534 --> 00:06:03,275
back in the late '90s.
122
00:06:03,406 --> 00:06:06,453
It was a few years later
when I started hearing
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00:06:06,540 --> 00:06:09,064
more stuff
about his drug business.
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00:06:09,194 --> 00:06:13,155
They were calling themselves
uh, the BMF.
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00:06:14,199 --> 00:06:15,853
[Rand] I always wanted
to be a lawyer.
126
00:06:15,984 --> 00:06:18,900
[dramatic music plays]
127
00:06:19,030 --> 00:06:22,599
I started my first year
as a DUI defense attorney.
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00:06:22,730 --> 00:06:24,209
Eventually, in Fulton County,
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00:06:24,340 --> 00:06:26,081
I was part
of the Major Narcotics unit.
130
00:06:26,168 --> 00:06:28,910
I was a senior assistant
district attorney.
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00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,173
I'd started to get
to know agents,
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00:06:31,303 --> 00:06:33,654
and they knew that,
you know, I would--
133
00:06:33,784 --> 00:06:37,005
I had a reputation of not being
able to say no to anything.
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00:06:37,092 --> 00:06:40,791
When we first heard about BMF
back in the early 2000s,
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00:06:40,922 --> 00:06:43,054
we'd hear about some cop
in South Carolina
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00:06:43,185 --> 00:06:44,316
pulls over a guy,
137
00:06:44,447 --> 00:06:45,883
and he has a kilo of cocaine.
138
00:06:46,014 --> 00:06:47,929
And the guy said,
"I can give you BMF."
139
00:06:48,059 --> 00:06:49,409
We're like, "Who? Who?"
140
00:06:49,539 --> 00:06:51,672
You know, "BMF? Who?"
141
00:06:51,802 --> 00:06:54,805
Names may be getting dropped,
but nobody knows what it is,
142
00:06:54,936 --> 00:06:56,285
we couldn't get
any information.
143
00:06:56,372 --> 00:06:57,852
It was all rumor.
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00:06:58,853 --> 00:07:00,724
I had U.S. attorneys
passing on it.
145
00:07:00,855 --> 00:07:03,553
DEA was passing on it.
The FBI was passing on it.
146
00:07:03,684 --> 00:07:05,947
Nobody wanted to touch it.
147
00:07:06,034 --> 00:07:09,037
But this was Jack's
white whale at the time.
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00:07:11,866 --> 00:07:14,695
[tense music plays]
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00:07:14,869 --> 00:07:17,654
♪ ♪
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00:07:17,785 --> 00:07:20,178
[Bryant] I became
an Atlanta police officer
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00:07:20,309 --> 00:07:21,876
because I wanted
to make a difference,
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00:07:22,006 --> 00:07:24,226
because I saw that
my community needed that.
153
00:07:24,356 --> 00:07:27,272
They needed more people
that look like me.
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00:07:27,447 --> 00:07:30,362
♪ ♪
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00:07:30,493 --> 00:07:34,018
My father, his ultimate goal
was to be a police officer
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00:07:34,105 --> 00:07:35,716
in the city of Atlanta.
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00:07:35,803 --> 00:07:38,936
[indistinct shouting,
whistle blowing]
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00:07:39,023 --> 00:07:42,026
But during that time,
Blacks could not join
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00:07:42,157 --> 00:07:44,115
the Atlanta Police Department.
160
00:07:44,202 --> 00:07:45,508
So, by the time Blacks
could join
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00:07:45,639 --> 00:07:47,162
the Atlanta Police Department,
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00:07:47,292 --> 00:07:49,338
he had already found
gainful employment,
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00:07:49,469 --> 00:07:51,471
and he had had a family.
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00:07:51,601 --> 00:07:53,821
So, one day,
at the age of six years old--
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00:07:53,951 --> 00:07:55,736
I will never forget it--
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00:07:55,866 --> 00:07:59,043
he sat me down and said, "Hey,
you have to do this for me.
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00:07:59,174 --> 00:08:02,656
"I wanted to be an Atlanta
police officer all of my life,
168
00:08:02,786 --> 00:08:04,266
and you have to do it."
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00:08:04,396 --> 00:08:06,007
I just took that
and ran with it,
170
00:08:06,137 --> 00:08:07,704
and at six years old,
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00:08:07,791 --> 00:08:11,012
I began to mold myself
into whatever it took
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00:08:11,142 --> 00:08:12,970
to become
an Atlanta police officer.
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00:08:14,624 --> 00:08:16,365
Seeing these guys in Atlanta
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00:08:16,496 --> 00:08:18,976
in all these highline cars,
with the jewelry on,
175
00:08:19,107 --> 00:08:20,848
the hair on the back
of your neck stands up,
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00:08:20,978 --> 00:08:23,546
and I just knew
that the city of Atlanta
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00:08:23,677 --> 00:08:25,069
is not ready for this.
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00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,856
[Jack] I liked Bryant right
from the get-go,
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00:08:28,986 --> 00:08:29,944
'cause he was a worker,
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00:08:30,074 --> 00:08:31,772
and I was always
looking for guys
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00:08:31,902 --> 00:08:33,948
who would work crazy hours.
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00:08:34,078 --> 00:08:37,429
[muffled dance music playing]
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00:08:38,518 --> 00:08:40,302
[Bryant] There were countless
nights that I spent
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00:08:40,432 --> 00:08:43,610
in Magic City
doing surveillance.
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00:08:43,740 --> 00:08:47,744
Meech, I pictured him
being this huge guy,
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00:08:47,831 --> 00:08:51,095
maybe bald, uh,
just look like he would just--
187
00:08:51,226 --> 00:08:52,793
just choke you to death,
188
00:08:52,923 --> 00:08:55,012
but when I started
to see this guy,
189
00:08:55,143 --> 00:08:56,884
he was a small-frame guy,
190
00:08:56,971 --> 00:09:00,322
tall, but not the typical
hit man type of guy
191
00:09:00,409 --> 00:09:01,628
that I would visualize.
192
00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:05,806
Just kind of sit back
and watch these guys
193
00:09:05,893 --> 00:09:07,764
just tossing money up
194
00:09:07,895 --> 00:09:09,766
and how everybody was
basically kissing their behind
195
00:09:09,897 --> 00:09:12,290
when they came in,
196
00:09:12,421 --> 00:09:14,162
because it's time for the BMF.
197
00:09:14,336 --> 00:09:17,339
♪ ♪
198
00:09:18,645 --> 00:09:21,561
[smooth music plays]
199
00:09:21,735 --> 00:09:24,694
♪ ♪
200
00:09:29,917 --> 00:09:31,396
[Latarra] At that point,
201
00:09:31,527 --> 00:09:33,834
Meech and I had been together
a while.
202
00:09:33,921 --> 00:09:37,794
I didn't mind him going out,
doing his thing.
203
00:09:37,925 --> 00:09:41,363
He would just come
to my place afterwards.
204
00:09:41,493 --> 00:09:44,061
I mean, I would go
every once in a while,
205
00:09:44,148 --> 00:09:47,238
but that was something that
I never really enjoyed doing.
206
00:09:47,412 --> 00:09:49,719
♪ ♪
207
00:09:49,850 --> 00:09:54,550
I just wanted to leave
that lifestyle of Atlanta,
208
00:09:54,681 --> 00:09:57,031
so I moved down to Miami.
209
00:09:57,161 --> 00:09:59,816
And then, of course, that's
when I find out I'm pregnant.
210
00:09:59,947 --> 00:10:02,776
[intriguing music plays]
211
00:10:02,950 --> 00:10:04,429
♪ ♪
212
00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:08,695
Meech was overjoyed,
very happy.
213
00:10:08,825 --> 00:10:10,871
So I had a wonderful pregnancy.
214
00:10:11,001 --> 00:10:13,264
I didn't see him very much,
215
00:10:13,395 --> 00:10:17,268
but just being surrounded
by my family was enough for me.
216
00:10:17,442 --> 00:10:19,401
♪ ♪
217
00:10:19,531 --> 00:10:24,232
Demetrius was
born April 22, 2000.
218
00:10:25,450 --> 00:10:26,843
[Nicole] Demetrius Jr.,
219
00:10:26,974 --> 00:10:29,063
was just, like,
the light of his life.
220
00:10:29,193 --> 00:10:32,109
That was, like,
the biggest joy,
221
00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,069
Meech having a son, a junior.
222
00:10:35,156 --> 00:10:36,505
It just gave Demetrius
223
00:10:36,636 --> 00:10:37,854
a different perspective
on life.
224
00:10:56,917 --> 00:10:58,701
[chuckles]
225
00:10:58,832 --> 00:11:01,878
[Latarra] When it was time
to take our son home,
226
00:11:02,009 --> 00:11:03,706
we strapped the baby in...
227
00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,840
[rap music playing]
♪ We show up to show out ♪
228
00:11:06,927 --> 00:11:10,887
...and Demetrius blasts
rap music.
229
00:11:11,061 --> 00:11:12,759
♪ ♪
230
00:11:12,889 --> 00:11:16,588
And I'm looking.
I said, "Are you crazy?"
231
00:11:16,676 --> 00:11:19,853
And he goes,
"He has to get used to this."
232
00:11:20,027 --> 00:11:23,030
♪ ♪
233
00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,903
So I just turned, like,
my face to the window.
234
00:11:27,034 --> 00:11:28,862
And, like,
tears rolling down, like,
235
00:11:28,992 --> 00:11:31,603
"My baby, poor baby."
236
00:11:31,778 --> 00:11:35,042
♪ ♪
237
00:11:35,825 --> 00:11:38,175
I was like,
"I can't believe this guy,"
238
00:11:38,306 --> 00:11:41,744
but that was just
how much music was in his soul.
239
00:11:41,875 --> 00:11:44,442
And he--he said,
"He has to get used to this,
240
00:11:44,573 --> 00:11:46,836
so we're gonna
start it day one."
241
00:11:46,967 --> 00:11:49,752
[piano music plays]
242
00:11:49,926 --> 00:11:51,972
♪ ♪
243
00:11:52,102 --> 00:11:53,538
[Scott] Demetrius and Terry
244
00:11:53,669 --> 00:11:55,976
were enamored
with the music industry.
245
00:11:56,106 --> 00:11:58,718
You know, they had music
in their blood from early on
246
00:11:58,848 --> 00:12:00,371
that had been
kind of instilled in them
247
00:12:00,502 --> 00:12:01,677
from their father.
248
00:12:03,113 --> 00:12:04,549
They weren't just fans.
249
00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:06,900
They wanted
to be a part of it.
250
00:12:06,987 --> 00:12:08,728
When they finally had
the money
251
00:12:08,815 --> 00:12:10,642
that they could throw around,
252
00:12:10,773 --> 00:12:13,515
they wanted to throw a lot
of that money towards music.
253
00:12:13,645 --> 00:12:15,604
And they became financiers.
254
00:12:16,736 --> 00:12:19,564
[hip-hop beat playing]
255
00:12:19,739 --> 00:12:21,218
♪ ♪
256
00:12:21,305 --> 00:12:22,742
[Cavario] Hip-hop has been tied
257
00:12:22,829 --> 00:12:24,482
to the streets
from the beginning.
258
00:12:26,223 --> 00:12:29,139
This wasn't a new model.
259
00:12:29,226 --> 00:12:31,663
Guys in the street
with the finances
260
00:12:31,751 --> 00:12:34,623
providing those finances
to talented young people
261
00:12:34,754 --> 00:12:36,973
so that they could have
a opportunity to produce music.
262
00:12:37,104 --> 00:12:39,584
And then, of course,
the music itself
263
00:12:39,671 --> 00:12:42,500
was very, very profitable.
264
00:12:42,631 --> 00:12:44,633
Meech is running around
265
00:12:44,764 --> 00:12:47,767
with some of the biggest
hip-hop label heads
266
00:12:47,897 --> 00:12:49,072
in the game...
267
00:12:49,203 --> 00:12:51,945
[crowd clamoring]
268
00:12:52,075 --> 00:12:54,338
...Puffy, Suge Knight,
269
00:12:54,469 --> 00:12:56,340
Jermaine Dupri.
270
00:12:56,471 --> 00:12:58,255
It's right in front of him--
the way that these guys
271
00:12:58,386 --> 00:13:01,868
are building
these hip-hop empires.
272
00:13:01,955 --> 00:13:03,739
That was his real passion.
273
00:13:03,870 --> 00:13:08,570
He just really wanted to tap in
and be, like, a music mogul.
274
00:13:26,544 --> 00:13:27,589
[chuckles]
275
00:13:27,719 --> 00:13:29,243
[Maurice] And, of course,
276
00:13:29,373 --> 00:13:30,984
Atlanta's booming
as a place for music,
277
00:13:31,114 --> 00:13:33,551
and it's just ripe
with really talented artists.
278
00:13:33,682 --> 00:13:35,118
[Kid] And the winner is...
279
00:13:35,249 --> 00:13:37,381
[all] Outkast.
280
00:13:37,512 --> 00:13:40,863
[Maurice] In 1995,
Outkast, from Atlanta,
281
00:13:40,994 --> 00:13:44,214
win Newcomers of the Year.
282
00:13:44,301 --> 00:13:45,520
And the tensions were so high
283
00:13:45,650 --> 00:13:48,349
between East Coast
and West Coast...
284
00:13:48,479 --> 00:13:49,959
they're being booed
on the stage,
285
00:13:50,090 --> 00:13:52,832
because it's like,
well, you know,
286
00:13:52,962 --> 00:13:54,921
you all really aren't
in the game.
287
00:13:55,051 --> 00:13:59,099
I'm tired of folks,
you know what I'm saying?
288
00:13:59,229 --> 00:14:00,883
Closed-minded folks,
you know what I'm saying?
289
00:14:01,014 --> 00:14:02,711
It's like we got a demo tape,
and don't nobody want
290
00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:04,321
to hear it, but it's like this,
the South got something to say.
291
00:14:04,452 --> 00:14:06,584
-That's all I got to say.
-[crowd booing]
292
00:14:06,715 --> 00:14:08,543
[Maurice] And what he's
actually saying is that like,
293
00:14:08,673 --> 00:14:12,895
"You all forget where most
of you all come from.
294
00:14:13,026 --> 00:14:16,203
We got our own style and
our rights right here, too."
295
00:14:17,465 --> 00:14:21,034
[2 Chainz] That was a pivotal
moment where André, Big Boi,
296
00:14:21,164 --> 00:14:22,774
they were fighting
to create a name
297
00:14:22,905 --> 00:14:24,820
for what we were doing
down here in the South.
298
00:14:24,951 --> 00:14:27,344
When André said what he said,
299
00:14:27,475 --> 00:14:28,868
he caught a lot
of people's attention
300
00:14:28,998 --> 00:14:31,914
and also installed confidence
301
00:14:32,045 --> 00:14:35,004
in the artists that were
coming up under him.
302
00:14:35,135 --> 00:14:36,788
When he said that,
I just felt like,
303
00:14:36,919 --> 00:14:39,095
"Hell, yeah, it's about time
somebody said something."
304
00:14:39,226 --> 00:14:41,054
You know what I mean?
305
00:14:41,184 --> 00:14:44,709
I knew how they thought
about cats from the South.
306
00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:47,147
They called it country.
307
00:14:47,277 --> 00:14:50,933
It turned a page in Atlanta
308
00:14:51,064 --> 00:14:53,631
and for Sou- for Southern music,
I think, all around.
309
00:14:55,546 --> 00:14:57,374
[Maurice] And by 2000,
310
00:14:57,505 --> 00:14:59,811
Atlanta is the new Motown
of the South.
311
00:14:59,942 --> 00:15:03,641
It becomes a hip-hop capital
of the world.
312
00:15:03,772 --> 00:15:05,121
[2 Chainz]
This is a no-hate zone.
313
00:15:05,208 --> 00:15:07,297
You see artists
rubbing elbows,
314
00:15:07,428 --> 00:15:09,865
you know, eating together,
breaking bread together,
315
00:15:09,996 --> 00:15:10,953
building together.
316
00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,042
Legacies being built.
317
00:15:26,838 --> 00:15:28,057
[Scott]
Jeezy was making the music.
318
00:15:28,144 --> 00:15:29,885
Meech would promote the music.
319
00:15:30,016 --> 00:15:33,845
And Jeezy was rapping
about Meech.
320
00:15:33,976 --> 00:15:37,110
So it was- it was art imitating
life imitating art,
321
00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,199
all in real time.
322
00:15:39,329 --> 00:15:42,593
[Curtis] Selling drugs was
his whole theme,
323
00:15:42,724 --> 00:15:47,033
and that made
whatever he was saying real
324
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:49,513
to the audience at that point.
325
00:15:49,644 --> 00:15:51,863
[2 Chainz]
Meech was so respected,
326
00:15:51,994 --> 00:15:56,216
and he also paid
like he weighs.
327
00:15:56,303 --> 00:15:57,957
When he came to the club,
328
00:15:58,087 --> 00:16:00,176
he used to create
his own playlist
329
00:16:00,307 --> 00:16:02,918
to whatever he wanted
to hear for the night.
330
00:16:09,794 --> 00:16:11,579
[2 Chainz]
And I do remember hearing,
331
00:16:11,709 --> 00:16:13,973
"We Getting Money Over Here"
by Jeezy and Bun B.
332
00:16:14,103 --> 00:16:17,324
I heard it seven times in a row
in Magic City one night.
333
00:16:17,454 --> 00:16:19,543
[hip-hop music playing]
334
00:16:19,674 --> 00:16:23,808
Yeah!
BMF in the building, nigga.
335
00:16:23,939 --> 00:16:26,768
[Latarra] Jeezy's career,
I think, was catapulted
336
00:16:26,898 --> 00:16:30,076
to another level
because of Big Meech.
337
00:16:30,163 --> 00:16:33,949
A lot of musicians were
interested in working with him.
338
00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,038
You know,
let's call a spade a spade.
339
00:16:36,169 --> 00:16:39,650
They had more money than a lot
of artists at the time.
340
00:16:39,781 --> 00:16:44,177
I think that's what attracted
artists around that.
341
00:16:45,743 --> 00:16:48,877
[Scott] Gucci Mane, Nelly...
342
00:16:49,008 --> 00:16:52,272
these were the guys
that they were partying with.
343
00:16:52,402 --> 00:16:56,580
The lifestyle and the music
are tethered together.
344
00:16:56,711 --> 00:17:01,324
If you were to look
at a drug dealer back then
345
00:17:01,411 --> 00:17:03,239
and you were to look
at a rapper,
346
00:17:03,370 --> 00:17:05,937
I don't think you'd be able
to tell much of a difference.
347
00:17:29,048 --> 00:17:32,616
[Yolanda] So Meech started
BMF Entertainment
348
00:17:32,747 --> 00:17:34,836
and Juicemagazine--
349
00:17:34,966 --> 00:17:38,013
two legitimate businesses.
350
00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:41,886
But he saw where
his record label can lead
351
00:17:42,017 --> 00:17:45,977
to a lifestyle that
would still accommodate him
352
00:17:46,108 --> 00:17:49,198
to remain at the same plateau
that he was at
353
00:17:49,329 --> 00:17:51,722
and not have to downgrade,
you know.
354
00:17:51,853 --> 00:17:53,333
[Curtis] They was hiding
in plain sight
355
00:17:53,463 --> 00:17:55,596
because they had
a hip-hop aura,
356
00:17:55,726 --> 00:17:57,641
who you would see
with that kind of jewelry.
357
00:17:57,772 --> 00:18:01,732
If you looked up and you-
and you saw, oh, it's a label,
358
00:18:01,863 --> 00:18:04,605
then you go, "Oh, okay,
so this is a hip-hop artist."
359
00:18:04,735 --> 00:18:07,738
Like, if you're not culturally
in tune with hip-hop,
360
00:18:07,869 --> 00:18:09,653
then how do you know
it's not a successful brand
361
00:18:09,740 --> 00:18:11,786
that you're not aware of?
362
00:18:11,916 --> 00:18:15,703
I believe that more- most labels
take so much time out
363
00:18:15,833 --> 00:18:18,009
and focus on so many artists
364
00:18:18,140 --> 00:18:20,534
that you can never get
the realness
365
00:18:20,621 --> 00:18:21,926
out of the one artist.
366
00:18:22,057 --> 00:18:26,366
We all here for my man,
Bleu Davinci.
367
00:18:26,496 --> 00:18:28,716
[Yolanda] Meech could've
very well signed more artists,
368
00:18:28,846 --> 00:18:32,894
but he wanted to focus in
on the one artist that he had.
369
00:18:33,068 --> 00:18:34,591
♪ Yeah... ♪
370
00:18:34,722 --> 00:18:36,637
[Meech] If he take off,
then we take off.
371
00:18:36,767 --> 00:18:38,334
Make this a major label,
372
00:18:38,465 --> 00:18:41,511
like Universal or Interscope
or Def Jam.
373
00:18:41,685 --> 00:18:43,296
[all] ♪ Mad-rich niggas ♪
374
00:18:43,470 --> 00:18:45,820
♪ Big trucks, little hoops
Nigga, that's my life ♪
375
00:18:45,994 --> 00:18:47,387
♪ If I pull up to the club... ♪
376
00:18:47,517 --> 00:18:49,258
[Chad]
Meech really believed in Bleu,
377
00:18:49,389 --> 00:18:52,435
and Bleu was the one
that would be in Meech's ear
378
00:18:52,566 --> 00:18:55,134
to get him to do things
that he really wanted to do
379
00:18:55,264 --> 00:18:57,310
as far as music.
380
00:18:57,484 --> 00:19:00,922
♪ I got some info that'll leave
Your whole career dead ♪
381
00:19:01,052 --> 00:19:04,317
But, uh, Bleu Davinci
was terrible.
382
00:19:04,447 --> 00:19:05,970
Uh, just--just horrible.
383
00:19:06,101 --> 00:19:07,624
You'd listen to it,
and you'd be like,
384
00:19:07,755 --> 00:19:09,104
"Nobody was getting paid
from this music.
385
00:19:09,235 --> 00:19:10,410
There has to be
something wrong here."
386
00:19:16,459 --> 00:19:18,418
[Jack] No one could figure out
quite, you know,
387
00:19:18,548 --> 00:19:20,637
are they really
making any money?
388
00:19:20,768 --> 00:19:23,466
Maybe Meech was thinking,
"They'll never figure out
389
00:19:23,597 --> 00:19:26,469
"how I'm making money
through drugs
390
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,255
"if I go legit somehow
391
00:19:29,385 --> 00:19:31,648
"with these rappers
and BMF Entertainment.
392
00:19:31,779 --> 00:19:33,737
"So I'm gonna make
the transition
393
00:19:33,868 --> 00:19:37,088
but still be making money
with drugs."
394
00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:38,742
[Rand] Here's what I knew.
395
00:19:38,829 --> 00:19:40,831
There was two brothers.
396
00:19:40,918 --> 00:19:44,052
Demetrius Flenory
was in Atlanta at the time,
397
00:19:44,183 --> 00:19:47,925
and then Terry Flenory,
who was out on the West Coast.
398
00:19:48,056 --> 00:19:50,885
As far as we knew, Terry was
running the finances.
399
00:19:51,015 --> 00:19:54,236
Big Meech was running
the day-to-day operations.
400
00:19:54,323 --> 00:19:56,673
But there was no cracks
in their organization.
401
00:19:56,804 --> 00:19:58,371
Nobody was talking.
402
00:19:59,328 --> 00:20:00,721
[Jack] It's hard.
It's frustrating.
403
00:20:00,851 --> 00:20:04,203
The drug dealing
was very secretive.
404
00:20:04,333 --> 00:20:06,770
I conducted
this same interview
405
00:20:06,901 --> 00:20:08,685
probably 50 times,
with people saying,
406
00:20:08,816 --> 00:20:10,687
"Oh, you know,
they're selling drugs."
407
00:20:10,818 --> 00:20:14,125
I'm listening, I'm going,
"That's all very interesting,
408
00:20:14,256 --> 00:20:16,258
but I still need evidence
of that."
409
00:20:16,389 --> 00:20:18,217
All we see is the partying,
410
00:20:18,347 --> 00:20:20,871
the extravagance,
the flamboyance.
411
00:20:21,002 --> 00:20:24,440
BMF in here with a couple mill,
you know what I mean?
412
00:20:24,571 --> 00:20:26,747
[Cavario] And if a person
watched and they observed,
413
00:20:26,877 --> 00:20:28,401
they would be like,
414
00:20:28,531 --> 00:20:29,967
"I don't see 'em doing anything
but spending money.
415
00:20:30,098 --> 00:20:31,665
Like, what the--
what's going on?"
416
00:20:31,795 --> 00:20:33,362
Every day,
you could watch it every day.
417
00:20:33,493 --> 00:20:36,191
All you gonna do is see
spending money.
418
00:20:36,322 --> 00:20:38,889
You're not gonna see
anything else.
419
00:20:39,020 --> 00:20:41,109
[Rand] All day long, a cop
or an agent could tell me,
420
00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:42,806
"I know X, Y, and Z."
421
00:20:42,937 --> 00:20:45,331
But it didn't matter
without any evidence.
422
00:20:45,418 --> 00:20:48,290
So we needed Jack
to bring us some evidence.
423
00:20:48,421 --> 00:20:51,250
[soft music plays]
424
00:20:51,424 --> 00:20:54,296
♪ ♪
425
00:20:54,427 --> 00:20:59,170
[Jack] The first domino to fall
was in September of '03.
426
00:20:59,301 --> 00:21:01,738
[reporter] The story involves
high-dollar vehicles,
427
00:21:01,869 --> 00:21:04,263
a high-end house,
and a homicide.
428
00:21:04,393 --> 00:21:06,656
[Scott] All drug dealers
eventually come up
429
00:21:06,787 --> 00:21:11,400
to this conundrum that making
money is the easy part.
430
00:21:11,487 --> 00:21:13,315
The biggest issue is gonna be
what to do with that money,
431
00:21:13,446 --> 00:21:14,273
how to hide it.
432
00:21:14,403 --> 00:21:16,144
For BMF,
433
00:21:16,275 --> 00:21:18,842
that's when Doc Marshall
enters the picture.
434
00:21:18,929 --> 00:21:22,019
Doc Marshall did not look
like a gangster.
435
00:21:22,150 --> 00:21:23,586
He had a luxury-car dealership
436
00:21:23,717 --> 00:21:25,501
that he used
for money laundering.
437
00:21:25,632 --> 00:21:29,723
And he was brilliant
when it came to hiding money.
438
00:21:29,853 --> 00:21:33,248
They called him "Doc" because
he could doctor the books.
439
00:21:33,379 --> 00:21:34,684
[reporter]
Sergeant Louis Torres
440
00:21:34,815 --> 00:21:36,556
says he suspects
a home invasion
441
00:21:36,686 --> 00:21:39,210
led to a shooting
at 409 Angier Court.
442
00:21:39,341 --> 00:21:41,952
[Scott] Doc Marshall kept a lot
of money in his safe.
443
00:21:42,083 --> 00:21:44,651
Someone got tipped off,
and during a home invasion,
444
00:21:44,781 --> 00:21:47,218
trying to get a hold
of that money in that safe,
445
00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:48,872
Doc Marshall killed
the intruder,
446
00:21:48,959 --> 00:21:51,092
which was legitimate,
and it was self-defense.
447
00:21:51,222 --> 00:21:54,530
But when
the task force showed up,
448
00:21:54,661 --> 00:21:58,795
they saw bits and pieces
of some larger conspiracy.
449
00:21:58,926 --> 00:22:00,319
[reporter] Atlanta police found
about a kilo
450
00:22:00,449 --> 00:22:02,538
of suspected cocaine
in the house,
451
00:22:02,669 --> 00:22:05,019
but Major James Sellers
says police also discovered
452
00:22:05,149 --> 00:22:06,977
evidence
of a complex fraud operation
453
00:22:07,108 --> 00:22:09,937
involving hiding the true
owners of high-end cars.
454
00:22:10,067 --> 00:22:11,504
[Jack]
They didn't arrest anyone,
455
00:22:11,634 --> 00:22:13,419
but they seized a bunch
of records.
456
00:22:13,549 --> 00:22:16,726
The BMF were arranging for
straw purchases of vehicles
457
00:22:16,857 --> 00:22:20,861
through a car-brokering outfit
known as Exquisite Empire.
458
00:22:20,948 --> 00:22:23,385
[reporter] Last night police
executed a search warrant
459
00:22:23,516 --> 00:22:24,995
on the 15th floor
of a Buckhead building
460
00:22:25,082 --> 00:22:27,215
in the offices
of Exquisite Empire.
461
00:22:27,346 --> 00:22:30,479
We found documents
that had cars,
462
00:22:30,610 --> 00:22:32,351
and they had
the straw purchaser,
463
00:22:32,481 --> 00:22:36,746
and then they would have
"BMF-M" as the end user.
464
00:22:38,052 --> 00:22:40,533
BMF-T.
465
00:22:40,663 --> 00:22:44,145
These documents
would be huge to the DEA.
466
00:22:44,232 --> 00:22:46,887
I get a call from Jack Harvey.
467
00:22:46,974 --> 00:22:50,499
He said, "Hey, this search
was invaluable."
468
00:22:50,630 --> 00:22:52,458
He says, "Let me call
the U.S. Attorney's office
469
00:22:52,545 --> 00:22:54,416
and tell 'em what we have."
470
00:22:54,547 --> 00:22:56,636
Next morning, I think I got
to my office at six o'clock,
471
00:22:56,723 --> 00:22:58,420
and they were sitting there,
you know,
472
00:22:58,551 --> 00:23:00,379
and they were all excited.
473
00:23:00,509 --> 00:23:03,077
Brian connected Doc
to BMF using, like,
474
00:23:03,207 --> 00:23:06,210
little pieces of information
that were out there.
475
00:23:06,341 --> 00:23:08,125
Now we started
to have these connections
476
00:23:08,212 --> 00:23:09,953
to a home invasion.
477
00:23:10,084 --> 00:23:12,478
We found guns and cocaine
478
00:23:12,608 --> 00:23:16,003
with a rumored connection
or link to BMF.
479
00:23:16,133 --> 00:23:19,136
Now you put a name
with a face.
480
00:23:19,267 --> 00:23:21,095
So it started
making more sense.
481
00:23:40,723 --> 00:23:42,246
[Cavario] But at that point,
482
00:23:42,377 --> 00:23:45,206
Meech had this sense
of invincibility,
483
00:23:45,336 --> 00:23:46,860
so he did the opposite
484
00:23:46,990 --> 00:23:48,470
of what anybody else
would have done--
485
00:23:48,601 --> 00:23:50,777
keeping
this very, very high profile.
486
00:23:50,907 --> 00:23:55,172
He thought that he was
beyond approach.
487
00:23:56,739 --> 00:23:58,785
He's just always been
the type of person,
488
00:23:58,915 --> 00:24:00,395
he just got what he wanted,
489
00:24:00,526 --> 00:24:03,659
and he would do anything
to get it.
490
00:24:05,182 --> 00:24:07,533
[Scott]
Demetrius reached a point
491
00:24:07,620 --> 00:24:10,405
where he wanted to be iconic,
492
00:24:10,536 --> 00:24:12,973
putting out, you know,
DVD mixtapes...
493
00:24:13,103 --> 00:24:15,454
Bleu, man, this man is
interfering with my business.
494
00:24:15,584 --> 00:24:17,194
You need to get down here
and talk to this man.
495
00:24:17,325 --> 00:24:19,153
I don't know what's going on.
I'm trying to cop this--
496
00:24:19,283 --> 00:24:21,503
I don't know why somebody
let him in the room
497
00:24:21,634 --> 00:24:23,549
to see what's
going on anyway, man.
498
00:24:23,679 --> 00:24:25,289
[Scott] That would portray
499
00:24:25,376 --> 00:24:28,423
Demetrius playing Big Meech.
500
00:24:28,554 --> 00:24:30,991
And then you had
the billboards.
501
00:24:31,121 --> 00:24:33,950
[tense music plays]
502
00:24:34,124 --> 00:24:35,430
♪ ♪
503
00:24:35,561 --> 00:24:36,779
[Yolanda] It was definitely a--
504
00:24:36,910 --> 00:24:41,480
"Man, are you serious?
Billboards?"
505
00:24:41,610 --> 00:24:43,830
He had, like, four
or five billboards up, I think.
506
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,136
And I was like,
"Bro, that's gonna bring us
507
00:24:46,267 --> 00:24:47,877
some problems, man."
508
00:24:48,008 --> 00:24:50,619
"Dude, do you think
that's a good idea," you know?
509
00:24:50,750 --> 00:24:52,534
He's like, "Nah, Yogi,
it's for the brand."
510
00:25:05,547 --> 00:25:07,418
[Jack] In the movieScarface,
511
00:25:07,549 --> 00:25:11,118
there's that scene where
it said, "The world is yours."
512
00:25:12,162 --> 00:25:14,382
So BMF puts
on their billboards,
513
00:25:14,513 --> 00:25:16,689
"The world is BMF's."
514
00:25:18,821 --> 00:25:21,084
"The world is BMF"?
515
00:25:21,215 --> 00:25:23,652
Bro, we rubbing it in they
face, you know what I'm saying?
516
00:25:23,739 --> 00:25:27,351
Like, you know, his--his
response, like, "Fuck them."
517
00:25:29,092 --> 00:25:31,573
[Rand] BMF's modus operandi
518
00:25:31,704 --> 00:25:35,011
actually fed into my disbelief
that--that they existed.
519
00:25:35,098 --> 00:25:37,274
I didn't think anybody could
be this well put together
520
00:25:37,405 --> 00:25:38,841
or this well organized
521
00:25:38,972 --> 00:25:40,930
and this stupid
at the same time.
522
00:25:41,061 --> 00:25:43,890
They actually had a billboard
right outside of our office.
523
00:25:44,020 --> 00:25:46,327
Um, that's how arrogant
they were.
524
00:25:47,458 --> 00:25:50,200
[Scott] The putting up
of the billboards sent Terry
525
00:25:50,331 --> 00:25:51,680
through the roof.
526
00:25:51,811 --> 00:25:54,117
He didn't want
this kind of publicity
527
00:25:54,248 --> 00:25:58,121
and demanded those billboards
be taken down immediately.
528
00:25:58,252 --> 00:25:59,732
They weren't.
529
00:25:59,862 --> 00:26:01,734
He's in L.A.
telling everyone that,
530
00:26:01,864 --> 00:26:04,345
"My brother in Atlanta's
gone crazy.
531
00:26:04,475 --> 00:26:07,653
"He thinks that he can give
532
00:26:07,783 --> 00:26:12,309
a big middle finger to the DEA
and not get a response."
533
00:26:13,528 --> 00:26:15,791
[Bryant] He put himself
on a fucking billboard.
534
00:26:15,922 --> 00:26:17,663
We--we can't have that.
535
00:26:17,793 --> 00:26:19,969
They were like, "Man, we got
to get these motherfuckers now,
536
00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:23,756
"because it might be too late
537
00:26:23,886 --> 00:26:25,409
if they get
on the mainstream."
538
00:26:25,496 --> 00:26:28,064
And that's when shit
really start happening.
539
00:26:28,195 --> 00:26:30,371
They start following
motherfuckers and...
540
00:26:30,501 --> 00:26:32,199
everything, you know.
541
00:26:33,853 --> 00:26:35,245
[Yolanda]
It was drawing attention.
542
00:26:35,332 --> 00:26:36,986
You know,
the bigger the crowd,
543
00:26:37,117 --> 00:26:41,382
the more "white guys"
taking pictures, you know?
544
00:26:42,644 --> 00:26:44,472
[Jack] Honestly, I didn't have
any extra motivation
545
00:26:44,603 --> 00:26:46,605
to take them down
because of the billboards,
546
00:26:46,735 --> 00:26:49,956
um, 'cause I-I had
all the motivation I needed,
547
00:26:50,086 --> 00:26:53,524
especially after what happened
at Club Chaos.
548
00:26:53,655 --> 00:26:56,876
[gunshots, crowd screaming]
549
00:26:56,963 --> 00:26:58,921
That was a major incident
550
00:26:59,052 --> 00:27:02,142
that did lead to something.
551
00:27:02,272 --> 00:27:04,144
So I guess
the second domino to fall
552
00:27:04,274 --> 00:27:06,146
would be what happened
at Club Chaos.
553
00:27:06,276 --> 00:27:08,757
[siren wailing]
554
00:27:08,888 --> 00:27:11,717
[dramatic music plays]
555
00:27:11,891 --> 00:27:14,894
♪ ♪
42164
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