A parking lot shooting in an upscale neighborhood in Atlanta has left one man dead and two injured, with Atlanta police now confirming one of the injured victims was rapper and actor Ludacris‘ long-time manager and prominent figure in hip-hop, Chaka Zulu.
APD lieutenant Germain Dearlove confirmed to local news that the shooting took place close to midnight and arose after a dispute in the parking lot of restaurant Apt.4b. One man, 23-year-old Artez Benton of Scottdale, was shot dead, while Zulu was one of two victims who suffered bullet wounds.
Zulu and the other victim were rushed to hospital and underwent surgery, and both are expected to make a full recovery from their injuries. The gunman is still at large, though the APD confirmed it has surveillance footage of the incident and is confident it will soon be able to identify and apprehend the suspect.
Zulu has long been an influential figure in hip-hop. In 1998, he co-founded Disturbing Tha Peace Records, which soon represented the cream of Atlanta hip-hop and cemented its place in the genre with a long-term deal with Def Jam Records in 2008. Zulu also co-runs Ebony Sun Entertainment, sits as a board member on the XXL Awards committee, and holds a position at Spotify as a Head of Artist and Talent Relations.
Earlier this year he was awarded the Atlanta Hawks’ “Forever 404 Honors” for his work “celebrating community partners and non-profit organizations that embody cause, culture, and community throughout the city of Atlanta and its rooted history”