Troy Ave

On May 26, 2016, Collins was arrested for attempted murder and illegal weapon possession for shooting at a T.I. concert.[8][9][10] During the event at Irving Plaza, where T.I. and others were scheduled to perform, four people were shot, one fatally, by a shooter from the VIP section of the event. The man who died, Ronald McPhatter, 33, was said to be a friend of Collins, who was first taken to NYU Langone Medical Center and then transferred to nearby NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue where he was arrested as a primary suspect in the shooting.[11][12] While at the hospital, it was alleged that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted.[12]

Collins pleaded not guilty, saying he was using self-defense and that he and McPhatter were shot by an unnamed assailant. He was remanded without bail.[13] His lawyer then put out a request for the public to help with any information that witnesses can provide.[14]

Collins dropped a single called "Chuck Norris (Hoes & Gangstas)" and a mixtape called Free Troy Ave, in reference to his current condition of being charged with shootings.[15] It was released on June 6, 2016.[15] On July 11, 2016, he made the final bail and was temporarily released.[16]

In June 2015, tensions began brewing between Troy Ave and a fellow Brooklyn-native rapper Joey Badass, when the latter declared himself the "#1 independent hip hop recording artist and a brand in the world" in a series of tweets, to which the former responded in another tweet by pointing out that he has been signed to Cinematic Music Group, whose music is distributed by RED Distribution, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.[17] Joey Badass later refuted reports of a feud between him and Troy Ave in another tweet.[18]

On July 7, 2015, in an interview with Ebro Darden on Hot 97, Joey Badass had words of praise for Troy Ave, stating: "At some point you gotta [sic] have some level of respect for Troy because, at the end of the day, we're both independent artists who are standing on major platforms next to a whole bunch of major artists and they know who we are."[19] In February 2016, he reignited the feud in a single, titled "Ready", where he raps: "60k, first week for the badass / 200k to this day, I know you niggas mad / With that 80-20 split, my nigga do the math / my nigga Kirk just outsold Troy Ave" (in reference to Kirk Knight's debut studio album Late Knight Special and Troy Ave's second studio album Major Without a Deal).[20][21] In response, Troy Ave released a diss track, titled "Badass" the following week, in which he not only insulted Joey Badass, but also targeted fellow Pro Era member Capital Steez, who committed suicide by jumping off a building in December 2012.[22][23]

…Don't get suicidal like your friend, here's a casket / Steez burning in hell, my burner's in my belt / I'm really killing shit, you niggas killing yourself / Fucking weirdos, off the roof, "Steer clear, yo!" / This nigga's trying to fly, he think he a superhero / Splat man, fuck you and that man / and all three labels you signed to, they whack man…

— Troy Ave, on his song "Badass".[24]

Following the release of "Badass", Troy Ave called in at Sway in the Morning on Shade 45, stating: "He didn't pass away; he killed himself. There's a difference. He took his own life. God gave you life, it ain't your right to take that. That's a fact. I got niggas in jail who got life sentences, they might as well be dead. They could've traded their life for his."[25] He then received heavy criticism from fans and fellow artists alike, including Styles P,[26][27] ASAP Ant and ASAP Twelvyy, who wrote, amongst a series of other tweets: "Wish I had a time machine to go back and give these niggas moms [sic] that abortion money."[28]

On March 29, 2016, in a freestyle on Sway in the Morning, Joey Badass responded to "Badass" in a series of lines aimed at Troy Ave, though never referring to him directly. Among other lines, he rapped: "Now I won't even lie, can't agree with suicide / but in the darkest times, there's still a brighter side / He took a leap of faith and only brightened his light / You took a cheap shot at hate and only shortened your life."[29][30] In an interview with HipHopDX the following day, Fat Joe stated that he personally reached out to both Joey Badass and Troy Ave to try and squash the feud, but failed.[31]