THE DOSSIER

Latest Episodes:

BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 3: THE GAME IS THE GAME May 02, 2024

Show notes

As the news cycle churns, and people search for more answers around the HSI investigation of Puff, this last week an excellent article dropped in New York Magazine by acclaimed journalist Craig Jenkins, someone I admire, and a damn good writer.

The New York Magazine article stood out for various reasons, because as of now with no breaking news, Jenkins as the author took a more , “think piece” approach to it, and was immensely analytical and thoughtful in a way that I have not read anywhere else, but I also wanted to dig into his point of view just a bit, as I know he has the right instincts and chops to elevate the reporting.

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HIP HOP VS. THE COPS EP. 7: SCOTT LA ROCK TO TYRE NICHOLS Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

91 MURDERS in Hip-Hop, that is the current number of Hip-Hop artists who have been killed since 1987 when Scott La Rock was killed in the Bronx, and TakeOff was tragically taken from the world in 2022.

91 Murders, wherein close to 50 of those murders remained unsolved by the police.

Some are long running investigations and some of these cases have taken on mythical status where the narrative of who murdered who is now lost down a rabbit hole of Internet conspiracy theories, YouTube misinformation videos, and social media sleuths who spread speculation, and bullshit theories.

The funny thing about the Hip-Hop Police is that they have done absolutely nothing as it relates to crime, or murder, they have just existed for sexy storylines.

If you you're a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meet-ups with other Dossier fans and the show creator, Don Sikorski. Goto Patreon.com/dossier

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 2 - EAST VS. WEST TURNS DEADLY Apr 27, 2024

Show notes

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

From the Biggie and Tupac murders, to the twenty plus killings that are tangentially related to Death Row Records, Suge Knight, the Bloods, the East vs. West rivalry, the gangster cops inside the LAPD and much more.

In this week’s episode, Niki and Johnny touch on Suge Knight’s recent speaking tour on the podcast and YouTube circuit.

They also delve into the incident that turned Death Row Records and Bad Boy from rap rivalry to blood feud.

Finally, they answer a listener’s email about another infamous and unsolved murder in Los Angeles’ history.

If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

Go to Patreon.com/Dossier to subscribe!

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 2: THE RAID Apr 25, 2024

Show notes

When the ticker came across the screen on CNN on March 26th, 20024 there was news footage of a HSI or Homeland Security tactical team raiding Diddy’s home, and it was at that moment people started to wonder what HSI is and why do they look like a paramilitary operation in the United States….

So, I wanted to be clear and really understand where did Homeland Security come from? AND WHY would they be involved in investigating arguably Hip-Hop’s biggest mogul?

Well, 11 days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. The office oversaw and coordinated a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard the country against terrorism and respond to any future attacks.

With the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts, opening its doors on March 1, 2003.

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 6: DERRICK PARKER, THE HIP HOP COP Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

The story of the Hip-Hop Cops when I started the documentary back in 2004, was that it was a secret unit, and it was shrouded in mystery, for many reasons.

The journey of going inside Hip-Hop and law enforcement for two years, left me with a few takeaways, but more importantly it left me with a question inside my head that played over and over.

Why was the Hip-Hop music industry at War with the Cops, and more importantly why did Hip-Hop have such a distinct connection to the War on Drugs.

While the NYPD, FBI, HIDTA, and the United States Attorney looked at the business of Hip-Hop what they really were looking to do was connect 80s era crack kingpin organizations to known and famous faces, it made for a more interesting story, it made headlines, more importantly for young and hungry cops and investigators it gave them purpose and a sexy reason to pursue these cases.

While Hip-Hop artists are music storytellers, when cops solve a big case or they feel they have a story they too want to become storytellers, and while I was doing the documentary, there was a retired NYPD Cop, who was brazen enough and understood Hollywood, to start calling himself THE HIP-HOP COP, his name was Derrick Parker.

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE: EP. 1 - THE MURDER OF KELLY JAMERSON Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

Join hosts Nicole Luciano and Johnny ‘The Greek’ Anagnopoulos, two of the producers of The Dossier, as they break down all things crime and hip-hop, gleaned from their years of investigative work on the topic.

In this inaugural episode of Collateral Damage, Niki and Johnny give listeners some background on their work and how they’ve gained some expertise on the topics that will be discussed on the podcast.

Then, they take a look at the murder of Kelly Jamerson during a Death Row Records party in 1995 and give their opinions on the actions of those involved.

Speaking of Death Row, they also have a spirited debate on Marion ‘Suge’ Knight – is he a victim, victimizer, or a bit of both?

**If you you’re a fan of The Dossier, please visit our Patreon page for free and paid content featuring exclusive documents, unedited interviews, monthly online meetups with other Dossier fans and the Dossier team.

Go to Patreon.com/Dossier to subscribe!

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BAD BOY 4 LIFE EP. 1: DIDDY IN FEDERAL HOT WATER Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

Where to begin, with the news of Homeland Security Investigations raiding the homes of Diddy in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami, it is very clear to me that something is afoot, combine that with rumors being reported that the Southern District is interviewing 3 what they are identifying as Jane Doe victims, and one John Doe, and Diddy has really hit a trifecta.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, and let's make some early analysis.

Personally, I have some experience covering HSI or Homeland Security Investigations, and in my work I have also embedded with them on an operation that involved the DEA, the FBI, ICE, and a branch of Mexican Special Forces, they mainly do transnational crime cases, which means heavy heavy shit, not to mention HSI has a lot of toys, a lot money, and incredible investigators.

The case I was embedded on involved going after a cell of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel just over the border from Phoenix Arizona. THAT IS THE TYPE OF SHIT HSI DOES.

Secondly, for listeners of the Dossier podcast, you might be familiar with the Phrase The Southern District of New York, or as they sometimes are refered to as the Soverign District.

So HSI, teamed up with the Southern District is really bad news for Diddy, and let me explain why for you very simply.

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 5: DARK TIMES IN NYC Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

As my persistence to tell the story of the Hip-Hop Cops increased, my “fixers” —Steve Lobel and Pistol Pete, delivered on their promise to secure me interview subjects.

What sounded good in theory, was in reality far different, as their strategy was to merely accost artists and executives pretty much anywhere—at studios, at parties, concerts, on the street, back alleys—they even spotted Kanye West at an album release party and convinced him to do an interview in the back of the club’s kitchen.

In true Kanye fashion he gave me a great sound byte, even though I was only able to ask him one question. Here is his response to me asking him about the scrutiny that the police had on the industry. This was polo Kanye, College Dropout Kanye… but still it was Kanye in the back of a kitchen….

I was trying to tackle racial issues, but my execution was off—it was sloppy.

I just had to grab anything I could from the celebrities as it was rare to get an actual sit-down interview.

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 4: HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

As I have started the introspective study of my life since the documentary I created 17 years ago, I don’t want to stray from my initial inspiration that catapulted me into my fascination with law enforcement and Hip-Hop, but more specifically, the nuances, perception, and uneven legal ground created by criminal prosecutors using lyrics, and their visuals, to pursue their criminal cases.

Like the secret book I found, the use of song lyrics or the use of a music video to create a criminal narrative seemed as odd to me today as it did back in 2005. Art imitating life, or life imitating art, these questions I still struggle with as my understanding has deepened.

Jaeah Lee who wrote the aforementioned New York Times article, opens the piece with the story of Tommy Munsdwell Canady, an aspiring rapper from Racine, Wisconsin, and when I say aspiring, I mean he uploaded a few songs to Soundcould, a feat my 10yr old niece can do.

Police in Racine were looking for suspects in three recent shootings, one of the victims, Semar Mcclain who was 19 at the time, was found dead with a bullet in his temple.

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HIP HOP VS THE COPS EP. 3: MURDER INC. AND SUPREME Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

If you have been listening in, a New York Times article about rap lyrics that I read by a pool in the Spring of 2022, really brought me back 17 years when I decided to explore the origins of a secret Hip-Hop dossier, and why the NYPD and federal government wanted to surveil, track, arrest and indict Hip-Hop Superstars.

The way I chose to tell my story was in the form of a documentary I called Rap Sheet, and where I left off was, I was now in business with Pistol Pete and Steve Lobel, and my best buddy Rick Phillips was my main source of financing.

I was in the hole $50K and I had never gone to film school so what did I really know, but there were some core themes that were important for me and remember I wanted to tell a story that resonated this connection between Hip-Hop and law enforcement.

In this episode we hear from Murder Inc's Irv Gotti about his case with the Feds and his relationship with none other than the mythical street legend, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. We also meet THE Hip Hop Cop himself, Derek Parker.

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