November 1st 2004, Bay Area rap star Andre Hicks aka Mac Dre would lose his life as the van he was traveling in on Highway 71 was ambushed and sprayed with bullets https://youtu.be/rux4NROlWlM (50:26-50:40)
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The sedan violently rammed the driver’s side of the van in between the hailstorm of gunfire.
This onslaught of attacks caused the van to lose control and plunge into a ditch, tossing Mac Dre from the vehicle while the driver crawled from the wreckage and ran to the hotel for help
At approximately 3:30am, an hour after the targeted hit occurred, police would arrive at the scene to find a motionless Mac Dre with a fatal bullet wound to the back of his neck.
He was pronounced dead at the scene
The black vehicle used in the homicide would be found later on with shell casings matching those at the scene and holes from inside the door which led investigators to deduce the shots were fired from inside the vehicle
The significance of this murder, was the connection that it would have to a Kansas City rapper by the name Anthony Watkins aka Fat Tone
Mac Dre was well respected by members of the legal public along with those of the criminal underworld. Being suspected as the person responsible for his death almost certainly meant their death as well. This was the dilemma faced by Fat Tone as most suspected he was the one who orchestrated the hit on Mac Dre’s life.
Rumors began circulating that Fat Tone and Mac Dre had a falling out that weekend before Dre was murdered
The allegations of his involvement were later escalated when another rumor increased tensions between Fat Tone and those dear to Mac Dre. Allegedly, Fat Tone was playing into the theory that he was responsible for Mac Dre’s homicide and went as far as releasing a song that included the lyrics “I flip dudes cars off the highway bridge/and the same f’n night I call and tell they kids”
This allegation not only attracted attention from law enforcement labelling Fat Tone as a initial person of interest, but more seriously, to those hungry for revenge for their comrade Mac Dre https://youtu.be/nolls1fJIXw (9:47-1:00) Basically, Fat Tone’s willingness to allow the allegations and rumors to continue without denying or addressing them directly placed a massive target on his back https://youtu.be/sVPHAIFr5JA (9:25-9:48)
That only ignited the flames with gasoline, creating an avenue for even more rumors to unfold one on top the other. One that was detrimental to Fat Tone’s safety was where allegations began spreading of a diss record Fat Tone made towards Mac Dre, a song that persons both inside and outside of his camp agree never actually existed https://youtu.be/xl85-z4z23A (8:14-8:39) https://youtu.be/cwmFxYG8CtQ (3:16-4:15) https://youtu.be/F9EqoEGhb2E (5:47-6:01)
By this time, Fat Tone could probably feel the walls closing in. Being someone who was rooted in the gang culture, he was aware that having his name tied to the death of such a prominent figure as Mac Dre came with tragic consequences. In an attempt to correct the error of not addressing the allegations earlier and allowing rumors to spread, Fat Tone released his mixtape titled “My Hood Betrayed Me”
where he cleared his name from all connections to him having anything to do with Mac Dre’s murder https://youtu.be/eEAx3iIFMZA (0:08-0:32) https://youtu.be/eEAx3iIFMZA (2:52-3:14) But, sadly, it was too little too late. His name was already burnt into the minds of persons grieving Mac Dre’s death, in those moments logical thinking goes out the window and revenge is all they craved, and that’s what they allegedly set out to get.
A man by the name of Andre Dow aka Mac Minister
would befriend Fat Tone and in May 2005, Mac Minister would go to Las Vegas with Fat Tone and his friend Jermaine “Cowboy” Akins with the intention that Mac Minister would connect him with popular rapper Snoop Dogg.
A Kansas City rapper by the name of Priceless Diamonds
who claims to be Fat Tone’s friend details the alleged final moments in Las Vegas before Fat Tone lost his life https://youtu.be/NKYA9EHlHsk (0:54-1:38) According to her, Fat Tone told her he was staying at the MGM Grand,
the hotel where his idol Tupac Shakur had attended a boxing match the night he was shot in 1996
Fat Tone was allegedly gambling at the hotel and was making a ton of money. The actual figure varies between Priceless Diamonds, Fat Tone’s mother, and Fat Tone’s then girlfriend Jameshia Spencer, but the story is consistent with him being involved in gambling and making great winnings at the time
Again, the three of them claim Fat Tone told them he was meeting different rappers, but ultimately, it followed the same trail of Mac Minister introducing him to popular rappers in the music industry
However, his girlfriend Jameshia alleges that having an introduction to these rappers was only half of his business in Las Vegas and the other half was something kept under wraps that might have ultimately led to him losing his life
May 23rd 2005, Las Vegas is going well as far as everyone assumes, but things were about to take a dark turn for Fat Tone, and if what Jameshia alleges is true, maybe Fat Tone became aware of that too. According to her, that Monday morning around 2 a.m. Fat Tone called her and stated he wasn’t going to do the particular thing he went down to Las Vegas for. By her accounts, Fat Tone had a change of heart about whatever business he was about to conduct and told her he wasn’t going through with it but instead returning home. His last words she recalls on the phone were, ‘I’m sitting here waiting on this guy. I’m going to call you as soon as I get to the hotel.”
She would never hear from Fat Tone again. Shortly after the call, Fat Tone and his companion Cowboy were shot multiple times and killed. Tone’s body was found inside a car by a security guard who noticed that the car’s lights were on. The car was parked in a deserted housing subdivision still under construction.
Akins’ aka Cowboy’s body was on the ground a few feet away.
Investigations later led to suspects Andre Dow aka Mac Minister and associate Jason Mathis aka Corleon
who were later apprehended after they were the last persons caught on footage that night leaving the casino with Fat Tone
Information about Mac Minister inviting Fat Tone out to Vegas with the idea that he had connections with Snoop Dogg and was organizing an introduction found its way to the cops as well, increasing the case around him being responsible for Fat Tone’s murder https://youtu.be/aar93RnJNcs (2:57-3:15)
The cops had on their radar what they believe was the suspect vehicle, a 2000 Pontiac Sunbird convertible. The vehicle would be found torched and abandoned in Vallejo, California, two days after the killing https://youtu.be/aar93RnJNcs (3:16-3:22)
The case got even deeper. Apparently, there was a female witness who could account for the murder. Her name was Lee ‘Alana’ Laursen and police allege she was working as a prostitute in Las Vegas for Mac Minister and Jason Mathis
Her father would have alerted police officers that his daughter was being held against her will and forced into prostitution but Laursen was seemingly addicted to the lifestyle and the two rappers as she refused to stay away.
Her vehicle was frequently seen at the home of Mathis. Police would find and attempt to interview Laursen to gain information on the case, but she would be defiant and refuse to cooperate. Realizing how deeply she may be tied to the two men and the homicide, the officers tried a last-ditch attempt to save her life by informing her of the danger she is placing herself in and even offered to pay for her to return to Utah.
Unwilling to cooperate, there was nothing they could do. Sadly, Laursen was later found shot and killed. Reports state that Laursen’s neighbors in Fairfield reported hearing four or five gunshots, and a jogger found Laursen in a gutter. Officers received information that Laursen might have been with Dow aka Mac Minister a few hours before she died.
At that time Mac Minister was yet to be arrested. https://youtu.be/aar93RnJNcs (3:22-3:33)
It was after he was aired on America’s Most Wanted, someone who watched the show tipped off authorities with info that led to his arrest
Although he wasn’t charged for her murder, Mac Minister will also be tied to the homicide of Lee Laursen after unearthing she was allegedly engaged to his accomplice and was a possible witness to their crime
Jason Mathis’ child mother would provide damning information that would only aid in amplifying evidence against the two suspects. From the interview, she stated she had been trying to feed officers information and was fearful for her safety. She got the chance to speak with detectives directly when Mathis was arrested for a domestic dispute where he fought her and pepper sprayed her as well when he caught up to her scheme to wear a wire and get a confession about the murder of Fat Tone https://youtu.be/bT_amJHSxCE (1:06:41-1:07:25)
She further states that Mathis would come back from Las Vegas and admit to her they Killed Fat Tone and Cowboy and broke down in detail how they set it up and carried out the gruesome murders https://youtu.be/bT_amJHSxCE (57:15-1:00:48) https://youtu.be/bT_amJHSxCE (1:05:34-1:06:01) She also told detectives that Mathis also admitted the murder of Fat Tone was in retaliation for him being the one who murdered Mac Dre https://youtu.be/bT_amJHSxCE (1:03:11-1:03:39) During that interview she connected the dots to the burnt vehicle stating that Mathis told her he placed all the evidence that could tie him to the Fat Tone murder in the car and burnt it in the Vallejo area to make investigators believe someone in that region did it https://youtu.be/bT_amJHSxCE (1:07:26-1:07:51)
Mac Minister and Jason Mathis were tried and found guilty on 2 counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to four life sentences without parole in 2008 https://youtu.be/aar93RnJNcs (0:38-1:04)
After serving 16 years behind bars, Mac Minister still proclaims his innocence and is on a new mission to be freed after the testimony of a witness at the time, is now recanting his testimony https://youtu.be/aar93RnJNcs (1:12-1:34)
The sad part about all this, is that most people, and even some in law enforcement that worked on the case agree that Fat Tone really didn’t have anything to do with the murder of Mac Dre. Mac Dre affiliate Jamal David Diggs aka J Diggs
would also corroborate that theory and reveal that the persons who were actually responsible have been rumored to all been wiped out https://youtu.be/F9EqoEGhb2E (4:58-5:28) Mac Dre and Fat Tone’s murders led to a series of retaliations that resulted in even more senseless bloodshed.
Both legends, now nothing but a memory due to the inner-workings of the life they lived. RIP Fat Tone https://youtu.be/FYPbxetM530 (1:41-2:12)
Chad is a professional journalist specializing in Hip-Hop culture and writing music reviews.
