Jonesboro police have arrested a rising Arkansas rapper signed to Gucci Mane’s 1017 label in connection with a deadly botched drug deal that left his own best friend shot dead inside a home on Fairview Drive. Jamichael Adrick North, 23, known professionally as Big Fizzle, now faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery after court documents reveal he walked out of the residence with a pound of marijuana while his accomplice pulled a gun on the victim and was killed in return fire. The victim, who has not been named, told investigators he grabbed his own firearm from above the microwave and shot the armed robber in self-defense as his girlfriend and three young children hid in a bedroom
North is being held in the Craighead County Detention Center on a $750,000 bond, and a judge ordered he wear a GPS ankle monitor if he posts bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on August 21, 2026.
The fatal confrontation unfolded shortly after 7 p. m. on July 6, 2026, according to the affidavit filed by Jonesboro police.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire at a home in the 3500 block of Fairview Drive and found a man dead on the living room floor, a second man unharmed, two handguns, and multiple shell casings both inside and outside the residence. A large quantity of marijuana was also discovered in the kitchen. The victim, who was selling the drugs, told police he had arranged to meet North and another man he did not know—later identified as Treyshawn Crawford—to sell them a pound of marijuana.
During the transaction in the kitchen, North took the bag of marijuana and walked out the front door. Crawford then drew a firearm and declared, “I’m going to need all of it,” while pointing the weapon at the victim.
The victim stated that he raised his hands in compliance, but as Crawford backed toward the front door and struggled to open it while keeping the gun trained on him, he saw his chance. With Crawford momentarily distracted by the door, the victim grabbed his own pistol from atop the microwave and fired multiple shots, striking Crawford. The armed robber collapsed by the doorway.
The victim then stepped outside and saw North sitting in the passenger seat of a silver BMW, with a second unknown person in the driver’s seat. He fired at the vehicle, striking it several times before it sped away. Police later located the BMW abandoned nearby, riddled with bullet holes.
The car was registered to North.
The girlfriend of the victim, who had taken their three children into a bedroom moments before the shooting, told investigators she heard the front door open, then a man say “Put it down” twice, followed by rapid gunfire. She fled the home with the children and saw a man lying on the living room floor. She identified North as one of the men who entered her home, and the victim later confirmed North’s identity with 100% certainty.
The victim told police his primary concern was the safety of his girlfriend and children, noting there was no escape route from the kitchen.
North’s arrest marks a stunning fall for a rapper who once seemed destined for a major music career. Born in Blytheville, Arkansas, he was a standout high school quarterback before his rap videos caught the attention of Gucci Mane in 2021. At just 17, North signed to Gucci’s 1017 Records and dropped tracks like “Serving,” which racked up over 15 million YouTube views, and “Trap Mania” featuring Gucci Mane himself.
He portrayed himself as a role model for young fans, speaking in interviews about his football dreams and the importance of pursuing education. But in 2025, Gucci Mane dramatically restructured his label, releasing all but two artists—Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano—citing a “business decision.” North was one of the artists let go.
Despite being dropped, North continued to release music. His project “Highly Favored” dropped on June 29, 2026, just one week before the shooting. Now, instead of celebrating a new album, he sits in a jail cell, charged with murder for a crime in which he did not fire a single shot.
The irony has not been lost on local law enforcement or the broader hip-hop community. “He walked out the front door with the weed before the gunfire even started,” said a police spokesperson. “But under Arkansas law, anyone who participates in a felony that results in a death can be charged with murder.
He didn’t pull the trigger, but he was part of the robbery. The law holds him accountable for everything that happened inside that house.”
The 1017 Records alumni have been plagued by legal trouble in recent years. Pooh Shiesty is currently serving a federal sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime, while Foogiano faced federal drug and firearm charges. North’s case adds another tragic chapter to what fans have begun calling the “1017 curse.”
Social media posts from the victim in this case have surfaced showing him and North apparently friendly, even posing together. Court records indicate that North and Crawford—the man who was killed—were close associates. Crawford’s family has declined to comment, but the victim’s girlfriend told police she believed both men came to rob her boyfriend.
“This is a clear case of stupid meeting stupid,” said one local crime analyst in a widely circulated commentary. “You try to rob a man for a pound of weed—worth maybe $4,000 depending on where you live. Your partner gets killed.
You get charged with murder for his death. You didn’t even get the product. And the man you tried to rob walks free after defending himself.
That’s the reality you face when you go back to the streets after being on top.” Financial motives are also being examined. North’s YouTube revenues, while substantial, may not have matched the lifestyle he projected.
No financial records have been released, but the BMW he drove was registered in his name, and the bullet holes found in it suggest the victim’s shots nearly hit him.
The shooting has shaken the small city of Jonesboro, where the homicide rate had been declining. Mayor Harold Copenhaver issued a statement calling for calm and urging young people to avoid the drug trade. “No amount of money or street credibility is worth a life,” he said.
“We have three children who now have to live with the memory of gunfire in their own home, and a young man who will spend years in prison for a decision he made in seconds.” North’s arraignment on August 21 will determine whether the case proceeds to trial or if a plea deal is offered. His attorney, who has not yet commented publicly, faces an uphill battle: the victim’s positive identification, the abandoned BMW registered to North, and the testimony of the girlfriend all point to his involvement.
The music industry is watching closely. Gucci Mane has not addressed North’s arrest publicly, and his label has issued no statement. Some fans are calling for the rapper to intervene or offer legal support, while others point to the pattern of legal troubles among 1017 alumni as evidence of a deeper problem within the music business culture.
“We gotta be careful,” one commenter wrote on social media. “Everybody wants to rap about selling drugs, but when the life catches up, it catches up hard.” For the victim of the robbery, the aftermath is bittersweet.
He survived, but he lost a pound of marijuana, his home was turned into a crime scene, and his children witnessed chaos. He told police he never wanted to be in that position, but he was forced to defend himself. He will not face charges for shooting Crawford, as the shooting appears to be a valid act of self-defense under Arkansas’s stand-your-ground laws.
As for North, the man who once said in an interview, “I’ve been out the porch my whole life,” is now learning that stepping back onto that porch can be fatal—even when you don’t pull the trigger. The “1017 curse” may be a catchy term, but the reality is a pound of weed, a dead friend, and a 23-year-old rapper facing life in prison. The case is ongoing, and authorities are still searching for the driver of the BMW.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jonesboro Police Department major crimes unit. For now, Big Fizzle remains behind bars, his music career shattered, his future uncertain, and his name now linked not to a hit single, but to a homicide. The tragedy underscores a timeless lesson: when you play with fire, someone will get burned.
In this case, the flames consumed two young men, one lying in a morgue, the other staring at steel bars.
