August 6, 2026

I Was The NYPD Cop Who Sent Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff To Prison & Saved 50 Cent | Bill Courtney

Bill Courtney grew up the son of an NYPD cop, followed his father's footsteps onto the force in the mid-1980s, and spent his career working DEA task forces taking down cartel traffickers in New York City before the rise of rap and the specific world where organized crime and the music industry collided became the defining chapter of everything he did behind the badge. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what working DEA cartel cases in New York City really looked like, what the rise of rap in the 1980s and 1990s produced in terms of street violence and organized crime, what investigating the 50 Cent shooting actually involved, and what the investigation that eventually took down Kenneth Supreme McGriff — one of the most feared and most connected figures in New York street and hip hop history — actually required of the detectives who built it. He also opens up about flipping informants, making deals, the Murder Inc investigation, and the complete truth about corruption inside the music industry that most people who followed those stories from the outside never heard described honestly from the detective who worked them. _____________________________________________  #50cent #nypd #truecrimestories #cops _____________________________________________  Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:  https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en  https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Bill Courtney, NYPD Detective 00:20 Growing Up in New York and Joining NYPD 01:45 The Violent Era of New York in the 80s and 90s 03:13 Comparing Crime in Different Generations 05:09 Robbery Culture, Fashion, and Juvenile Crime 06:09 The Crack Era Changes Everything 06:25 Rap Music's Influence on Crime and Culture 09:25 The Anti-Police Sentiment in Rap 10:39 Rap Violence: From Streets to Studios 11:39 Becoming the 'Rap Violence Guy' for NYPD 12:39 From Robbery Squads to DEA Task Force 15:15 Inside Major Drug Interdiction Operations 16:50 The Stash House Busts: Mistakes and Breaks 18:35 Money, Seizures, and Law Enforcement Tactics 23:18 Cooperation and the Federal System's Double-Edged Sword 29:08 Informants, Witness Protection, and Prison Realities 33:33 Managing Informants and Their Pitfalls 36:56 The Supreme Team: Origins and Street Power 42:41 50 Cent, Murder Inc., and the Violent Feud 49:20 Investigation Breakthroughs and Major Arrests 55:00 Building the Supreme Team Case and Trial Pressure 01:02:26 Hip-Hop, Fame, and Street Gang Connections 01:06:26 Music Industry Corruption & Tupac's Shooting 01:11:11 Celebrity Crime and Near Misses—James Woods' Story  01:17:12 Why Do Wealthy Stars Risk It All? 01:20:44 Changing Tides: New Rap, Old Crime, and Industry Shift 01:31:31 Life After NYPD and Podcasting 01:37:08 Family Fallout from Long Sentences 01:42:42 Reflection on Sentencing and Changing Perspectives 01:44:08 Legacy, Training, and Changing Police Culture 01:47:46 Closing Thoughts and Farewell _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

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