Ludacris may be looking for a new manager soon as his longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, was charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man outside of his Atlanta restaurant, Apt4b., according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Security footage published by TMZ on Thursday shows Zulu and Artez Benton getting in a fight outside of the Atlanta restaurant on June 26 before Zulu ultimately fired deadly shots that killed Benton.
The three-minute clip shows Zulu getting into an argument in the parking of Apt4b with a man, Tre’mon Robinson. But when the confrontation turns physical, three other men, Corey Crawford, Benton and another unidentified come to help and jump Zulu.
The confrontation ended with Zulu pulling out a gun and shooting Benton in the chest, which ultimately led to his death.
Born Ahmed Chaka Zulu Obafemi, Ludacris’ manager turned himself in on Sept. 13 after he learned of the arrest warrants against him. Other than murder, Zulu was also charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and simple battery.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Zulu’s attorney, Gabe Banks, claimed that his client shot Benton in self-defense after he was “jumped from behind by a gang of at least four individuals.”
Many celebrities have spoken out in support of Zulu, writing words of encouragement in the comment section on the posted statement. Some of the notable names include 50 Cent, Pusha T, Lil John, Busta Rhymes, Tyrese Gibson, Keri Hilson and even former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed. But one name is curiously absent: Ludacris has yet to come to the defense of his longtime manager.
The footage shown may back the claim that Zulu acted in self-defense, but we’ll have to wait for a jury to agree.
Zulu is the co-founder of Disturbing Tha Peace records along with his brother, Jeff Dixon and Ludacris. It was founded in 1998 and has been the home of multiple hip-hop acts such as Chingy, Shawnna, Bobby V, Playaz Circle, Lil Scrappy and many others.