Maino Doesn't Like Troy Ave's Narrative About Taxstone

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Jim X Maino Studio Session
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 19: Maino attends the Jim X Maino Studio Session on July 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Maino explains that Taxstone wasn't looking for any trouble on the night of the 2016 Irving Plaza shooting.

A jury found Taxstone guilty last week for his role in the shooting at Irving Plaza that left Troy Ave’s bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter dead. Though Troy continued to pop bottles in celebration of Tax’s conviction, Maino doesn’t feel like the rapper is being honest about the narrative. The Lobby Boyz rapper appeared on Angela Yee’s show this morning where he discussed the trial’s outcome, revealing that he actually performed the night of the shooting. However, he stated that Taxstone wasn’t out there looking for trouble like some have claimed.

“That man was there chilling, enjoying the moment and these other dudes came in there looking for a problem,” Maino explained. He said that a few individuals came into the room, hoping to create a moment, although it didn’t end up working in their favor. “... The moment didn’t go there way. So I’m just in disagreement with the whole narrative of becoming a victim after you tried to be an aggressor,” he added, seemingly referencing Troy Ave’s role in the situation, which he got more in-depth about. 

Maino Discusses Troy Ave

It seems like Troy Ave is partially to blame for the narrative surrounding Taxstone. Maino suggested the White Christmas rapper should take some responsibility for the incident, especially after taking the stand. “My whole thing is this though – how you out here celebrating just getting on the stand after you tried to create a situation that just didn’t go your way?” Maino asked. ”So he worked out a deal with the prosecutor to get less time for those guns that he got caught with. So that was his motivation to get on the stand and testify against Taxstone.”

“Say the whole truth,” Maino continued. Don’t make it seem like that man was there to try to assassinate you and that’s not the truth. The truth of the matter is you actually came there on that time. You walked in there in that room and tried to create a situation. You thought that maybe you was gonna get you a Worldstar moment.” Check out the full clip above and sound off with your thoughts on Maino’s take on Taxstone’s conviction. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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