Delaware's AllHipHop.com turns 25. How'd it nearly solve RUN D.M.C. member's death?

Glasgow High grads "Grouchy” Greg Watkins and Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur are casually browsing through albums at Wonderland Records, one of the oldest vinyl stores in the country.

Watkins, whose friend owns the Newark store, cracks a joke about Creekmur touring the heavy-metal section of the shop. Creekmur laughs it off, claiming he's a metal head.

The irony is Watkins and Creekmur are founders of the esteemed news website AllHipHop.com. This year marks the media outlet's 25th anniversary.

Wilmington TikTok star: DJ drops viral mashups with Drake, Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z

Although Wonderland Records owner Demitri Theodoropoulos grew up a metal head, he said he reads AllHipHop daily because it keeps him informed about the culture.

Millions love the website

AllHipHop draws 4 million visitors monthly, Watkins, of Middletown, said.

The site is one of the longest-running platforms dedicated to covering hip-hop culture on the internet.

AHH is also one of the first news sites to bring this niche to the web, opening the door for media platforms across the hip-hop landscape like The Shade Room, Complex and VladTV.    

Mariah Carey whispers in Grouchy Greg's ear

The founders of AHH have over two decades’ worth of stories from brushing shoulders with music artists.

Watkins recalled the time platinum-selling artist Mariah Carey whispered in his ear.

"I've got a picture with Mariah Carey where we're embracing each other. And it looks like we're dating or we're in love. That's how close the embrace is," he explained.

Then came the whisper.

"She was actually saying in my ear, when we were taking the picture, 'Please stop. Please stop writing bad things about me on the website,'" Watkins recalled.

"She didn't say it in those words, but that's what she was getting across."

Rihanna's baby's father had beef with AllHipHop

Watkins and Creekmur understand some artists are very protective about their image, so it comes with the territory that they'll occasionally deal with unhappy folks.

Creekmur, who grew up in Newark but now lives in South Jersey, said he's "never told" the story about the time he had a tense run-in with rapper A$AP Rocky, the father of superstar singer Rihanna's first child.

Jay-Z's Delaware producer: He sparks debate over AI rights

The hip-hop journalist, who said the incident happened about a decade ago, explained that A$AP was displeased with the way one of AHH's writers covered him.

According to Creekmur, A$AP pressed their female writer at South By Southwest in Texas. "This writer gets approached by A$AP Rocky ... and he is pissed," Creekmur explained.

'Surrounded by' A$AP Rocky

"They approached her aggressively. Him and his crew [did it] very aggressively, to the point where she came to me and told me about it."

So Creekmur stood up for the writer. 

"Before I know it, I'm in a party surrounded by the A$AP Mob," he explained.

"Greg and I are not from Wilmington. But we know how to move [in serious situations]. And I know it's going to go one of two ways here."

The situation dissolved after Creekmur introduced himself to A$AP and listened to his grievances.

"We shook hands like men and went about our day," the University of Delaware grad said. 

Praise from Jay-Z, KRS-One, BET

AllHipHop has racked up a laundry list of accolades over the years.

When asked about their favorites, Watkins seemed overwhelmed. "There's just so many highlights, man."

AHH was named Best Hip Hop Online Site/App at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2009. "We've been nominated almost every year [since]," Watkins added.

Kountry Wayne & more celebs: Headed to Delaware for free appearances this spring

They've garnered praise from several artists, including the legendary Jay-Z.

A fellow rap icon even raised the bar when he gave Creekmur a shout-out on wax.

"KRS-One name-dropped me in his last album. I was like, 'Oh, shoot!’" Creekmur explained. "I feel so honored."

Jam Master Jay's death ‘essentially solved’ by AllHipHop?

The AHH founders also hang their hat on playing a key role in helping law enforcement all but crack the cold case of late Run D.M.C. member Jam Master Jay.

Jay was fatally gunned down in a recording studio in Queens, New York, in 2002.

While the rap legend's death made headlines in the early days, the media eventually moved on.

But AHH has been covering the case since it started. Their diligence led to Jay's cold case getting a resurgence of attention.

Watkins said he spearheaded the news coverage, which included him interviewing the people who were in the studio, digging through court documents and spending "hundreds of hours" interviewing Jam Master Jay's mom.

Watkins interviewed other sources, too.

AHH received backlash for most of their coverage because some hip-hop fans didn't like the narrative they were pushing, including Jay's family.

AHH claimed Jay was dabbling in kilo-level drug dealing, which resulted in his death. 

"We had so many sources that there was no doubt in my mind, this is what was happening," Watkins explained.

Government verifies AllHipHop's drug theory

In 2020, the United States Attorney's Office — Eastern District of New York verified AHH's claims.

The Attorney's Office released a statement that announced Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. were indicted on charges of murdering Jam Master Jay.

The investigation revealed the motive for killing the rap legend was over roughly 10 kilograms of cocaine he acquired "from a narcotics supplier in the Midwest," the statement added.

In February, AllHipHop reported that the start date for the trial has been delayed after one of the witnesses died.

"We've essentially solved the murder of Jam Master Jay," Watkins said. "Those are the things that make us a part of the culture, that [level of] care."

What's next for AllHipHop?

The AHH crew is working on a docuseries with Quincy Jones III as director, along with Neo Studios and TwentyOne14 Media.

Watkins said the project aims to tell the story about the rise of AllHipHop's legacy over the last 25 years.

They have a dream list of people they'd love to interview for the project. This includes everyone from Run D.M.C. to Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, Watkins added.

The project is slated for release in 2024. But that depends on which company buys it since they'll shop the docuseries to platforms like Netflix and Hulu.

While AHH has a presence on social media, they've always focused more on creating in-house content.

But they expect this docuseries to be a game-changer for growing their company.

The pair is also exploring the concept of a record label or distribution service.

"We're blessed that our brand can literally exist anywhere. So we're looking to define what extensions are gonna be the most profitable," Watkins said.

"The documentary is the first step in expanding our brand off of the open web and into markets all around the world."

Creating a 'blueprint' for hip-hop news

Looking back at the last 25 years, Creekmur said the most special thing to him about their journey running a famous brand is simply the company itself.

One of the only other longstanding companies like AHH they can think of is HipHopDX, which was founded a year after them.

"No one can say they were the blueprint of almost all digital formats online, the way AllHipHop has," Creekmur said. "That's really it."

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Mariah Carey to A$AP Rocky: AllHipHop.com founders share crazy tales