Memphis

GloRilla, Three 6 Mafia, Yo Gotti, Gangsta Boo. Collage by Jackie Lay / NPR.

Music & Culture

How Memphis rap charted a passage from Delta blues

6:00pm July 21, 2023

by Zandria F. Robinson

The "most known unknown" rap city found its voice by embracing the dark and light sides of its history equally: the horror stories and church hymns, the field hollers and Stax stacks.

When she first arrived in the U.S. decades ago, Queen Titile Keskessa didn't know who Martin Luther King Jr. was. Today, she is inspired by his legacy and the work of other African American civil rights icons.

National

Reporter's notebook: The South is home to a growing Black immigrant population

5:00am May 12, 2023

by Leah Donnella

What's it like to be a Black immigrant or refugee in America? We had a hundred or so conversations with people in Tennessee — one of the Blackest states in the country — to find out.

Queue Listen Now

The medical examiner's official autopsy report for 29-year-old Tyre Nichols showed he "died of brain injuries from blunt force trauma," according to the Shelby County, Tenn., District Attorney's Office. Here, the screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Nichols before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards on Jan. 28.

National

Tyre Nichols' autopsy reveals brain injuries from blunt force trauma, attorneys say

8:15pm May 03, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The family of Tyre Nichols and their attorneys were briefed on his official autopsy results Wednesday, nearly four months after his death.

Mourners arrive to the funeral service for Tyre Nichols, at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. The City of Memphis announced the investigation into Nichols' death has been concluded, announcing an additional 20 hours of video footage will be released Wednesday.

National

The City of Memphis says it has completed its investigation into Tyre Nichols' death

5:49pm March 07, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

Nearly 20 hours of new footage and audio, along with accompanying documents, will be released to the public on Wednesday afternoon, officials say.

Attorney Ben Crump (from left) Tyre Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, exit the courthouse in Memphis after five former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder and other charges in Nichols' death.

National

All 5 ex-Memphis officers plead not guilty in the beating death of Tyre Nichols

12:19pm February 17, 2023

by Adrian Florido

They were arraigned on charges of murder, assault and other felonies. Tyre Nichols died three days after officers beat him following a Jan. 7 traffic stop.

The screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Tyre Nichols before an NBA game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards on Jan. 28.

National

2 deputies who were suspended in the Tyre Nichols case didn't keep their bodycams on

10:46am February 16, 2023

by The Associated Press

Two sheriff's deputies who have been suspended for five days failed to keep their body cameras activated after they went to the location where Nichols had been beaten by Memphis police, officials say.

In this image from video released and partially redacted by the city of Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 27, 2023, Tyre Nichols leans against a car after a brutal attack by five Memphis Police officers on Jan. 7, in Memphis.

National

Memphis officer took and shared photos of bloodied Tyre Nichols, documents show

1:40am February 08, 2023

by The Associated Press

The Memphis officer stood over Tyre Nichols and took photographs, which he sent to other officers and a female acquaintance, according to documents released by the Tennessee's police standards panel.

Protesters march Saturday, Jan. 28, in Memphis, Tenn., over the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police.

National

A 6th Memphis police officer has been fired after the beating death of Tyre Nichols

8:20pm February 03, 2023

by The Associated Press

Preston Hemphill had been suspended as he was investigated for his role in the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died in a hospital three days later. Five Memphis officers have already been fired.

Protesters march Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn., over the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police.

National

A 6th police officer is relieved of duty in the Tyre Nichols death investigation

1:09pm January 30, 2023

Nichols, 29, was pulled over on Jan. 7 for what police said was reckless driving. After trying to flee on foot, Nichols was severely beaten by police. He died in a hospital days later.

Protesters march through downtown Memphis in response to the death of Tyre Nichols earlier this month. Video footage of Nichols being arrested and beaten by police was released to the public on Friday.

National

Memphis deactivates the unit that fatally beat Tyre Nichols, as officials urge reform

1:10pm January 29, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The city's police department has disbanded the so-called SCORPION unit whose officers beat Nichols. Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee say they'll introduce new criminal justice legislation.