What is "checking in" in hip-hop culture? Tony Yayo recalls G-Unit keeping a "militant" attitude to out-of-state security amid Big U's RICO case

Weeks after Big U's arrest (on March 19, 2025), Tony Yayo - a member of G-Unit - discussed the recent arrest of the music executive in the RICO case with DJ Vlad. Speaking about the "checking-in" culture, Yayo described his NYC-based hip-hop group as a "militant" movement when they traveled to other states.

Elaborating, Tony Yayo alleged that G-Unit never checked in when they traveled to other states to avoid the group's involvement in any alleged crimes or risk an extortion attempt.

Per HotNewHipHop, "checking-in" is a code of conduct that has been prevalent in the hip-hop culture for decades. It is a practice that dictates that visiting artists acknowledge the local power structure through various means. Be it a meeting with the local crew or a quiet donation, it establishes one message: know where you are, and who runs it.

The media outlet also reports that the practice of "checking in" is predominantly observed in cities like Houston, New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

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Big U is accused of allegedly orchestrating a criminal enterprise

The "checking-in" culture finds itself in the spotlight in the wake of Big U's recent arrest. HotNewHipHop reports that the music executive - born Eugene Henley - was arrested alongside Bricc Baby, Luce Cannon, and several others by the FBI on charges of racketeering and other crimes allegedly connected to the LA street gang, Rollin' 50s Neighborhood Crips.

Days after Eugene's arrest, an unsealed affidavit accused Henley of leading a criminal enterprise involved in extortion, robbery, fraud, human trafficking, and murder. Prosecutors claim he ran the "Big U Enterprise" like a mafia, using his reputation and ties to the Rollin' 60s Crips to intimidate others.

Besides Eugene Henley, the other co-defendants mentioned in the affidavit include Sylvester Robinson, Armani Aflleje, Tiffany Shanrika Hines, Mark Martin, Termaine Fedrick Blanton Jr., and Ashley Williams.

The culture of checking in is a key aspect of the indictment, which is supposedly protected from criminal elements. Federal investigators also argued in their complaint that the Big U Enterprise was the manufacturer of the threats that they claimed to guard against.

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Big U is also charged with the alleged murder of Rayshawn Williams

Another charge that Big U is currently facing is the murder of Rayshawn Williams, a 21-year-old aspiring rapper who was mysteriously found dead in January 2021.

An FBI special agent, Andrew Roosa, has testified against Henley in Williams's murder investigation, claiming that Wiliams had recorded a diss track against Henley, which the latter allegedly heard and ended up murdering him. The young rapper also predicted his own murder in the track, rapping about being shot in the face with a .38 revolver.

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Williams's body was found in a ditch near a Nevada landfill, with multiple gunshot wounds to his face.