In one of the strangest stories to hit the rap world so far this year, it seems a tragedy was narrowly avoided. According to Atlanta’s WSB-TV a man from Arizona was arrested and is now facing federal charges. That came after he was caught trying to plan a mass shooting. The man’s name is Mark Adams Prieto and he was arrested and accused of selling rifles. He was doing so in an attempt to begin a race war before this year’s presidential election. The public revelations follow a months long investigation. It began in October of last year and resulted in a May arrest.
An affidavit submitted by the FBI during his indictment reveals that they were aware of Prieto long before the investigation officially began. That included running into him at multiple gun shows and campaign rallies over a three-year span. Subsequently they claim that in the past year his comments began to develop violent and racist sentiments as he plotted a racially motivated mass shooting. “Prieto believes that martial law will be implemented shortly after the 2024 election and that a mass shooting should occur prior to the implementation of martial law,” a source told the FBI. Thankfully the vigilant watch kept over him prevented an escalation to actual violence.
Arizona Man Discussed Targeting Rap Concert For Mass Shooting
It was in January of this year that Prieto made the comments about a mass shooting. He revealed to agents that he was specifically targeting Atlanta as he saw it as a symbol of societies downward trends. He specifically discussed targeting a rap show due to the increased chances of an African American crowd. Gun violence has unfortunately been an extensive part of the history of hip-hop, even up to the current day.
What do you think of an Arizona man arrested by the FBI plotting to incite a race war by committing a shooting at an Atlanta rap show? Do you think he would have followed through with his plans if not for his arrest? Let us know in the comment section below.
About The Author
Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California.
She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner.
Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue.
Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte.
Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine.
Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.
