8 Zipp went to federal court in Boston today for sentencing, but Judge Indira Talwani continued the case after reviewing objections to his pre-sentence report.

The judge found that an evidentiary hearing needs to take place before she can impose a sentence. That hearing is now set for May 5 at 10 a.m., with sentencing to follow at 11 a.m. if time permits. He was released under his existing conditions.

As previously reported by miixtapechiick.com, prosecutors are seeking 71 months while his defense is asking for time served. The central dispute is how the drug weight in the case gets calculated. Judge Talwani addressed that question in a ruling earlier this month, finding that the actual measured weight of the drug-saturated paper was the appropriate figure to use rather than the government’s dose-based method, which would have pushed his sentencing exposure significantly higher.

Dominique Carpenter-Grady, the Boston rapper known as 8 Zipp, is scheduled for sentencing today in federal court in Boston after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy to distribute PCP and synthetic cannabinoids into a Massachusetts state prison.

Prosecutors are asking U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani for 71 months. His defense is asking for time served and three years of supervised release. Carpenter-Grady, 36, pleaded guilty on February 11, 2025.

The case came out of a Massachusetts Department of Corrections investigation into drug trafficking at MCI-Norfolk. As previously reported by miixtapechiick.com, Carpenter-Grady worked with co-defendants Timothy Hearns and Robert Heckstall to smuggle pages of paper saturated with PCP, synthetic cannabinoids, and other substances into the facility by mail. Hearns was already incarcerated at MCI-Norfolk at the time, serving a sentence for a gang-related homicide. Investigators monitored inmate phone calls and intercepted communications that revealed how the three coordinated the operation. In April 2023, a page stamped with “Attorney Client Privilege” was recovered from Hearns’ cell and tested positive for controlled substances. Two additional seizures tied to Carpenter-Grady were intercepted in April and May of 2023, totaling 75.6 grams of drug-saturated paper.

Prosecutors described Carpenter-Grady as a member of H-Block, a Boston street gang with roots in the Roxbury neighborhood, and cited his prior convictions for drug distribution and unlawful possession of a firearm. They also pointed to multiple violations of his pretrial release conditions. In May 2025, officers spotted him with three people on his court-ordered no-contact list near 205 Humboldt Avenue. At the Caribbean Festival in August 2025, officers reported seeing him with seven known H-Block members, all also on the no-contact list. A man who fled the scene that day was apprehended with a loaded stolen firearm and identified himself as an H-Block associate. Prosecutors also cited two rap videos Carpenter-Grady posted to YouTube while on release, including one filmed in H-Block territory that referenced drug distribution.

His attorney, Evan Capps, argued in a filing submitted April 6 that Carpenter-Grady’s role was minimal. Capps said his client’s involvement was limited to connecting the other two co-defendants through three-way phone calls and passing messages between them. He received no money from the operation and had no knowledge of how the drugs were obtained or what they contained. Capps argued for a total offense level of 15, which would put the guidelines range at 30 to 37 months.

Probation calculated a guidelines range of 46 to 57 months using a weight-based drug calculation. The government argued for a higher range based on a dose-based calculation that would have pushed the exposure to 87 to 108 months. Judge Talwani rejected that approach in a ruling issued April 10, finding that because the DEA had already measured the actual weight of the drug-saturated paper, that total weight was the proper basis for the sentencing calculation rather than an estimate based on doses per page.

Since his guilty plea, Carpenter-Grady was accepted into the RISE program, a federal pretrial intervention program. Court records show he completed vocational training, earned an Asbestos Project Monitoring certification, and was promoted to foreman at a construction company called Groundworks. The government moved to terminate his participation multiple times, citing his association with H-Block members and gaps in required cognitive behavioral therapy attendance.

More than a dozen letters from family members, mentors, and community advocates were submitted to the court on his behalf. His mother, Sandra Brown, and the mother of his young son, Rashana John, both wrote about his growth as a parent. Dr. Rufus Faulk, a former senior policy advisor to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, submitted a letter describing his hiring of Carpenter-Grady in 2022 as a Community Ambassador for the city. A staff member at Pine Street Inn noted he had donated food and supplies to the shelter for four consecutive years.

Sentencing was originally set for February 11, 2026, before being continued to today over the government’s objection. miixtapechiick.com will update this story following today’s hearing.

Cardi B brought her ‘Little Miss Drama Tour‘ to TD Garden in Boston on Thursday for a sold-out show, and the city delivered one of the more memorable moments of the run so far.

During her set, Cardi walked to the top of the stage, invited the crowd to “have a little tea party,” and launched into “Pretty & Petty,” her diss track aimed at Boston rapper BIA. The song opens with the line “Name five BIA songs, gun pointed to your head,” followed by a dramatic pause where the crowd goes silent. In BIA’s hometown, they held. When the beat dropped, Cardi turned to the crowd and said, “Y’all did that shit! Y’all shady as fuck!”

After finishing the record, she told the crowd to leave it there. “We not gonna do that. Don’t bully that girl on social media. Don’t do that, don’t do that,” she said. “She’s gonna wanna beat the shit out of me after today. If I see you, I see you, I don’t give a fuck, it’s up and stuck. But don’t bully her on social media, I don’t like that.”

“Pretty & Petty” appears as track 13 on Cardi’s album Am I The Drama? and is her most direct shot at BIA to date, with bars referencing BIA’s alleged visits to Diddy’s home, her breath, and her booking rate compared to Coi Leray.

The beef between Cardi and BIA traces back to early 2024, when fans drew comparisons between Cardi’s “Like What (Freestyle)” and BIA’s “I’m That B***h,” both of which sampled Missy Elliott‘s “She’s A B***h.” BIA addressed the comparisons online without naming Cardi directly. Things escalated through a series of subliminal shots, diss verses, and Instagram Live sessions throughout the year. BIA eventually previewed a response track called “Sue Me” and previously said a full response to “Pretty & Petty” would be “beneath” her.

The Boston show fell on the same day the city officially declared April 2 Cardi B Day. As previously reported by miixtapechiick.com, the Boston City Council voted unanimously that day to pass the resolution, filed by Councilor Julia Mejia the day before, in recognition of Cardi’s Dominican and Afro-Latino heritage and her connection to the city’s communities.

The Little Miss Drama Tour continues with stops in Hartford, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Raleigh, Charlotte, Sunrise, and Atlanta through April 17. Tickets are available at CardiB.com.