The names on a label's roster get the headlines. The people who built the label get remembered by the roster. That's what happened under CEO Grip's last Instagram post this week.
## What we know Per HotNewHipHop, citing theJasmineBRAND, CEO Grip, a business partner in Collective Music Group and a close colleague of Yo Gotti, has died. The news surfaced Friday, Sept. 18. No official cause of death had been announced at press time, and as of publication Yo Gotti and CMG had not issued a public statement.
## The tributes Boosie Badazz posted a video: "Me and Grip go way back, bro." Under Grip's final post at @supa_ceo_, Moneybagg Yo, YFN Lucci ("Damn big dawg") and 42 Dugg ("damn big bra") left their words. That's the CMG family plus the Louisiana and Atlanta connections that made the label a regional power, all showing up for a man most fans never saw on a stage.
## Why it matters CMG went from Gotti's Memphis imprint to one of the few Black-owned label structures in the South with real leverage: Moneybagg, 42 Dugg, GloRilla, EST Gee, Mozzy. Labels like that don't run on the artist's name alone; they run on the people who handle the paper, the rooms and the relationships. Grip was one of those people. The culture tends to learn their names on the worst day.
## The read We'll update when CMG or Gotti speaks. Until then, the tributes tell the story: when the artists who actually ate off the label stop what they're doing to say "big bro," the title on the business card was earned.
## Sources - HotNewHipHop, Sept. 18, 2026, CEO Grip of CMG passes away, tributes pour in: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/1010257-ceo-grip-cmg-passes-away-tribute - theJasmineBRAND on Instagram, Sept. 2026: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdcO0P_CU94/

