The story of the Supreme Team of Queens highlights the cultural impact of the 1980s drug trade on Black America.
The Supreme Team was founded by Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff in the early 1980s, and quickly rose to power, dominating the drug trade in the Queensbridge Housing Project in Queens, New York.
Kenneth McGriff, the founder of the Supreme Team, was a former enforcer for the Queens drug kingpin Leroy “Nicky” Barnes.
After Barnes was arrested and convicted of drug trafficking, McGriff started his own drug-trafficking organization.
The Supreme Team quickly rose to power and began to dominate the drug trade in Queens. The Supreme Team’s success was in part due to their violence and in part to their charisma. They were involved in multiple turf wars with rival drug dealers, which led to several shootings and murders. The Supreme Team also had a reputation for intimidating witnesses and corrupting law enforcement officials.
One of the most well-known members of the Supreme Team was Supreme’s Nephew, Prince Gerald Miller, AKA Prince.
In the late 1980s, Prince became embroiled in a turf war with, rival dealer, Howard “Pappy” Mason.
The turf war between Prince and Pappy Mason would become one of the most violent and deadly conflicts in the history of the crack era drug trade. The two sides engaged in a series of shootouts and murders that left dozens of people dead.
In 1992, Prince was arrested and charged with murder and drug trafficking. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His imprisonment was a significant blow to the Supreme Team and marked the beginning of the end for the organization.
Impact Of The Supreme Team
The Supreme Team was one of the savviest and most feared criminal syndicates in New York City and the Supreme Team’s influence on Hip Hop culture is also significant.
The was evident when Ja Rule and Irv Gotti during the Murder Inc Records era solidified their street credibility through an alleged alliance with Supreme McGriff following his release from Prison in 1997.
This alliance eventually led to a failed FBI prosecution of Irv Gotti and Murder Inc Records.
Ultimately, the story of the Supreme Team is about the pursuit of the American Dream: Power, greed and violence through the highlights and pitfalls of the crack era drug trade.
After his release from Prison, in 2007 Kenneth Supreme McGriff was convicted of the murder of Eric “E-Moneybags” and sentenced to life in prison.
Prince Gerald Miller is also a significant part of the story of the Supreme Team because the impact of the Supreme Team’s turf war with Pappy Mason would have major consequences for the New York drug trade in the 80s after the shooting of 22 year old Patrol Officer Edward Byrne.
