A Nashville rapper turned himself in to police on Thursday, after being wanted in connection to a shooting at a restaurant in East Nashville’s Five Points neighborhood.

But if you ask some hip-hop listeners – in Music City and well beyond – Jermaine “Starlito” Shute isn’t just a Nashville rapper. He might be the Nashville rapper. Here’s why the news of his arrest has made national waves.

'Cashville's Prince'

Nashville has a robust hip-hop scene, but it’s arguably produced just one major, mainstream success: Young Buck, whose alliance with 50 Cent helped make him a star in the mid-‘00s. (More on him in a minute.)

More:Nashville rapper Starlito surrenders to police after Five Points shooting

For the most part, the scene is led by self-made successes, and Starlito may be at the top of that heap. He started recording as “Allstar” in 2003, and was soon signed to rap mega label Cash Money Records, under the name "Allstar Cashville's Prince." He released collaborations with Lil Wayne, Yo Gotti and others, but by 2010, he was off the label, and took on the "Starlito" moniker to distance himself from it.

His current name is inspired by the film "Carlito's Way," and he's said he related to Al Pacino's character — a former criminal who's trying to change his ways.

As an independent artist, Starlito has steadily gained notice in the rap underground. He's released more than 30 mixtapes — a full-length format that's looser than a traditional album — and his singles have racked up more than 10 million plays on YouTube. His most popular project is his "Step Brothers" series of releases with Memphis rapper Don Trip.

He's in a feud with another Nashville rap giant

In the week prior to Starlito turning himself in, he was the talk of hip-hop blogs, vlogs and social media, after being in an altercation with Nashville rapper Young Buck at a local basketball game. Video footage was soon posted to YouTube.

Starlito appeared to comment on the incident in an Instagram post.

"If I were broke(n spirited), miserable with a rotten soul, and didn't have anything better to do, I'd probably try to grab me, in front of 3 police officers, while I WAS WALKING AWAY, too. I almost got tricked out of my position, purpose, and freedom yesterday."

The same day as that run-in, Starlito released a new song, mentioning Buck by name and repeatedly used a derogatory term for homosexuals.

"I'm not mad at you, I'm sad, because you're a [expletive], and it's known," he says in the song. The title is "You Should Be Proud," and the cover image for the single features a rainbow.

Buck released a new song, "Lawd How Mercy," on August 2, but it doesn't contain a response to Starlito. He's remained quiet on social media following Starlito's surrender to police.

Reached via Twitter, Starlito declined a request for comment.