Rapper Lil Marlo Dead at 27

Rapper Lil Marlo was shot and killed in Atlanta, according to law enforcement. He was 27. Police were called to a car accident on Interstate 285 in downtown Atlanta, but they discovered a man had been shot, sources told TMZ. The rapper, born Rudolph Johnson, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A police official told TMZ the early investigation appears to show Johnson was shot while he was driving. “At this time, investigators believe the victim was the intended target of the gunfire and they are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting,” the official said. The Fulton County Medical Examiner did confirm to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a man named Rudolph Johnson died, but they could not confirm if it were the rapper.

Lil Marlo had a contract with the label Quality Control and recorded the songs “1st N 3rd,” F— Em,” and “9 + Z6ne = 1’5.” He was also featured on the song “The Load” with Lil Baby and Gucci Mane. He joined Quality Control in 2017. Other major artists on the label include Migos, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, and Stefflon Don. Rich the Kid, who is now signed to Republic, was previously a member of the label’s group of artists.

Following news of Lil Marlo’s death, many of his colleagues shared their condolences. His fans also flooded his Instagram page with their prayers, especially his recent posts with his young daughter and son. “Thanks For Making Me Y’all Father I Wouldn’t Trade Y’all For Da World,” Marlo wrote on Father’s Day, alongside a video with his children.

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According to Marlo’s All Music biography, he released three solo mixtapes and his recordings appeared on QC’s Control the Streets albums. At first, he did not consider performing in the music business until some of his friends suggested he become a rapper. He was also close friends with Lil Baby.

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“My name comes from an older person where I’m from, and the streets just gave me his name. He passed and ever since he’s been gone, I had the name. It’s like he’s living through me type,” Marlo told Rolling Out in 2018 about his performing name. He also explained why he wears a PKG chain everywhere.

“It’s no gang or nothing like that. Everybody playing for keeps,” he said. “Like you want to win in every avenue just like everybody else. If you a camera person, you want to be the best camera person so that’s how we rocking. Everybody in Atlanta, we playing for keeps. We trying to win in every aspect. So I just took it and ran with it.”

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