Rapper Drakeo the Ruler passed away on Saturday night, according to a report by The Los Angeles Times. A source familiar with the situation said that Drakeo – whose real name was Darrel Caldwell – was stabbed at the Banc of California Stadium during a concert where he was one of the headliners. He was taken to a nearby hospital but was ultimately pronounced dead due to his injuries.
Paramedics responded to a report of a stabbing at around 8:40 p.m. local time. The local public information officer, Margaret Stewart, said only that one person was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but the anonymous source told The L.A. Times that it was Caldwell. They also said that Caldwell was attacked by a group of people backstage, and that a fight broke out in the confusion. Caldwell was 28 years old.
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So far, no arrests have been made and the local police say that they are “still trying to figure things out” before apprehending anyone. The event was abruptly shut down after the attack, with patrons asked to leave as the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol moved in to investigate the crime scene.
“There was an altercation in the roadway backstage. Out of respect for those involved and in coordination with local authorities, artists and organizers decided not to move forward with remaining sets so the festival was ended an hour early,” organizer Live Nation explained in a public statement later in the night.
Caldwell was a Los Angeles native with 10 popular mixtapes behind him and his first studio album out earlier this year. The rapper left a big initial impression on the genre in 2020 with the mixtape Thank You for Using GTL, which includes verses that were recorded over a phone while he was being held in jail awaiting trial in connection with a 2016 murder. “GTL” refers to Globel Tel Link, the communications company used by the jail to charge prisoners and their loved ones for outside phone calls.
Caldwell was acquitted in that case, escaping charges of felony murder and attempted murder, though prosecutors tried to retry him afterward. Caldwell took a plea deal and was released in November of 2020.
On Saturday, Caldwell would have shared the stage with some of the biggest icons in his genre, including Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. Fans are mourning the rapper on social media, and speculating about the circumstances of his death. So far, there has been no official word on suspects or motives from the LAPD.
