Florida Rapper Rushed to Hospital After Being Shot at 22 Times During Road Rage Incident

Florida rapper SpotemGottem, whose real name is Nehemiah Lamar Harden, is in a hospital after he was shot in a Miami road rage drive-by incident early Friday morning. Harden, 19, was riding in a car when it was fired upon at least 22 times on the driver’s side. The driver and Harden both suffered leg wounds and are listed in stable condition at a local hospital.

The shooting happened at about 3 a.m. Friday morning, law enforcement sources told TMZ. Harden’s manager, Dee Phatboy, said Harden was riding in the passenger seat when another vehicle pulled up beside the car he was riding in. The shooter allegedly used an automatic weapon. Harden was being driven to a recording studio, Phatboy said. The rapper is expected to make a full recovery, his manager said.

It’s not clear what led to the shooting, which happened while Harden was driving south on I-95. Harden “said a car pulled up next to him and he heard gunshots,” Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Alejandro Camacho told the Miami Herald. There was no further information about the vehicle and the person that shot at Harden, Camacho said. “He is alive, most importantly,” Harden’s lawyer, Raven Liberty, also told the Herald. “This was not a shoot-out. He was a victim of a drive-by shooting.”

Harden has had his own run-ins with the law. In July, U.S. Federal Marshals arrested Harden in an Aventura, Florida hotel room in connection with a June assault with a deadly weapon case. According to police, Harden and others allegedly argued with a garage attendant over an $80 fee. Harden, while still seated in a Dodge Charger, allegedly pointed a gun with a laser at the attendant. Harden pleaded not guilty to “aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and accessory after the fact.”

Harden, who was born in Jacksonville, is best known for his hit single “Beat Box,” which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last year. The track was a viral hit, inspiring the #BeatBoxChallenge on social media. He is signed to Geffen Records, Interscope Records, and Rebel Music. He released the mixtapes Final Destination in 2020 and Most Wanted in May. Harden’s other singles include “Attic,” “Ridin’ With Ya Bae,” “Flaws,” and “Federal.”