Drakeo the Ruler has died at age 28 after being stabbed at the Once Upon A Time In LA music festival.
He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries.
The late LA rapper, real name Darrell Caldwell, was fatally wounded when he was attacked by a group of men backstage at the LA Festival, a source told the Los Angeles Times.
Drakeo the Ruler was set to perform at the event alongside Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent.
Following the stabbing, the event organizer announced on Instagram that the event had been canceled.
“The Once Upon A Time In LA Fest is ending early. All performances are now over. Please head to the closest exit and head eastbound on MLK.”
Drakeo was facing life in prison after being charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in 2018.
The charges were from a 2016 shooting that left one man dead and two injured.
In 2019, he was acquitted on the murder and attempted murder charges and was released from jail in November 2020 after accepting a plea deal.
When he was locked in solitary confinement awaiting retrial following his acquittal, he just released a mixtape Thank You For Using GTL, using a phone from jail.
The late rapper was best known for his unique flow on popular records such as Flu Flamming, Ion Rap Beef, and Musty Freestyle.
Tributes pour in for Drakeo the Ruler
Many tributes poured in on social media for Drakeo the Ruler following the tragic news of his death.
Canadian rapper Drake took to his Instagram Story to pay his respects alongside a photo of the 28-year-old rapper.
“Nah man this sh*t isn’t right for real wtf are we doing. always picked my spirit up with your energy RIP Drakeo.”
Jeff Weiss paid tribute to Drakeo’s contributions to west coast rap, writing the following:
“RIP Drakeo, the greatest West Coast artist of a generation, a legend who invented a new rap language of slippery cadences, nervous rhythms, and psychedelic slang, who beat life twice only to suffer the most tragic fate conceivable. The Ruler, once, always, and forever. ?.”
It is unclear whether any arrests were made following the backstage altercation that led to the fatal stabbing.
Drakeo has been releasing mixtapes since 2015, some of which were released with Empire records.
After nine mixtapes, he released his first studio album in February with his lead single, Talk to Me, featured Drake, and he released his tenth mixtape, So Cold I Do Em 2, just last week.