A
West
Coast
rapper
known
as
Drakeo
the
Ruler
was
fatally
stabbed
in
an
altercation
at
a
Los
Angeles
music
festival
where
he
was
scheduled
to
perform,
leaving
fans
of
the
young
musician
heartbroken.
A
publicist
for
the
rapper,
Scott
Jawson,
confirmed
his
death
on
Sunday
to
the
New
York
Times
and
Rolling
Stone.
The
artist's
real
name
was
Darrell
Caldwell.
Caldwell,
28,
was
assaulted
Saturday
night
at
the
Once
Upon
a
Time
in
LA
concert,
which
was
expected
to
feature
several
artists,
including
Snoop
Dogg,
50
Cent
and
Ice
Cube.
Organizers
called
off
the
festival
after
the
stabbing.
A
fight
broke
out
behind
the
main
stage
shortly
after
8.30
pm,
leaving
one
man
severely
injured
by
a
suspect
wielding
an
edged
weapon,
the
California
Highway
Patrol
said
in
a
bare
bones
news
release
that
did
not
name
Caldwell.
The
victim
was
taken
to
a
hospital,
where
he
later
died.
The
Los
Angeles
Police
Department
and
Los
Angeles
Fire
Department
also
responded.
LAPD
spokesman
Officer
Luis
Garcia
told
the
Los
Angeles
Times
that
no
arrests
had
been
made
as
of
Sunday.
The
police
are
searching
for
assailant
who
fatally
stabbed
Drakeo
the
Ruler
at
the
concert.
Music
journalists
and
fans
delighted
in
Caldwell's
unique
sound
and
boundless
creativity.
His
death
highlighted
the
violent
demise
of
other
talented
young
Black
musicians,
including
fellow
LA
rapper
Nipsey
Hussle
in
2019
and
the
highly
influential
Tupac
Shakur
in
1996.
Both
men
were
shot.
Snoop
Dogg
posted
on
social
media
condolences
to
Caldwell's
family
and
prayers
to
those
affected
by
the
tragedy.
"I'm
praying
for
peace
in
hip
hop,"
he
said.
Caldwell,
who
started
releasing
mixtapes
in
2015
and
this
past
February
debuted
his
first
album
"The
Truth
Hurts,"
has
been
called
"the
most
original
stylist
on
the
West
Coast"
for
his
darkly
comedic
lyrics
and
deadpan
delivery.
His
mixtape
"Thank
You
for
Using
GTL"
contains
verses
recorded
at
the
Men's
Central
Jail
in
Los
Angeles.
He
grew
up
listening
to
acts
like
Hot
Boyz,
Boosie,
Webbie
and
Dipset,
but
said
it
was
a
battle
rapper
named
Cocky
who
influenced
him
to
rap.
"He
was
so
smooth
and
calm
while
rapping,
despite
saying
some
of
the
craziest
stuff," he
told
Billboard
earlier
this
year.
"It
showed
me
you
didn't
have
to
yell
or
be
loud
to
get
your
point
across."
Caldwell
pioneered
a
type
of
rap
called
"nervous
music,"
with
songs
that
were
cryptic
and
dark,
the
Los
Angeles
Times
wrote
in
2018:
'His
cadences
run
counterclockwise
to
the
drums,
somehow
both
herky-jerky
like
a
stickshift
and
swift
and
smooth
like
a
luxury
sports
car
it
controls."
Caldwell
was
released
from
jail
in
November
2020
after
reaching
a
plea
deal
with
LA
County
prosecutors
who
wanted
to
try
him
on
conspiracy
charges
in
the
2016
killing
of
a
24-year-old
man.
Previously
he
had
been
acquitted
of
felony
murder
and
attempted
murder
charges
in
the
man's
death.
The
Once
Upon
a
Time
in
LA
Fest
confirmed
in
an
Instagram
post
that
the
event
had
been
called
off
early,
and
did
not
give
a
reason.
The
festival
was
organized
by
Live
Nation,
the
Beverly
Hills-based
live
events
company
that
was
behind
last
month's
Astroworld
music
festival
in
Houston,
Texas.
Ten
people
were
killed
and
hundreds
injured
when
a
large
crowd
surged
during
a
performance
by
the
rapper
Travis
Scott.
An
email
message
seeking
comment
from
Live
Nation
on
Sunday
has
not
been
returned.