Drakeo the Ruler

Rapper and songwriter Darrell Caldwell – born December 1, 1993, in Los Angeles, California – was better known by his stage name Drakeo the Ruler. He began his career creating his own mixtapes, which caught the attention of producer and label owner DJ Mustard. Drakeo the Ruler’s breakthrough track was a 2015 DJ Mustard remix of “Mr. Get Dough”, which was streamed more than six million times on social media. In October 2015, Drakeo the Ruler released his debut commercial mixtape I Am Mr. Mosely, followed six months later by I Am Mr. Mosely 2. Less than six months later, he released his third mixtape So Cold I Do Em. His career was derailed in January 2017 when he was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Released in November of that year, he quickly resumed his music career and released his critically acclaimed Cold Devil mixtape the following month. In March 2018, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder stemming from a drive-by shooting incident in December 2016. In July 2019, he was acquitted of the charges but faced gang conspiracy charges. While still incarcerated, he released the Free Drakeo mixtape in March 2020, which was followed two months later by his next critically acclaimed release Thank You for Using GTL. Accepting a plea deal, Drakeo the Ruler was released from prison in November 2020 and immediately got back to work. He released his mixtape We Know the Truth a month after he was released from prison, closely followed the same month by Because Y’all Asked. His ninth mixtape, Ain’t That the Truth, was released in July 2021. His final mixtape, So Cold I Do Em 2, which was released on December 7, 2021. Eleven days later, on December 18, while backstage at the Once Upon a Time festival in Los Angeles, he was stabbed in the neck during a confrontation with unknown assailants and was transported to the hospital. He was pronounced dead four hours later.