Many rappers had a big year in 2023 — but not just musically.
With some of the world's biggest names in rap hailing from South Florida, we saw many rappers making headlines right here at home.
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Whether they were at the center of a double murder trial or winning a major lawsuit against an energy drink giant, here's a look back at all the rappers who made local news this year:
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YNW Melly on trial for murder
In 2023, YNW Melly's double murder trial made headlines several times between June and November.
The rapper is accused of first-degree murder in the 2018 slayings of two childhood friends, Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas and Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams.
Local
Melly, a once-rising South Florida rapper, first made the news on June 12, the day his trial began.
The murder trial continued to trend online as viral moments unfolded in the courtroom. The most famous of which was the moment Melly was seen smiling and blowing kisses in court — a move that one of the victim's mothers reacted to.
A month into the trial, prosecutors also presented a series of text messages and social media videos — one of which was allegedly shot hours after the murder.
After the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision during two full days of deliberation, the judge declared a mistrial on July 22.
Opening statements for Melly's retrial were initially rescheduled for January 2024, but the judge reset the start date to Feb. 5 after prosecutors requested more time for preparation.
Melly is currently facing a possible death sentence if he is convicted of these murders.
Tekashi 6ix9ine beaten in March, arrested in August
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine first made headlines this year in March when he was hospitalized after a brutal attack at an LA Fitness in South Florida.
Viral cell phone video shows the moment three men beat and kicked the rapper to the bathroom floor, leaving him bruised and bloodied.
One of the arrested men, 43-year-old Rafael Medina Jr., was later identified as a high-ranking Latin Kings gang member. His son, 23-year-old Octavious Medina, and 25-year-old Anthony Maldonado were also arrested.
Days after his attack, Tekashi spoke with NBC6 in an exclusive interview where he was asked about the beating, his recovery, and the future of his music.
Months later, the rapper made the news again in South Florida when he was arrested after failing to appear for a traffic violation.
Days after the Aug. 9 arrest, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office released bodycam footage showing deputies asking Tekashi to step out of the vehicle before he was placed in handcuffs.
When the 27-year-old asked why he was getting arrested, deputies said he had an active traffic warrant out for his arrest after he failed to appear in court over three tickets.
Yailin La Más Viral accused of domestic battery
Tekashi's girlfriend Jeorjina Guillermo-Diaz was in the car during his August arrest, just months before she herself made headlines in South Florida.
Guillermo-Diaz, who also raps under the stage name Yailin La Más Viral, was arrested in Palm Beach for the alleged battery of Tekashi 6ix9ine.
Tekashi told deputies that he and his girlfriend had been in a verbal argument due to her "thinking that he had been looking at other women."
Tekashi said she then started to hit him in the home's driveway, grabbing him by his hair. She then allegedly kicked the driver-side mirror of his Bentley, breaking it, the report said.
She was arrested in December on charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, battery, property damage-criminal mischief, and obstructing justice, an arrest report said.
Flo Rida wins big against Celsius
Flo Rida kicked off 2023 with a major win right here in South Florida.
The South Florida native appeared in a Broward County courtroom in January after he filed a lawsuit against energy drink giant Celsius over an endorsement deal.
The 43-year-old rapper said there was a breach of contract and was seeking millions of dollars in profits he claims to have earned in a 2014 endorsement deal with the Hialeah-based company.
“They were telling me that, you know, one of the products that I was endorsing, I wasn't selling. And then I got a chance to really look at it now, and I was doing more than well,” Flo Rida told NBC6.
He says his endorsement played a big role in the company’s success, especially when it first got started and each share was sold for less than a dollar. Shares are now sometimes around $100.
A jury ultimately agreed after returning their verdict about a week later, awarding the rapper more than $82 million.
To celebrate the verdict, viral video shows Flo Rida sipping on a can of Celsius as he spoke with reporters.
XXXTentacion killers brought to justice
Rapper XXXTentacion posthumously made headlines this year when the men charged with his 2018 murder stood trial in South Florida.
More than five years ago, XXXTentacion had just left Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale with a friend when his BMW was blocked by an SUV that swerved in front.
Surveillance video, which was played in court, showed that two masked gunmen emerged and confronted the 20-year-old rapper at the driver’s window, and one shot him repeatedly.
They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV and sped away.
After a weeks-long trial and six days of jury deliberations, the three men on trial — Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome — were sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder and armed robbery of XXXTentacion.
Weeks after the sentencing, a fourth man who pleaded guilty in the rapper's murder in exchange for testifying against the other three suspects learned his fate.
A Broward Judge showed leniency to Robert Allen, sentencing him to seven years in prison followed by 20 years of probation for his role in the killing.
Kodak Black arrested... again
Kodak Black was famously arrested in July 2022 after Florida Highway Patrol troopers pulled him over and found 31 oxycodone tablets and $74,960 in cash, in addition to driving with an expired driver’s license and tags, authorities said.
But in 2023, the rapper was back in the South Florida news cycle for violating his bail conditions by failing a drug test in February.
Authorities said the 25-year-old rap star first failed to submit to random drug and alcohol testing on Feb. 3. Five days later, he took a drug and alcohol test, which revealed traces of Fentanyl.
That's when Black’s release was revoked and an arrest warrant was signed by a Broward County judge.
The rapper then appeared in a Broward courtroom, going viral for his multi-colored suit, where his attorney called into question the urine test. He said the rapper and another person submitted a sample at the same time and that they could have been mixed up.
Ultimately, the judge said she'd allow Black to attend a 30-day drug treatment program.
Months later, another arrest warrant for the rapper was issued in June after authorities said he failed to submit to a random drug and alcohol test as required under the terms of his pre-trial release.
The rapper made South Florida news yet again in December after being arrested in Plantation for cocaine possession and other charges. He bonded out of jail that evening.
Days later, Black appeared in Miami federal court after he was taken into custody for allegedly violating his probation.
Despite his run-ins with the law, Kodak Black has also been a great advocate for his hometown, often participating in philanthropic events to help those in need.
Rich the Kid trespasses a police investigation
Rapper Rich the Kid was detailed after allegedly trespassing during a police investigation near a Miami Beach hotel in December.
According to the report, multiple officers were in the vicinity of the SLS Hotel regarding a bomb threat. They established a perimeter with police tape for the public's safety.
Moments later, police say the 31-year-old rapper approached the tape and said he needed to get to his hotel.
Officers advised him that he could not cross the tape due to the ongoing investigation and that crossing the boundary would result in his arrest, to which he allegedly replied "I'll bond out in 20 minutes" and walked away.
NBC6 cameras captured the moments right after Rich the Kid bonded out of jail.
Key Vhani accused of murdering her manager
An aspiring rapper found herself behind bars after police said she murdered her own manager.
Shocking surveillance footage shows a woman later identified as rapper Key Vhani gunning a man down in October.
The video shows Key Vhani and another man arguing next to a white car before things got physical.
Two men are seen on top of the rapper, pinning her down, until she's able to get up and walk away.
The video then shows Key Vhani reaching into a bag and pulling out a gun, opening fire multiple times.
The victim is seen running and collapsing in the roadway as Key Vhani approaches and continues to shoot at him.
The rapper is then struck by the white sedan as the driver appears to run over her and flee the scene.
In her police interview, Key Vhani told detectives she'd been involved in a verbal dispute with her manager which quickly escalated and turned physical.
The rapper said she opened fire when she was in fear for her life, the report said.
She was arrested for second-degree murder.
Other encounters rappers have had with South Florida Law:
French Montana facing lawsuit
At the beginning of 2023, we saw French Montana's name in the local news after at least 10 people were injured in a shooting outside near a video shoot for the rapper.
Gunfire erupted one night in January near a popular Miami Gardens restaurant called The Licking where Montana was filming a music video.
"We unfortunately were at the wrong place at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," the rapper tweeted.
Although Montana was not injured, the shooting left at least 10 people wounded — one of whom was paralyzed.
In March, the man who was paralyzed during the mass shooting filed a lawsuit against the restaurant and the rapper.
Carlos Wilkerson Jr. is a video director who family members said was hired for the French Montana video shoot outside The Licking.
Wilkerson was placed on a ventilator after the shooting and suffered catastrophic damage to his spine and is paralyzed from the waist down, his parents said.
Quavo finds trouble on the water
In July, police say guests allegedly threatened a boat crew and possibly robbed the captain of a yacht along the Miami River.
A case report said rapper Quavo — part of the hip-hop group Migos — was on board at the time of the incident, but was not named as an aggressor.
The incident reportedly began after guests were advised that their rental time was running out.
Police say two men became aggressive with boat staff as they demanded a refund.
The case report stated that one of the men allegedly threatened to kill the captain and throw him overboard if he turned the yacht around.
Quavo's attorney said the rapper wasn't mentioned in the police report narrative and wasn't listed as a witness to any alleged dispute.
EveryBodyKnowsLo killed inside nightclub
A shooting in May left a man dead and two women injured in a Miami Beach nightclub.
Friends identified the man killed as 37-year-old Lowell Grissom, a rapper and A&R executive who goes by the stage name of "Lo" or "EveryBodyKnowsLo."
Though it is unclear what led to the shooting, some friends think the rapper may have been targeted.
Friend and fellow rapper Chris Brown posted a message on Instagram that said, "Rest up my brother."
Lo was an artist and entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in the entertainment industry and a strong background in songwriting and music production.
According to his social networks, he had professional relations with the music company A&R and in recent years he produced and coordinated artists such as Drake, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Ray J.
He was considered an enterprising, creative and versatile musician. An excellent creator with exceptional "interpersonal skills" and a strong ability to form and nurture relationships with industry leaders and A-list celebrities.
