The recent deaths of three young rappers—Ybcdul, Lil Scoom89, and Bloodyhound Lil Jeff—are striking at the very fiber of the music communities in Philadelphia and Chicago. This is musically cemented by their coming together to work on the controversial track “LongLiveJefferyDahmer,” but a deeper connection between the artists suggests more than just a simple fondness for drill rap. Beyond the music, there were hints of personal friendship, shared experience, and maybe even underlying friction that drove them to collaborate.
Ybcdul, whose real name was Abdul Vicks, and Lil Scoom89, known offstage as Asyrion Hogan, were both men who had faced huge challenges growing up in neighborhoods where violence and poverty touched everyday life. Bloodyhound Lil Jeff’s story was cut from the same hard streets of Chicago, through which one usually breaks the ice into the music industry—dangerous waters. It’s believed that it’s not only this lineage of similar backgrounds and experiences that powered their artistic expressions but also bonded them personally. At the same time, however, working together on “LongLiveJefferyDahmer”—a song that seemed to glorify violence and confront past traumas—might have further fueled smoldering tensions both within and outside their respective communities.
The track “LongLiveJefferyDahmer” was as controversial as it was adventurous. The song bore the name of history’s most notorious serial killer, diving into darkness and full-on confrontation to create unease in both—Philadelphia and Chicago—scenes of drill rap. In its vision, it was conceived as a statement that would be made by blending raw energies from Ybcdul, Lil Scoom89, and Bloodyhound Lil Jeff. But just as the track started getting major attention, a chain of fatal activities ensued that took their lives and overshadowed their music’s legacy.
Ybcdul, aka Abdul Vicks, was an emerging name in Philadelphia drill, known for his aggressive lyrics and a hard-slamming persona. One of his most infamous moments was the exhumation of the remains of a rival rapper in a viral video. This can be considered an act that many hold directly responsible for his untimely death. Although within few months of its release, Ybcdul, upon leaving a recording studio in West Philadelphia, became another victim of gun violence. His shocking demise sent ripples throughout the community, underlining with deadly results what followed from escalating feuds within world rap.
Another rising talent from Chicago, Lil Scoom89—18—seemed sure for stardom. However, his involvement in a number of online feuds and creation of diss track after diss track seemed to be putting him on an unforgiving road of danger. Just about a month into the release of a particularly incendiary track aimed at a rival, Lil Scoom89 was shot and killed in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. His murder mirrored the grim realities depicted in his music, a stark reminder of the perils young rappers face when their lyrics bleed into real life.
The third member to the trio, Bloodyhound Lil Jeff, met a tragic fate. While the circumstances of his death are not as clear, it has been confirmed that he turned into another victim of gun violence. His passing added another name to the increasing list of young artists whose lives have been cut short by the same violence they often rapped about.
These three rising rappers’ deaths refueled a deep-running debate regarding drill rap’s role in fanning the flames of violence. It is not unique to Philadelphia that the drill scene has become embroiled with street violence, or even vice-versa. Social media beefs and diss tracks can spawn real-world confrontations in both scenes; lines blur between performance and reality, leaving communities in a fight to deal with the aftermath of lives lost too soon.
The news of their deaths sent shockwaves throughout the respective communities. News intending to calm shocked fans in grief over the loss of young talent, once again, local artists and community leaders are making a call for a reassessment regarding this drill rap culture. Many will say that it’s not actually the music that is to be blamed but the environments. Others feel that when one has a platform through art, he or she bears some type of responsibility to at least be cognizant about what’s being projected.
Ybcdul, Lil Scoom89, and Bloodyhound Lil Jeff all show the potential that has been thrown away when young lives have been snatched too early. They were all aspiring artists with dreams and aspirations, mixed up in a culture that cultivated violence and hastened their demise at the earliest stage. As drill rap continues to evolve, one question lingers: What can be done to prevent further tragedies? Can this music be separated from the violence, or are the two inextricably linked?