A report circulating across Chicago’s drill-rap community says rapper Lil Mari, reportedly associated with WelchWorld/BrickyGng, was shot and killed. But there is a major problem with treating that headline as confirmed: the identity of the reported victim has not been independently verified.
The claim began spreading on Sept. 22, 2026, after the MyMixtapez account posted that Chicago’s Lil Mari of WelchWorld/BrickyGng was “reportedly shot and killed.” The post quickly drew heavy engagement, with other X accounts and Chicago drill-focused pages repeating the claim and adding details that have not been established by authorities.
There was, in fact, a fatal shooting in Chicago that could be fueling the online speculation.
Chicago police said a man was found outside in the 800 block of West 117th Street in West Pullman at about 8:33 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21. He had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Chicago Sun-Times and CBS Chicago both reported that the victim remained unidentified in their coverage.
Social-media posts have identified that unidentified victim as Lil Mari and claimed he was shot multiple times near a bike trail. Other posts describe the killing as a “backdoor” attack and speculate about retaliation connected to rapper BloodHound Q50’s recent death.
Those details have not been established by police or medical authorities.
Q50, whose real name was Mikquale Cooper, was killed in a Sept. 13 shooting at a Fuller Park gas station, according to Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Any suggestion that his death is connected to the Lil Mari report remains speculation.
There is another reason for caution: “Lil Mari” is not necessarily one person.
A separate Chicago-area artist known as 4Block Lil Mari has been publicly identified as Kamari Bonslater. Reporting from 2025 connected Bonslater to a South Side shooting and criminal case after he was wounded during an alleged carjacking. (Concealed Nation) Music databases also continue to list releases credited to 4Block Lil Mari/Kamari Bonslater.
There is no reliable evidence establishing that Bonslater is the person named in the current WelchWorld/BrickyGng report.
No authoritative source located for this report has publicly identified the West Pullman victim as Lil Mari, confirmed his affiliation with WelchWorld/BrickyGng, established a bike-trail location, or verified a “backdoor” motive.
For now, the MyMixtapez post is evidence that the death report is circulating not proof that Lil Mari has died.
Stronger confirmation would come from an official victim identification by the Cook County Medical Examiner, Chicago Police Department information, a family or verified representative, or credible Chicago reporting independently establishing the rapper’s identity.
