Chicago drill artist Rell Vert, a member of the Bloodhound crew, was shot in the back in Rockford on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The rapper, whose real name is Earl Wallace, quickly took to social media to reassure fans, posting a video from a medical facility showing him alert and in good spirits.
In the widely circulated clip shared by accounts such as No Jumper and My Mixtapez, Rell Vert stands in a hospital hallway wearing a white hoodie. He makes hand gestures associated with his affiliations and includes the caption “lol I a be bk” — slang for “I’ll be back.” The nonchalant tone is consistent with the unapologetic style common in the Chicago drill scene.
According to preliminary reports, the shooting occurred earlier that day in Rockford. Specific details — including the exact location, time, and circumstances — remain limited as the incident is only hours old. No official police report identifying him by name has been released publicly, and no arrests have been announced. Rell Vert was transported to a hospital and is confirmed to be alive and recovering.
This marks the second time the rapper has been shot in recent weeks. In mid-to-late June 2026, he suffered a gunshot wound to the hand on the 1600 block of Benton Street in Rockford. He recovered from that injury relatively quickly. Some unverified street commentary at the time suggested it may have been accidental, though authorities treated it as a standard shooting investigation.
Rell Vert is affiliated with the Bloodhound crew, which is closely associated with the late Bloodhound Lil Jeff. He has collaborated with other drill artists including Bloodhound Q50 and Lil Scoom89. Like many figures in the Chicago drill community, his music and public persona frequently reference street life, a theme that has overlapped with real-world violence for several artists in recent years.
The rapper has also been part of online and street tensions, including past rumors of internal conflicts within the Bloodhound circle. Earlier reports had loosely connected him to another Chicago artist known as “Koopa” or LoweLife in a prior incident, though details on Tuesday’s shooting are still developing.
Reactions across drill-focused social media pages have included get-well-soon messages alongside discussions of the ongoing violence that continues to impact artists in the genre. Fans and observers noted the pattern of incidents while expressing hopes for his full recovery.
