It’s a sad day in Atlanta. Atlanta rapper and local legend, Young Scooter, has passed away and even more tragically it was on his 39th birthday. Shots had rung out blocks away from State Farm Arena, where a March Madness game was taking place and there were reports about a woman being forced back into a house which APD were responding to.
“When officers arrived, a male initially opened the door [then] closed the door in the officers’ faces without communicating,” police said. Cops proceeded to “establish a perimeter,” and two men “fled” the premises. One male returned to the home and the other “jumped two fences” while fleeing. The second male from the scene has yet to be identified. Police also noted, “When officers located him on the other side of the fence, he appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg. Officers rendered aid, and he was transported to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.”
Young Scooter, born Kenneth Edward Bailey, came up in the streets of Atlanta, but his name started ringing bells in the rap game around the early 2010s. A close affiliate of Future and was instrumental to the Freebandz movement that swept across Atlanta and the nation. Scooter carved out his own lane with his raw street narratives and signature slurred voice. His music wasn’t just about flexing, it was a blueprint for hustlers and a voice for the trenches, way before Lil Durk ever was. He became the voice of everybody in the streets getting money. Young Scooter had his legal troubles which slowed his momentum and probably stopped him from blowing up and becoming mainstream, but he was stamped in the streets and became a hometown legend.
He had his first big hit, “Colombia,” in 2012, and later that year he signed to Future’s Freebandz record label. In 2013 he dropped Street Lottery, a mixtape that had the whole trap scene tapped in. The following year he dropped with Future, Juicy J and Young Thug on ““DI$Function,” and also featured on the Young Thug’s “Guwop” in 2016 with Quavo & Offset of Migos. The track peaked at No. 45 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2018, he appeared on “Jet Lag” with Future and Juice WRLD, which hit No. 72 on Billboard’s Top 100 Songs.
The details surrounding his death are still murky. Early reports suggested he was shot by police, but APD denied firing shots. Another case of an Atlanta legend gone way too soon.
