Drakeo The Ruler
A West Coast rapper known for his distinct delivery, offbeat cadence, and coded vernacular, Drakeo the Ruler has been called one of the most singular rap artists to come out of Los Angeles since Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. Pairing jerky, counterclockwise rhythmic shifts with syrupy smooth rhymes filled with cryptic and esoteric colloquialisms, Drakeo was behind numerous mixtapes, most notably Cold Devil (2017), Thank You for Using GTL (2020), and The Truth Hurts (2021). On December 19, 2021, he died as a result of an attack in Los Angeles.
Born Darrell Caldwell, Drakeo was raised in the Hundreds section of South Central by his preschool teacher mother. Drawn to rapping as a means to avoid the pitfalls of street life, he began shaping his signature style with some help from his brother, who raps under the moniker Ralfy the Plug. In 2015, Drakeo caught the attention of DJ Mustard, who remixed the then-fledgling MC's "Mr. Get Dough"; YouTube views of its official video quickly exceeded four million. Mustard also hosted the parent release, I Am Mr. Mosely, which proved to be Drakeo's breakout tape.
Over the next couple years, Drakeo issued a sequel to I Am Mr. Mosely, along with So Cold I Do Em and Cold Devil. The latter two featured "Impatient Freestyle" and "Flu Flamming," two of the most popular tracks from his early catalog. While incarcerated in 2020 -- he'd previously beat a murder charge, but was held due to a subsequent charge of gang conspiracy and shooting from a motor vehicle -- he issued #FreeDrakeo, which collected stray material, and Thank You for Using GTL, titled in reference to the telecommunications company that enabled him to record over the phone. That November, Drakeo was released from jail, freed after a plea agreement. (He maintained that Los Angeles' outgoing district attorney held a vendetta against him.) Wasting no time, he issued We Knew the Truth, Because Y'All Asked, and The Truth Hurts during the tail-end of 2020 and early 2021. The last of those tapes included guest verses from Drake and Don Toliver.
On December 18, 2021, Drakeo was stabbed backstage at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. Festival, passing away hours later on December 19, 2021. He was 28 years old.
© Andy Kellman & James Christopher Monger /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Thank You For Using GTL
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Jun 5, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
A Cold Day In Hell (Deluxe)
Drakeo The Ruler, Ralfy The Plug
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stinc Team on Sep 2, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cold Devil
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Dec 26, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
So Cold I Do Em 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stinc Team on Dec 7, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Am Mr. Mosely
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Oct 1, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ain't That The Truth
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Stinc Team on Jul 16, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Free Drakeo
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Mar 2, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
So Cold I Do Em
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Dec 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Because Yall Asked
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler - EMPIRE on Dec 29, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Am Mr. Mosely 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Jul 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musty Freestyle (feat. Ohgeesy)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Jan 3, 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Incredible
Bino Rideaux, Drakeo The Ruler
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Do What You Love - Def Jam PS on Apr 16, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Betchua Freestyle
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Nov 25, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Closer To My Dreams Freestyle
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Mar 15, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ughhhh
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by NEWWRLD Distribution on Apr 7, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ion Rap Beef [feat. Earl Sweatshirt & 03 Greedo] (Remix)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Mar 30, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Could Never
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on May 16, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fights Don't Matter
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler - EMPIRE on Nov 14, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Big Banc Uchies
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Drakeo The Ruler on Dec 2, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo