It’s with unfortunate news that we report yet another rapper has lost his life to gun violence. Around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday (July 11), signed Quality Control (QC) music artist Lil Marlo was found shot dead in a vehicle on Highway I-285 near the Benjamin E. Mays Drive overpass.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed the death of Lil Marlo, whose real name is Rudolph Johnson. He was reported to be 30 years old, although there are conflicting reports about his age.
Marlo had just left a party in Bankhead when he was killed. His defense attorney had warned the father of two to be aware of the people around him.
“It’s heartbreaking because I told Rudy it would end like this if he didn’t change the people he was around,” Hudson told the New York Times. “He didn’t let the music save him. He still wanted to be in the neighborhood. He cared about people and he took care of people. He loved too many people, and his loyalty is probably what got him killed.”
The police have not released details on whether Johnson was already dead and driven on the highway or if it was a drive-by shooting incident. However, officials do believe that Johnson was the intended target of the shooting.
“At this time, investigators believe the victim was the intended target of the gunfire and they are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting,” police officials said in a statement.
Reigning from the Bowen Homes housing projects of Atlanta, Marlo was signed to the infamous Atlanta record label Quality Control, headed by Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “Pee” Thomas, in 2017. The label has a famous roster of talent that includes the Migos, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty and City Girls, and has been connected to management deals with Trippie Redd and Cardi B.
Marlo is most famous for his collaboration album 2 The Hard Way with Lil Baby. His solo discography consists of The Wire (2017), The Real 1 (2018), 9th Ward God (2018) and 1st & 3rd (2020). In addition to his own projects, he was also featured on the Quality Control compilation albums Control the Streets.
Lil Yachty posted that he had just finished working with Marlo around 4 a.m. earlier on Saturday. His label mates and industry peers left tributes on their social media for the rising star.
Lil Marlo is survived by his two sons and mother, Santresa Maxey.
