If you’re not entirely familiar with the 19-year-old rapper who goes by the name of Kodak Black, then it’s probably for the best. You’re not reading this to remain ignorant, though. Kodak Black isn’t his real name, but it’s not so surprising that he’d resort to something less original than his birth name: Dieuson Octave. In what is probably the greatest piece of evidence that we shouldn’t let teenagers have fame and fortune since Justin Bieber, Black was arrested after posting a potentially incriminating story to his Instagram account.
If he only had nine followers, it probably wouldn’t have turned into such a big deal. Unfortunately for Black, he has five million. In the video, he was in the midst of an intense discussion about the need to turn his phone into the authorities who had requested it as part of a search warrant. One man in the video told Black that the police would not return the phone once it was handed over. The video was shared continually, and quickly.
Right now, Black faces a number of serious charges: Child neglect, grand theft of a firearm, and possession of a weapon by a felon. He also stands charged with marijuana possession and has a couple counts of probation violation pending. As bad as it sounds, that’s pretty much business as usual for Black, who in the past has faced charges like false imprisonment, robbery, battery, driving with a suspended license, criminal sexual conduct, and armed robbery. You know, nothing over the top.
Because of all these criminal activities, he’s been sentenced to anger management classes, house arrest, community service, and years of probation. House arrest sounds all well and good until the girls won’t come over to play, of course. That’s probably why he skipped out to the strip club. Chalk him up for another count of violation of probation!
Even with his ongoing legal problems, he still finds the time to make new music. He recently released a single called “Roll In Peace” that he produced with another rapper, Jahseh Onfroy. Onfroy has similar charges levied against him, but his day in court has yet to arrive.
While it’s easy to point the finger at any criminal activity, it’s important to try to figure out what prompts it in the first place. If we don’t work to change the underlying problems, then these crimes will continue to remain pervasive throughout society – and with an overwhelming bias toward minority communities who face overwhelming odds while growing up.
