An aspiring rapper who was shot multiple times in a robbery in North Hollywood said he believes the shooting was prompted by his flaunting money and jewelry on his social media accounts.
Diamond-encrusted chains and expensive cars are part of the industry, the rapper known as “Wakko the Kidd” said.
“It’s a popular thing in hip-hop and pop culture to show off wealth and new clothes and jewelry and nice cars,” he said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s all part of it; it’s glitz and glamour.”
But after he had posted online about an $80,000 chain with a large “818″ pendant, Wakko the Kidd said, he and his audio engineer arrived at his home Sept. 1 following a recording session and were caught off guard by robbers.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the two men were attacked by at least one armed suspect in the 11100 block of Califa Street.
No arrests have been made in the attack, and LAPD officials declined to say what was taken during the robbery.
Wakko the Kidd, who declined to give his real name, said he was shot six times and is recovering after being discharged from the hospital two days ago. His audio engineer, he said, was shot 10 times and is still in the hospital.
In the Sept. 1 attack, the rapper said, at least two masked men walked out of a car parked three houses down from his home. He believes the attackers did not follow him home but were waiting for him to pull into his driveway. When he and his audio engineer opened the door to get out of their car, he said, they were suddenly shot at.
“I think they were scared or something, because if their attempt was to rob me they could have easily gotten what they wanted by not shooting,” he said.
Wakko the Kidd said he ran for cover in front of his car. He was struck in the back while running, and he tried to duck under the hood of the car to avoid getting shot in the head, he said.
At one point, one of the men pulled at his necklace, shattering it on the ground.
Pieces of the necklace were recovered by police after Wakko the Kidd called 911. Investigators found multiple casings on the ground when they responded, and bullets had pierced through Wakko the Kidd’s vehicle and home, police said.
“I had like 15K on me in cash that they didn’t go through in my pockets and they didn’t try to go in my car,” Wakko the Kidd said. “I’m not a robber, but I have common sense enough to think that once 26 bullets go off, it’s a botched robbery.”
Wakko the Kidd is often seen in music videos on YouTube holding thick stacks of cash in his hands, standing next to expensive cars or boasting about money in lyrics like claiming his “paycheck like Dubai.” In one video posted on his TikTok account, someone is seen dropping $100 bills out the backseat of a car window and into a crowded sidewalk.
Just weeks before the robbery, the rapper posted a video on his YouTube account claiming he spent $80,000 on a jeweled chain from Dumoni Jewelers, a company that specializes in custom jewelry, including grills — jewelry worn on teeth.
“And you know he did the grills, and you know he did the watch,” Wakko the Kidd says into the camera while showing off the gem-encrusted jewelry.
He said he is spending his time working on a new album inspired by the shooting.
“We’re going to squeeze every piece of positivity that we can from this negative situation,” he said.
Law enforcement officials have said they have been seeing an increase in the number of “follow home” robberies, especially incidents targeting celebrities and upscale restaurants in the past year. In November, the LAPD announced a new task force set up to tackle the trend.
According to LAPD crime statistics, robberies have increased about 18% so far this year when compared with the same time period in 2021.
