Rich the Kid left fans concerned for his safety following a series of troubling posts on Instagram.
The rapper deleted every post on his Instagram account, leaving just one that reads: ‘R.i.P. Rich the kid 1992 – 2018.’
He captioned the image: ‘Thank u all my fans and family for everything’.
Rich the Kid pictured with Lil' Kim and Lance Stephenson at the Funk Flex Birthday celebration in New York City on July 29
Rich the Kid’s post came three days after he posted a video slamming his label, 300 Entertainment, and pleading to be let out of his contract.
‘Yo, f**k 300 ENT, y’all suck,’ he said in the clip. ‘Listen, you gotta let me out of this contract. I don’t want to be with y’all no f**king more. I told y’all…giving this money back.
'I don’t want to be with y’all label no more. Y’all suck, y’all is trash. Listen, young, independent artists, do not sign with 300 ENT. They’re the worst, worst label, ever. Lame a** s**t.’
Just over a month ago, Rich the Kid was hospitalized after an armed robbery at girlfriend Tori Brixx’s home. He and Brixx were taken to seek medical treatment.
Someone please tell me Rich The Kid isn’t dead and he just is trolling the internet rn — delani (@delaanijo) July 31, 2018
So what’s going on with Rich the Kid? Here’s the 411.
Who is Rich the Kid?
Rich the Kid — real name Dimitri Leslie Roger — is a tapper, born on July 13, 1992 in New York City. He's of Hatian decent.
When he was 13, Rich the Kid's parents divorced. He moved to Woodstock, Georgia with his mother.
He signed with Interscope Records in June 2017 and released his debut album, The World is Yours, on March 30, 2018. He's worked with Fetty Wap, Ty Dolla $ign, Rich Homie Quan, Young Dolph, and more.
Rich the kid was married to a woman called Antonette Willis, whom he had two children with. His wife filed for divorce in March 2018, seeking full physical custody and spousal support.
She accused him of cheating on her with Blac Chyna and India Love. She also claimed he was abusive to her and regularly forced her to have abortions.
Rich the Kid dead?
Rich the Kid left fans concerned that he’d died after posting a cryptic text post on Instagram that read: ‘R.i.P. Rich the kid 1992 – 2018.’
He hasn’t returned to Instagram, Twitter or any other form of social media since then. His camp hasn’t weighed in on whether he’s alive or dead.
No reports have surfaced indicating that the rapper is dead, however.
When did Rich the Kid die?
At this time, it hasn’t been reported that Rich the Kid is dead. It’s merely a theory based on a recent Instagram post from the rapper, in which he wrote ‘R.i.P’ and included the year he was born along with the current year.
Did Rich the Kid get shot?
Rich the Kid was injured in an armed home invasion at girlfriend Tori Brixx’s home in June, however, he’s not believed to have been shot. The rapper was photographed in a hospital bed, but the photos don’t make it clear what injuries he sustained.
At the time, TMZ reported that Rich the Kid was discharged from the hospital not long after he was admitted.
BRUH PLEASE TELL ME RICH THE KID IS TROLLING HE CANT BE DEAD — Adrian (@Moneymarin12) July 31, 2018
Rich the Kid name change
While some think Rich the Kid’s recent rest in peace post was an indication that he’d died, others believe it could signal the death of his rap name or the end of his career in music.
This is merely speculative at this point.
These days, it seems Rich The Kid is a fan of keeping his fans in mass confusion. A few weeks ago when he experienced what was later revealed as a home invasion, a post was uploaded to his account showing him lying unconscious in a hospital bed. Not much else was offered to fans to decode what was going on. Today, Rich has gone back to similar tactics, sharing yet another cryptic message and his supporters are desperately trying to figure out exactly what's going on.
A few days ago, RTK ranted about how he wants out of his contract with 300 Entertainment. Now, he's gone ahead and completely wiped his Instagram, leaving only one post. The photo reads, "R.i.P. Rich the kid 1992-2018." While it's unlikely that the star has actually died, many believe he is referring to a name change in order to find a way out of his deal. Others seem to believe he is retiring from the game altogether. The current drama between him and his Rich Forever castmates seems to be at a standstill but that may also be a contributing factor as his bio now reads, "Rich Forever CEO."
From people speculating he's been hacked to others seriously believing he's making a plug walk to heaven, we seriously hope Rich is alright. We'll keep you updated on this story as it develops throughout the day.
While it was initially speculated that Rich The Kid’s cryptic “RIP” Instagram post was in relation to a potential name change, it appears he’s actually a hacking victim — and the perpetrator is looking to cash in on his work.
“I need $750K for his page back,” the alleged hacker, up-and-coming artist Yung Navz, wrote via Instagram. The rapper’s handle was linked in an updated caption on Rich The Kid’s post, and he took it a step further by posting a video of himself logged in on his page.
It also appears Rich’s Twitter was compromised with the same message/video being posted, as well as off-brand jabs at Nicki Minaj and Kanye West.
(The previous version of this article was published on July 31, 2018 at 9:23 AM and can be found below.)
Rich The Kid whipped his fans into a frenzy with an ominous Instagram post on Tuesday (July 31) that read, “R.i.P. Rich the Kid 1992 – 2018.” He thanked his fans and family “for everything” in the caption and wiped the rest of his account, but according to a comment on the post by Rich Forever A&R Gramz, the post isn’t as tragic as it appears.
“He changing his name,” Gramz wrote in a comment.
More proof Rich the Kid ain’t dead:
He changed the caption of the photo he posted…@richthekid #richthekid (First one is original , second one is the one that he changed to) pic.twitter.com/oBwduleRKE — elon musk (@sourtravisscott) July 31, 2018
The “Plug Walk” rapper also “liked” a tweet suggesting he’s simply “trolling the internet.”
Someone please tell me Rich The Kid isn’t dead and he just is trolling the internet rn — delani (@delaanijo) July 31, 2018
Rich has been critical of his 300 Ent. label, recently dubbing it “the worst label ever” while pleading for his release from his contract. “I don’t wanna be with y’all label no more. Y’all suck. Y’all is trash,” he said.
So could the R.I.P. post and clean Instagram be more a reference to a figurative death rather than a literal one? The change of name could potentially be a way for the rapper to continue making music while his label situation gets worked out.
Iconic rap group Rapper’s Delight — formerly The Sugar Hill Gang — famously lost all the rights to their name, but through a name change loophole, were able to tour for years performing all their hits.
Likewise Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 while having contract issues with Warner Bros.
Rich The Kid’s team has yet to release any further details.
UPDATED 6:54 p.m. ET: Rich the Kid's social media accounts were apparently hacked.
Shortly after a cryptic "R.I.P." message appeared on his official pages, he—or someone pretending to be him—attempted to explain the post in an Instagram story: "I'm not dead I was high as shit. I apologize to all my fans I love," the story read. He then shared a number of bizarre tweets, some of which were directed at Kanye West and Nicki Minaj:
Hey @kanyewest you really suck now — RICH THE KID (@richthekid) July 31, 2018
Yo @NICKIMINAJ you need some hits call me — RICH THE KID (@richthekid) July 31, 2018
Though many fans assumed the dude still high, a subsequent post claimed Rich's accounts were hacked a rapper named Yung Navz.
I need 750k for rich the kid Twitter bak — RICH THE KID (@richthekid) July 31, 2018
Navz later posted Instagram stories to his own account, claiming he would return the accounts to Rich after he received $75,000. He also threatened to "expose" the rapper and leak his music if the demands were not met.
Image via Instagram
Image via Instagram
Image via Instagram
Let's see how this story unfolds.
Read the original story below.
Days after saying "Fuck 300 [Entertainment]," Rich the Kid has shared a cryptic R.I.P. message to his Instagram account.
Late Monday night, Rich shared a text post that reads "R.i.P. Rich the Kid 1992 - 2018." In the caption, Rich thanked his fans and family "for everything." No additional context was given.
According to Rich Forever's Gramz, however, the message is merely Rich's way of hinting that he's planning to change his name, i.e. it's a goddamn publicity stunt:
POST CONTINUES BELOW
Image via Instagram
Rich later liked a tweet characterizing the stunt as an act of trolling. We've reached out to his reps for clarification.
"Fuck 300 [Entertainment], y'all suck," Rich said in a since-deleted Instagram video last Friday. "Listen, y'all gotta let me out this damn contract. I don't wanna be with y'all no fuckin' more. I told y'all I get y'all this money back. I don't wanna be with y'all label no more. Y'all suck. Y'all is trash. Listen, young independent artists, do not sign with 300 Ent. They're the worst, worst label ever."
Rich's Rich Forever imprint is housed under 300. The World Is Yours, Rich's debut studio album, was released through Interscope and Rich Forever back in March.
Back in February, Migos detailed their own issues with 300 in a cover story interview with Complex. "They tried to hold us against our will," Offset said. According to Quality Control Music's Pierre "Pee" Thomas, 300 had the Migos team "shackled down" and unable to make gains from new releases for 18 months.
