Kodak Black was born Dieuson Octave in Pompano Beach, Florida, on June 11, 1997. He was raised by a single mother in the Golden Acres housing projects. Black’s mother, Marcelene Octave, died of cancer when he was 12 years old. Kodak Black has said that his father is not involved in his life.
In elementary school, Kodak Black was artistic and drew inspiration from Hip-Hop artists such as Lil Wayne and Boosie Badazz. He began writing his own raps at age 11 and plunked down $200 for studio time at a local recorder’s office when he was just 12 years old. After being expelled from middle school for fighting, he attended Blanche Ely High School but dropped out after only a few months.
Music career
Kodak Black began rapping in his teens and debuted locally in late 2014 with the release of his first mixtape, Project Baby. That December, he signed with Atlantic Records. In 2016, he released his commercial debut EP, Institution. His debut album, Painting Pictures, followed in early 2017 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200.
Commercial debut
Kodak Black’s commercial debut came with the release of his mixtape Project Baby, which released as a free online download in December 2013. The mixtape was originally going to release as a mixtape/compilation album until they revealed that they released it for digital download only. His second mixtape, Heart of the projects, was released on February 11, 2014. It comprises fourteen tracks, with “No Flocking” being the only single from the project. In June 2014, Kodak Black featured on the song “From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game”, from Freddy Krueger’s mixtape A Nightmare on Elm Street. In October 2014, Kodak Black featured on Lil Bibby’s “Free Crack 2” Mixtape.
Controversy
In June 2016, Kodak Black was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor. The victim told police that she and Kodak Black had sex without her consent in a hotel room near Florence, South Carolina, after a concert in February 2016. She was 14 years old at the time of the incident; Kodak Black was 18 years old. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. In November 2016, he was indicted by a grand jury on first-degree criminal sexual conduct; he pleaded not guilty again in December 2016.
The case went to trial in May 2017. The victim testified that she had lied about her age to Kodak Black and that she had consented to have sex with him. On May 8, 2017, court found Kodak Black guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct; and sentenced him to 10 years in prison but released him on probation after pleading guilty to lesser charges in August 2019.
In October 2019, police arrested Kodak Black on federal weapons charges. He accused of making false statements on background check forms while attempting to purchase firearms from a gun store in Miami, Florida. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the charges.
Legal issues
Kodak Black has been in and out of jail since he was a teenager. In 2016, police arrested him and charged him with first-degree robbery and false imprisonment. In 2017, court sentenced him to a year in prison for lying about a gun application. While in 2018, police arrested him on drug and weapons charges.
Arrests
Police arrested Kodak Black several times. Most notably, he arrested by police on weapons charges in Florida in 2016 and sentenced to a year in prison. Police also arrested him in South Carolina in 2017 on drug and weapons charges. In 2018, he was indicted on federal charges of making false statements on background check forms when purchasing firearms.
Incarceration
Kodak Black has been in and out of jail since he was a teenager. In 2015, Kodak sentenced to a year in jail for armed robbery. He released in 2016 but was back in jail later that year on charges of fleeing from police and driving with a suspended license. In 2017, he again sentenced to jail, this time for violating the terms of his probation. He has also been charged with making false statements on a gun application and with sexual assault.
Personal life
Kodak Black born Dieuson Octave in Pompano Beach, Florida, on June 11, 1997. His mother raised him in Golden Acres, a public housing project in Pompano Beach. Octave dropped out of school in the 8th grade. He began rapping in 8th grade and joined a rap group called Brutal Youngnz. He was first arrested at the age of 12 for armed robbery; he and his friends stole a car at gunpoint.
At 13, Kodak arrested by police again for grand theft auto, and burglary. In December 2015, when he was 18 years old, police arrested Kodak Black and charged him with armed robbery and false imprisonment stemming from an incident that occurred in October 2015; he allegedly robbed a victim at gunpoint and forced her into a bathroom. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. In April 2016, he sentenced to one year of house arrest and five years of probation.
Discography
Kodak Black has released three studio albums, one mixtape, sixteen singles, and eleven music videos. His debut album, Painting Pictures (2017), reached number three on the US Billboard 200.
In June 2018, Kodak Black featured on the XXXT entacion song “Roll in Peace”, which peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The following month, he released his second studio album, Dying to Live. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Kodak Black’s third studio album, Bill Israel, was released in November 2020. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200.
