Lil Marlo Dead At 30: Atlanta Rapper Shot In Vehicle, Investigation Underway

Atlanta rapper Lil Marlo died late Saturday after he was reportedly shot while driving, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed. An official cause of death is yet to be revealed.

The medical examiner’s office said the rapper, whose real name was Rudolph Johnson, was 30 years old. A representative for his label, Quality Control, also confirmed the death.

Local media earlier reported, citing Atlanta police, that officers found a 30-year-old man dead of gunshot wounds in a vehicle on I-285 near the Benjamin E. Mays Drive overpass after responding to a call about an accident on Saturday night. At that time, the identity of the victim was unknown.

“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,” a police statement read.

Lil Yachty posted about the shooting early Sunday, writing on Instagram, “We just did a song a 4 this morning smh rip brother.”

Quality Control co-founder Pierre “P” Thomas also wrote: “So much potential that the world didn’t get a chance to see. Love you Bro. It’s really hard for me to say RIP."

Marlo signed with Quality Control in 2017 and released an album with Lil Baby, “2 the Hard Way,” later that year, as well as his own debut, “The Wire.” He released mixtapes, “The Real 1” and “9th Ward God,” in 2018, and dropped his most recent album, “1st & 3rd,” in February. He also released several singles and appeared on the first two “Quality Control: Control the Streets” compilations.

Marlo is survived by his mother, Santresa Maxey; his cousin, Denise Hill-Love; and his two sons, R.J. and Marlo Jr.

On Father's Day he posted a video of himself and his little girl. He captioned the post: "Thanks For Making Me Y'all Father I Wouldn't Trade Y'all For Da World."

Marlo was raised in Atlanta’s Bowen Homes housing projects. Jacoby Hudson, a longtime friend and Atlanta defense lawyer, told the New York Times that Marlo had just left a Bankhead block party late Saturday when he was killed.

“It’s heartbreaking, because I told Rudy it would end like this if he didn’t change the people he was around,” he said. “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.”