Atlanta rapper and YSL Records artist Lil Keed dies at 24

Rapper Lil Keed in 2019 Image: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for BET

Atlanta rapper Lil Keed died on Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 24. A publicist for his label 300 Entertainment confirmed his death to NPR. No cause of death was given.

"Can't believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries," his brother, the rapper Lil Gotit, posted on his verified Instagram account. "I know what you want me to do and that's go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy."

Lil Keed, real name Raqhid Render, was scheduled to perform Saturday afternoon at the Until Next Time Daze in the Blue Music Festival in Charlotte, N.C., according to the festival lineup.

Born March 16, 1998, the rapper was raised in the same Atlanta neighborhood as Young Thug, who played an influential role in Lil Keed's music as a mentor and founder of the YSL imprint under 300 Entertainment. He and Lil Gotit, his younger brother, were making music together in 2017 when they started gaining popularity. And in 2018, he signed with YSL Records for his album Trapped on Cleveland 2.

"I'm just doing me. I love doing this. This what I've got a passion for," Lil Keed said of making music in a 2020 interview with the outlet Complex.

2019 was a big year for the rapper, who released some of his most popular singles as well as his first studio album, Long Live Mexico, which peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

"My goal and my intentions for my future? I wanna be a megastar," Lil Keed said in a 2020 interview with the magazine XXL for their annual "Freshman Class" issue. "I don't wanna be no superstar...I wanna try to be past Prince and Michael Jackson and 'em. And I know I can do it as long as I stay committed to what I'm doing."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Copyright(c) 2022, NPR