Rapper Kodak Black Denied Bond In Florida On Weapon Charges

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that rapper Kodak Black must be held in jail without bond on weapon charges, calling the South Florida native a “danger to the community.”

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno came after prosecutors appealed Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres’ decision to release the 21-year-old on bond, according to local news outlets. The rapper was born Dieuson Octave, and his current legal name is Bill Kapri.

Black was arrested May 11 before his performance at the Miami-area Rolling Loud hip-hop festival on charges related to an earlier purchase of weapons. Prosecutors alleged that the rapper twice falsified information on federal forms in order to buy a 9-millimeter handgun, a .380-caliber handgun and a semiautomatic weapon from a Miami-area gun shop, according to The Associated Press.

Prosecutors also claimed in their appeal papers that one of the handguns Black illegally purchased was used to try to shoot another rapper earlier this year in Pompano Beach, where Black grew up.

“The firearm had a live round in the chamber and apparently jammed during the shooting,” federal prosecutor Bruce Brown wrote to Moreno, according to the Miami Herald. “Fingerprints taken off the firearm belonged to the defendant.”

Brown alleged that authorities found the loaded handgun left at the scene by the reported shooters, as well as multiple spent casings that were possibly discharged from other firearms, the Herald reported.

Black pleaded not guilty to the weapon charges and was previously granted release on $550,000 bond and house arrest. Moreno overturned the release, saying Black is a “danger to the community” due to his criminal history and that the type of weapons he purchased was concerning. The Miami judge ordered that the rapper be detained until his trial date, which will likely be by August, according to CBS4 Miami.

Black’s attorney said the rapper needed firearms because of security threats he faces from gangs and other rivals in the rap industry, the AP reported.

Black had been charged in Florida before with drug and weapon possession, armed robbery and sexual assault, though he’d never been convicted as an adult. He also faces drug, weapon and sexual assault charges in other states. He could face up to eight years in prison if convicted on the recent weapon charges.

The rapper’s popularity grew exponentially over the last few years. He released an album in December called “Dying to Live,” and his most notable songs include “Tunnel Vision,” “Zeze” and “No Flockin’.”