Ralan Styles, the rapper behind a popular “Baby Shark” remix, died after being shot during an attempted robbery on Monday. He was just 22.
Styles was shot multiple times near his home in Columbus, Ohio, when an assailant tried to steal the rapper’s gold chain from around his neck, according to the Daily Mail.
The rapper, whose real name is Michael Robinson, reportedly fought back against the would-be thief and was shot down for his resistance, police said.
Officers tried to keep the young entertainer alive while paramedics were on the way, but attempts to revive him were to no avail and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:10 a.m.
Police arrested 24-year-old Mahamood Hassan based on descriptions by witnesses to the attack and shooting. He was charged with murder after witnesses picked him out of a police lineup.
Hassan was booked into the Franklin County Jail and detained on a $2 million bond.
The victim’s brother mourned the loss of his younger brother in an Instagram post saying, “Not my lil brother man. I’m still waiting for you to call me and tell me this whole thing is a joke.”
“My heart is f**king broken, I’ll never be the same. We went from rapping at the lunch table together in middle school, to becoming superstars,” said the brother who performs under the name Lil Goat.
“We slept on the floor together, we ate together, we fought together, signed our first deal together. I love you bro, and as long as I’m alive you’ll never die,” he concluded.
The deceased rapper zoomed to fame in the rap community after he released his 2022 remix of the popular children’s song “Baby Shark.” The release of the remix on social media earned him a record deal with Republic Records. He had just released his album, Polyamorous, in June.
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