Young Capone, a rapper protégé of Jermaine Dupri, has died, according to his publicist. He was 35. No cause of death was given.
Capone (real name Rodriguez Smith) had been missing from Chicago since July. It is unclear if he surfaced before his death or why he went missing.
He also was known to fans as Dopeboy Ra and RaRa.
Capone gained prominence during the mid-2000s performing in the underground hip-hop scene in Atlanta, according to XXL.
His publicist Aleesha Carter announced his death via Instagram.
“This is with a heavy heavy heart that I’m even posting this. We made magic when we strategically put out projects, always,” he wrote. ‘Young Capone, aka Dopeboy Ra, aka Rara, was one of my first Hip Hop/ Rap clients, and I can’t believe the news I just got of his unexpected passing! A friend…a client and just huge in East Atlanta. This is not the easiest post at all. Rest easy, RIP.”
After news of his passing, Dupri shared an excerpt of the Young Capone song “I’m Hot” along with a photo of the late musician smoking in a car. He captioned the post with four dove emojis.
Young Capone’s albums included the 2010’s Tha Life of a Youngsta, followed by Paper and Politics. Both were released prior to him changing his name to Dopeboy Ra.
His final album, SlumMade 2.0, was released late last year.
