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The Hip-Hop community is mourning the loss of Atlanta rapper Dopeboy Ra formerly known as Young Capone.
On Tuesday, August 15, publicist Aleesha Carter confirmed that her former client, born Rodriquez Smith, passed away. A cause of death was not revealed. The seasoned MC and producer was reportedly missing in Chicago since July before his death was announced by Carter and his friends like Runway Richy. The Atlanta artists also took to his Instagram to eulogize his close friend and past collaborator.
“This is with a heavy heavy heart that I’m even posting this,” Carter wrote. “We made magic when we strategically put out projects, always."
"I hate to say this but Rest in peace my n***a @gxdsxlldxpe @dopeboyra," Richy wrote. "What they talking bout we dropped a classic on dese ah #DopeRun we been stamped the Eastside and u was a real one my brudda I ain’t even think I was gone get this phone call but Fly High brother u was a Legend on my side."
Smith got his start in the rap game as Young Capone in the mid 2000s. He dropped his song "It's Hot" featuring Daz Dillinger, which was the intro for Jermaine Dupri's Young Fly & Flashy Vol. 1 in 2005. He also handled the title track on JD's album. After he was signed to So So Def, he delivered his other notable tracks like "Lights, Camera, Action."
Capone dropped two mixtapes Look Who's Back (2010) and Paper And Politics (2011) before he switched his stage name to Dopeboy Ra. Ra dropped his latest album SlumMade 2.0 last December and recently appeared on Kano Brown's "Work" earlier this year.
Rest in peace to Dopeboy Ra. See more tributes from Jermaine Dupri, Young Dro, JID and more below.