A new court filing contains a security guard’s claim that YG was present and armed during the backstage fight that led to rapper Drakeo the Ruler’s death in December 2021.
In a deposition given on March 19, 2025, Alrick Cooper III said YG was “front and center” when violence erupted at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. festival, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Cooper, who said he was working on Drakeo’s security detail, alleged that YG was one of three men carrying objects that looked like short, homemade knives.
The guard also admitted he never saw the person’s entire face because the man was wearing a ski mask. Cooper testified that he believed it was YG after noticing his hazel eyes, height, demeanor and other characteristics.
YG speaks on getting detained by police during an investigation tied to Drakeo The Ruler’s murder
— No Jumper (@nojumper) July 24, 2026
@verzuzonline pic.twitter.com/bXiX3d1QJk
Officers searched a Burbank home connected to the rapper and detained him Thursday morning. He was not arrested and later took the stage for a Verzuz event with The Game that same night.
YG has consistently denied being involved in Drakeo’s stabbing and has not answered the guard’s latest accusation.
Drakeo, whose legal name was Darrell Caldwell, was attacked backstage on December 18, 2021. The 28-year-old rapper later died at a hospital.
