Drakeo Guard Says YG Wielded 3-Inch Knife in 2021 Fatal Festival Brawl
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jul 24
Drakeo Guard Says YG Wielded 3-Inch Knife in 2021 Fatal Festival Brawl
3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jul 24
Summary
March 2025 deposition excerpts show Drakeo the Ruler’s former guard, Alrick Cooper III, testified that YG pulled a short silver blade and slashed toward him during the Dec. 18, 2021 backstage fight.
Cooper said YG was “front and center” among 20 to 25 attackers, and that he saw three men carrying improvised knives before the group swarmed Drakeo moments before the rapper was fatally stabbed.
The testimony surfaced in Drakeo family litigation against Live Nation, C3 Presents, Bobby Dee Presents and security contractors, which alleges festival staff closed gates and failed to stop a foreseeable attack.
That account emerged after California Highway Patrol officers and Burbank SWAT searched a Burbank property this week, briefly detaining YG and releasing him without arrest; no one has been charged in the homicide case.
YG has repeatedly denied involvement, including on a June 2026 song, while hearings on motions to dismiss parts of the civil case are set to begin Aug. 13.