Who was Young Scooter? Rapper reportedly dies while fleeing Atlanta officers

Atlanta-based rapper Young Scooter has passed away. The rapper, whose full name was Kenneth Edward Rashaad Bailey, died on March 28, his 39th birthday.

Young Scooter gained widespread popularity in the rap scene in the 2010s, as per Marca. As per the news outlet, in 2012, he signed to famous rapper and producer Future’s label, Freebrandz, and the next year, he signed with rapper Gucci Mane's label, 1017 Records.

Scooter’s breakout mixtape, the 2012 Street Lottery, was highlighted by XXL Mag as one of the 12 best mixtapes of the month. In a 2013 conversation with Vice, Scooter spoke about how he got his start in the rap industry, saying,

“About 2009, 2008. But I wasn’t really taking it seriously. I just saw Future take off, really. It was just seeing I could. We’re in the neighborhood. I’ve been right there with him my whole – the last 17 years, around each other.”

Scooter was a featured artist on Billboard charts in 2016 with Young Thug’s “Guwop,” which reached no. 45 on the Hot R&B and Hip-Hop songs charts. Scooter also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018 with Future & Juice WRLD’s “Jet Lag.”

In 2023, Scooter, who was a father to 4 children, sat down with All HipHop to discuss his single “Hard to Handle” and his long-running collaboration with Future. About working with the rapper, Scooter said,

"It was mainly Future’s idea, and I just went off of him. We were in the studio in Atlanta. You know, we don’t write the music, so everything really be quick. If you’re not a quick punch in artist or not writing your music, you don’t need to work with Future because that’s how it is. We punching in.”

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How did Young Scooter die?

As per 11 Alive, Young Scooter succumbed to his injuries after an incident involving a chase with the Atlanta Police Department. On Friday, the APD was responding to a weapon-related altercation involving two men and a woman. According to Lt. Andrew Smith of the APD, quoted by 11 Alive, the incident involved the police responding to a scene where shots were fired and later, two males were seen fleeing from the police perimeter set up around a property. Lt. Smith said,

“One male returned back into the house. The other male jumped two fences as he was fleeing. When officers located him on the other side of the fence, he appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg.”

The injured man, as per the APD, was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Lt. Smith clarified, as per 11 Alive, that the death was not caused in any way by the APD officers responding to the scene.

Cody Alcorn, a journalist with 11 Alive, covered the incident closely. He took to X to confirm Young Scooter’s death, writing,

“I can confirm 39-year-old Kenneth Bailey, known as Atlanta based rapper Young Scooter died tonight. @Atlanta_Police said they were pursuing Bailey after a call of a disturbance with weapons. Bailey was one of 2 suspects who ran from a home on William Nye Drive.”

As per TMZ, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office noted that Young Scooter was declared dead after being brought to a hospital. The medical examiner also stated that an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of the rapper’s death.