Rapper Drakeo the Ruler's security guard says YG had a knife in fatal brawl

A former security guard for hip-hop artist Drakeo the Ruler testified under oath that he saw YG produce a knife during the Dec. 18, 2021, backstage brawl in which Drakeo was fatally stabbed at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. festival, according to deposition excerpts obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Alrick Cooper III, part of Drakeo's security detail that night, said YG, whose legal name is Keenon Jackson, was "front and center" in the fight and one of three men he saw carrying short, improvised blades.

Cooper said YG wore a ski mask during the confrontation but that he recognized the rapper by his eyes, build and demeanor, having met him before. Describing the moment YG allegedly drew a weapon, Cooper testified: "And then YG produced a knife from his left hand," adding that he backed away once he saw it. Cooper also said festival security closed off an exit as the two groups clashed: "They actually closed the gates and trapped us in to where we couldn't leave," he testified. Drakeo, legal name Darrell Caldwell Jr., was stabbed during the melee and later died.

The deposition, taken in March 2025, surfaced last month in a civil lawsuit that Drakeo's son and other relatives, along with Cooper, filed in February 2022 against Live Nation, C3 Presents, Bobby Dee Presents and several security contractors, alleging the companies failed to protect Drakeo from a foreseeable attack. YG is not named as a defendant in that suit. All parties are due back in court starting Aug. 13 for hearings on motions to dismiss the case brought by Bobby Dee Presents and Live Nation.

YG has repeatedly denied any involvement in Drakeo's death, saying on his June 2026 song "We Know the Truth" that he only learned someone had been stabbed after he arrived to perform at the festival. This week, the California Highway Patrol, assisted by the Burbank Police Department's SWAT team, briefly detained YG while searching a Burbank property as part of the ongoing homicide investigation; he was released without arrest, and a CHP spokesperson said the agency could not comment further on an open case. No one has been charged in Drakeo's killing.

Cooper also testified about tension between the two camps before the festival, describing a prior encounter outside a recording studio in which YG asked Drakeo, "What's up with all that internet stuff?" and Cooper had to step in to defuse it. Citing that history, along with Drakeo's 2021 song "IngleWeird" and interviews from artists in YG's circle, Cooper said he warned Drakeo beforehand that the festival would need more security.