Dallas rapper Lil Loaded has died at the age of 20.
Ashkan Mehryari, attorney for Lil Loaded (real name Dashawn Robertson), confirmed the rapper’s passing in an email to Billboard on Monday night (May 31). He said the death was reportedly the result of a suicide.
Lil Loaded was known for the viral track “6locc 6a6y” that arrived in 2019, and just last week was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He had released his latest music through Epic Records.
“dopest fanbase on earth,” he’d written on his last post on Instagram on May 27, when he proudly shared the news about “6locc 6a6y” being certified gold.
In 2020, Robertson had been arrested on a murder charge in connection to the shooting of 18-year-old Khalil Walker.
According to the Dallas Morning News, in February he was indicted on a lesser charge of manslaughter. At the time, his attorney told the local news outlet that the two were friends and the incident involved “no malice.”
Robertson was born in San Bernardino, California, before moving to Dallas when he was a kid. He grew up listening to Michael Jackson — “to me he started the whole rapping/singing thing. That’s where it originally came from for me,” he said in a 2019 interview with XXL — and Lyfe Jennings, and also drew inspiration from artists like Lil Wayne, The Game, Chief Keef, Snoop Dogg, Rich Homie Quan and Tupac.
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He started rapping at 18. Before “6locc 6a6y” made its mark — as of May 31, its offical video on YouTube had been viewed close to 29 million times — he dropped his first song, “B.O.S.,” which was a reworking of YNW Melly’s “Butter Pecan.”
One of Robertson’s latest releases was his music video for the track “Hard Times,” feat. Hotboii, a track off of 2020’s Criptape.
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours, at 1-800-273-8255.