Lil Marlo, a Rising Atlanta Rapper, Is Shot and Killed at 30
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Marlo, or Lil Marlo, who was also known locally as Young Rudy or Rude, turned to music relatively late in life, hoping to escape what he referred to as “the streets” – a world of guns and drug-dealing that had surrounded him as he was raised in some of Atlanta’s most neglected neighborhoods.
In 2017, he signed to Quality Control Music, the homegrown label that had minted stars like Migos and Lil Yachty, alongside his friend and collaborator Lil Baby, who went on to become one of hip-hop’s biggest new stars.
“Two words,” Pierre Thomas, the Quality Control executive, said at the time of the pair: “Real Atlanta.”
Marlo went on to release five mixtapes with the label, including his debut, “2 the Hard Way,” with Lil Baby, followed by “The Wire,” “9th Ward God,” “The Real 1” and “1st and 3rd,” from this year, which featured appearances by Future, Young Thug and Gucci Mane. Admittedly not a natural M.C., Marlo got by on the authority of his hard-boiled and hyperlocal street tales, delivering boasts, threats and regrets in a distinct, wheezing squeal that he was still developing.
Though not a presence on the Billboard charts, he represented a distinct strain of cult-favorite regional rapper and connector, especially in Atlanta, commanding respect from his more established peers as he inched toward a breakthrough.